Green Salad (Cucumber, Zucchini, Avocado) with Plum Sweet & Spicy Dressing

The spring is finally here and I feel like eating more vegetables, fresh fruits and berries. I start mornings with a glass of freshly made juice and my lunch becomes lighter and healthier. I present this special salad which is good for any diet. It has few ingredients but many flavors. I use all organic vegetables and highly recommend the same in your cooking. The dressing is slightly sweet with a touch of cayenne pepper, but you may change your ingredients if you’d like. My husband had this salad with broiled salmon for dinner and he was very pleased. Enjoy these simple, but nutritious recipes.

Orange-Chocolate Cake with Beets, Honey, Chia Seeds & Spelt Flour

If you love the beets as much as I do that this recipe is definitely for you. On my blog I have about twenty different recipes with beets, but there is nothing like this dessert. Chocolate and beets may sound to be a strange combination, but in fact they go very well together. This cake has an interesting texture and taste, chia seeds give it a crunch and beets chunks feel like small pieces of fruit, very sweet and colorful. Coconut oil adds an amazing aroma to this unique dessert. Try it and see for yourself, have a little culinary adventure in your kitchen. Don't forget to put a kettle on, while baking a cake-))

Kale, Avocado, Flaxseed Oil Pesto (Dairy free, Vegan, Gluten free)

My kale pesto made with an avocado and flaxseed oil. It took me only 5 minutes to prepare this tasty sauce. If you don't have pine nuts, you may use walnuts. Also, feel free to substitute olive oil for the flaxseed oil. This pesto recipe is vegan, dairy free and gluten free.

Carrot-Orange Muffins for a Winter Morning

Hearty and robust or delicate and cake-like, all muffins have a place on the morning table. Homemade jams and preserves go well with full-flavored muffins, while the more subtle ones need only sweet butter, a little crème fraîche, or perhaps a spoonful of jelly. Some muffins filled with berries, need no accompaniment at all.

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.

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.

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.

Merlot Sorbet

Stay cool these summer days with Merlot sorbet!

Gluten Free Hearty Whole Grain Bread

Usually, I don't buy ready-to-use bread mix, I cook everything from scratch. But, first time for everything. I got this bread mix from Bob's Red Mill company and actually it is good. This bread similar to pumpernickel with nuts and seeds that add to its nutritional value. I very much enjoyed it, it toasted well. Very good with jam. Only, I wish it didn't have caraway seeds, not a big fan.

Moist, delicious and bursting with whole grains and seeds. The flavor and texture are complex and deeply satisfying. Specially designed for those sensitive to wheat or gluten, this mix contains: whole grain buckwheat, garbanzo bean flour, potato starch, cornstarch, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, whole grain sorghum flour, tapioca flour, evaporated cane juice, cocoa powder, fava bean flour, molasses powder (molasses, maltodextrin, silicon dioxide), xanthan gum, caraway seeds, active dry yeast, sea salt, whole grain teff, potato flour, onion powder, guar gum and soy lecithin.



Makes: 1-1/2 lb loaf

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg GF Hearty Whole Grain Bread
• 1 cup 3/4 Water
• 1/4 cup Oil
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp Cider Vinegar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Dissolve enclosed packet of yeast in 1 3/4 cups warm (110°F) water and let stand for 5 minutes to foam. Have all ingredients at room temperature. Put dry mix in large mixing bowl (preferably use a stand mixer). Add eggs, oil, cider vinegar and yeast-water mixture.



With mixer on low speed, blend all ingredients until smooth. Turn mixer to medium and beat 15 seconds or until mixture thickens slightly. Pour into generously greased 9 x 5-inch nonstick pan. Smooth top of dough with wet spatula. Cover pan with plastic wrap and put in warm place (75° to 80°F) to rise for about 40 to 45 minutes or until dough is level with top of pan.

Bake 60 to 65 minutes or until internal temperature of bread reaches 205°F, covering bread with foil after it starts to brown. Remove pan from oven and cool bread in pan for 5 mintues. Remove bread from pan and finish cooling on wire rack. Cool completely before slicing.