A new favorite {Toasted Buckwheat Salad}

I think tonight's pictures actually do justice for just how beautiful and delightful the dinner was for me and my taste buds!

Have you ever toasted buckwheat?? As you already know, I love buckwheat and wish I would make it more often. We always prepare it the "normal" way - just like any other grain, we cook it in water. But the other day I was quite lucky to come across another one of Scandi Foodie's scrumptious creations that featured toasted buckwheat!!! And tonight I took the opportunity to experiment! The coolest part is that the buckwheat kernels pop! Yes, they pop! Like popcorn! They were doing a little dance on the pan. It was so adorable watching them wiggle around!

I was in the mood for a big colorful salad (made of kale, mixed organic greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, sundried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, parsley, dill, and yellow bell peper), which was promptly further adorned with the toasted buckwheat. On the side, a hunk of Russian rye bread with marinated mushroom.

Isn't she beautiful?

And tonight's dinner wouldn't feel complete without these lil' guys... Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate-Covered Almonds with Sea Salt. If you haven't tried these and if you have a TJ's near you --> run and get'em! They are such a treat!

A Happy Friday Night to All!

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