
Carrots and green apples, both of them crunchy and sweet, are a winning combination in this tangy salad. Serve this salad as an accompaniment to a smoked turkey sandwich or grilled chicken, shrimp or fish. Look for interesting varieties of carrots in different colors, and use a Thin Julienne Slicer to slice them perfect thin strips.
Carrot & Green Apple Salad with Lime Vinaigrette
Russian Monday: "Kortofelnaya Zapekanka" - Beef & Potato Сasserole

Recipes using ground meat were very popular when I lived in Russia, probably because ground meat is the kind of ingredient that allows a lot of variety. Potato casserole with ground meat is the dish used to be cooked by our moms and grandmas. I don’t know the origins of it, but I can say for sure that it is traditional dish of Russian cuisine.
Labels: Carrots, casserole, Dinner, Ground Beef, Lunch, Mashed, Onion, Pie, Potatoes, Recipes, Russian cuisine, Russian Monday, Zapekanka
Russian Monday: Salad "Olivier" - Potato Salad

Even though in every Russian family Olivier salad is made in their own way with some secret ingredient, like grandma used to do it, let’s try to remember where this dish came from and give thanks to the Russian chef of French origin named Lucien Olivier who invented the salad any New Years table seems empty without.
Labels: Appetizer, Carrots, Chicken, Dill, Eggs, New Year's Eve, Olivier, Pickles, potato, Recipes, Russian cuisine, Russian Monday, Salad, Scallions, Zakuska
Russian Monday: Chicken Liver Pâté With Red Wine & Cranberry Jelly

History of pâté is rooted in the distant past and many countries contest the right to be named its birthplace, however, by default this right is held by France. In truth, French chefs have simply revived the dish loved by ancient Romans. Interestingly enough, in medieval times, pates were served as feast culmination, and hence were decorated in the most luxurious fashion, often made with “surprise” inside, when live birds could fly out from inside of the dish brought into the feast hall. Often pâtés were cooked wrapped in the layer of dough, like pies. Dough was simply a wrapper and secondary to the stuffing, hence word “pâté” has started being used only for what was inside of such pies.
Labels: Appetizer, Butter, Carrots, Chicken Liver, Cranberries, Jelly, New Year's Eve, Onion, Party, Pate, Recipes, Red Wine, Russian cuisine, Russian Monday
Shepherd's Pie With Truffle Oil

Pure white flakes fall gently from the heavens, blanketing the entire world in a sparkling mantle. All sounds seem hushed. The air is crisp and cold. Whether you're spending an active day outside or passing a quiet afternoon beside the fire, the Shepherd's pie is the favorite of comfort food will warm both body and soul on any winter day.
Labels: Carrots, Comfort food, Dinner, Ground Beef, Lunch, Mashed, Pie, Potatoes, Recipes, Shepherd's, Spice, Truffle Oil, Winter
Russian Monday: "Grechnevay Kasha" - Buckwheat with Dried Mushrooms, Pumpkin & Onion

Good hearty buckwheat kasha is a serious matter. It’s a thing in itself crowning the whole of Russian cuisine. It requires a responsible and thorough approach when cooking with it, but the rewards are hundredfold. You will appreciate it when, after one helping of kasha, you will reach out for the second one. Today’s recipe is the old inherited one, from along time ago used in Russia - buckwheat with wild mushrooms.
Labels: Buckwheat, Carrots, Dairy free, Main dish, Mushrooms, Onion, Porridge, Pumpkin, Recipes, Russian cuisine, Russian Monday, Side Dish, Vegetarian
Gingery Pumpkin-Apple Soup with Roasted Carrots (Dairy-Free, Vegan)

With its sweet, earthy taste, butternut squash soup with apples and ginger is my favorite for the month of October. I like to play with spices when I am cooking pumpkin soup, but you can use your favorite seasonings and herbs. The roasted carrot chips are a perfect addition to this soup.
Labels: Apples, Butternut Squash, Cardamom, Carrots, Cinnamon, Coconut oil, Dairy free, fall, Ginger, Palio diet, Pumpkin, Pumpkin seeds, Recipes, Smoked Paprika, Soup, Spice, Vegan, Vegetarian
Purple Autumn: Black Lentil Stew with Beets & Fig Balsamic Vinegar

What a beautiful evening it is outside tonight as I write this! The air is still warm enough to be comfortable, but a cool breeze is coaxing the still-vibrant summer vines to dance tonight under the almost full moon. Katydids and crickets are busy making "a little night music" while toads, from tiny to plump, jump from sidewalk to lawn, entertaining our little dog as my husband I stroll with her on our evening walk.
Labels: Autumn, Beets, Black Beluga Lentil, Carrots, Dinner, fall, Flowers, Garden, gluten free diet, Lunch, Purple, Purple Potato, Recipes, Red Onion, Vegan, Vegetarian
Cauliflower Soup with Tiny Meatballs & Oregano

This is very simple every day soup, it took me no more then 20 minutes to make it. This time I used all organic ingredients as well as grass-fed ground beef. Healthy food for after school meal. My kids loved it!
Labels: Carrots, Cauliflower, fresh herb, Lunch, Meatballs, Onion, oregano, recipe, Soup, The Spice Cookbook
Food Blog Forum - Part 2: Highland Brewing Company & Harvest Cake with Apple Cider Frosting

Before posting second story from my Food Blog Forum trip, I would like to share with you the recipe for this moist and colorful cake, which I find perfectly fitting beginning of September. If you like carrot cake, this one would also match your taste. Don't be afraid to use too many vegetables, they all blend together beautifully. Let's celebrate first day of the harvest season with this cake (please scroll down for the recipe).
Labels: Apple, Asheville, Carrots, Cider, Cream cheese, Dessert, FBFAsh, Food Blog Forum, Foodtopia, Harvest Cake, Highland, NC, Summer, travel, Zucchini
Russian Monday: Vegetarian Borscht

Beet is the main ingredient of this vegetarian borscht, and its flavor and color dominate this well-known soup. It is a classic of both Russia and Poland. Serve this rustic, vegetarian soup before a salad or other light main course. It goes well with whole-wheat bread.
Labels: Beets, Borscht, Cabbage, Carrots, fresh dill, Lunch, Onion, potato, Recipes, Russian cuisine, Russian Monday, Soup, Vegan, Vegetarian
Russian Monday: "Gribnoy Soup" - Mushroom Barley Soup

Mushroom and barley soup is one of my favorite soups since childhood. The only difference between now and then is that years ago the soup had to be made from dried mushrooms. Back then in Russia it was not possible to buy a lot of fresh food during winter time, especially mushrooms. Summer was a busy season for making jams, picking wild berries and mushrooms in a forests. However, to be used throughout the year these had to be dried and frozen.
Kasha Cakes with Mushroom Sauce

Made from buckwheat, kasha has very nutty taste. Here, it is combined with a fragrant parsley, scallions and carrots, and formed into small cakes. Serving with mushrooms sauce these kasha cakes made an excellent lunch or a tempting appetizer.
Lamb Soup with Garbanzo Beans & Garlic

This Russian soup made with lamb, and it's substantial and warming - just perfect for taking the edge off a hearty appetite on a cold winter's day. Lamb and garbanzo beans go together so well, they seem to have been made for one another. Thick slices of warm rustic bread would make the perfect accompaniment.
Labels: Bay Leaf, Broth, Carrots, Comfort food, Garbanzo Beans, Garlic, Lamb, Onion, Parsley, potato, Recipes, Russian cuisine, Soup, Thyme, Winter
Farro with Mushrooms, Carrots & Perfectly Poached Egg

Farro is described as "the mother of all wheat" since it was the oldest grain domesticated by humans. In ancient Rome it was a staple food that provided the main source of nourishment for the Roman legions. Farro almost disappeared during the last centuries because of the lower yielding compared with the modern wheats.
Farro can be used as substitute for rice and pasta in many dishes. Use it in salads, soups and pilafs, or at "farrotto", an alternative to traditional risotto. Farro with mushrooms and poached egg is simple, tasty and healthy dish.
Russian Monday: "Ukha" - Fish Soup
“Ukha” is Russian word used to name fish broth or fish soup. In this meaning it exists in the language for about 250 years or so, but before it was used for any fish or meat based soup, pea soup or sometime even sweet soup served with sugar. In the dictionary “Lexicon” published in 1704, “ukha” is defined as synonym for “gravy”.
Labels: Broth, Carrots, Dill, Fish, Lunch, potato, Recipes, Russian cuisine, Russian Monday, Soup
Carrot Morning Cakes with Oatmeal Crumb - Have a Sweet Weekend!

For a simple tasty breakfast, try this old-time country style recipe. Sprinkle these large puffy cakes with sugar and cinnamon for a delectably simple dessert.
Labels: Breakfast, Cakes, Carrots, Cinnamon, Crumbs, Dessert, Healthy, Morning, Oatmeal, Orange zest, Recipes, Streusel Topping, Sweet, Walnut oil
Russian Monday: Vegetarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Quinoa, Onions & Carrots (gluten & dairy free)

My recipe of Stuffed Cabbage Rolls became very popular, and now I would like to present you a liter version of the same. It is vegetarian, gluten free and, if you omit sour cream, it would be dairy free also. New Year always starts with new resolutions and eating healthy is often one of them. So why not to make healthy food to taste great as well? Stuffed cabbage rolls can be your main dish or side to roasted chicken or beef. Also this time I have used a different type of cabbage with softer texture and sweeter taste. All around, it is simple dish with many beautiful flavors.
Russian Monday: "Riba pod Marinadom" - Pan Fried Fish with Warm Carrot Sauce "Marinade"

This warm, spicy marinate with its rich partnership of flavors is perfect complement to lightly fried fish, such as cod, basa, sea bass or tilapia. “Marinade” is a carrot-onion sauce that the fish is covered and served with. These dish can be served hot with mashed potatoes or at room temperature as an appetizer. And the good thing is - you can make it day before serving! Try it, you'll thank me later-)

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