Foods for a healthy lifestyle can be full of great flavor. The traditional Mediter ranean diet is a wonderful example of great food that can have a healthy impact on the body.

The Mediterranean diet is characterized by daily consumption of olive oil, fish, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains. It encourages eating fewer processed foods and reducing consumption of meat, a common source of Omega-6 fatty acids.

Everyone needs Omega-6 and Omega-3 essential fatty acids because our bodies don’t produce them. But it’s important to keep them in the right balance to each other — a 2:1 ratio of Omega-6 to -3. The Mediter ranean Diet helps achieve that balance by focusing on using olive oil instead of vegetable cook ing oils that are high in Omega-6.

Chef Nick Stellino, of PBS-TV fame, uses Pompeian OlivExtra Plus with Omega-3 DHA for sautéing, baking and preparing soups, sauces and marinades because OlivExtra Plus has both olive oil and an added infusion of Omega-3 to help achieve a better balance.

“If you are going to cook with oil, doesn’t it make sense to cook with one that contains more Omega-3?” asks Chef Stellino. In fact, OlivExtra Plus contains a full 32 mg of Omega-3 per serving, which the FDA states is considered an excellent source of Omega-3 DHA.

These recipes for Chicken Marsala, Red Beet and Blood Orange Salad, and Black Bean, Edamame and Wheat Berry Salad make it easy to set a healthy table everyone will be happy to sit down to.

For more delicious ways to set a healthy table, visit www.pompeian.com.
Chicken Marsala
Serves 4
2 1/4 pounds chicken parts,
skin removed
2 tablespoons Pompeian
Extra Virgin Olive
Oil
1/2 cup Pompeian Marsala
Cooking Wine
8 garlic cloves with skin
on
2 to 3 lemons cut into
wedges
4 rosemary sprigs
Salt and pepper to
taste*
Preheat oven to 400°F. Place chicken pieces in a roasting pan and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place garlic among chicken pieces and tuck lemon wedges alongside garlic.

Pour cooking wine over chicken. Scatter rosemary sprigs on top of chicken and bake for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for another 15 minutes, or until chicken is golden brown and juices run clear when chicken is pierced. Serve immediately.

* All cooking wines are denatured, so adjust your salt content accordingly.
Red Beet and Blood Orange Salad
Serves 4 (about 1 cup salad per serving, plus 1/4 cup dressing for later use)
Dressing

1/4 cup Pompeian OlivExtra Plus
1/4 cup Pompeian Blueberry
Pomegranate Infused Red
Wine Vinegar
2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
Salad
2 medium size, fresh beets
(about 10 ounces total),
stemmed and scrubbed
4 large Romaine lettuce leaves
or 4 cups loosely packed field
greens (about 4 ounces total)
2 blood oranges or navel oranges,
peeled and cut into sections
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 ounce chopped walnuts, toasted
(optional)
Preheat oven to 425°F.

Peelbeetsunderrunningwatertoprev g g p paper towels and cut each beet into eight wedges.

Place beets on foil-lined baking sheet, drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil (from the dress ing ingredient list) and toss to coat well. Arrange in a single layer, bake 10 minutes, stir and cook 10 minutes longer or until just tender. Remove foil and beets from baking sheet and place on wire rack to cool at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine salad dressing ingredients in a jar or container with lid.

Arrange lettuce on a large platter, top with remaining salad ingredients and beets. Shake jar vigorously and drizzle one half of the dressing evenly over all. Refrigerate remaining dressing up to 3 days for later use.