♪ ♪ >> MARIA LOI: I am Maria Loi, executive chef of Loi Estiatorio in Manhattan.

When I was growing up in Thermo, a small village in Greece, food was a way of life: good for your body, good for your soul.

The Mediterranean diet is considered one of the healthiest in the world, and I have seen how it can truly change people's lives like it changed mine.

And since then, my life has been all about the Mediterranean diet.

Today, we're going to share some of the delicious secrets that you can make part of your own lives at home.

So, come with me right now, on The Life of Loi.

>> Funding for this program is provided by the Behrakis family.

Additional funding is provided by the Greek National Tourism Organisation.

>> LOI: I am Maria Loi.

So glad you can join me today as we take a quick trip to Greece, and then come back to my New York kitchen for some of my favorite recipes: eggplant boat with tomato paste, yogurt, and feta cheese, and spinach and rice soup.

Today, it's all about vegetables.

Vegetables are a huge part of the Loi menu.

♪ ♪ Growing up, I had my personal vegetable garden right outside my bedroom window.

In that garden, only me and my best friend, Kota Kota, were allowed inside.

Kota Kota was a chicken and a real friend.

She would follow me everywhere.

Vegetables were also a staple for the ancient Greeks.

You can see vegetables and fruit next to the Greek gods.

Today, we're heading to the Constitution Square in the heart of Athens, near the Acropolis, in the shadow of the Greek gods.

Let's go!

Páme!

♪ ♪ Asterios.

First of all, I love your name.

>> Okay.

>> LOI: It means star, and you are a star.

So what are we doing?

>> So we're doing melitzanosaláta.

>> LOI: Eggplant salad.

>> We have aubergine, eggplant, we will grill.

>> LOI: Oh, it's hot.

>> It's very hot.

>> LOI: Yeah.

>> Now, we have garlic, chili pepper, parsley, mustard, fresh onion.

For the garnish, we have feta cheese and... >> LOI: Is that walnut?

>> (chuckling): Walnut.

(laughing) >> LOI: Okay, he calls it walnut.

(laughing): Okay, we'll say.

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: Extra virgin olive oil.

Where your olive oil come from?

Which part of... >> This is from Pelopónnisos.

>> LOI: That's great.

Let me see that.

♪ ♪ I want try the olive oil.

Always in my life, you know, olive oil.

If you cut my veins, you know, olive oil is coming out.

So let me see.

Mm!

Still has the oleocanthal.

>> Yes.

>> LOI: Because it gets you here.

And that's the best olive oil, of course, if you have this.

You're going to marry all of the rest of the ingredients with this olive oil, because it's fresh and it's really good.

>> Of course, of course.

(speaking Greek): >> LOI: Okay.

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: Yeah, it's smoke, you know?

I can feel that.

You know what?

When someone is at home and they don't have this kind of equipment... >> Okay.

>> LOI: ...you can put it in a baking pan, and also parchment paper, and you put it in the oven.

>> Of course.

>> LOI: And you leave it, like, 15, 20 minutes-- depends.

You can see.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> LOI: And I like that you have, you have white eggplant.

>> This kind of eggplant, for me, is the best quality to choose for the melitzanosaláta.

>> LOI: So you know that the eggplant is very good for your heart.

It has polyphenols, also, like olive oil.

So, okay.

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: Yup.

If you need help, tell me, you know?

Sometimes I know how to cook.

(both laughing) But it's nice, also, some, someone else, you know, like, could cook for you.

>> (chuckling) >> LOI: So, next.

>> Parsley.

(speaking Greek): >> LOI: The same thing, yeah.

>> (speaking Greek): ♪ ♪ >> LOI: And with a spoon you remove it, right?

>> (speaking Greek): ♪ ♪ >> LOI (laughing): We're going to cook together in the kitchen?

>> Of course.

>> LOI: You must be kidding me.

No!

You know what?

Any time you want, over here.

Look at this beauty!

I'm not going in the kitchen.

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: Okay.

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: It gives taste and also, they don't oxidize.

Here you are.

So you want the eggplant here, right?

>> (speaking Greek) >> LOI: Okay.

I want to eat all of it.

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI (vocalizing taps): That's it.

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: Garlic.

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: Of course!

I love spicy.

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: Mm-hmm.

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: I know that.

I know.

So that's a trick here, because we have to add the olive oil slowly.

>> (speaking Greek) >> LOI: And you can taste as much as you want, you know, the olive oil.

But always we say, "Metron ariston."

Everything in moderation.

Except love, olive oil, and good deeds.

>> (laughing) (speaking Greek): >> LOI: Yeah.

I don't think that you, you should add a lot of salt.

>> No, no, no.

Because of the feta.

>> LOI: Because we have the feta.

Everything is better with a feta.

(both laughing) So we're ready to serve it.

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: What is this?

Oh, oh... >> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: You're an artist!

>> (chuckling) >> LOI: Yeah?

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: Here with the feta.

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: I love it.

♪ ♪ Cheers.

(laughing) ♪ ♪ Today, I am going to show to my people here and out there in the world how to make an easy recipe with eggplant.

Let me show you-- it's so easy.

We need eggplant, feta... You know what feta is, huh?

Feta is Greek cheese.

And when we say feta, we don't mean that white cheese that you can find.

It has to be from sheep and goat's milk, always.

And it's very good for digestion.

We cut the eggplants like varkoules.

Varkoules means "little boats" in Greek.

We cut this part here so it could sit nicely in the baking pan.

And we'll put it here.

Also here, you see, just a touch.

Eggplants are full of antioxidants.

So we'll score the eggplant like this.

And then we'll add olive oil.

Olive oil, it's so good for you.

And they say that it's anti-cancer.

It's one or two spoons.

I love olive oil.

You can add as much as you want.

So we will add some salt.

Sea salt all the time.

And we'll take them into the oven.

25 minutes will be enough.

But I don't want to take your time.

I have them ready for you.

You can see it.

Now, you can add anything you want to my varkoules, my little boats.

But the best things to add, it's feta... Feta cheese from Greece.

And always keep it in brine, so...

It won't go bad if you have it in brine.

Don't get those, like, feta crumbles.

You can crumble your feta yourself.

I'll do some more.

That's enough.

And then, my favorite yogurt.

I always remember my mother when I cook with yogurt, because she taught me how to make yogurt.

Three big spoons.

And this is my grandmother's.

My grandmother's spoon.

It goes with me.

It travels all over the world.

We mix it.

We add some more olive oil.

Maybe I will add some more yogurt.

It's needed.

I have to tell you something.

I hear, "Yogurt, it's only for the morning."

No!

I replace mayonnaise with yogurt and we eat it all day long.

It's very good for you because it has probiotics.

It's very good for your gut!

Hippocrates said that we have two brains in our body.

One is our brain here, as we know, and the other brain is our gut.

He was right.

Like my pappoú.

My pappoú is a grandfather in Greek.

And he was teaching me all of that.

He was an expert.

Of his time.

Okay, I will add some salt.

Even that we add feta, and feta is salty, I always add just a pinch of salt.

Oregano.

It has to be Greek oregano and dry-- not fresh oregano.

And it has to be from the mountains of Greece.

Uh, that's why the Greek oregano is the best, because the sun is out very early until late.

And it caress you.

That's how caress our oregano.

And that's why it becomes so tasty and aromatic.

I like to shmear, like my grandma used to say, tomato paste from the spoon.

It adds a lot of flavor, but also, tomato paste is very good for you.

It has the lycopene, which is anti-cancer, as well.

Just like that.

And you can eat tomato paste in a piece of bread.

I use almost all the time tomato paste, because it's so healthy for you.

Put some more over here.

I add a touch of olive oil... And then we'll add our mixture.

Which one?

Most of the people, they don't add the tomato paste.

But I have learned this from my grandma.

"Always think what you have to eat.

It has to be super-healthy for you."

And this is really a superfood, with all the ingredients that we have here.

The tomato paste, the feta cheese, the yogurt.

The real Greek yogurt, huh?

Never get the zero percent yogurt.

That's not a yogurt.

That's a cream.

There we are.

Just a bit of oregano and we're there.

And you can keep this in your refrigerator the whole day-- the next day.

You can eat it.

When you have anything of leftover, in a blender and make a dip-- it will be amazing.

Dry oregano, again.

And we are ready to serve it.

One, two.

You have to make this dish.

You just have Greece on your plate.

I have to taste it.

Take a piece of eggplant, take a piece of feta cheese, yogurt, tomato paste, olive oil.

Everything is in here.

Cheers-- yassou.

This dish, it makes me happy.

The sweetness of the tomato paste, the tartness of the yogurt and the feta cheese, the olive oil, all married together.

Now you know how to make two dishes with eggplant.

Always learn, and that's what I want.

I had to go back to Asterios to learn how to make his spanakorizo.

And under the stars next to Acropolis.

Páme!

♪ ♪ >> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: Yes, we are.

And you're showing me one of your best recipes, right?

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: You know, usually we make the spinach and rice, you know that, the old style.

>> Of course.

>> LOI: But you, you made it richer.

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: I can't wait.

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: We're adding the olive oil.

Okay.

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: And you know what?

There in the stems, there are all the vitamins.

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: Okay.

♪ ♪ >> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: Next?

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: It's over here.

I like leeks, you know?

And I make the best pies with leeks.

>> (speaking Greek) >> LOI: I love it.

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: So now what is next?

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: Two, three.

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: And you know that spinach has a lot of iron, but in order your body to absorb the iron, you need either pasta or rice.

Also, my pappoú, he knew about it, and that's how he told us, how to do this recipe.

>> (speaking Greek) >> LOI: Can I do like this?

Good.

♪ ♪ >> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: Okay.

Yeah, so we cook it, actually, with the water that spinach has.

♪ ♪ >> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: Ryzi, okay.

But not too much, right?

>> (speaking Greek) >> LOI: Yeah, that's enough, that's enough.

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: One, two, three spoon.

Four-- I think it's enough.

>> (speaking Greek): ♪ ♪ >> LOI: That's good-- nice, nice.

So that is lemon juice and water, or just lemon juice?

>> (speaking Greek) >> LOI: Okay.

>> (speaking Greek): ♪ ♪ >> LOI: Make this with frozen vegetables, as well, you know?

>> (speaking Greek): Why not?

>> LOI: If you cannot find it.

>> Okay.

>> LOI: I love this.

So fresh-- and super-healthy.

>> (speaking Greek) >> LOI: Okay.

>> LOI: I think that's enough, no?

>> Mm-hmm.

>> LOI: Because otherwise, the tomato will overpower.

>> (speaking Greek) >> LOI: The green part of the scallion.

He's always adding the scallion, or the green part, in the end.

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: Okay.

You want salt and pepper, right?

I love pepper.

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: I love olive oil.

>> (responds in Greek) >> LOI: Okay.

>> (speaking Greek) >> LOI: Mm-hmm.

♪ ♪ >> We almost ready.

(speaking Greek): ♪ ♪ >> LOI: We're adding a lot of herbs.

You have to come to Greece, because the herbs here, they are completely different.

I love herbs.

>> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: So we cover it.

Right?

>> Mm-hmm.

>> LOI: One minute?

Look at the Acropolis.

>> Okay.

>> LOI: We are ready!

>> (speaking Greek) ♪ ♪ >> LOI: Lemon zest.

>> Lemon zest, okay.

>> LOI: Okay, here.

♪ ♪ >> (speaking Greek): (both laughing) >> LOI: Thank you.

Olive oil makes life taste better.

♪ ♪ >> (speaking Greek): >> LOI: Mm...

I really thank you.

I'm gonna come back here soon.

I love this hotel.

I had the greatest time.

This is the Greek hospitality.

Philoxenia.

Philotimo.

It's all Greek.

Come over.

♪ ♪ So I had some spanakorizo from yesterday.

Leftover.

And I said, "I'm going to make a different dish and we'll turn this dish to a soup stew."

Just water... And it becomes a soup.

But not really a soup.

It's like a soup stew.

And it's so tasty, so healthy, so easy, so inexpensive.

We'll add some olive oil.

Without olive oil, it's not possible.

Takes two minutes.

You don't have to boil it.

Just make it a bit soupy.

So already move it.

I need to bright it up.

So I add some more scallions.

Full of vitamin and fiber.

Dill.

Dill goes in the most Greek dishes, and also, it's aromatic.

Gives an amazing aroma to your food.

And then you add some more fresh spinach.

I added spinach, even if it's spanakorizo, because I love spinach, and also, spinach is giving you a lot of iron.

And lemon.

Lemon is very good for you, as well.

I'm going to give you a tip how you can get more juice from the lemon.

Here, like this.

You go both of your hands.

This way, you will release the juices of the lemon.

That's it.

And then you cut it-- mm.

It takes me right by the lake in my village.

It was full of lemon trees around there.

I'll give you another tip.

You know, my grandma, she didn't have any strainer for the lemon.

Always, she was taking a small piece of cloth, or today we have paper napkins, and she was going like this.

And here you are.

You don't get the lemon seeds in there.

We mix it.

And we will serve it.

♪ ♪ See?

It's like a soupy stew.

♪ ♪ I'll add pepper.

And I'm going to add some feta.

If you want, you can add some yogurt.

And until now, it was a vegan dish.

Now I made it a vegetarian.

But it's really good.

I'm going to take my spoon, because I want to have all the goodness of this soupy stew.

No, some olive oil, and we're done.

Well, this is taste like heaven.

Light, fresh, and with the feta, it has a briny kick.

Thank you for joining me today.

I have seen how the Mediterranean diet changed people's lives, changed my life, and I hope that you will feel inspired to try in your own kitchen these recipes that we have show you today.

It's more than just good food.

It's a way of living.

That's what The Life of Loi is all about.

♪ ♪ >> Funding for this program is provided by the Behrakis family.

Additional funding is provided by the Greek National Tourism Organisation.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪