A chef from the Greek Blue Zone Ikaria shares 3 plant-based recipes inspired by the island where peo

• Ikaria, Greece, is a Blue Zone where people often remain healthy well into their 90s. 
• Diane Kochilas is a chef who lives on the island and teaches people how to cook the Ikarian way.
• She shared three plant-based recipes from hew new cookbook.

Diane Kochilas, a chef and cooking teacher, lives between Greece and the US, but Ikaria is her spiritual home.

Ikaria is a Blue Zone, where one in three residents make it to their 90s, and rates of dementia and some other chronic diseases are very low, according to the Blue Zones website. In recent years there has been growing interest in how islanders live from those looking to boost their own longevity.

Kochilas grew up in New York to Ikarian parents but now spends most of her time teaching cooking in Ikaria and other parts of Greece. "I grew up with really good food in the house," Kochilas told Business Insider.

She follows the Mediterranean diet, an eating plan made up of mostly fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, herbs, spices, nuts, and seeds. It has been ranked the healthiest way to eat for seven years running by US News & World Report.

Her new cookbook, "The Ikaria Way," aims to popularize the principles behind cooking in Ikaria. "It's easy to eat this way no matter where you are, and you can eat seasonally depending on what's growing in your part of the world. It doesn't have to be a Mediterranean palette of ingredients," Kochilas said.

Ikarians eat mainly plant-based, she said, but would never call themselves vegan. Many grow their own food at home, forage around the island, and care for goats or pigs.

Her goal with the book was to give solutions to two widespread problems in our relationship with food: "How to be good to your body without being mean to your mind, and how to cook in the spirit of a relaxed, healing kind of island where the tempo of life is slow and easy, and where people connect through food around a table," she wrote.

Kochilas shared three plant-based recipes with Business Insider. All are reproduced with permission from "The Ikaria Way," which was published in March 2024.

Longevity Greens Rice

This rice dish was inspired by the flavors of a Greek pie called pitarakia.

It's packed with nutrients from greens, fiber from rice, and contains some protein if you pair it with Greek yogurt.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Swiss or rainbow chard
• 1⁄2 pound spinach, trimmed
• 2⁄3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large leek, trimmed, washed, and finely chopped
• 1 large red onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed and finely chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 cup long- or medium-grain rice or parboiled brown rice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 cups vegetable stock, or more as needed
• 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh chervil (optional)
• 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Feta cheese or plain Greek yogurt for serving (optional)

Method:

Ferry-boat spaghetti

The dish is a vegan version of a classic Greek pasta dish called Vaporisia Makaronia, or ferry-boat spaghetti in English. "It makes for a hearty, warming pasta dish that's easy, healthy, and inexpensive to prepare," Kochilas writes.

The lentils are a great source of plant-based protein, and the whole-wheat spaghetti boosts the fiber content.

Ingredients:

• 1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow or red onion, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 1 small fennel bulb, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 and 1⁄2 cups small brown lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
• 3 cups crushed canned tomatoes and their juices
• 1⁄2 cup dry red wine
• 2 cups water
• 2 large fresh or dried bay leaves
• 6 fresh or dried thyme sprigs
• 4 fresh or dried oregano sprigs
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 6 allspice berries
• 1 generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 pinch cayenne
• Sea salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
• 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Method:

Warm lentils with parsley and crumbled nuts

Kochilas compared this warm lentil dish, which can be served hot or cold, to tabbouleh, a herby Middle Eastern salad, because of the abundance of parsley.

Lentils, beans, and chickpeas are all staples in the diets of Blue Zones. They are excellent sources of plant-based protein and fiber.

Ingredients:

• 1⁄2 pound small green or brown lentils
• 1 and 1⁄2 cups finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 medium ripe tomato, seeds removed and diced
• 1 medium green bell pepper, seeds removed and coarsely chopped
• 1 large red or yellow onion, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 scallions, trimmed and washed, cut into thin rounds
• 1 large garlic clove, peeled and minced
• 1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 to 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Sea salt to taste
• 1⁄3 cup coarsely ground hazelnuts, cashews, or walnuts

Method:

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