A renowned chef and nutritionist has the recipe for delectable meals with a healthy Mediterranean focus, featuring more than 100 recipes for flavorful, seasonal local food

Hailed as the Napa Valley of the East, New York's Hudson Valley has become a major hub for local foods and agriculture—and Laura Pensiero's acclaimed restaurants are at the center of it all. Customers from near and far flock to Gigi Trattoria in Rhinebeck (named one of Hudson Valley's best restaurants in Hudson Valley Magazine) and Gigi Market and Catering in Red Hook to dine on Laura's interpretations of traditional Italian dishes that highlight the bounty of the farms, gardens, and artisans of the Valley.

A celebration of the food of the Hudson Valley and the people who grow and produce it, Hudson Valley Mediterranean shows how to use seasonal ingredients to create delectable, nourishing meals. Here are more than 100 easy-to-prepare and cost-effective recipes made with the best ingredients and a touch of Mediterranean flair, including:

Gigi Potato Gnocchi with Northwind Farm Chicken and Pea Ragu

Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Cauliflower and Chard

Fava Bean and Fregola Salad

Spring (and Every Other Season) Lasagna

Seared Salmon over Spring Trifolati

Mr. Mink's Panzanella Salad with fresh herbs

Strawberry Mascarpone Tart

This local and seasonal food movement is happening throughout the country, and Pensiero invites everyone to bring these foods into their own kitchens and communities using regional resources—because cooking with fresh food harvested nearby brings pleasure to eating and connects people to their family, friends, and community.

Laura Pensiero is the creator of Gigi Hudson Valley, a broad-based company that celebrates local New York farmers and their products through her restaurant, the influential Gigi Trattoria in Rhinebeck, NY; her store, Gigi Market in nearby Red Hook; and her line of Gigi branded products. A unique restaurateur, registered dietitian, cookbook author, and French Culinary Institute graduate, she has extensive experience in both food and health services. She is also the chef of and a partner in the Just Salad restaurants, developing the menus and recipes for a rapidly expanding chain with locations in New York City and Hong Kong.

Named one of five "amazingly gifted and giving food professionals" by O magazine in 2005, Laura is the author of Hudson Valley Mediterranean: The Gigi Good Food Cookbook, and coauthor of The Strang Cancer Prevention Book and she developed recipes for The French Culinary Institute's Salute to Healthy Cooking, The American Harvest, The Da Fiore Cookbook, Healing Foods for Dummies, The Healthy Heart Cookbook for Dummies, Slow Cookers for Dummies, Mexican Cooking for Dummies, and Italian Cooking for Dummies. Laura has appeared on The Martha Stewart Show, the Larry Hughes radio show, NBC, and WNBC, and is a frequent contributor to O magazine, Prevention, Figure, and Shape.