Eggplant Rolls

I don't have much to say about this recipe, it mostly says for itself: eggplants and tomatoes - main ingredients – are good combination and garlic doesn't make it any worse.

This recipe isn't much hassle to prepare and ingredients don't cost much; so you can easy get to advised 5 servings of vegetables per day and even enjoy it.

Eggplant rolls taste better while fresh, so prepare them right before serving.

Fried Potato with Porcini Mushrooms

Potatoes fried with porcini mushrooms is one of the most delicious lenten recipes. It is also very-very russian. I believe russians eat that kind of food for centuries :)

This main dish contains no meat, however mushrooms perfectly substitute meat in both - taste and nutrients - they contain vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre while are low on fat and easily absorbed carbohydrates.

All of that make potato fried with mushrooms and onions perfect main dish for Lent. Needles to say what any combination of potatoes with mushrooms can't taste bad, so I really hope you will enjoy this dish just like I do.

Boiled Buckwheat

I think buckwheat grain is one of the most nutritious and healthy foods one can ever eat: it is very rich on iron, zink, other minerals and vitamins which makes it perfect food for kids and women during pregnancy.

It is also low on carbohydrates comparing to other grains (and for those which it does have body needs long time to digest);for me that makes boiled buckwheat (straight or with a bit of milk) perfect food for days when I want to eat a bit less and exercise a bit more: it makes you feel full longer without eating too much.

Boiled buckwheat is a perfect side for any kind of beef dishes: I personally prefer to serve it with beef stroganoff or minced beef cutlets; however it can be served as a stand alone dish. Boiled buckwheat grain with milk is very popular breakfast food for children and adults in countries of East Europe.

Russian Sauerkraut Soup (Schi)

Sauerkraut soup, also called sour schi, is a traditional russian main first course dish for several hundreds year.

Original recipes for schi (there are more that one: sour schi, grey schi, green schi) usually include some kind meat, some kind cabbage, carrots, potatoes and spices. Sour schi are prepared with sauerkraut or mix of sauerkraut and fresh cabbage.

I do cook schi with just sauerkraut and I prefer pork broth for sauerkraut schi, however you may use beef for it if you don't like pork.

Deruny (Potato Pancakes)

Potato pancakes, prepared from fresh chopped or grated potatoes, onions, eggs and flour, are commonly associated with various cuisines of Europe. In Ukraine they are called “deruny”, in Russia and Belarus “draniki”; similar recipes can be found in Polish, German, Austrian, Czech cuisines.

Potato pancakes are usually a main no meat dish for lunch or breakfast; it tastes good topped with sour cream or mushroom sauce.

Even though potato pancakes are good enough as a separate dish, they can be also served as a side dish for vegetable or meat main dish course.

Cream of Mushroom Sauce

I think that is one of the easiest cream sauces to do, but it is also a bit heavy due to usage of whipping cream as a main ingredient.

Personally I think the taste this sauce completely worth working out those extra calories later on. But it is for you to decide: try substitute cream with smaller amount of half & half to make it a bit lighter if you wish.

Cream of Mushroom Sauce is perfect addition for potato-based dishes: potato dumplings, potato pancakes or simply boiled potato; it will also benefit grilled or fried chicken meat or roasted beef; as well as it can be served as a pasta sauce.

Minced Beef Cutlets

This it a traditional russian recipe for minced meat cutlets which includes meat, white bread soaked in milk and a lot of onions. Some people prepare those cutlets from beef only, some add a bit of pork or pork fat in them. I prefer just beef.

You may grind or mince meat yourself or buy a ground one and simply add finely chopped or grated onions: whatever you prefer. Either way I am sure it will taste delicious!

I've served those cutlets with fried potatoes and greek salad, just in case you were curious.

Stuffed Egg Shells

Egg shells stuffed with mushrooms, eggs and onions mix is an appetizer I asked my mom to do for each celebration, we had, when I was little.

It is still my favorite dish; now I cook it myself when have enough time and special state of mind to stub some eggs and dice everything into little pieces :)

To get empty egg shells is the most tricky part in making stuffed egg shells: you may waste one or two eggs while learning to do so, just be brave and persistent.

You are lucky if chickens, which produced eggs you are planning on using to prepare this appetizer, have had enough calcium in their diet, that will make the whole deal with getting nice looking egg shell halves much more easier. Unfortunately, it wasn't a case for me: the shells of eggs I had were crushing when breathed on.

That didn't do any bad for taste (believe me!), just made pictures a bit less nice looking than I expected, but I hope you will still like the recipe enough to try it out.

Mimosa Salad

Mimosa, as a fish layered salad, is very popular in all countries of ex-USSR. As well as Herring Under Fur Coat and Salad Olivier, Salad Mimosa finds its place on the table for big holiday celebrations, such as New Year, Christmas, birthdays and others.

It is easy and fun to cook, and due to the layered structure of the salad it should be prepared several hours in advance before serving to allow layers to soak. So the good idea would be to assemble the salad a night before you are going to put it on the table.

By the way this salad name – Mimosa – comes from the bright yellow color and a texture of its last layer which looks very similar to the yellow blossoms of the plant called “mimosa” in Russia.

Uzvar (Dried Fruit Kompot)

Uzvar is a kompot made from dried fruits: mainly apples, pears and prunes, however various recipes include raisins, dried sour cherries and even dried apricots.

Even though this drink is traditionally served to Christmas Eve dinner in some countries of West Europe (e.g. Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Lithuania), I really can't find a reason why it can't be a great better choice to drink before all those sugary-artificially prepared sodas people consume so much those days.

Uzvar, or as it also called in ex-USSR countries – Kompot made from Dried Fruits, is very refreshing, tasty and easy to do. I highly recommend this drink to everybody, prepare it for your kids - they will love it!

Madeleines

It is easy to fell in love with those little butter cakes the first time you try them: it is exactly what happened to me :), I had to find the recipe. And then I've got hooked: every time I have extra 30 mins and a mood for baking – I am preparing madeleines.

Apart of eggs, butter, flour and a few other ingredients you will also need madeleine molds (baking pans) to prepare those french sponge cakes. Internet says they exist in two sizes: bigger and smaller.

I've spend quite some time before I finally found bigger ones in Williams-Sonoma, I was also lucky they appeared to be nonstick ones. By the way if you cook in small size molds – reduce cooking time to about 6 mins.

With ingredients described in this recipe will get you about 24 madeleines, enough for 2 baking forms with molds of bigger size. If you want more just double or triple the amounts.

Bigos (Cabbage and Pork Stew)

Bigos, as a cabbage and meat stew, is very popular second course dish in countries of East Europe. I believe it was originated in Poland, however recipes similar to polish bigos can be found in cuisines of Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine and maybe some others. In Poland bigos is traditional dish to be served on Second day of Christmas.

Ingredients for bigos vary, some of them may or may not include tomatoes, mushrooms, carrots, onions, garlic, honey and even prunes; beef, veal, pork, bacon, smoked ham, smoked sausages or a combination of those.

I cook bigos (by the way it is called “solyanka” in Russia and Ukraine, even though there is a soup with the same name) with pork, a lot of cabbage (fresh and sour), carrots, onions, bay leaves and spice it with whole black peppercorns, just like it was always cooked in my family. Hope you will like it too.

Lenten Borscht with Mushroom Dumplings

In a lot of countries Christmas Eve dinner gathers whole family around one big table. Borscht with mushroom dumplings is the one of 12 dishes which usually are on that table by tradition in West Ukraine (by the way those dumplings are called “vushka” in ukrainian, which means “small ears”, I guess because of the shape).

Of course, because that is the Christmas Eve and Nativity Fast isn't finished yet there is no meat used to prepare it: just vegetables and dried mushrooms. This borscht like the rest of the Christmas Eve's traditional food is lenten, it is very tasty and isn't heavy at all – most of the vegetables are used to prepare clear broth only and don't get served with the borscht itself.

At first glance, it may look like cooking it is a bit of a hassle and time spending: so many steps (I've prepared 34 step-by-step pictures for this recipe!) and so many manipulations with different cooking utensils. However, you can complete preparation steps a day in advance – for example soak mushrooms, boil them or/and boil beets, you can even make dumplings a day before, freeze them and prepare the borscht next day. And then, nobody said you need to make everything yourself: involve your family into helping you! And have a Marry Christmas!

Bacon and Eggs with Tomatoes

Fried eggs dishes are usually breakfast food, however they are also coming handy when you need to prepare and eat something fast.

Fried eggs with bacon and tomatoes is my favorite way of preparing eggs: easy, tasty and fast. The ingredients in recipe will make a portion for a breakfast for two, adjust amounts if you need more or less.

Cherry or campari tomatoes are perfect for this dish, but if you have any other kind – that will work as well. And if you don't like bacon for some reasons - replace it with half spoon of butter, however I advice to keep it in, for the perfect taste.

Eggplant Paste Appetizer

Here is an eggplant paste recipe how my grandma used to do it: all full of vegetable goodness, and I love its taste (still a bit hard to get it taste exactly the way how grandma's is but I am working on it).

Baked eggplant paste makes a perfect side dish for meat or vegetable entrees, as well as it can be a great appetizer - just pour a bit on a whole wheat cracker, or spread it over a piece of bread and get a healthy snack.

Prepared eggplant paste can be stored in a fridge for several days and it tastes good cooled.

Pork Schnitzels

Schnitzels or beaten cutlets can be prepared of almost any kind of meat: pork, beef, vial, lamb, chicken or even turkey.

The preparation method stays pretty much the same for any of those: you take meat, tenderize it, deep into flour (or breadcrumbs), deep into egg mix and fry. It is that easy!

Of course it is your choice which meat to use: pork is usually more fat and considered less healthy choice before beef, vial or chicken, however beaten pork cutlets are more juicy and tasty, so I prefer to use pork for this recipe.

Apple & Cranberry Kompot

Most of you probably wonders what the “kompot” is, as that is not very usual word in english speaking world. Some of you may also assume there is a grammatical error in the title of this post and I probably mean the apple & cranberries compote (stewed fruits, the dessert), however there is no error: kompot is a drink made of stewed fruits and/or berries, fresh or dried, or a combination of those, and it is traditional drink in many countries of Eastern Europe.

Making kompot is almost effortless, it takes not more then 20 mins (if you don't count cooling down time in) to get great fruit and healthy drink for you and especially your kids and I believe they will like it much more than those powder-produced drinks from bottles and cans people drinking so much nowadays.

Autumn is a time when fresh apples and cranberries are in every grocery shop and supermarket, Apple & Cranberry Kompot is one of easy way to prepare those two together and it goes good with Apple Cake.

Sponge Cake with Apples

Autumn always comes with tastes of a harvest: for me autumn tastes like apples, even though you can get them at any grocery shop any time of the year.

Since I've got my apples, a big pack of them actually, my house keeps smelling like autumn. During last weeks we had a duck with apples for a dinner, baked apples for a snack and even kompot with apples and cranberries.

I've also prepared this sponge cake with apples and light hit of cinnamon last sunday and now I can share this easy recipe with you, so you can enjoy the taste of autumn with me.

How to Separate Egg White from Egg Yolk

Some deserts, cakes, custards as well as some other dishes require using either egg whites or yolks or even both, but separately. So in order to prepare those you will need to separate egg white from egg yolk.

Of course there are some egg separating tools, but in case you don't have one under your hands or if you just prefer to have some fun bouncing egg yolks, learn How to Separate Eggs into whites and yolks without using any kind of special tools from my step-by-step instructions with photos.

Salmon under Capers and Dill Sauce

Capers and dill, butter, wine and shallots – those are ingredients of very good sauce for fish. Personally I pick salmon, because it is especially good when boiled or even simmered like in this recipe. However I think it will work with other kind of fish without any problem.

Should I also remind you what fish is an important part of the healthy diet?

Got a romantic dinner coming up and want to surprise your date with something special? I recommend this tender salmon dish, especially if after preparing of it you still have a few sips of Chardonnay left to accompany it with.

Chicken Soup with Egg Linguine

I think - and I hope you will agree with me - nothing tastes better in the cold fall weather than a bowl of hot soup. Make it a chicken soup and it will be hard for you to stop feeling warm and cozy even if outside it is raining since the last week.

Should I also mention what soups, especially chicken soups, are very good for the digestive system, especially if body is weakened by recently or ongoing illness. What can be better for the upcoming flu-season?

Lets gather the ingredients and make tasty noodle soup: Chicken Soup with Egg Linguine, it is really easy after all.

Cabbage Rolls in Tomato Dill Sauce

Cabbage rolls dish is very popular food in Eastern Europe. No wander you can easily find cabbage rolls among traditional recipes in cuisines of Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Romania and many others countries.

Making of cabbage rolls from the scratch (including grinding meat, boiling and separating cabbage and then preparing them one by one) would take some time, so it is better if you start cooking in advance. However you can leave prepared cabbage rolls in the oven with heat turned off for up to 1 hour, so they stay warm if you want to postpone serving.

This recipe describes step-by-step process of preparing cabbage rolls in tomato-dill sauce. Enjoy the taste of traditional dish of Eastern European.

Chicken with Pineapple Salad

This is one of my favorite chicken salads, you can also call it potato salad or salad with chicken, pineapple and potato. Whatever you call it, it is still delicious. After all, chicken and pineapples are a good combination.

I also found what fire roasted marinated bell peppers are good substitute for the home pickled ones in this salad, and good thing is: those you can actually find in the nearby shop. But you can also use homemade ones if you've got some.

I hope you will enjoy this tasty chicken salad as much as I did yesterday.

Baked Spicy Chicken

It is chicken time! And I think, one of the easiest ways to prepare various parts of chicken (or even chicken in a whole!) is to bake them with some spices.

Baked Spicy Chicken dish is great for the dinner: its cooking doesn't require much of attention, which gives you time to take care of other important things :). However you will need to start cooking it in advance to let chicken soak in the sauce.

So let's mix up some spices, garlic, mayonnaise, pour it over the chicken and bake it all together.

Banana Milkshake

Even though the title says this it recipe for Banana Milkshake, this is very simple recipe can be used to prepare pretty much any kind of fruit milkshake – just replace bananas with strawberry or raspberries and vanilla ice-cream with any kind of ice cream you like and enjoy your very own taste of a milkshake.

I should also mention what milk and ice-cream (main ingredients of a milkshake) are good sources of calcium, which is an important component of a healthy diet. It is especially for children. Which makes milkshakes good drinks for kids: not only is it tasty so they love it, but also is nutritious.

So, whatever your goal is – to make sure your kid gets the needed amount of calcium or to remind yourself about the times when you were a kid - make a milkshake (it is easy)!

Pork Pilaf

Typical Pilaf (plov, pilav) is prepared from rice and meat, and seasoned with spices. It is a dish, various recipes of which can be found in Middle Eastern, Central, South Asian and East African cultures, from where it was borrowed to various cuisines: so now dishes similar to pilaf can be found in every country recipes list.

Having roots on the East, original pilaf usually being made from lamb or mutton. However, I believe, it can be made pretty much of any kind of meat: beef, pork, chicken, duck, whatever you prefer.

I am not the big fan of lamb, so I usually prepare pilaf with a pork meat (which is a step away from the original recipe, but I like it). Feel free to replace pork with any other kind of meat you like and create your own pilaf recipe (you may also need to adjust the cooking time accordingly as different kinds of meats requite different time of preparation). Treat yourself to a delicious meal with a hint of orient spices!

Zucchini Pancakes

I prepared pancakes from zucchini, but they are also good prepared of any other kind of summer squash or even mix of them.

Soft and tender vegetable pancakes, they are easy and very fast to do. Perfect dish for breakfast or lunch, or for any other “hunger feeding” quick food break.

Odds are your kids will love them (even though they consist of pure vegetables)!

Greek Salad

This is the recipe of Greek Salad how I used to eat it. This is prepared of mix of fresh vegetables with a light hint of Greece in mix of oregano with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice, enriched by taste and texture of feta cheese.

Please note, the recipe I use can be very far related to the original greek recipe. I never been to Greece and mostly enjoy Greek cuisine from what I can find in local shops and restaurants.

This particular recipe describes the way how Greek Salad is prepared in Russia, so maybe it should be called Russian Greek Salad instead :) Enjoy!

Okroshka

Okroshka is traditional russian cold soup. It is perfect meal for hot summer weather as it is prepared on the base of kvass - russian bread drink – and it is light and very refreshing.

Finding good fresh kvass for okroshka can be challenging outside of former-USSR. You may try russian or ukrainian shop, or, of course, you can prepare kvass yourself. But If you are not lucky with any of these, you can also replace kvass with mineral water, kefir diluted with boiled cold water or even light beer.

Beef Stew with Vegetables

One of the most delicious ways to prepare beef is to stew it with vegetables. Stewed meat shares its juices with vegetables which makes the dish not only nutritious but also very tasty. Stews are a bit time consuming to prepare, but it is totally worth it. Serve stews hot without side dish.

In this post I've prepared beef stew with potato, bean, carrots and tomatoes. Read step-by-step instructions how to prepare Beef Stew with Vegetables with pictures.

Crepes with Fresh Cheese

If you've got some crepes left or thinking about how to make them more tasteful and nutritious then stuff them with fresh cheese. You can prepare stuffed crepes and store them for future in the freezer. After, all you have to do to get a fresh and tasty crepe with cheese is to get it out of freezer and warm it up.

The only hassle with this recipe can be to find (or prepare) good quark-kind fresh white cheese. Try Russian, Ukrainian or Polish shop if you can't locate it local supermarket.

Crepes with Fresh Cheese are good for breakfast or snack, also they make perfect food for kids.

Duck Baked with Apples

I find duck dishes somehow not so much popular in US. Not every Asian restaurant has it in the menu, which surprises me a lot as I always thought about ducks being almost national Chinese food.

Maybe it has something to do with the so called “bird flu” which caused the panic a few years ago, or maybe it is related to the fact that ducks are not very diet food due to the amount of fat, or it could be just because people are too used to see those birds alive on the streets (yes, I live in Columbus, OH and there are tons of ducks and canadian geese slugging around on every parking place, as a result I see more ducks on the city streets than on the plates, which would be unbelievable in let's say Europe :) ).

Nevertheless, I like ducks. Taste of baked duck with apples reminds me of family celebrations in my childhood, such as New Year or birthdays parties. Fortunately I could find a deeply frozen duckling in the local Kroger. I baked it and, must say, the taste was delicious. So now I can share with you my article about how to prepare Duck Baked with Apples with step-by-step guide and photos included.

Ground Chicken Cutlets

Cutlets prepared of soft ground chicken meat are delicious main course dish. I have a meat grinder, so I like to grind the meat for cutlets myself. However you can also buy a ground chicken meat and just mix minced or grated onion into it instead.

Ground Chicken Cutlets taste good with steamed or sauteed vegetables, fresh vegetable salads (e.g. carrots and garlic salad or cabbage slaw) and, of course, potatoes (fried or mashed), feel free to pick up a side of your choice.

Moussakas

In Greek cuisine, moussakas (moussaka, musakka) is a layered casserole made of vegetables (eggplant as a main ingredient) and minced meat.

It takes a bit of time and require some coordination in order to make it. But even if you spend a lot of time preparing moussakas, it totally worth it! It is great dish, and it tastes good served as hot as well as cold.

Tzatziki is good addition for Moussakas Casserole.

Lazy Varenyky (Fresh Cheese Lazy Dumplings)

Lazy Varenyky (lazy vareniki, fresh cheese lazy dumplings) is a dish of Ukrainian cuisine. To prepare it you will need fresh white cheese (tvorog, quark) which can be hard to find in a local shop, so try Ukrainian / Russian / Polish shops for more luck.

The word “lazy” in the name reflects the fact how fast and easy this dish is to prepare. It takes less then 20 mins from putting simple ingredients together till Fresh Cheese Lazy Dumplings are ready to be served, and that includes boiling.

Lazy Varenyky dish is good choice for children breakfast: they include fresh cheese - a good source of the calcium for growing body. And of course they are tasty, your kids will love them!

Napa Slaw with Eggs (Cabbage Salad)

You can take any kind of cabbage for this salad, however I prefer napa cabbage (one of variants of Chinese cabbage), as it is more soft and tasteful.

In general this salad is easy to make (as I think any slaw is), very fast to do and of course is nutritious: napa cabbage is rich on vitamin A/Carotene and vitamin C.

If you use napa cabbage, don't make more salad than you will eat for one meal, napa cabbage salads are best to be eaten fresh and loose taste after stored in fridge.

Fresh Cheese Pancakes

Fresh Cheese Pancakes are good choice for the family breakfast or snack. Fresh cheese is a source of the calcium, therefore this is very good food for kids whose growing body needs a lot of calcium.

Cheese pancakes are very fast and very easy to do. The only hassle with this recipe can be to find good quark-kind fresh cheese. So try Russian, Ukrainian or Polish shop if you can't locate it local supermarket.

Herring Under Fur Coat (Herring Salad) Recipe

To prepare russian herring salad, “Herring Under Fur Coat”, you need to have whole salted herring. And of course you need to know how to fillet it, so read this post if you don't.

Herring Under Fur Coat is a word-to-word translation of russian name of this salad: “Seledka pod Shuboj”, which represents salted herring under a “coat” of boiled vegetables. So, as you've probably guessed, you will also need boiled vegetables (potatoes, carrots and beats) and green onions. In the rest this is 5-layers salad with a lot of mayonnaise.

This salad requires some time and agility to assemble it, also it needs at least 12 hours for layers to soak after it is assembled. So make sure you have enough time if you decide to make it.

How to Clean Herring

Many of you probably wonder why you would even want to clean and skin the salted herring yourself (ya, it is messy and doesn't look all that yammi on the pictures below) if you can get cleaned, skinned, filleted, portion herring from the closest supermarket.

The answer is simple, herring fillets from the shop are most probably prepared with oil or/and vinegar, mustard, mayonnaise, onions and other tasty things, however all those tasty things change taste of herring. Which is somewhat important if you want to prepare tasty herring salad.

Well if you are lucky enough to find pickled herring fillets cured only with salt (and a bit of herbs) in your nearby shop then you can skip this post in a favor of better looking recipes. All others, who really want to know how to get fillets from whole salted herrings, are welcome to read.

Fried Zucchini With Garlic

Zucchini itself is low in calories and contains useful amounts of folate, potassium, manganese and vitamin A. Garlic is also very health-giving ingredient. And they both are combined in this fast to do and easy to do recipe.

Fried Zucchini with Garlic is very good on its own as a snack or an appetizer, however it is also perfect for poultry and meat entrees as a side dish.

Reduce amount of garlic if you are worried about a breath, but I really advice to keep garlic in, this dish isn't so tasty without it.

Meat with Prunes

For meat with prunes you can use either pork or beef. I think, pork tastes even better prepared this way, especially if prunes you have are not too sweet, so I advise you to go with pork.

However if you don't like pork for some reasons or if you don't have it just like I did when I were writing this article, you can use beef. I must say it tastes also delicious!

Borscht (Beetroot Soup)

Borscht (borsch, borshch) or beet root soup is very popular in a Eastern and Central Europe countries. Who of you didn't hear about russian or ukrainian borscht?

It is one of 3 common things which usually come to people minds when they are asked about Russia or Ukraine. Well, other 2 would be: good looking girls and vodka, of course.

As you've probably noticed, this blog is about cooking (not about dating or drinking), so I will show you how to make Borscht (Beetroot Soup) in this post, please use Google to find more info on slavic brides or famous russian alcoholic beverages if you feel like this.

Fried Potatoes Side Dish

I think fried potatoes is one of the first dishes I learned how to do myself when I was a kid, well besides sandwiches of course. So believe me it is easy to do.

Fried potato is great side for any kind of fried main dishes: meat, poultry, fish or even vegetables. And unlike the french-fries (which is kind of similar food) fried potato use much smaller amount of salt and oil, so I believe it is a bit more healthy.

Crêpes (Thin Pancakes)

But in any case you will need to prepare crêpes first and that requires agility and some kind of training. Read how I prepare them in the step-by-step guide.

Tzatziki Sauce

Tzatziki (can be spelled as tzadziki or tsatsiki) is yogurt and cucumber cold sauce of Greek cuisine.

It can be served separately as a dip or with meat entrees as a sauce. It is perfect addition for the gyros or souvlaki.

Boiled Rice

Boiled rice is a perfect side dish for any kind main dish, especially for spicy food.

Boil rice till it is half-ready and then steam it with a butter. Rice grains become soft and crumbly, but not overcooked.

Cotopulo Gyros (Chicken)

Gyros is Greek meat dish (right, it can be not only chicken gyros, but also beef, pork or lamb).

To make it: marinate sliced meat, place it on a tall vertical spit, which turns in front of a source of heat and cut meat out when is ready...

Well I don't have such vertical spit at home, so I prepare gyros in a different way.

And I like the gyros made of chicken more, so it is why that post about “Cotopulo Gyros” after all. And yes, it is spicy!

Potato Cakes in Tomato-Mushroom Sauce

Potato, mushrooms and onions are almost all you need to make potato cakes in tomato-mushroom sauce.

Original vegetables only (no-meat) main dish recipe which doesn't require a side dish.

Stewed Chicken in Mushroom Sauce

Chicken and field mushrooms are very nice combination for any dish, as well as mushrooms and sour cream, as well as sour cream and dill.

So let's mix them all and enjoy the result: Stewed Chicken in Mushroom Sauce! Best to be served with Potato Puree (Mashed Potatoes).

Stuffed Bell Peppers

My better half doesn't like fresh bell peppers, so I do stuff them with ground beef and rice and stew for a bit and here we go, it is his favorite meat dish.

Stuffed Bell Peppers are easy and fast to do. They are being served without side dish and are tasty!

Radish and Soft Cheese Salad

Radish and Fresh Cheese Salad is a tasty way to feed yourself and your family a bit of calcium :)

I did have some troubles finding a suitable fresh cheese for this recipe, it should be fresh white quark (russian: tvorog), neither cottage cheese nor cream cheese will work here.

So if you have the same problem finding quark style fresh cheese like I had, try local Russian / Ukrainian / Polish store, most probably they have it. Of course, you can also make homemade soft cheese yourself, but guess I am too lazy for this, who isn't?..

Fast Salted Salmon

Even though it is called fast salted it still requires at least 12 hours to be ready for eating. So it is good idea to start preparing Fast Salted Salmon an evening before you are planning to put it on the table.

Due to the big amount of oil it is good to be served with simple boiled potatoes and bread.

Egg & Ham Salad

One more option for your everyday food. Healthy and tasty, and easy to make salad.

Egg & Ham Salad is perfect for breakfast or midday break food as it doesn't contain onions.

Meatballs Soup

Eating soups is healthy, let's make it also tasty!

Homemade beef broth, a lot of vegetables and meatballs, sounds good for me, what about you?

Beef Broth (Meat Broth)

Meat broth (meat bouillon, clear soup) is a base for most of the soups and sauces, it can be added to stews or served as separate dish.

Meat Broth can be prepared with using basically any type of meat: beef, pork, chicken, any kind of fish. Most common recipes are using meat broths made of beef or chicken.

Beef Stroganoff with Buckwheat Side

I believe there are a lot of recipes which are called “Beef Stroganoff”. This one is the recipe my mom uses to prepare her Beef Stroganoff, so do I.

It goes very good with potato puree and even better with boiled buckwheat.

Russian Salad (Olivier)

Usually people outside of former-USSR call it Russian Salad, however its original name is Salad Olivier.

This salad was and maybe still is the most traditional dish for the home New Year celebration for russian people.

Fried Cod

I've prepared the fried cod for this photo recipe, but you can cook pretty much fresh fish of any kind in the same way. Just make sure you scale fish before (if it has scales) and cut into portion pieces suitable for frying.

I like to serve fried fish with Potato Puree, but you may find some other side dish for it.

Russian Fish Soup (Uha)

Eating fish atleast once a week is one of a rules you follow to stay healthy. At my home we like to eat a russian fish soup, called uha in russian, to keep brain working better.

Uha can be prepared of pretty much any kind fresh fish you can find in your shop. I prefer to make it with atlantinc salmon. Try it?

Ham Rolls With Carrot Stuffing

Got ppl coming over in a 20 mins and got nothing to bite? Make a ham rolls stuffed with fresh carrot & garlic salad.

Easy and fast! Tastes better when accompanied by beer and TV.

Fresh Carrots & Garlic Salad

And again carrots with a lot of vitamin A and carotin. The best way to keep those nutrients from “dying” while cooking is to eat them fresh. And garlic can't spoil it anyhow.

Enjoy Fresh Carrots & Garlic Salad as an healthy addition to your meat meals.

Potato Puree (Mashed Potatoes)

Potato puree, or you may also call it mashed potatoes, is a perfect side dish for any meat or fish or poultry entree.

It is perfect choice before fried potatoes especially for those whose digestive system needs a bit of support.

Beef Stew with Carrots and Bell Pepper

Delicious meat main dish with a set of vegetables. You will need to spend a bit of time to get it done, but the result will not leave you disappointed.

Stewed vegetables and tender beef, what can taste better?

Fried Broccoli

You may want to try Fried Broccoli Side if you find taste of boiled ones not that exciting. It is not much harder to prepare but you get more rich taste.

Consult the step-by-step photo recipe for that great side dish.

Green Tuna Salad

Good, nutritious and light salad with tuna and lettuce.

An easy good way to watch your weight without feeling hungry all the time.

Crab Sticks & Rice Salad

Everybody who tried my crab stick salad fell in love with it after first bite. Now I have no problems deciding what to bring to the party.

This salad is easy and fast to do and the taste is just great. Try it, you will like it!

How to Prepare Boiled Rice for Salad

Boiled rice is a part of a lot of salad recipes. It is important to prepare it right and let it cool down before you mix it with other ingredients of your salad. This article shows how I usually prepare boiled rice for the salad.

Carrots and Stewed Mushrooms Salad

Here comes the first recipe of this blog: step-by-step photo recipe of amazing and nutritious salad with carrots and mushroom sauce.

This salad is a perfect dish itself, there is not meat used to prepare it, just a lot of mushrooms and vegetables, however it can be served as a side dish for any meat, poultry or fish main dish if you like.

Carrots and Stewed Mushrooms Salad tastes good as warm as well as cooled, leftover can be easily stored in fridge. Hope you will like it!