There are pickles in my soup! {Russian Rassol'nik}

I bet you've never had a soup based entirely on dill pickles... And if you have, it was either (1) a culinary accident experiment, or (2) Russian soup Rassol'nik. In the case of today's lunch, it was the latter. One of my favorite soups, Rassol'nik is incredibly versatile, healthy, easy to make, and delicious. Because pickles control the scene flavor, the broth can be either vegetable- or chicken-based without sacrificing the traditional flavor at all. So choose your pickles wisely!

Here is a wonderful step-by-step recipe for vegetarian and meat versions of Rassol'nik. Most often, it's made with barley, but we often substitute in rice, quinoa, or even buckwheat. Today was quinoa day.

While making Rassol'nik, my grandma overheard on the Russian TV that cauliflower was good for bone health. Immediately, she went online in search of cauliflower recipes!

I never considered just how nutritious cauliflower is, and I tend to be skeptical about health advice given on Russian television. But, indeed! Cauliflower is quite the powerfood! It's a great source of Potassium, Sodium, Dietary Fiber, Protein, and Vitamins C, K, Riboflavin, Niacin, and Thiamin. WAY TO GO, CAULIFLOWER.

Steamed cauliflower & broccoli, topped with tzatziki + melted parmisan and chopped walnuts.

Simple. Beautiful. Delicious. Nutritious. What else could I ask for?!

A run is tentatively scheduled for 3:30pm. A protein-packed snack, most likely in a form of Chobani love, to follow. I'm babysitting tonight for the most wonderful family that I met 4 years ago. It's so incredible watching the kids grow up... The youngest was just 6 months when I started babysitting for them!

Hope your day is going well. Stay warm, happy, and healthy, and get some fresh air!

♥ V.

>>>Food Should Taste Good Giveaway<<<

The nutterbut squash

How in the world was it 55F degrees today?! It was deceitful, though, because the winds were brutal! I didn't get to go outside, so I'm planning for a run tomorrow. I hope the Wind Gods will have left by then!

When I got home from lecture, I was uber hungry, and because lunch wasn't ready yet, I started munching on pita chips with hummus. The munching went on for too long... I should have known better! So, lunch followed a little later and was on the lighter side. But it was surely delightful! A bowl of pea soup and a bowl of sauteed sour kraut. Grandma has been adding capers to many of her dishes - I love their little bursts of sourness! [This is coming from the girl that eats whole lemons...]

My afternoon snack included greek yogurt, toast, and a cup of coffee. I was sleeepy!

And oh my, was dinner lovely or what!? Salad (duh!), with balsamic glazed roasted butternut sqush, quinoa, and salmon with carrots, onion, garlic, and mushrooms sauteed/caramelized in tomato paste.

I was so excited to make butternut squash after I bought this beauty today at the Farmer's Market! But I had no idea what to do with it. I figured roasting never fails! So I got to work... First search term: nutterbut... Good job, Veronica. 

Once I figured out why my search failed to yield any recipes, I came across Chelsey's recipe for Balsamic Glazed Butternut Squash Fries, and followed it to a T. The result: phenomenal. [I actually roasted about 1/4 of the squash just in olive oil and salt... not sure what I'm going to do with it yet, you'll certainly see it incorporated into some meal in some shape or form!]

Dessert featured a small hunk of freshly baked bread and a spoonful of Nutella. And a cup of green tea, of course!

Does anyone have any nutterbut squash recipes to share with me? Looking for suggestions!

The deadline to enter the FSTG giveaway is almost here!!! Who's going to get lucky?

Have a good night, everybody!

♥ V.

Bowl-eating and Tea-drinking

...Of course I was hungry by the time I got home 4 hours later, and with dinner being almost 5 hours away, I decided to have a small bowl of soup, and some stir fry veggies with pasta! Err... lunch numero dos methinks?Today's weather was nothing like yesterday's gloomy rainy day. To take advantage of the remaining minutes of sunlight (yes! there was actual sunshine today!) and the warm fresh air, I went for a slow leisure walk with the girls (aka my mom and g-ma). It was wonderful to just relax and enjoy the outdoors with them!

Upon our return home, I was craving something salty and crunchy, so I had a handful of Pop Chips and Veggie Sticks! Loooove 'em!

Not surprisingly, I wasn't hungry when my family sat down for dinner at 8pm. In restrospect, I should have had a slightly lighter second lunch snack, but it's alright. And so I ate dinner an hour later.

Tonight's dinner was both beautiful-looking and delicious-tasting. As always, a huge salad dominated the scene, with halibut, caramelized beets (in coconut oil!!! loooove the subtly sweet and nutty flavor!), and white rice "on the side".

I think I can officially claim myself to be a bowl-lover/addict. I just love eating everything out of a single bowl! Less dishes to wash, easier to run away with to my room if I have to eat while working, and a great way to practice portion control! ...There is also something undeniably cozy about eating out of a bowl. Or maybe it's just me :)Following today's afternoon lecture, the Healthy Living club organized a tea tasting event! We sampled some amazing and unique teas. I am a huge fan of green tea, and today for the first time I tried green tea with roasted brown rice. One word - wow.  So much flavor. I now need to figure out where I could get hold of it! I also came home with some jasmine and lavender loose leaf teas, which I prepared as my post-dinner treat. With a side of dried date, cherries, and blueberries. Yummm!



Aren't the lavender petals just beautiful?!

The week is flying by! So much to do, so little time. What else is new...

♥ V.

P.S. Have you entered the Food Should Taste Good giveaway?

The kick

...if you watched football today or heard anything about the first game... you know what kick I'm talking about... Let's just say that it felt like I was leaving a funeral when the game ended... Poor guys! They were so into it and the game was intense!

On a brighter note... everyone loved my stuffed mushrooms! I didn't realize how easy and versatile the recipe is, and I'm looking forward to experimenting with the ingredients.



Stuffed Mushrooms: (Vegetarian)

• 1 pack of mushrooms


• 1/2 yellow onion


• 3 garlic cloves


• 1/2 red bell pepper


• 1/4 cup dry quinoa


• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese


• garlic powder, ground pepper, Italian seasoning, and salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400F.


2. Cook the quinoa according to instructions on the package. Here is my method. Prior to cooking: Soak the quinoa in water for ~10 min, then drain off the water. To cook: For 1/4 c. dry quinoa, use 1/3 c. water (or, whatever the amount of quinoa, use slightly less than 1:2 ratio). Bring to boil, add a drizzle of olive oil and salt. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 15 min. Do not uncover at any time! After 15 min, turn off the heat and allow to stand for 5 min. Now you can uncover :)


3. While quinoa is cooking: Clean the mushrooms by gently rinsing or wiping with a wet cloth. Remove the stems and set aside for the stuffing.


4. Lightly oil the baking sheet and bake the mushroom caps, stem side down, for approximately 10 min. Remove from the oven and pour off the juice.


5. While the mushroom caps are baking: dice and sauté the mushroom stems, onion, garlic, and red bell pepper. Saute until all of the juices evaporate.


6. Combine the quinoa, sauteed veggies, parmesan cheese and seasonings and mix together.


7. Now stuff the caps! You can add more grated cheese on the top!


8. Lightly oil the baking sheet, arrange the stuffed mushrooms, and bake for ~15min.

I prepared the stuffed mushrooms but baked them at our friends' house so they could be served right out of the oven! Yummm!

*****

Before heading out to meet up with M and friends, I decided to have a small lunch/snack since I knew I would be eating mostly finger foods during the game. My grandma surprised me with Sirniki - Russian pancakes made with cottage cheese! They are like the super healthy version of cheesecake. She also defrosted blueberries and brought them to a boil with a little bit of brown sugar to make fresh bluberry preserves. Double yummm!



*****

When I got home many hours later, once again a beautiful meal was waiting for me! Salad, roasted sweet potato slices, and Salad Olivier (Russian version of potato salad made with potatoes, canned peas, red onion, hard boiled egg, dill pickle, miracle whip/mayonnaise and bologna, tuna, or calamari).



Food Should Taste Good giveaway is here.

And that's it folks! What a day! Let's go Giants!!! :)

xoxo. Veronica

A vegetarian feast for lunch

My grandma continues to out-do herself. She spoils me with her cooking! Her love for experimenting in the kitchen has surely rubbed off on me. Today's lunch (I apologize for the delay in posting - I was working on my review + giveaway post!) was a wonderful vegetarian feast. I will interrogate my grandma and will link recipes to this post ASAP!

Cauliflower potato soup with fresh dill.





Mushroom Casserole ("Julien" in Russian), an assortment of my fave veggies (zucchini, eggplant, red pepper, onion, and garlic, baked under a melted layer of cheesy goodness), and the most wonderful, all natural and vegan veggie patty by Don Lee Farms (sold in Costco!!!).



Blueberry tea with a slice of lemon. Gorgeous color. Wonderful flavor.



Ha! Looks like dinner is not too far away! Stay tuned for the next post :)

xoxo. Veronica

Lunch done twice

I had another lunch meeting today. This time for AMA. We ordered pizza for the meeting (the usual form of free food at school), and I had a veggie slice. With lots of mushrooms :)
When I got home a couple hours later, I was welcomed by a bowl of warm soup. It was the perfect thing and the perfect amount since I wasn't tremendously hungry after the pizza.



Vegetable broth (made with leek, celery, onion, and carrot) with potatoes, stewed tomatoes, and kidney beans. Mmm mmm good!



I needed some more veggies and crunch to feel complete... Thankfully, I realized I completely forgot about the hummus I bought last week!!! Gasp! So I sliced up some cucumber and carrots - perfect for dipping!



We are expecting snow tonight! And I can't be more excited! I actually really miss Russian winter... So I'm going to wear my PJs inside out and do a snow dance tonight! :)
xoxo. Veronica

4, 3, 2, 1... go!

...4 miles... 3 layers... 2 pairs of socks... 1 foot ice bath... and a protein shot spoonful later... it was finally time for lunch!

I did not intend for today's run to be fast or difficult. I just wanted to move, breathe, and enjoy. Half way through the run, my foot started feeling funky, and I got scared that the injury was coming back... Turns out I tied my sneakers too tight! And the 2 layers of socks that I was wearing weren't helping the lack of proper circulation either!

I may have looked hideous while running, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do when it's 20F degrees outside!

That icky looking thing on a spoon was a mixture of protein powder, chia seeds, and chocolate PB2 (and water) - a protein shot immediately post-run!

Lunch was a wonderful shmorgishborg!

Potato-broccoli-dill puree. Balsamic kale salad. Seitan Stroganoff + Mashed potatoes. Sauteed veggies. And Hummus!!!







There is nothing better than a warm bowl of soup and a cup of hot tea to defrost your body after the freezing outdoors and an ice bath!

...and a sweet treat will make it all better, too! {a jumbo cluster of KIND Healthy Grains Dark Chocolate & Cranberry Cluster = amazing}



Tonight, I'm going to a potluck dinner! Theme: Mexican food! ... I have 2 hours to figure out what to make and to make it! Any suggestions?

Stay warm!

xoxo. Veronica

Stuffed

Stomach is still unhappy because of coffee, stress and anxiety... But I'm a three-meals-a-day kind of gal. Grandma's soups always come to the rescue when I'm having exam-induced stomachache:



This borscht is truly wonderful. It's so flavorful and so healthy. Vegan, too! (but traditional borscht is made with pork and/or beef) Recipe to be posted soon, I promise!
I decided to wait a couple hours to eat he second course but boy was I excited for it!



Stuffed pepper! With mushrooms and barley, baked in a tomato sauce with extra veggies!



The beauty of this dish is that you can make so many substitutions. Change up the grains, add legumes, even meat if you'd like! The classic Russian recipe uses ground meet and rice, and is usually served with sour cream. My personal favorite is the one I had today :)

Have you made stuffed peppers before?

xoxo