Who Wants A Long Life?

Well of course we all do – and thanks to this terrific recipe, I’m on my way to that goal!

Here I am on the island of Mykonos in Greece – why am I sharing this with you?

Well, I discovered another Greek island which is known for how long everyone lives – all because of how they eat!

Welcome To Ikaria aka Longevity Island!

Eat well and live long, sounds great to me!

Here’s what I discovered:

“Ikaria, a Greek island located in the Aegean Sea, is one of Greece’s many islands. What sets it apart is how long its residents live. Known as the island of longevity, one in three of its residents make it to their 90s, and rates of dementia and some other chronic diseases are very low, according to the Blue Zones website.

Ikarians follow the Mediterranean Diet, which focuses on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and limits meat, processed foods, and refined sugar. Centenarians on the island typically eat lots of potatoes, beans, olive oil, and fish, according to Blue Zones.

Well, my wife also eats very healthy and she shared this recipe with me for “Greek Longevity Stew” – let’s get cooking!

Greek Longevity Stew

Ingredients
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 fennel bulb
1 cup (8 ounces) black-eyed peas
1 large, firm ripe tomato, finely chopped
2 tsp tomato paste, diluted in ¼ cup water
2 bay leaves
salt to taste
1 bunch dill, finely chopped

Here is a video I made showing just how easy this stew is to make!

1. Heat half the olive oil over medium heat and cook the onion, garlic, and fennel bulb stirring occasionally until soft (about 12 minutes).
2. Add the black-eyed peas and toss to coat in the oil. (Note: If you’re using dried peas, first bring them to a boil, boil for one minute, remove from heat, cover, and let sit for an hour. Drain, rinse, and use.)
3. Add the tomato, tomato paste, and enough water to cover the beans by about an inch. Add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the black-eyed peas are about half-way cooked. Check after 40 minutes, but it may take over an hour.
4. Add the chopped dill and season with salt.
5. Continue cooking until the black-eyed peas are tender. Remove, then pour in the remaining raw olive oil and serve.

My wife Alex found this recipe on Instagram – from Maria Koutsogiannia, who has a great account called “Food By Maria.”

Support her here!

https://lnk.bio/foodbymaria

I loved how this stew tasted, and we could have had some crusty bread with it as well…as I said, we had a magical visit to Greece, where we had an amazing meal and sunset on the island of Mykonos!

Here’s a look at the meal, the sunset, and what is considered the most iconic Instagram shot on the island!

I also shared this terrific Greek Moussaka recipe from my friend Robbie:

You can see the entire recipe here:

My wife and I loved visiting Greece: from the bustling metropolis of Athens to some of the Greek Islands, like Santorini, where we visited a vineyard:

While these vines look somewhat familiar…here is what they look like in a wide shot!

This is what a vineyard looks like on an island that doesn’t get rain!

Click here to see their unique process for growing grapes!

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