Happy Med Month!

Did you know that May is Med Month? What is Med Month, you ask? To answer that question, I bring you press release from Oldways:

BOSTON, April 28, 2010 — Shake off the winter doldrums and celebrate spring by bringing the vibrant colors and flavors of Mediterranean cuisine to your table. On May 1st, Oldways and the Mediterranean Foods Alliance (MFA) kick off the 2^nd Annual Mediterranean Diet Recipe Contest to celebrate Mediterranean Month.

To participate in the contest, food lovers are asked to create a recipe that uses at least two foods from the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid for a chance to be a Grand Prize Winner or one of nine finalists. The Grand Prize Winner will receive a sumptuous basket of Mediterranean foods from our MFA members. Other prizes include a variety of delicious Mediterranean products and autographed copies of our acclaimed recipe book, The Oldways Table.

After creating your recipe, send it to Alison Clancy at aclancy@oldwayspt.org before May 31st. The finalists will be chosen by a panel of experts on the Oldways staff, and the winners will be announced during the first week of June. For more contest information, look on the Oldways and MFA websites or on The Oldways Table Blog.

Other resources for celebrating Med Month in May include:

● The Power of $2: Easy Affordable Med Recipes, a free downloadable sampler of Med main dishes and sides costing $2 or less per person.

● A Mediterranean Month Calendar, featuring 31 daily tips for following the Mediterranean Diet.

● A Seasonal 7-Day Mediterranean Menu: 7 days of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks, with calorie counts.

● A 2′ X 3′ poster with an updated illustration of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid (available at The Oldways Store).

Scientific studies consistently report that the healthy Mediterranean Diet and its lifestyle practices reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Plus, there is compelling evidence that omega-3s, found in a number of Mediterranean Diet foods, can boost the health and brainpower of both mothers and infants.  Oldways and the MFA are celebrating Mediterranean Month to help consumers bring the Mediterranean Diet into their daily meals. 

For more information on Mediterranean Month, visit the MFA website at www.mediterraneanmark.org or Oldways at www.oldwayspt.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With Med Month in mind, I made a delicious fish recipe this week, incorporating ingredients from the Med Diet Pyramid. I was hoping to have some bright and sunny pictures, but we had some dreary days this week!

My recipe included an abundance of fresh garlic.

I started with a beautiful filet of salmon seasoned on both sides with black pepper and a bit of sea salt.

Then I seared the salmon on both sides to seal in its juicy goodness.

In the meantime, I had the garlic simmering in about 3 TSP of extra virgin olive oil, another staple in the Mediterranean diet. To that I added a large can of crushed tomatoes, a generous helping of oregano, and some black pepper.

Once the salmon was perfectly seared, I poured the tomato and garlic mixture over it, and then topped the pot with chopped asparagus. The whole thing went into the oven at 400 degrees for about 8 minutes, until the salmon was cooked through and the tomato sauce was bubbling.

Because my husband hates olives, I added these lovely, salty kalamatas to my dish after I portioned it out.

I love this meal because it is healthy, bursting with flavor, and takes about 20 minutes total to prep and cook. It is versatile in that you can also use tuna steaks and other veggies such as artichokes, red and green peppers, spinach, whatever you have that is fresh and delicious!

I paired this meal with a Sicilian wine made from the Nerello Mascalese grape. You can read more about the wine pairing here. Moderate wine consumption IS a part of the Mediterranean diet, don’t ya know?! 😉

I am so excited to be celebrating Med Month with Oldways. Stay tuned for some more Mediterranean inspired recipes, wine pairings, and even a very special giveaway!

Speaking of giveaways, please check out my Honest Tea giveaway! You can win a case of refreshing, organic tea!

Have a glorious Saturday, my friends!