One of the joys of winter, no matter where you live, is the feeling of hunkering down a little bit before spring arrives, and life centers around the outdoors during summer. Post-holiday time offers a time to learn new skills in the kitchen if you are game, try a new recipe, or even a diet.

To rev up your creative juices, we offer three new cookbooks in the latest issue of Healthy Aging Magazine. Each one will inspire you to update your culinary skills: Everything Green Mediterranean Cookbook, by Peter Minaki, How to Instant Pot … Mastering All the Functions of the One Pot that will Change the Way You Cook by Daniel Shumski; and The Ultimate Baking for One Cookbook by Kelly Jaggers.

Here is an excerpt from the article featuring, Everything Green Mediterranean Cookbook.

The Mediterranean diet is recognized by many health professionals and organizations as a healthy blueprint to reduce heart disease risk, certain cancers, diabetes, and more.

The diet includes fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, olive oil, nuts, seafood, and lean meats.

Author, Peter Minaki, takes the Mediterranean diet to the next level with 200 plant-based recipes. Take the Mediterranean diet, “Tweak that diet – remove red meat, limit other animal proteins, and add some high-quality plant proteins – and you have the Green Mediterranean diet, which has been found to be more effective in improving health and weight loss,” he said.

Here are three recipes we recommend trying from the Everything Green Mediterranean Cookbook: Black-Eyed Pea Salad, Lemon Salmon with Green Beans and Bulgur, Spicy Sesame Broccolini. See all recipes here.

Photo: James Stefiuk

Lemon Salmon with Green Beans and Bulgur
Makes 4 servings

4 (6-ounce) skin-on salmon fillets
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1 3⁄4 teaspoons salt, divided
1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1⁄4 cup minced shallots
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1⁄4 cup finely chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1⁄4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons grapefruit juice
3 tablespoons chopped drained capers
8 kalamata olives, sliced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 pound green beans, trimmed
2 cups cooked medium-coarse bulgur
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
1 1⁄2 teaspoons drained whole capers

Spray fillets with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle with lemon zest, 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, and 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside 15 minutes.

Place vinegar and shallots in a medium glass jar with a lid and set aside 5 minutes. Add mustard, garlic, honey, juices, chopped capers, olives, thyme, 4 tablespoons oil, 1⁄4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper. Close the jar and shake vigorously until dressing is emulsified.

Fill a large pot with water and place over high heat. Add remaining 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Add green beans and cook 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Transfer to a large bowl.

Add bulgur to the bowl with green beans. Pour dressing over bulgur and green beans and stir to combine.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add fillets skin side down. Cook 4 minutes per side.

Spoon green bean mixture onto a platter and top with fillets. Garnish with almonds and whole capers and serve.

Excerpted from The Everything Green Mediterranean Cookbook by Peter Minaki. Photographs by James Stefiuk. Copyright © 2021 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. Used with permission of the publisher, Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.