EnjoyYourCooking

My Homemade Food Recipes & Tips

Tag: lenten (Page 1 of 2)

Potato and Mushroom Stuffed Dumplings

March 9th, 2013 in Main Dishes, No-meat by Julia Volhina
Potato and Mushroom Stuffed Dumplings

I am maybe getting old: firstly I was putting off this recipe for far too long, secondly after I finished up with assembling these dumplings, I could feel my back.

Nevertheless here is recipe: ukrainian handmade dumplings stuffed with potato and mushroom mix.

You can boil them as soon as they are assembled, or you can freeze them up and boil right before serving. No thawing in necessary.

Already boiled dumplings can be warmed up on a skillet with a bit of butter.

Russian Zucchini Paste

September 24th, 2011 in Appetizers & Snacks, Main Dishes, No-meat, Sides by Julia Volhina
Russian Zucchini Paste

This is recipe of zucchini paste from my mom: easy to cook, contains only vegetables (zucchini, tomatoes and onions) and is very-very tasty.

I usually eat this paste on bread toast, for breakfast or as a snack; however it is also a nice side dish to help increase vegetable servings in your daily diet.

Zucchini paste can be served warm or cooled down.

Russian Lenten Mushroom Soup

February 19th, 2011 in Hot Soups, Soups by Julia Volhina
Russian Lenten Mushroom Soup

This soup doesn’t include any meat, it is based on mushrooms and have vegetables (carrot, parsley and celery roots, potato) as well as pearl barley.

Such kind of mushroom soup is very popular in Russia. Various kind of mushrooms can be used in this recipe, but I must say fresh or frozen porcini are the best tasting ones, if you can find them, of course.

If you are not trying to follow Great Lent rules – my advise is don’t skip on sour cream, 1 tablespoon of sour cream to the bowl of mushroom soup not only adds nutrients, but also gives the soup its unique rich taste.

Summer Salad with Tomatoes and Cucumbers

March 20th, 2010 in Salads by Julia Volhina
Summer Salad with Tomatoes and Cucumbers

After all those snow emergencies, I’ve got hungry for some fresh vegetables. Lucky for me there are plenty in the nearby grocery store: despite there is no summer here yet.

So I decided to make simplest salad I know: summer salad with tomatoes and cucumbers, seasoned with chopped fresh dill and green onions, and dressed with oil.

This salad is perfect for any meat or poultry main dish. And even though it is not quite summer yet, I hope you are the same lucky like me and can buy fresh tomatoes and cucumbers right now to enjoy taste of fresh vegetables and replenish your body with some vitamins.

Fried Potato with Mushrooms

February 27th, 2010 in Main Dishes, No-meat by Julia Volhina
Fried Potato with Mushrooms

Potatoes fried with porcini mushrooms is one of the most delicious lenten recipes. It is also very-very russian. I believe russians eat that kind of food for centuries 🙂

This main dish contains no meat, however mushrooms perfectly substitute meat in both – taste and nutrients – they contain vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre while are low on fat and easily absorbed carbohydrates.

All of that make potato fried with mushrooms and onions perfect main dish for Lent. Needles to say what any combination of potatoes with mushrooms can’t taste bad, so I really hope you will enjoy this dish just like I do.

Boiled Buckwheat

February 20th, 2010 in Sides by Julia Volhina
Boiled Buckwheat

I think buckwheat grain is one of the most nutritious and healthy foods one can ever eat: it is very rich on iron, zink, other minerals and vitamins which makes it perfect food for kids and women during pregnancy.

It is also low on carbohydrates comparing to other grains (and for those which it does have body needs long time to digest);for me that makes boiled buckwheat (straight or with a bit of milk) perfect food for days when I want to eat a bit less and exercise a bit more: it makes you feel full longer without eating too much.

Boiled buckwheat is a perfect side for any kind of beef dishes: I personally prefer to serve it with beef stroganoff or minced beef cutlets; however it can be served as a stand alone dish. Boiled buckwheat grain with milk is very popular breakfast food for children and adults in countries of East Europe.

Lenten Borscht with Mushroom Dumplings

December 12th, 2009 in Hot Soups, Soups by Julia Volhina
Lenten Borscht with Mushroom Dumplings

In a lot of countries Christmas Eve dinner gathers whole family around one big table. Borscht with mushroom dumplings is the one of 12 dishes which usually are on that table by tradition in West Ukraine (by the way those dumplings are called “vushka” in ukrainian, which means “small ears”, I guess because of the shape).

Of course, because that is the Christmas Eve and Nativity Fast isn’t finished yet there is no meat used to prepare it: just vegetables and dried mushrooms. This borscht like the rest of the Christmas Eve’s traditional food is lenten, it is very tasty and isn’t heavy at all – most of the vegetables are used to prepare clear broth only and don’t get served with the borscht itself.

At first glance, it may look like cooking it is a bit of a hassle and time spending: so many steps (I’ve prepared 34 step-by-step pictures for this recipe!) and so many manipulations with different cooking utensils. However, you can complete preparation steps a day in advance – for example soak mushrooms, boil them or/and boil beets, you can even make dumplings a day before, freeze them and prepare the borscht next day. And then, nobody said you need to make everything yourself: involve your family into helping you! And have a Merry Christmas!