Whether you’re following the Mediterranean diet, or if you simply enjoy eating a variety of fresh, fragrant, tapas-style foods, these easy-to-follow recipes will have you looking forward to your next meal.
Mediterranean foods also share many reported health benefits with cannabis and hemp. Not surprising, when you consider that fresh plants (as well as fish, nuts, and EVOO) are a major staple in Mediterranean cuisine, and can also help fight inflammation.
It’s easy to incorporate cannabis into Mediterranean meals and sides because the terpenes are either complementary to the earthy flavors found in each meal, or they’re easily masked with Mediterranean spices and flavors like lemon, parsley, cumin, garlic, za’atar, and others.
The Mediterranean region, along with other similar climates, is also ideal for growing cannabis. “Companion planting” suggests that when certain plants are grown alongside one another, it may impact the growth, features, and flavor expression of each plant. Oftentimes, cultural foods are based around the foods naturally found in each region. So, if cannabis can grow in the same region as other Mediterranean staples, maybe that’s why they taste so good together!
Other Mediterranean Bites to Round Out Your Meal
- Babaghanouj
- Muhammara
- Fattoush Salad
- Kibbeh
- Falafel
- Hummus
- Shawarma
- Dolmas (stuffed grapeleaves)
- Tzatziki
- Kebab
- Lentil Soup
- Nuts
- Yogurt with honey and fruit
- Pita bread
How to Get Started
This recipe calls for a large serving of infused EVOO. Why not use the best? The Ardent Koroneiki Varietal Olive Oil is made using olives picked in the prime of their season, during the first two weeks. Oftentimes, store-bought olive oil contains blended oils made using rotted, fly-infested fruits, where they yield a larger quantity of oil.
Our olive oil is high in antioxidants, giving it the full-bodied flavor we love. The olives are grown in the sand on a private, family-owned, Greek estate, and the terroir lends itself to the oil’s Mediterranean flavors. The oil, mixed with the unique flavor profile of your cannabis infusion, will lend itself to the overall experience.
To dose out your oil, follow our simple formula: first, check the percentage of THCA in your starting material. If you purchased your cannabis compliantly, this should be on the back label. Note that in some states, the percentage of THC is pre-calculated for you on the label.
Let’s say you’re working with a starting percentage of about 23% THCA. We’re always going to move the decimal over one place to the right. In this case, that would be 230. During decarb, the acid molecule is displaced, and the acid molecule is 13% of your bud’s starting weight. So, 1 gram at 23% THCA - 13% = 200. If consuming your material raw, there’s no loss, but when infusing into different mediums, there may be less than 5% or so of loss. A good way to get around this loss is by repurposing your raffinate, or leftover plant material, to get every last activated milligram.
We’ll also be using infused olive oil for the shakshuka, so feel free to make a big batch. Infused oil tastes great in Mediterranean food of all types. Use it in your hummus, baba ghanouj, and other appetizers!
Equipment Needed
- Ardent Mini, FX or Nova
- Ardent Frainer or Infusion Press
- Food processor
Ingredients
- ½ cup bulgur wheat
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 cup diced tomato
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- ½ teaspoon salt, to make tomato and cucumber sweat
- 3 ½ cups finely minced parsley
- Handful of mint, minced
- 4 minced scallions
- ½ cup Ardent Koroneiki Varietal Olive Oil, infused
- Juice of 1 ½ lemons
- 1 teaspoon cannasalt
- 3 cloves of minced garlic
- Sprinkle of cumin
How to Make Cannabis-Infused Tabbouleh
- Activate your material in the Nova or FX using the A1 setting for THC or CBG-rich material, and A2 setting for CBD-rich material.
- Pour olive oil over your activated material, fully submerging it, and allow it to infuse on the Infuse setting.
- Pour bulgur wheat into a bowl and pour boiling water over top. Cover with a lid or upside-down pan, and allow it to absorb the water for about 30 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, combine tomato, cucumber, and a ½ teaspoon of salt, allowing it to sweat out some of the liquid.
- In the meantime, mince parsley and mint in a food processor and combine in a separate bowl.
- Add minced scallion to the parsley and mint mixture, along with the infused olive oil, lemon, cannasalt, garlic, and cumin.
- Serve and enjoy!
Equipment Needed
- Skillet with lid
- Ardent Nova or FX
- Ardent Frainer or Infusion Press
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 can of 14 ounces of fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons harissa, optional
- Parsley (and/or cilantro,) to taste
- ⅛ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 small onion, minced
- 1 large red bell pepper, sliced thin
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 tablespoons Ardent Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Black pepper and cannasalt, to taste
- Toasted pita bread, dusted with za’atar and drizzled with infused olive oil
How to Make Cannabis-Infused Shakshouka
- In a skillet on high heat, add EVOO, onion, and bell pepper until softened.
- Add garlic, cumin, crushed red pepper, harissa, and crushed tomatoes. Stir and reduce heat to the lowest setting.
- Make three shallow wells in the tomato sauce on the perimeter of the pan, close to the edge, without touching it, and crack each egg into the wells.
- Cover the egg white portions with a bit of tomato sauce from the dish to bury most of the egg whites and keep the yolks exposed.
- Add cannasalt and pepper to the skillet, along with crumbled feta and parsley. Cover and allow to cook for 6 - 7 minutes.
- Serve directly in the skillet, drizzle with a small amount of infused EVOO, and enjoy with toasted pita bread decorated with infused oil and za’atar.