Not long ago, one of the bloggers and YouTubers I occasionally follow turned me onto a blog that I was not familiar with, but have since become enthralled with – foodbymaria.com. On this site, Maria Koutsogiannia creates food inspired by her Greek heritage and Mediterranean roots. She has two taglines that sum up her mission – “Fear Not. Food Is Your Friend.” and “Nourish Your Body. Nourish Your Life.” According to the blog, FoodByMaria is on a mission to change the way people eat and understand their food.
What first drew me in is the beautiful photography. There are gorgeous, colorful photos of meals with what look to be the freshest and most beautiful ingredients. Like most food/recipe blogs, she has it divided into categories. Hers are Greek recipes, 30-minute meals, seafood, soups, salads, stuffed, gluten free and blue zone.
I was immediately drawn to the blue zone category. While I’d heard of it and knew a little bit about it, I didn’t know much. Basically, blue zones are regions of the world where people live longer than average, often past the age of 100. The term refers to the populations in these areas, which share many healthy lifestyle habits. The five regions are: Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California.
Some of the lifestyle habits of those who live in the blue zones are regular daily activities such as walking, swimming, or gardening; strong social connections with family and friends; a plant-based diet that includes eggs, whole grains and vegetables; daily rituals to reduce stress, such as meditation, prayer and spending time with loved ones; and having a sense of purpose and knowing your purpose in life.
The benefits of the blue zone lifestyle are improved health and longevity, a reduced risk of disease and an increased quality of life.
There is a 2023 documentary on Netflix called “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones” in which Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Explorer travels to these regions and explores the high longevity among the people. Although I haven’t watched it yet, I plan to soon. We love a good documentary and if it’s about food or travel, then that’s even better.
While there are numerous recipes in the blue zone category of foodbymaria.com, the first two that caught my eye were “Healthy Chicken Salad” and “Black Eyed Pea Soup” which is also known as “Ikarian Stew.”
As of this writing, I haven’t gotten around to making the soup/stew yet. However, I did make the “healthy chicken salad” and found it to be phenomenal. The first thing I’ll tell you is this is not your mother’s or grandmother’s chicken salad. This chicken salad is chock full of ingredients not usually found in what we think of when we think of chicken salad. However, it is healthy, refreshing and teeming with different flavors and textures. I really think I could eat a bowl of this every day for lunch and be perfectly content.
If you’re feeling adventurous, I encourage you to give it a try. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. One other thing I’ll mention though. The first ingredient is a cup of uncooked pearl barley or farro but you may substitute brown rice in place of that. I like barley and have never tried farro, but I had brown rice in my pantry so that is what I used. I’m including the soup/stew recipe even though I haven’t made it yet in case you want to check it out. We’re not completely through with winter yet and it would probably be a welcome meal on a cold night.
From foodbymaria.com
For the dressing:
Cook the grains according to package instructions. While the grains are cooking, prepare the salad ingredients and make the dressing by whisking together all of the ingredients and set aside.
Add all of the salad ingredients to a bowl, drizzle the dressing over, toss and serve.
From foodbymaria.com
Heat ¼ cup olive oil oil over medium heat in a large pot. Once warm, add the diced onion, minced garlic and chopped fennel. Stir occasionally and cook for 10-12 minutes, until softened.
Add the black eyed peas and stir to combine.
Add in the finely chopped tomato, diluted tomato paste (tomato paste mixed with ¼ cup water) and 3 cups water, enough to cover the ingredients in the pot. Add the bay leaves and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to keep at a simmer for 15-20 minutes until reduced to more of a stew like consistency. Stir in the salt and dill and cook for a few more minutes.
Finally stir in the other ¼ cup olive oil, taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and dill if desired.
