When it comes to the Mediterranean diet, Sydney-based clinical nutritionist and cookbook author Sarah Di Lorenzo doesn’t just recommend it; she lives and breathes it.

Her paternal grandparents migrated from Greece, bringing their trove of family recipes with them. The dishes leaned heavily on vegetables, legumes, eggs, seafood, dairy and olive oil, with little in the way of processed foods.

It’s a diet that studies have repeatedly shown results in lower rates of cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes, and a longer lifespan.

In her sixth book, My Mediterranean Life, Di Lorenzo set out to share the health benefits and key principles of the Mediterranean way of eating, along with some of her family’s favourite recipes.

Sarah’s vegetable slice

This is one of my all-time favourite recipes. I love the big serve of fabulous fresh herbs in this vegetable slice; herbs are filled with antioxidants linked to lowering blood pressure and supporting digestion.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing
• 4 leeks, chopped
• 2 bunches silverbeet, trimmed and chopped
• 180g Danish feta
• 150g parmesan
• 150g almond flour
• 8 eggs
• ½ cup milk
• ¼ cup chopped fresh dill, plus extra to serve
• ¼ cup chopped fresh mint, plus extra to serve
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley, plus extra to serve
• salt and pepper

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 200C fan-forced (220C conventional). Grease a baking dish with olive oil then line with baking paper.
2. Heat the olive oil in a frypan then add the leek and cook for 5 minutes. Add the silverbeet and cook until tender. Set aside.
3. Add the feta and parmesan to the silverbeet mixture then add the flour and combine. Whisk together the eggs and milk, and add to the mixture. Add the herbs, and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and cook in the oven for 30 minutes.
5. Allow to cool and serve with a garnish of dill, mint and parsley.

Serves 4

Feta and zucchini muffins

These muffins have all the hallmarks of a spanakopita in taste and can easily be a savoury breakfast or snack option.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 zucchini
• 2 eggs
• 100g feta, crumbled
• ½ onion, finely chopped
• 1½ cups almond meal
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh or dried parsley
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh or dried dill
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh or dried mint
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 200C fan-forced (220C conventional). Brush a muffin tray with olive oil then line with baking paper or muffin cases.
2. Grate the zucchini, place in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water and set aside.
3. Mix the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and add the zucchini. Combine, then scoop into the muffin cases and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Makes 8-10

Kytherian salad

The salad of Kythera is rich in flavour and a meal in one. The Greek rusks act like little sponges in the salad, absorbing all the flavour. But if you want a carb-free option, leave them out.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 large cucumber, chopped
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• 50g feta, crumbled
• 50g graviera (Greek cheese, or you could use romano or pecorino instead), cut into chunks
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• salt and pepper
• 6 Greek rusks (see recipe below, or you can buy from specialty shops, or use toasted bagel or sourdough)
• ½ cup pitted black olives
• 2 tbsp capers
• 2 tsp oregano (dried or fresh)

METHOD

1. Place the tomato, cucumber and onion in a salad bowl and toss them together. Add the cheeses and toss through the salad.
2. Dress the salad with the olive oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper, and toss. Then add the rusks, olives and capers with a sprinkle of oregano over the top.

Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side dish

Classic Greek rusks

In this classic rusk recipe, the contrast between crunchy crust and soft bread is just so good.

INGREDIENTS

• 2½ tsp dry yeast
• ½ tsp maple syrup
• 450g almond flour
• pinch of salt
• 1½ cups lukewarm water

METHOD

1. Put the yeast in a small bowl with ½ cup water and the maple syrup, and mix together. Allow to sit for 10 minutes to activate the yeast.
2. Put the flour in a bowl with the salt. Add the activated yeast and knead the dough mixture for 5 minutes. Add the water gradually – your goal is to avoid ending up with a sticky dough.
3. Shape it into a ball and let it sit for about an hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional). Form the dough into a log shape and make 3 cm-long cuts crosswise on the top. Bake for 1 hour.
5. Remove from the oven then lower the temperature to 100C fan-forced (120C conventional).
6. Slice the dough into rusks and bake for another hour or until completely dry.

Makes 20

Cauliflower and broccoli health bowls

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup cooked quinoa (cook as you would rice in boiling water)
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 2 cooked beetroot (fresh or canned), chopped
• 12 walnuts, chopped
• juice of 1 lemon
• ¼ cup hummus (see recipe below)
• chilli flakes (optional)
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 200C fan-forced (220C conventional). Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Place the broccoli and cauliflower on the tray, drizzle with half the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
3. When ready, remove from the oven.
4. To prepare the bowls, place half the quinoa in the bottom of each bowl. Add the spinach, beetroot, and roasted cauliflower and broccoli. Sprinkle with the walnuts and squeeze the lemon juice over the top. Add the hummus, sprinkle with chilli flakes if using, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with parsley.

Serves 2

Hummus

INGREDIENTS

• 1 x 400g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• ¼ cup tahini
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp water
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• salt

METHOD

1. Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz to combine.

This is an edited extract from My Mediterranean Life by Sarah Di Lorenzo, photography by Lawrence Furzey Photography, published by Simon & Schuster, $49.99.