Summer Mediterranean Recipes + Faves from Foodie Restaurants

Summer Mediterranean recipes is my world and is a healthy diet way.

Off and on my hospitality career, I worked behind-the-scenes in food catering planning and event management for Spanish, Italian, and Lebanese restaurants and fine hotels in the Washington, DC area… a foodie hub.

During that time, I picked up many great summer Mediterranean recipes and experimented with my own.

Some of my fondest memories were the large corporate and bridal events where I could get creative with the festive food and elaborate decorations. 

From those experiences, I learned to create balanced menus for preferred and customized tastes around the specific seasons and events.

I got to taste-test delicious foods, recipes, and dishes from the chefs I worked with who came from all parts of the world.

Some of my favorite summer Mediterranean recipes (great for any warm seasons!) that I’ve added my take and twists to are below. 👇

And for starters, these are 3 summer Mediterranean recipes soups and salads to balance high Pitta and Vata natures, and especially tame Pitta imbalances that are common in the summer.

Lebanese restaurants – Middle Eastern food 

I planned events for 5 popular Lebanese restaurants that were especially popular, fresh food choices for groups with food allergies (gluten, dairy, nuts, meat, etc.). 

One of my favorite plates now and then was the fresh watermelon feta salad that many people love around the world.

Salt and watermelon are great pairings because the coarse salt stops the juicy in watermelon and gives a nice balance. Salt here is a lot like when you add coriander and you bite into one and you get a burst of flavor. 

This is a super-refreshing salad because of the cooling mint added to juicy-ripe diced, summer watermelon that finishes off with a drizzle of balanced olive oil. 🍉

I’m not a big fan of feta cheese that you often see this salad mixed with and I don’t think it looks appetizing (like cottage cheese).

So if you’re also in that camp or looking for dairy-free plate, then you can leave the cheese out, as feta is not an important ingredient to make this plate’s taste pop and zing!

You could serve with lightly toasted pita chips. I like to buy pita, cut up in wedges, and toast but you can also make your own easy pita bread chips.

Spanish food restaurants

Planning parties and marketing at a Spanish restaurant chain called La Tasca allowed me to experiment with many Spanish foods, summer Mediterranean recipes, and menus.

One of my favorites was a seasonal special, freshly-prepared gazpacho soup served cold and without tomato overpowering as the base. 

Gazpacho. This is the blend I like: blended watermelon or cucumber, fresh tomato, cumin, and a drizzle of olive oil and garlic.

I like to add fresh cilantro and then salt and pepper.

Yum! 😋

I remember ingredients used to always end with “salt and pepper to taste” and somehow that got dropped, maybe ‘cause of all the other great ingredients that we have access to.

S&P are the two that often are the final balancing flavors if you can’t quite put your finger on what’s missing.

They’re staring right at us as we head to the spice drawer. 😊

Using coarser kosher or sea salts for certain dishes (like Brussel sprouts or edamame) gives a distinct taste (like for the watermelon salad). 

Traditionally gazpacho is served with a spongy white, unsalted bread that doesn’t have much taste (like Wonder Bread you would feed the ducks with at a lake). 

This also reminds me of the bread served at Tuscan meals and with my favorite Ribollita soup served warm and great for wet and cool days (in early spring, late fall, or winter)… or if you’re feeling Vata and need some comforting balance food.

A more wholesome and healthy bread you can accompany with is an Ezekiel sprouted bread toasted with a drizzle of olive oil.

You could also try a gazpacho in a bread bowl.

Italian food and ciabatta summer Mediterranean recipes

When I worked for an upscale, all marble floor Italian restaurant chain, I got in the habit of dipping bread in olive oil with cracked black pepper.

The bread was served by a server who came around with black pepper mills who asked if you wanted to have fresh black pepper in your dipping olive oil and on your entree when it was served.

Serving butter with bread before and during the meal was still the American restaurant norm those days and when the first restaurant cappuccino machines came out in America (…those were exciting times!)

The problem I had with the butter idea, was often the restaurant served the butter chilled in a  ceramic container (especially in finer restaurants as the “proper way” sitting on a bed of ice).

…It was not easy to spread the butter on the bread so you usually ended up with a square pat of butter on one bite of your bread and ended up adding more until the butter got to room temperature and could spread easier.

This sounds a bit like baking prep debacles when you don’t pull out the room temp ingredients early enough 😀

Now many American restaurants customarily serve bread with olive oil because of these Mediterranean-influenced restaurants.

From that restaurant experience I came to love this salad plate 🥗 (and you may too!):

Tomato Mozzarella Basil Salad. This can be a work of art with balsamic vinaigrette dotted around the plate for each bite (like a paint palette…  “a little dab will do you.)”

In summer, tomatoes on the vine are abundant and if you grow tomatoes, you may not know what to do with all of them.

Besides making a sauce, gazpacho, or for Italian pasta dishes, a summer salad is perfect.

Plum tomatoes are great for most salad recipes.

You may have heard of San Marzano tomatoes (that many restaurants use)?

And so are heirloom tomatoes (organic). The tri-color yellow, purple, with orange give a visual pop of color too!

Also green tomatoes are popular in the south. And for a tomato mozzarella salad, all tomatoes will work.

Then ontop of the tomatoes, add cut buffalo mozzarella cheese that this recipe can’t do without! B

Buffalo mozzarella (white color) on its own doesn’t have much of a flavor, but paired with these ingredients is scrumptious.

Sometimes people who have dairy sensitivities can eat this kind of cheese from buffalo.🦬

Finally, add a little fresh basil on top for each bite. 

In summer, fresh basil is abundant (and you can grow in your herb garden) for this salad.

Pine nuts can be a dressy accoutrement (or sunflower seeds will work). If you toast them, be sure to watch them as they can burn quickly.

Pine nuts are usually okay with people with nut allergies.

Another option for a full Mediterranean meal experience, is you can serve the salad with my whole wheat ciabatta bread recipe: https://www.mediterraneandietmealplans.com/blogs/recipes/whole-wheat-ciabatta-bread-recipe

Over the pandemic when we were home-bound I had a desire to make my own healthy, fresh bread that could be baked.

I wanted to come up with a recipe that wouldn’t be compromised in lower 350 degrees Fahrenheit temperatures (as many breads need high temps well above 400 degrees to get the right doneness).

I settled on a versatile, no-muss, no-fuss recipe good for any meal, soups, and salads.

I’m still testing a sweeter, natural, no-white sugar added breakfast bread that’s good with a homemade jam (…my next cooking project 😊).

Good Eats, Buono Apetito, and Bon Appetit!