Greek chef highlights health benefits of Mediterranean ingredients and shares 2 delicious recipes

Meet chef Maria Loi, she's known as the Julia Child of Greece and was recently hailed for helping her restaurant's staff tap into a healthier lifestyle through Mediterranean cuisine.

The ambassador of Greek gastronomy and executive chef of Loi Estiatorio in New York City has made her heritage a pillar of health -- especially amid the pandemic.

"Now is the time to show how our food is healthy, but we have to start from us," she explained, adding that she told her own employees -- who are like family -- to cut out processed foods.

The Mediterranean diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, olive oil, nuts, complex grains and fish and low in red meat. Plus, it has many well-established health benefits including weight loss, lowering cholesterol and improved blood pressure control.

Loi had her employees start their day with two spoonfuls of olive oil, which is full of healthy fats, and focus on the other healthy ingredients.

Her staff immediately saw results. Nicola Sambazis lost 24 pounds in six months; Alex Antimisiaris has stopped taking medication for high cholesterol and lost 30 pounds; Felipe Teutle lost 50 pounds and has his Type 2 Diabetes under control.

While changes in diet can seem daunting, chef Loi encouraged simple lifestyle changes that can make a big difference.

Loi shared a couple of her signature recipes from her menu with "Good Morning America" to show "how easy it is to cook the Mediterranean food."

Braised Giant Beans with Spinach aka Gigantes me Spanaki

Serves: 6

Ingredients
1 pound dried giant beans (gigantes)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 medium red onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium carrots, sliced into rounds
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 bunch fresh parsley, stemmed and finely chopped
1 bunch fresh dill, stemmed and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups tomato puree
3 cups water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound fresh spinach, washed and stemmed
Note: Instead of dried beans, you can use three 15.5-oz cans of beans, drained and rinsed for this recipe.

Directions

The night before you plan to serve this dish, place the beans in a large bowl with water to cover by 2 or 3 inches. Set aside to soak overnight. (Soaking the beans overnight reduces the cooking time.)

The following day, drain the beans, discard the soaking liquid, and place them in a large saucepan. Add enough water to cover the beans by 3 inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Drain the beans into a large colander.

Alternatively, if you are using canned beans per the recipe note, skip steps one and two and simply drain and rinse the canned beans in a large colander.

Preheat the oven to 350-375 degrees (depending on your oven).

In a medium or large baking dish, add the cooked beans, tomato paste, onions, olive oil, carrots, celery, parsley, dill, garlic, tomato purée, and water; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bake for approximately 1 hour uncovered, stirring every 20 minutes, until beans are tender.

Remove the baking dish from the oven and stir in the spinach. Set the dish aside for about 5 minutes before serving, to allow the flavors to blend.

Spanakopita Triangles

Makes: about 3 dozen triangles

Ingredients
Four 10-ounce bags fresh spinach, stemmed and chopped
1/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (full fat)
1 bunch of scallions, minced
1 bunch fresh dill, stemmed and chopped
1/2 bunch fresh mint, stemmed and chopped
1/2 cup of olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 box phyllo dough, thawed

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the spinach, feta, yogurt, scallions, dill, mint, and ½ cup olive oil. Mix very well with your hands until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Set aside.

Unwrap the phyllo dough and cover it with a clean, damp kitchen towel. Remove 1 sheet of the phyllo and place it horizontally in front of you on a work surface. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush it with olive oil. Top this with another sheet of phyllo, and brush that sheet with some olive oil as well. Using a knife, cut the phyllo into 6 strips (about 12 x 2¾ inches).

Place 1 heaping teaspoon of filling near one corner of a strip, and then fold the corner of the strip over to enclose the filling, forming a triangle (the way you would fold a flag). Continue folding, keeping the triangle shape intact. If you have a little phyllo overhang, simply brush it with olive oil and fold it onto itself.

Place your phyllo triangle on the baking sheet and brush the top with more olive oil. Continue making more triangles until you run out of phyllo dough or spinach filling.

Bake the spanakopita triangles for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool slightly before serving.

Recipes reprinted courtesy of chef Maria Loi.