Lentil Soup

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Have you ever neglected to go grocery shopping for a while, looked in your kitchen and wondered what on earth you were going to cook? Well if that happens, chances are that you have at least 75% of the ingredients necessary to make this dish.

Flavorful, economical, and easy, this is a great soup to make on a Sunday and bring to work, or have ready for dinner for a few days when your day is over. If you don’t have all of the spices, don’t worry! Soups are rarely a perfect science, so just omit it if you don’t have it! Continue reading →

Savory Sweet Potato and Harissa Waffles

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This is a breeze to put together and is a good waffle to throw into the rotation if you like savory options. The harissa I have has red bell pepper in it so it is not as spicy as other varieties I’ve had. If you have one that’s all/mostly chili pepper, cut the harissa down to 1 tbsp to adjust the heat level. Continue reading →

Cheese Burek (Cheese Pies)

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Ingredients:

  • 12 oz feta cheese block
  • 5 oz shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/4 cup chopped green onion/scallion
  • 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 egg
  • 2 packages (4 sheets total) puff pastry dough
  • *Optional sesame or poppy for topping*

Continue reading →

Zebbug Mimli (Maltese Stuffed Olives)

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This recipe takes us south to the Mediterranean island nation of Malta. In an effort to dabble in the culinary traditions of the other half beyond pastizzi, a delicious Maltese cheese pastry, I present a version of zebbug memli. If you can’t be anywhere near the turquoise blue Maltese water, then have some of these tuna stuffed green olives, close your eyes, and just pretend. Continue reading →

Crispy Roasted Broccoli

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With just 3 ingredients, this recipe clearly isn’t about what you add to a dish, the focus is how you cook it! Spreading vegetables like broccoli or green beans on a sheet pan and baking them at a high temperature maximizes flavor and is as simple as it gets. Continue reading →

Leek and Cabbage Patties

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Ingredients:

  • 2 medium leeks
  • 1 small head of cabbage or 1/2 medium-large head
  • 1/4 cup bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 3 tbsp goat cheese
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • salt
  • fresh herbs (green onion, parsley, or dill) for garnish
  • 1/3 cup oil (olive, sunflower, vegetable, etc.)

Continue reading →

Pierogi with Sauerkraut and Mushroom (Pierogi z Kapustą i Pieczarkami)

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I gave the spiel on pierogi in my potato and cheese potato and cheese filling post. This recipe is for the popular sauerkraut and mushroom filling. If you are having trouble finding dried mushrooms or if they are too expensive in stores near you, just use fresh mushrooms! Some recipes call for 1 shredded and sautéed carrot…that would be a great addition if you’d like.

Pssst…you can make this recipe vegan if make a dough with flour, water, and salt (start 3:1 ratio flour to water) and adjust as necessary).***

Reminder that once pierogi are assembled, you can refrigerate them and cook them the next day, or you can freeze them for a few weeks.

This make about 3-4 dozen pierogi. Continue reading →

Leczo Inspired Pepper Stew

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Leczo is a bell pepper stew that originally hails from Hungary (where it is spelled lecso). At some point, variations made their way through the region and over to Poland. This is NOT a recipe for an authentic Hungarian Lecso, but it does contain some of the necessary fundamentals: peppers, onion, tomato, and paprika. The end result is still delicious and can be a vegetarian stew/ragout used to top something like rice or buckwheat, or it can include kielbasa or other meat to make it a heartier standalone stew. Or it can just be a great side. This recipe is also much thicker than a lot of other leczo recipes out there, but you can obviously combine elements of all and adjust based on your preferences. 🙂 Continue reading →

Pirozhki (Stuffed Buns) with Sauerkraut and Onion

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Pirozhki are fried or baked stuffed buns made with yeast dough. Popular in Russia and other countries in eastern Europe and central Asia, they can be stuffed with virtually anything, but common fillings include potatoes, cabbage, ground meat, or even sweet fillings.

This one here is a simple mixture of onion sauerkraut, and carrot (which could also be a great filling for pierogi). Typically, the are oval or crescent shaped, but I got distracted and formed round ones. Oh well, they taste the same. Adding an egg wash before baking will add a nice shine, but is optional, as are seed/toppings…I just happened to have everything bagel seasoning on hand and added it. This recipe will make about 30 pirozhki, but can very based on the size you choose to make. Continue reading →

Farina with Strawberries and Rose Water (Kasza Manna)

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Kasza manna/farina is very popular and economical breakfast choice for people all around the world. And while this recipe could be eaten for breakfast, the sugar content makes it better suited for a quick and easy dessert. The simple combination of strawberries and rose water turns this regular old bowl of porridge into something a little more special. Continue reading →