Last week Chuck and I were on vacation. We consumed meat and cheese daily and ate a very different, albeit delicious, style of cooking from my own. But now that we are back in control of our diet, we are dramatically cutting our meat consumption, and, at Chuck’s request, completely eliminating dairy this week. Personally, I think cutting dairy entirely is a ludicrous proposition and have no intention of trying to survive a week without cheddar. But I am happy to oblige his request, given its allergy-driven nature.
So the question was: what are we going to eat all week, given that butter and cheese are out? I dug out one of my favorite cookbooks for answers: Little Foods of the Mediterranean. It screams olive oil and lots of vegetarian salads and dishes. And it’s not your typical Italian and Greek fare. It includes dishes from Syria, Lebanon, and Morrocco, to name a few. Last night we ate Fresh Shrimp in Garlic and Olive Oil (Italian) and Lentil Salad in Olive Oil with Egyptian Spices.
Other items on the week’s menu include:
- White Beans and Green Onions in Olive Oil
- Olive Oil-Bathed Fava Beans with Tomato and Lemon Juice in the Palestinian Style
- Poor People’s Summer Squash
- Tomato and Avocado Salad from Andalusia
- Green Bean Salad with lemon and Dill in the Greek Style
If there are any standouts, I’ll be sure to post pics and recipes. Keep your fingers crossed!