Greek cuisine is not only about gyros and moussaka according to Washington Post. The article about the healthy recipes of Greek diet is entitled «Greek out over veggies with Aglaia Kremezi». Kremezi’s American cooking students associate vegetarian dishes with deprivation, so they’re in awe of basic, healthy staples, such as stuffed peppers and green beans with tomato sauce.

Read below the article:

Maybe you’ve heard a certain myth: Greek cuisine is all gyros and meaty moussaka. Not true, says Greek cookbook author Aglaia Kremezi.

“The country doesn’t lend itself to meat. It’s quite mountainous, and there’s no way to produce enough meat to feed everybody,” says Kremezi, who lives on the island of Kea. “People made do with whatever they could cultivate and forage.”

A lot of that is quite tasty, as Kremezi highlights in her new release,“Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts”. Not all of the recipes are low-calorie — note the copious amounts of olive oil used — but they’re proof that veggies, beans and spices are more versatile than many people realize.

“This is the way I learned to cook from my mother and grandmother,” Kremezi says. Similar preparation techniques are common across the region, which is why she also sprinkles in dishes from Turkey, Lebanon and the Balkans.

No matter what you’re cooking, what matters most is how you treat the ingredients. “Never dump vegetables in the refrigerator and forget about them,” Kremezi says. “Have them ready to finish cooking however you like.” She recommends giving greens attention ASAP: “I will blanch them, steam them, saute them.”

They’ll keep that way for close to a week, ready to be stirred into a soup or piled atop polenta (as in the photo with her recipe, below).

As long as you’re thinking ahead, Kremezi also suggests soaking beans overnight, so they’re ready to be cooked the next day. Canned beans just don’t have the same flavor, she says.

Source: Washington Post