This spinach salad with strawberries is seasoned with a delicious homemade sauce, made with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and a little jam. A perfect summer salad!
Spinach Salad with Strawberries
Ingredients
Salad
- 200 g baby spinach
- 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
- 100 g strawberries
Dressing
- 3-4 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp jam (strawberry, raspberry, apricot)
- 1-2 pinches paprika (optional)
- Some sliced almonds or walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- In the bowl, combine the spinach, red onion and strawberries.
- In the jar, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, jam and paprika, to make a smooth sauce.
- Drizzle the salad with dressing and serve immediately.
- If you want, you can add some almonds or other roasted nuts.
Okroshka (Cold Slavic Soup)
Okroshka is a soup, mostly served in summer and always served cold. The ingredients are diced and then mixed with kvass. The ratio of chopped vegetables to kvass is similar to that of cereal to milk. There are tons of different okroshka recipes, but every okroshka must contain green onion, radishes, cucumber, potatoes, boiled eggs and dill.
Okroshka (Cold Slavic Soup)
Ingredients
- 4 hard boiled eggs diced
- 2 boiled potatoes peeled and cut into small cubes
- 1 medium english cucumber peeled and cut into small cubes
- 8 slices (300g) bologna finely diced
- 6-7 radishes thinly diced
- 1/2 bunch dill finely diced
- 1/2 bunch green onion finely diced
- 2 l kvass
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- sour cream for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Chop all ingredients.
- Now is the time to turn the salad into a soup. Pour the kvass over the chopped vegetables and mix gently. Add salt and pepper according to taste.
- Let the veggies soak all the flavors for about 2-3 hours in the refrigerator before serving. Serve cold with sour cream. Okroshka will taste even better the following day.
Kale Salad with Avocado and Mango
I am so excited that warmer weather is finally here. Now is the best time for healthy greens and fresh juicy mango. There is just not one single thing I don’t like about this salad. Trust me this is a salad you want to try.
Kale Salad with Avocado and Mango
Ingredients
- 2 cups kale finely chopped
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 large mango
- 1/2 red onion
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 5 tsp mandarin juice freshly squeezed
- 1 tsp honey
- 8 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Wash all the ingredients.
- In a large bowl, add the kale, 2 tsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Massage until the kale starts soften(it will darken in color). Set it aside.
- Meanwhile peel and dice mango into 1/2″ cubes.
- Cut onion into half-moon slices.
- Slice the avocado while it’s in its shell and gently scoop the slices with a spoon.
- Finely chop the cilantro.
- Squeeze juicy mandarin into a small bowl. Add honey, Dijon mustard, olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk together.
- Mix everything together, top with grated parmesan cheese and drizzle with dressing.
Potato Pancakes (Draniki)
One of my husband’s favorite food is draniki. Russian style potato pancakes. Perfect for breakfast or branch. I’ve seen draniki recipes that use mashed potato also, but I personally prefer my potato to be coarsely grated, because then you have more crispy ends. Traditionally draniki are served with sour cream, but you can also serve them with ketchup or cottage cheese.
Potato Pancakes (Draniki)
Ingredients
- 6 medium potatoes washed
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 50 ml buttermilk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 50 g all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup olive oil (plus extra)
- 1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
- fresh herbs (optional)
Instructions
- Peel and grate potatoes. Squeeze grated potatoes with hands, extracting as much liquid as possible.
- In a large bowl beet eggs, baking soda and buttermilk, add grated potatoes, salt, pepper and flour, mix well.
- In a large iron skillet heat the olive oil until hot. Place the tablespoons of batter in the pan and flatten with spoon.
- Reduce heat to medium and cook until the bottom is golden brown.Turn over and cook on the other side.
- Garnish with fresh herbs and serve them hot with sour cream.
Almond Flour Banana Bread
This banana bread gets its amber color and caramelized taste from brown sugar and the taste is amplified by the almond flour. This is not gluten-free recipe, you need to add a little of all purpose flour too.
If you don’t have almond flour or brown sugar, you can try our famous Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread.
If you are looking for gluten-free recipe, try our Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Muffins.
Almond Flour Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 very ripe bananas
- 200 g brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 200 g almond flour
- 100 g unsalted butter melted
- 80 g all purpose flour
- 2 pinches salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 100 g chopped walnuts
- 60 g chocolate chips (60%)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180C). Grease a large bread pan and set aside.
- Mash bananas with a fork and mix them with brown sugar.
- Add eggs and mix well.
- Add melted butter,
- and almond flour.
- Then add all purpose flour, salt and baking powder. Mix well.
- Add walnuts
- and chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into bread pan and bake for about 55 minutes.
- Banana bread is ready when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the bread in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Sauce
After trying to make this chocolate sauce at home, you will never go back to store-bought syrup again. No weird preservatives or ingredients like the ones in the store. You will need two ingredients to make this delicious sauce.
Watch this quick video to make your mouth water.
Chocolate sauce
Ingredients
- 125 ml milk or heavy cream
- 150 g dark chocolate (60-70%)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan bring milk (or cream) to boil. Remove from the heat and pour the liquid over the chocolate. Allow it to sit for 1 minute. Whisk to combine.
- The sauce will stay loose while its hot. But you can always reheat it. Spoon the chocolate mixture into a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Heat the sauce for about 3-4 minutes stirring constantly or until it has become liquid again.
Creamy Vanilla And Chocolate Jelly
Creamy Vanilla And Chocolate Jelly is a very light and airy dessert, with a touch of sweetness. Who wouldn’t love chocolate and vanilla goodness in a cup? I always try to limit myself. This dessert is so simple to make and a great way to end a special dinner. It can be done the day before.
Creamy Vanilla And Chocolate Jelly
Ingredients
Vanilla layer
- 1/2 cup water cold
- 3 packs Knox original gelatin unflavored
- 500 ml heavy whipping cream
- 500 ml whole milk
- 8 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
Chocolate layer
- 60 ml whole milk
- 3 Tbsp water cold
- 1/2 pack Knox original gelatin unflavored
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp cacao powder
Instructions
Vanilla layer
- In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup of cold water. Let stand for 5 minutes.
- In a large saucepan, bring milk, heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract and sugar to a simmer, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved.
- Add gelatin mixture and stir until dissolved. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Let it cool for 5 minutes, strain through a fine sieve.
- Divide the mixture between 12 small glasses and place them in the fridge until firm (2-3 hours).
Chocolate layer
- In a small saucepan, add milk and water. Sprinkle gelatin on top and set aside for 3 minutes. Add cacao powder and sugar, mix well.
- Place over medium heat and heat until barely boiling, stirring constantly.
- Remove from the heat and strain through a fine sieve. Let the mix cool down.
- Remove the glasses from the refrigerator and pour the chocolate mixture on top of the vanilla jelly.
- Refrigerate for 2 more hours.
Tomato Rounds With Garlic & Cheese
It’s a super simple and fantastic 10 minutes appetizers, that I could eat a plateful. And when it comes to cheese, you are the boss. You can choose any hard/firm cheese that you like, as long as you’ll be able to grate it.
Tomato Rounds With Garlic & Cheese
Ingredients
- 4-6 tomatoes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to aste
- 1 clove garlic
- 100 g hard cheese
- some olive oil (optional)
- some fresh herbs parsley, green onion, dill,
Instructions
- Wash and cut the tomatoes into circles and layer them on the plater. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper to taste.
- Grate garlic, using microplane, sprinkle it on top of the tomatoes. Using the same microplane shred the cheese. Evenly layer on top of the tomatoes.
- Drizzle with some olive oil and garnish with fresh herbs.
Cucumber Tomato & Green Onion Salad
Looking for a “quick” salad to make? This cucumber and tomato salad is not just fast and easy salad to make, it is also a great summer side dish that goes perfectly with fish, potato, rice, omelet or just by itself.
Cucumber tomato & green onion salad
Ingredients
- 1-2 cucumber sliced
- 5-6 tomatoes quartered
- 1 clove garlic pressed
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Some green onions chopped
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
Instructions
- In the bowl, combine the cucumber, tomatoes, garlic, green onion, salt and pepper. Add the sour cream and gently toss. Serve right away.
Beef Rice Pilaf With Dry Barberry Berries
This is very delicious and flavorful rice. Perfect for special dinner with friends or just for your family. It may seem a little time consuming, but it’s worth it.
Beef Rice Pilaf With Dry Barberry Berries
Ingredients
- 2 cups rice Uncle Ben’s Long Grain White Rice
- 2 lb beef boneless stew beef
- 4 large carrots
- 2 onion
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 head garlic
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 5 Tbsp barberry dry berries
- 1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 Tbsp salt
- 4 cups water hot
Instructions
- Soak and rinse the rice, at least 2-3 times, then drain.
- Cut beef into 1 inch pieces.
- Peel and cut the carrots into thick matchsticks.
- Peel and dice onion.
- Heat the olive oil in an enameled cast iron dutch oven over a medium heat, add beef.
- Cook beef for one hour on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
- When the beef is fully cooked add onion and soften, stirring regularly for about 3 minutes.
- Add carrots, spices, salt, pepper, bay leaf and dry berries. Cook for another 2 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Layer the soaked rice over the top of the beef and vegetables. Peel some of the skin off the garlic head and slice the top off, exposing the garlic cloves. Put raw garlic head on top of the rice.
- Carefully pour hot water over wooden spoon to ensure even distribution over rice. Do not stir.
- Cover with lid. When it starts boiling, remove the lid to let the water almost evaporate.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the rice is tender and the rest of the liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes.
- Mix the ingredients as you serve the pilaf on a platter. Garnish with garlic head.