Broccoli Soup

Ingredients:

6 cups Vegetable Broth
1 small head broccoli  – 10 broccoli florets
8-10 small thin carrots
2 garlic cloves
salt, pepper

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Wash and peel the carrots and garlic cloves.  Place the vegetables into a baking dish, toss with the olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 35 – 45 minutes, until carrots are tender and nicely browned, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, the broccoli cut into florets, and steam them or place into boiling water and boil until broccoli are tender even mushy.

Place the roasted vegetables and cooked broccoli into the blender. Add the vegetable broth and mix well. Place back into a pot and bring to a boil, simmer, uncovered for 10 – 15 minutes over low- medium heat. Taste, adjust seasonings.

ENJOY!!!

Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

10 cups water
3 medium size potatoes ( 4 cups diced potatoes)
2 carrots (diced)
4-5 broccoli crowns
4-5 cauliflower crowns
2-3 leaves of cabbage 
2 stalks celery (diced)
1 cup frozen green peas
1 cup cut string beans (optional, add together with peas)
3 all spices
6-8 fresh parsley sprigs
6-8 whole black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon bear’s garlic or 1 garlic clove
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt

Instructions:

Wash all the vegetables, peel and dice into a medium-size the carrots, celery, cabbage leaves and potatoes.

In a large pot combine together water, potatoes, carrots, celery, cabbage. Add a whole black pepper, all spices, garlic, parsley, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes and other vegetables are almost tender about 25-30 minutes, stir occasionally. Skim off the foam while cooking. Remove the parsley from the pot.  Add the green peas, cauliflower, and broccoli and cook more about 10 minutes, until all vegetables are soft. At the end, add heavy cream, cook about another 5 minutes. Add salt to taste and more seasoning if needed. Served hot with a piece of bread or a roll.

ENJOY!!!

Happy Easter

Just want to wish all of you a

Filled with Love, Happiness, and Joy

Vegetable Broth

Ingredients:

10 cups cold water
3-4 leaves of cabbage
3 peeled carrots
1-2 fresh dill sprigs
1  leek, trimmed
4 stalks celery
6-8 fresh parsley sprigs
2 garlic cloves
1 small onion
2-3 all spices
6-8 black peppercorns
2-3 bay leaves
salt

Instructions:

Place cold water in a large pot. Peel the onion, then roast on the flames of gas. Rinse all the vegetables well, then the roasted onion and rest of ingredients add into pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low-medium heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Taste, adjust seasonings and simmer about 15-20 minutes longer. Strain the vegetable broth. If needed, let the broth cool to room temperature and then refrigerate, covered.

ENJOY!!!

Napa Cabbage Salad

Ingredients:

1 small napa cabbage  (6-8 cups chopped)
2 cups grape tomatoes
2 kirby cucumbers
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
salt, fresh ground black pepper
1/2-1 lemon 
2 tablespoons rapeseed oil

Instructions:

Wash the vegetables, then chop the napa cabbage, dill and dice the cucumber. In a bowl, mix the oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, thyme, oregano, basil, fresh dill. Add the chopped napa cabbage, diced cucumber and tomatoes, then toss. Add salt and fresh ground pepper. Toss again and serve.

ENJOY!!!

Valentine’s Apple Pancakes

Valentine’s breakfast for my wife.

I created Valentine’s Apple Pancakes according to my recipe Apple Pancakes.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 medium size apple
1 large egg
1 cup of buttermilk
1 cup of flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
pinch of salt
powdered sugar
oil to fry

Instructions:

In a large bowl mix flour, egg, buttermilk, salt and baking soda. Stir well. Add apples cut into small thin pieces. Mix everything together. Heat up oil in a frying pan, create small pancakes (fits around 3 on a medium size frying pan) and fry on both sides until golden brown. Take them out and place on a plate with paper towel for an oil to be absorbed. Allow to cool off about 5 minutes, then cut out heart shape of apple pancake. Garnish them with powdered sugar and add fresh strawberries cut into a heart shape.

ENJOY!!!

Roasted Mixed Vegetables

Ingredients:  

1 small head broccoli (1 pound)
1 small head cauliflower (1 pound)
6 brussels sprout
1 bunch thin carrots (1 pound)
1 small head garlic
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
salt

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Wash and peel vegetables. The broccoli and cauliflower cut into florets, a garlic broke into cloves. Place the vegetables into a baking dish, toss with the olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Cover the dish and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover, stir and cook for 30 to 40 minutes more, until vegetables are tender and nicely browned, stirring occasionally.

ENJOY!!!

GREEN DETOX DRINK

Ingredients:  

1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 handful kale
1 banana
2 small apples
2 1/4 cup boiled water (cold)
1/2 fresh squeezed lemon juice

Instructions:

In a blender mix all ingredients: water with parsley, kale, banana, apple and squeezed lemon juice.

ENJOY!

Potato Pierogies

Ingredients:

Dough:

2 cups all-purpose flour
7 oz warm water 
1 pinch salt
1 tablespoon butter or oil
1 egg

Filling:

1 lbs boiled potatoes
6-8oz farmer cheese
1 onion
1 tablespoon butter or oil
salt, pepper

Instructions:

In a bowl, mix flour and salt. Add egg, melted butter, and warm water, mix thoroughly, knead until smooth and elastic firm ball. If too crumbly, add a little water. If sticky, add just enough flour to become workable.Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, finely chop the onion and fry in 1 tablespoon oil. Cold boiled potato and farmer cheese grind in a meat grinder with a 1/4″ hole meat grinder plate or mash them. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well.

Divide the dough into 2- 3 parts. Flatten each piece first in hands, sprinkle a pastry board with flour, then roll the dough into a thin sheet (about 1/12 inch; 2 mm thick),  1 part at a time (keeping remaining dough covered).

Use a round cookie cutter or the top of a glass to cut out about 3 inch wide circles. Place the pieces of filling in the center of each circle. Fold the circle in half over the filling and pinch together the edges to seal. Transfer each one onto a lightly floured surface. Repeat until remaining dough is used.

In a large pot, bring water lightly salt to a boil. Throw the pierogies into the water. Don’t overfill. Stir carefully to keep them from sticking to the bottom. Once the pierogies have risen, cook for an additional 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pierogies to a platter. Serve hot with sour cream, fried onion or melted butter.

ENJOY!!!

Braised Chicken Livers with Onion and Apple

Ingredients:

16 oz fresh chicken livers
1 medium onion
1/2 sour apple
2 tablespoons marjoram 
salt, black pepper
all-purpose flour
coconut oil or olive oil

Instructions:

Wash the chicken livers and drain well. With a knife, trim away excess fat. In a large skillet heat a 3 tablespoons coconut oil over medium heat, add sliced onions and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, about 3 -5 minutes. Meanwhile, spread out the flour in a shallow bowl. Add the chicken liver pieces to the flour and toss until coated all over with flour. Move the onion to one side of skillet and add floured chicken livers to the second side of skillet and cook, stirring to prevent sticking, until little browned about 5-7 minutes. (Add additional oil if the chicken livers begin to stick). Add the sliced apple and 1.5-2 cups of water and braise, until chicken livers are ready and the sauce thickens about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add marjoram, fresh ground pepper, at the end add salt to taste. (Salt is added at the end of cooking to prevent chicken livers from being too hard). Serve with a boiled potato and dill pickles or with a piece of bread.

ENJOY!!!