dairy free

Mixed Halva Treats

Sesame Sunflower Halva Treat 4

My most distinct memory of halva (or halvah) is from my college roommate. She was always excited when her family managed to buy some at the market and bring it to her, particularly the halva with chocolate swirls. And she was generous enough to share it with her roommates – actually, her family was very generous with their fridge stockings and it’s largely due to them that I didn’t waste away to nothing. I can still see her, framed by the cupboards between the kitchen and living room, opening the fridge door in great anticipation for that chocolate swirl halva. Click to continue reading

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Surprisingly Delicious 3 Ingredient Egg Salad/Spread

egg carrot salad spread

When my husband came home from a potluck breakfast at work and told me about a delicious dish he had, I admit I was skeptical. “Egg and raw carrots don’t go together,” I thought. But because I know he has discerning taste buds (he was trained as a cook), I gave it a try.

Happily, I was wrong. It really is delicious! Click to continue reading

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Potatoes, Bacon, and Sauerkraut – Strapacky

Strapacky

Strapacky (strapachky) is a Slovak dish, traditionally made with halusky (halushky), potato dough gnocchi, baked with bacon and sauerkraut. Making strapacky with plain potatoes, however, is a lot less work, doesn’t require special equipment or tedious cutting, and is grain/gluten free. It’s not low carb or Paleo, but I’m sure it would taste amazing with sweet potatoes or cauliflower instead of white potatoes. Click to continue reading

Food, Savoury Food, Slovak Food, Slovakia & Travel , , , , , , , , , , 31 Comments

Mud Shake (sunflower, walnut, navy bean)

mud shake

We’ve recently gone dairy-free, again. I keep trying dairy in the hopes that it will magically be alright, but most of us have various indications that we’re better off without. I have nothing against (pastured raw/cultured) dairy, in fact, it’s my favourite food group. I’d rather give up gluten than dairy. It’s such an easy real food, ready to eat yogurt or cheese for a quick snack. Click to continue reading

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Easy Borscht

Borscht

Borscht is a soup or stew containing beets (beetroot), which turn the soup its characteristic maroon colour. Each region seems to have it’s own particular way of preparing it. My sister in law’s mother in Belarus first boils her beets separately and then grates them into the soup just before serving to maintain a richer colour (sounds lovely, too much work). At a wedding in Poland, the borscht was a broth (yum, but not very filling). My own mother would only make borscht with lamb (not sure the last time I saw lamb meat) and my mother in law thickened hers with flour (what? no!). Even though borscht is a Slavic dish, I can’t say it’s common in western Slovakia. Click to continue reading

Food, Savoury Food, Slovak Food, Slovakia & Travel , , , , , , , , , , , 15 Comments

Orange Walnut Cardamom Balls

orange walnut cardamom balls

Despite the abundance of walnut trees in Slovakia, both feral and domestic, walnuts are still a precious commodity. Cracking the shells by hand is tedious and difficult work. Once I cleaned a couple kgs of walnuts to sell; by the end the tips of my fingers were reduced to shreds. At least, that’s what it felt like.
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Simple Pumpkin Gingerbread Smoothie

1-Pumpkin Gingerbread Smoothie

Sometimes I come up with an idea that I think is genius, like putting molasses in a smoothie. Then I google pumpkin gingerbread smoothie, to see if anybody is as brilliant as I am. A lot of people are, it turns out. Even if I’m not so special after all, my recipe is not quite the same as any I found. This is simpler: fewer ingredients mean less work, in my opinion.

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Food, Liquid Food (Drinks), Sweet Food , , , , , , , , , , , 9 Comments

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