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White Cucumber Salad | Mizeria

Misery. When I get out of a steaming hot shower in the icy heart of winter and frost settles onto my damp neck before I can towel off. When I eat too much food at the fair and go to bed immediately afterwards. When my feet are tired and hot after a long, long day but – for whatever reason – I can’t take my shoes off yet. When I eat cucumber salad? I feel fresh. Happy. Not exactly miserable. But misery is the Polish name of this crunchy, creamy cucumber salad made with sour cream, dill, a bit of sugar and a splash of vinegar. As for whether or not it lives up to its name? I’ll let you be the judge. Serves 2-4 Ingredients: 2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced medium thinly sour cream 1/2- 3/4 cup, to taste 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill 2 tsp sugar, or to taste 2 tsp vinegar, or to taste Method: Don’t blink, or you’ll miss the instructions. Toss everything together and serve. Enjoy the misery.   Preferably …

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Lumpia Shanghai

Are you the sun or the moon? Do you shine hot and bright, or glow cool and blue? Is there a better of the two? There’s a Filipino folk tale that says the sun and moon once had an argument. The sun angrily told the moon “you only shine because I shine on you.” The moon spat back, “no one likes you because you’re too hot – at least at night the women can go out and dance under my cool glow.” This made the sun so angry, she threw sand in the moon’s face. And that’s how they say the moon got dark spots all over her face. There’s nothing quite like bitter emotions to bring out our worst characteristics. All too easily we become blindsided by anger, jealousy, and resentment. These are normal parts of living. Of being… well… human beings. But in the midst of all this emotion, there’s a better path than acting out in anger. The key is to realize that we all glow. And that every single glimmering spirit is valuable. …

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Grilled Sweet Potato & Bacon Salad | Kumara

When I read that New Zealander’s love “kumara,” I wondered what this dreamy word could mean. When I found out kumara are simply a variety of New Zealand “sweet potatoes,” I was thrilled. Sweet potatoes are on my “will-eat-any-time-of-day-for-any-reason-especially-for-my-last-meal” food list. Not many foods make that cut. Today’s salad takes inspiration from New Zealand’s love of barbecue. For color I combined two kinds of sweet potatoes on the grill before tossing them with bacon, green onion, and a quick, zingy honey mustard dressing. This is grilled sweet potatoes, dressed up for a party in your mouth. P.S. Since I couldn’t get my hands on actual kumara, I used an orange fleshed sweet potato and a white fleshed sweet potato. This makes for a really pretty salad. If you do the same, be sure to watch the cooking times. Some varieties tend to cook quicker than others. P.P.S. New Zealander’s love grilled lamb, especially with rosemary. I’d highly recommend serving these kumara with our Grilled Greek-stye Lamb from back in the day. The lamb is seasoned with rosemary, …

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Jamaican Escovitch Fish

Makes enough Escovitch topping for 2-3 meals. I’ve long adored the British tradition of dousing Fish and Chips with vinegar. In fact, I like to add enough vinegar for my fish to swim in. Sure, Keith won’t kiss me for days afterwards, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. Well, this week I learned about Jamaican Escovitch, based on Spanish  Escabéche. Escovitch is like taking your fried fish on a trip to vinegar city, on a vinegar boat, through vinegar nation At it’s most basic, Jamaicans briefly cook fresh veggies in spiced vinegar, pile them on top of fried fish, and ladle extra vinegar sauce over the top. The veggies retain some crunch while also making the mouth pucker up. Big time. Oh, and there’s a little burn, too, thanks to hot chili peppers. What’s not to love? Ingredients: 1 bell pepper, sliced in rings hot pepper, sliced in rings (jalepeno, habenero, etc) – to taste 1 onion, sliced in half moons 1 large carrot, sliced in matchsticks 1 chayote, seeded and …

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Eastern European Red Cabbage

Serves 6 There’s one thing I know for sure. This recipe is served all over Germany and other eastern European countries. You almost don’t have to look at a menu before ordering it (unless, of course, you’re eating at a Chinese restaurant in Germany). Red cabbage is super simple to make -the hardest part is cutting the cabbage. And that’s not very hard. Unless you don’t have a knife. Ingredients: 1 head red cabbage, cored and sliced thinly (about 3 lbs) 1 small onion, thinly sliced 1 cup water 1/2 cup vinegar 1/4 cup sugar 1 bay leaf Salt pepper Method: Today is the day you get to take out your anxiety on a small purple cabbage. It’s loads of fun. First, core and slice it. Next, add it to a large pot with sliced onions, sugar, vinegar, and a bay leaf. A little water, salt and pepper balance things out. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until the cabbage is as tender as you’d like, tossing occasionally. I found tongs the best way to …

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Scandanavian Mustard & Dill Sauce

Makes about 1 1/2 cups Mustard-lovers unite. This tangy, spicy Scandinavian recipe goes great with meaty salmon. Take the time to buy really excellent mustard – the spicier the better. If you have leftovers try spreading a little on a sandwich. That’s what I did! Ingredients: 3/4 cup (7 oz) spicy dijon mustard 1 1/2 ounces fresh dill, stems removed and chopped (about 1 cup) 1/8 cup vinegar 1 tsp salt 1 1/2 tsp sugar 3/4 cup oil Method: First things first. Start a small herb garden and grow a mound of dill. You’ll be glad you did because this recipe calls for a lot. About 2 of those insanely expensive plastic containers the supermarkets carry. Once you have your dill, take the stems off. The chop it up nice and fine. Measure out the spiciest-mustard-you-can-find into a small bowl. I used a true Dijon, but take a gander in local specialty shops. I’m sure you’ll find something just as lovely. Add the vinegar. Mr Picky and I are so different. At this point he pinched …

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Spicy Egyptian Tomato Sauce

Makes 2 cups Spicy, garlicky, and tangy, this “doctored” tomato sauce goes great with pasta, rice, or all of the above (a.k.a. kushary … noodle, rice and lentil casserole). Feel free to tone down (or up) the heat, if you like things a little milder. Often extra sauce is placed on the table so diners can heap it on in whatever quantity desired. Ingredients: 1 can tomato sauce (15 oz) 4 cloves garlic, crushed 1/2 tsp cayenne (or to taste) 1 tsp vinegar salt (only needed if your sauce is “no salt added” sauce) pepper Method: Add tomato sauce to a small pot. Stir in the garlic, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Drizzle in the vinegar. Give the mixture a stir and let simmer for five minutes, or until the garlic is cooked through. Serve over Kushary, or anything else that needs a little kick! Spicy Egyptian Tomato Sauce Votes: 0 Rating: 0 You: Rate this recipe! Print Recipe Spicy, garlicky, and tangy, this “doctored” tomato sauce goes great with pasta, rice, or all of the above …

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Sauteed Red Kale

Ingredients: 1 bunch red kale olive oil vinegar (red or white wine) Method: 1. Rinse and trim the kale. Kale is full of good-for-you vitamins and minerals so eat it up! 2. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add kale and vinegar. The vinegar gives the bitter greens an upbeat kick! You could even use fresh squeezed lemon juice, if you were in the mood 🙂 3. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes. This photo shows the greens halfway. You can cook them even longer, if you like them more tender. Sauteed Red Kale Votes: 0 Rating: 0 You: Rate this recipe! Print Recipe Kale is full of good-for-you vitamins and minerals so eat it up! CourseSides & Salads LifestyleVegan, Vegetarian Food TypeVegetables Cook Time 15 minutes Cook Time 15 minutes Sauteed Red Kale Votes: 0 Rating: 0 You: Rate this recipe! Print Recipe Kale is full of good-for-you vitamins and minerals so eat it up! CourseSides & Salads LifestyleVegan, Vegetarian Food TypeVegetables Cook Time 15 minutes Cook Time 15 minutes Ingredients 1 bunch red …

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Bolivian Avocado and Tomato Salad

Serves 4 Even my husband ate this vegan salad up. Perhaps because it was a lot like a fresh salsa in an avocado bowl, instead of the “rabbit food” salad he is used to. Serve slightly chilled (cold takes away from the flavors – you won’t be able to taste the buttery avocado as well.) Make the tomato mixture several hours ahead if you want. Ingredients: 2 avocados, halved and pitted minced red onion, to taste 2 small tomatoes 2 sprigs fresh parsley, minced 1 Tbsp olive oil 2 tsp vinegar salt pepper Method: 1. Mince up your onion – I chose this red darling because she’s sweet. White onion is also popular in the salsa-like salad. 2. Tomatoes are in season so get you some! Can’t you hear them? They’re singing “Eat me!” 3. Fresh parsley brings this simple appetizer alive. I used some from my garden. After I took this picture I realized I wanted more but it was over 100 degrees in my garden and I refused to go back outside. I …

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Belarus’ Borscht Soup | Borshch

Serves 6 This soup is popular all over eastern Europe, specifically in the Ukraine. This version hails from Belarus where they add big chunks of potatoes. The longer it cooks, the happier this Borshch tastes. Ingredients: 1 large onion, chopped 1-2 large russet potatoes, as desired 2 Tbsp vegetable oil 2 beets, diced 2 carrots, sliced 2 turnips, diced 1/2 a green cabbage, sliced thinly 6 oz can of tomato paste 1 Tbsp sugar 2 Tbsp vinegar salt and pepper 32 oz beef stock water as needed sour cream, for garnish (optional, leave out for vegan) Method: 1. In a large pot, cook onion in vegetable oil until soft and slightly golden. Add the rest of the ingredients, except sour cream. Add water as needed to “cover” all the veggies. NOTE: I added the beets after the cabbage had some time to cook down, making room in the pot. 3. Bring to a low simmer and cook for at least an hour. I simmered mine for a couple of hours and the flavor was wonderful. Here it …

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