The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook: 500 Vibrant, Kitchen-Tested Recipes for Living and Eating Well Every Day (The Complete ATK Cookbook Series)

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This was a very simple dish that was surprisingly good because of that simplicity. It had an earthy flavor that I really enjoyed, and it tastes good served hot or cold. Although the book cites Oldways, it is not compliant with their version of the Mediterranean Diet and kind of blows off some main tenets, like whole grains. For example, in the grain info section it says that hulled barley is the most whole form available, but it takes longer to cook. Then they only have recipes/instructions for pearled barley which is not a whole grain.

This dish is essentially a vegetable stew, and it turned out quite good. I didn't add enough salt at the end, and I didn't add the extra basil at the end either, both of which I think it could have used. I'm a big fan of America's Test Kitchen. You can actually teach someone to cook using their books because they're loaded with interesting tips and advice about why certain ingredients were chosen in "Why This Recipe Works" paragraphs for each recipe. There are also a variety of other tidbits spread throughout the book, including advice on zesting, dried beans, how to prepare fava beans, salad greens, and using parchment. But they care enough about authenticity to leave salmon entirely out of the book because it's not a Mediterranean fish. OK.... Nutrition First: Not only does every recipe have nutritional guidelines, but we also set specific nutritional goals (e.g. every fish recipe is less than 750 calories, with fewer than 8.5g of saturated fat) This recipe was very unique, and once again, I liked it because it's something I never would have thought up on my own. This mix of spices was really flavorful, and it smelled and tasted super good. I made it to go with the couscous recipe below, and it was really good together.This book is the standard recommendation for the Mediterranean Diet, and the recipes I've made have turned out well. It has none of the Mediterranean soul of other cookbooks, and several deviations from the Mediterranean Diet guidelines used in research studies, but it does have some decent recipes and you can make changes as appropriate. The famed Mediterranean diet is more than just a regional cuisine, it’s food at its best: the variety of bright flavors and tastes, the health benefits, and the simple, uncomplicated dishes. America’s Test Kitchen makes it easy to eat healthy, with over 500 kitchen-tested recipes from across the Mediterranean.

My family was very divided regarding whether or not they like this dish. 2 liked it a lot, 1 hated it, and 2, including myself, thought it was just okay. If I made it again, I'd add way less parsley at the end, like maybe half the amount, but that's just because I'm not the biggest fan of that really bold herby flavor, with any herb. This was my first time trying pearl couscous though, and I really liked it, so I'll definitely cook with it again. Also, I didn't know this when I bought it, but I ended up using vegan soy chorizo from Trader Joe's, and I think it definitely would have been better with actual meat chorizo.There is a short section at the beginning that covers the basics of a Mediterranean diet and what your pantry basics will be, as well as appendices that provide nutritional information for each recipe (# servings is the only thing included with the recipe itself) and some conversion tables (weight, volume, temperature, etc.).