The Mediterranean Recipe

Authentic Flavors from a Mediterranean Kitchen

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7 Secrets to the Perfect Meyer Lemon Herb Chicken Rice Bowl

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Let me tell you about the time I completely ruined a dinner party in March 2021. Twelve people, fancy table settings, and I served what can only be described as “sad, rubbery chicken on mushy rice.” My sister-in-law Patricia (bless her heart) actually asked if it was supposed to taste “so… lemon-y but also somehow bland?” Ouch. That disaster sent me on a seventeen-batch journey to create the perfect Meyer Lemon Herb Chicken Rice Bowl recipe.

7 Secrets to Perfect Greek Lamb Meatball Meal Prep Bowls

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According to food scientist Harold McGee, the trick is keeping everything cold and working quickly. The fat in ground lamb starts softening at room temperature, which means over-mixing happens way faster than you’d think. I like to chill my mixing bowl for 15 minutes before starting—sounds extra, but the difference is honestly wild. Lamb has a higher fat content than beef (around 20-25% in most ground lamb), which is actually great for meal prep because fat = moisture = meatballs that don’t turn into sandpaper by Wednesday. If you’re looking for other protein-rich Mediterranean options, check out my Mediterranean Chicken Meatballs for a lighter alternative.

5 Secrets to the Best Mediterranean Hummus Breakfast Bowl

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Mediterranean hummus breakfast bowl with creamy hummus, soft-boiled eggs, fresh vegetables, and warm pita bread

Here’s what food scientist Harold McGee talks about in his work—protein in the morning stabilizes blood sugar better than carb-heavy alternatives. The chickpeas in hummus provide plant-based protein that digests slowly (we’re talking a glycemic index around 28, which is impressively low). Combine that with eggs—each one delivering about 6 grams of complete protein—and you’ve got sustained energy that’ll actually last until lunch. Unlike my old cornflakes situation where I’d crash by 10 AM and end up eating questionable vending machine snacks.

7 Secrets to the Best Italian Chicken Casserole Ever

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Italian chicken casserole with pasta and melted mozzarella cheese in white baking dish

Look, I need to tell you about March 14th, 2021 – the day I ruined my sister’s engagement dinner with the worst Italian chicken casserole you’ve ever seen. Watery sauce pooling at the bottom, rubbery chicken, pasta so mushy it looked like baby food. My sister (bless her) took one bite and said “It’s… interesting?” while her fiancé Marco – who’s actually from Naples – just stared at his plate like I’d personally insulted his ancestors.

15-Minute Prep Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake That’ll Ruin You

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: Creamy pesto chicken pasta bake in cast iron skillet with bubbling mozzarella and fresh basil garnish

The secret, which took me approximately fourteen failed batches to figure out, is starch water. When you reserve a cup of your pasta cooking water and add it to the sauce, those starch molecules act as emulsifiers—Kenji López-Alt explains this way better than me in The Food Lab—keeping everything silky instead of separated. Also, I undercook my pasta by exactly 3 minutes because it finishes cooking in the oven. Overcooked pasta in a casserole is a crime against humanity.

Creamy Chicken Orzo in 30 Minutes – Better Than Takeout!

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Creamy chicken orzo with spinach Parmesan and lemon in white bowl

Orzo is basically the overachiever of the pasta world. It’s shaped like rice but behaves like pasta, which means it releases starch as it cooks—and that starch is crucial for creating a naturally creamy sauce without needing a ton of heavy cream. Harold McGee explains in On Food and Cooking that pasta starch molecules absorb liquid and swell, then release some of that starch back into the cooking liquid.

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