I grew up in a small village in Crete where I learned to prepare the many traditional dishes that I still love cooking today. Some dishes are saved for special occasions like this recipe for baked halibut with lemon and rosemary. In the Greek Orthodox tradition, a feast is held on August 6th in honor of the transformation of Christ on Mount Tabor. On this day, I remember going to the small church near my parent’s house and eating fish after the service. 

This earthy, velvety and super flavorful pumpkin and mushroom soup not only is filling and delicious, but it’s also extremely easy to make. If you travel around Tuscany or Umbria during the colder months, and you base yourself in a traditional farmhouse or Agriturismo, this is definitely a dish you could easily find on the dinner menu. 

Mediterranean Diet for Weight Loss? Yes! I lost 45 pounds eating a high fat, super delicious Mediterranean Diet. Here are 21 recipes that will help you lose weight and keep it off.

My first trip to Crete, the Greek island considered to be one of the healthiest places in the world, was the beginning of my education about the true Mediterranean Diet. This island has some of the highest longevity rates in the world and the men here live to be the same age as the women.  As a matter of fact, when the first researchers went to Crete in the 1950’s they could only find one man on the island with any kind of heart disease.

After my mom died, I started overeating.  One meal in particular stands out in my memory.  My extended family and I were all at an Indian restaurant and I ordered a full meal and then started eating everyone else’s leftovers.  I was stuffing my grief.  Even before my mom died, I was struggling with my weight, but after she died I gained 20 more pounds and was the heaviest I had ever been in my life (256 pounds when I got married a year later).