The Mediterranean diet: 4 recipes to try

News that a diet rich in fruits, veggies and fish and drizzled in olive oil is good for your heart sent health-seekers storming grocery stores for the Mediterranean-style ingredients.

But what to make?

“Cook Yourself Sexy” author and chef Candice Kumai compiled recipes to showcase how delicious — and healthy — embracing the Mediterranean diet can be.

“It’s not just a diet, it’s a lifestyle,” Kumai told the Daily News.

“The olive oils and the fish and the nuts, they all run parallel to what Hippocrates said: ‘Let our food be our medicine, and our medicine be our food.’”

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Kumai stresses eating the Mediterranean way makes people live longer, noting that “blue zones” — demographic areas where people live longer — fall in parts of the world where Mediterranean-style eating is the norm, like Greece and Italy.

“These countries have high consumption of fruits, vegetables, fish, olive oil and legumes,” she said. “And they have wine, but they moderate their wine consumption. They have meat, but they moderate their meat consumption.”

It’s the diet’s focus on “real foods” that’s so important, Kumai said. That, and not being scared to indulge in good fats, like avocados and oils.

“The fear of fat is so 1980s,” Kumai said. “ That’s not what’s making you fat. It’s the overconsumption of grains, heavy meats, the wrong type of fats, refined sugar and processed foods.”

Below, check out four of Kumai’s Mediterranean-style recipes from her latest book, “Cook Yourself Sexy.”

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Lox, Caper and Rocket salad

Makes 4 servings

Caper-lemon dressing:

¼ cup caper brine (from the caper jar)

1 teaspoon oregano

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon honey or agave nectar (optional)

Salad:

4 cups wild arugula

1/3 cup capers

1 cup cannellini beans

1/4 cup chèvre (goat cheese), crumbled

12 thin slices lox (wild smoked salmon)

To make the dressing:

In a small bowl, whisk together the caper brine, oregano, olive oil, lemon juice, and sea salt. Add a touch of honey or agave, if desired.

To make the salad:

In a large salad bowl, combine the arugula, capers, and cannellini beans. Toss with half of the vinaigrette. Top the salad with the chèvre and lox.

Roasted Tomatoes with Barley

Makes 4 servings

Roasted tomatoes:

2 cups cherry tomatoes on the vine

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 cups barley

3 1/2–3 3/4 cups water

2 cups mizuna greens or arugula

1 cup thinly shaved fennel

2 tablespoons chèvre (goat cheese)

Dijon vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

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