You might not think “greek” when you think of spaghetti, but the wonderful saucy flavors so closely associated with Italy translate well when paired with lemon and feta.

If you’ve noticed my by-line, with Zerkus right in the middle, it’s no surprise that I favor flavors that hit just a bit east of Italy. Greek flavors, to be exact.

Yes, I am Southern–but I’m also Greek! My paternal great-grandfather, Jack, came to the U.S. in 1912, from the northern coastal region of Greece, near Kavala. I never met him, unfortunately.  I have only the stories my great-grandmother, Rosa, told me.  And while there is some debate as to whether our original family name was Zervos, Zervas or possibly even Yerkus, there is no denying the influence that my Greek heritage has had on my upbringing and my cooking.

Traditional Greek spaghetti is made very much like its Italian counterpart, but with some wonderful differences.  In my family’s version, a fresh tomato sauce is simmered all day with Greek seasonings, sometimes with olives, always with a bit of lemon, and with a beef roast replacing ground beef.  And, of course, feta rather than parmesan cheese.

I love the recipes my great-grandmother taught me, and I make them when my family gets together. But for an easy weeknight dinner, I like a quicker, fresher sauce to top pasta. Greek or not, I’m guessing you’ll love this recipe,too.

Quick Greek-Style Spaghetti Recipe

1lb. fresh linguini

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1-15 oz can Wild Oats Organic Petite Diced Tomatoes, lightly drained

2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (3-4 lemons) Find out how to get the most juice here.

1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest

1-2 tablespoons Greek oregano or Greek seasoning blend

1/2 cup good quality feta, crumbled

salt and pepper to taste

Method: Cook linguini in a large pot of salted water until tender but not mushy. (Fresh pasta will cook more quickly than dried pasta, so make sure it is al dente. It’s important that the pasta hold up well against the sauce. Drain pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking liquid, and keep warm while making the sauce.

In a separate pan, warm olive oil over medium heat.  Add tomatoes and seasonings, stir and heat thoroughly. Remove pan from burner and add lemon juice, stir to combine.  Pour tomato mixture over warm pasta. Toss to combine. If needed, add reserved pasta water, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, to fully incorporate sauce and moisten pasta. Top with lemon zest and crumbled feta.  Serve immediately.

**This dish is great topped with grilled shrimp.

It was a wild week.

On Tuesday, I had an opportunity to talk about bison to the nearly 350 culinary professionals attending the Chefs’ Collaborative Summit in Boulder, Colorado. The chefs at the meeting largely came from independent restaurants across America, and are leaders in creating menus with fresh, locally grown produce and meat. They were extremely receptive to the story of bison as America’s Original Red Meat.

Later that day, I boarded a plane to fly to Washington D.C. so that I could give a presentation the next morning to the key negotiators from the United States and Europe who are working to hammer out a new long term trade agreement between our country and the European Union.

Eighty percent of my message was identical to the presentation I had delivered to the chefs.  Not because I was too lazy to mix things up. Because 80 percent of our message is the same, regardless of the audience.

Local is the top buzzword among American chefs right now. Restaurants across the country are springing up with menus laced with food sourced from local, sustainable growers. One of the top words for Europeans is locale. Shoppers in Europe appreciate the thought of food that was produced in distinct regions. In fact, Europeans argue that only cheese produced in the Parma region of Italy should be allowed to be labeled as Parmesan.

I’ll leave it up to others to wring out the details of regulations regarding the labeling of food.

All I know is that bison is building fans because it is the local food that carries the taste of its locale.

Fall sports are in full swing and weekends are jam-packed with football and snacks these days. Do you prefer packing up your car and heading to a tailgate to take in all the game-day action or prefer to watch the game from the best seat in the house, your couch? No matter where you decide to watch the game, there is always time to snack. Name the team and the food you can’t wait for on game day for a chance to win a snackable prize pack!  We hope you take a moment to play along on Twitter or Facebook.

Today’s challenge: Name the team and the food you can’t wait for on game day for a chance to win a snackable prize pack! 

If you’re playing along on Facebook, simply comment in our Mission Monday post before 11:59 p.m. ET tonight to be entered to win!

If you’d like to play along on Twitter, simply tweet us your answer with #wildoatsmission #sweeps by 11:59 p.m. ET today to be entered to win!

Good luck! Full Sweepstakes rules and details can be found here Twitter and Facebook.

Getting older is inevitable, but looking and feeling older is not. Beyond the typical anti-aging beauty products, there are additional natural things you can do to look younger. Check out some innovative natural products to fight aging and watch below to see me talk about them on Everyday!

Ojas Facial Serum Oils
Ojas is a Sanskrit word which literally means “vigor”. According to the principles of Ayurveda, it is the essential energy of the body which can be equated with the “fluid of life”. The Ojas Facial Serums work on a deep level to offer a new approach to beautiful, youthful skin. For instance, their Carrot Seed Oil is a great oil for rejuvenating already aged skin. It can be used to reverse wrinkles, fine lines and age spots. Also, the Black Cumin Oil is chalk full of nutrients like B Vitamins, Magnesium and Zinc to feed and nourish skin for a younger complexion.

PRID
For over 50 years, PRID has been a must-have in both the family medicine chest and the tool box. PRID is an all natural approach to healing boils, blisters, and for helping raise splinters, thorns, and ingrown hairs out from under the skin. It a traditional drawing salve, that both soothes and protect wounds of the skin. On the anti-aging front, it can work wonders to help to clear up redness and ruddiness that comes with aging complexions. Some also report that it works great at fighting black heads and pesky adult acne. www.hylands.com/products/prid-drawing-salve

NEW Mineral Fusion Primers
Even though most well-known celebrities wouldn’t get ready without it, a lot of women have no idea that using a good primer can instantly make them look years younger. Mineral Fusion Primers contain naturally camouflaging mineral pigments to help conceal unwanted rednes and hyperpigmentation unveling even, flawless-looking skin. The soothing formula fills in lines, evens tone, and smoothes texture creating a balanced canvas for makeup application. www.mineralfusion.com/index.php/shop/skin-care/prime/new-primers

Ms. Tilly Rosalie’s Beauty Tea
Ms. Tilly Rosalie’s Beauty Tea is calming floral blend for sipping, soaking and steaming the face. The Rose in the tea has been shown to Decrease Cortisol Levels (high cortisol levels from stress can cause premature breakdown of collagen). Also the Linden is anti-inflammatory and soothes itchy and sensitive skin.
www.lindenbeauty.com

I have to say I love everything about bone broth. It’s one of those completely satisfying things that has been around forever, and is just as healthy as it is ancient. And now is the time to start simmering.

What’s so great about bone broth? Well, for one thing you get to use something that you would normally throw away! Gotta love that. It is chock full of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and silicon, in a form that your body can easily absorb. In addition, it’s great for your gut. The gelatin that it contains is a hydrophyllic colloid that attracts and holds juices, supporting your digestive process perfectly. This same gelatin helps people with food allergies tolerate things like cows milk and gluten. It also helps probiotic balance and growth. The collagen it supplies can aid in healing IBS, crohn’s, ulcerative colitis and acid reflux.

Feeling achy? Bone broth carries both chondroitin, and glucosamine – those expensive compounds that you buy for your joints, as well as amino acids like arginine, and proline that are inflammation fighters. (Grandma was right, its great for treating cold symptoms!)

Bone broth may be the easiest thing you ever make. All you need is about a gallon of water and about two pounds of bones.

Be sure the bones are from animals that are free of growth hormones, ideally organic or grass fed. Since all of the bodily compounds are concentrated in the bones and marrow, this is important.

You can create a full-fledged stock to freeze by adding garlic, onion, carrots, celery, parsley or other herbs, or you can wait and sauté those things and add them later. The process is really just as simple as simmer and wait. You can add couple teaspoons of vinegar to the water to help leach out all the minerals, but it is fine without. You need a large pot, water and bones.

Forty eight hours for beef, 24 hours for chicken, 8 hours for fish. Done.

So if you want a super simple, inexpensive, healthy addition to your diet – try bone broth.

Bone broth FAQs

How to make bone broth

Mercola – Healing Diet Staples