Vegetarian Russian Borscht

Sometimes I don't have anything to say. Nothing exciting but that's no reason not to get busy doing something, anything... it's cold and mid-winter and I like it. I have this theory, that life is really a string of moments, little moments mostly.

When I get asked "what have you been up to? I normally answer "Oh you know, not much". . .

Truth is I keep busy but it's a lot of seemingly insignificant stuff that makes my day, my week, my month that no one else would take interest in. It's these little things, these small wins that make me the happiest. Cooking gives me time to think and appreciate the little things. It's relaxing, keeps my hands busy and my mind empty. By the end of the dish, I've hopefully sorted out some of life's problems and created something that's good for me...

Sweet Potato Breakfast Cookies

My Baba used make this pastry called Koubate, a sweet pumpkin, filo dessert. I thought because pumpkin was a vegetable it was not to be used in a sweet dish. It confused my palate. These days I've really opened up to the idea of combining different foods and appreciating the diversity. Having said that, if your digestion isn't strong or you're not feeling super healthy it's better to eat fruit separately and on an empty stomach.

I decided to make breakfast cookies using sweet potato, something easy to grab and go in the morning. This recipe is vegan and wheat free but you can replace the oat flour with a wheat, spelt or buckwheat based one. The spices nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, and ginger add warmth and combine perfectly. A cookie, a banana and a green tea and I'm out the door and happy!

Ingredients...
1 cup steamed and mashed sweet potato or pumpkin
1 1/2 cups oat flour
1/2 cup firmly packed coconut sugar
2 tsp. baking powder (choose aluminium free)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp ginger powder
Grated nutmeg to taste (optional)
1/2 tsp. Celtic or Himalayan salt
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup sultanas

Method...
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a tray with baking paper (or grease with coconut oil).
2. In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, oat flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger powder and salt.
3. Mix in the vinegar. Fold in the sultanas. Spoon into cookie sized portions and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden. I left mine all rough and messy (perfect!) but you can roll and squish them nicely with a fork...

**Cookies turn out a beautiful texture, the picture makes them look crunchy but they're actually quite soft.

Vegan Plov

The Italians make risotto, the Spanish paella, and Russians have this classic rice dish called plov. Plov is a savoury rice dish made with dried fruits, vegetables and herbs, that is said to have Middle Eastern roots and is traditionally made with cuts of fatty meat. Sweet really can go with savoury, and this dish proves it using bay leaf, pepper, turmeric, paprika and my twist by adding the goji berries and using a combination of brown and wild rice.

Ingredients...
1/2 cup wild rice
1/4 cup brown rice
1 tbs coconut oil
1 purple onion diced or sliced
1 carrot diced
1 stick celery diced
10 dried apricots
10 prunes
1/4 cup goji berries
salt, pepper
4 bay leaves
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbs tomato paste
Vegetable stock (optional)

Method...
1. Boil the wild rice for 20 minutes then add the brown rice and boil for another 25 to 30 minutes in vegetable stock. This is so you don't have to boil the different rice variety's in different pots. Feel free to just use one type or even basmati if you prefer... rinse when finished and set aside to drain.
2. In a saucepan, saute with coconut oil the onion, celery, carrot add the salt, pepper, spices, tomato paste and bay leaf lightly add the dried fruit and then the rice. Turn down the heat...
3. Add 1/2 cup of vegetable stock, cover and let simmer until the flavours combine. Best the next day but who wants to wait!

This photo makes it look like a rustic disaster but I promise this is a unique and tasty dish. After a quick google search, I believe this photo looks good. I guess it's hard to make plov look... beautiful.

Vegetarian Russian Borscht

The all so famous Russian/ Ukrainian soup borscht gets a mention today. I can just imagine one of my friends saying "it's not a vegetarian dish!"... I beg to differ. This soup is based on beetroot, one of the most-loved vegetables of East Europe (potato is hands down the first, for many reasons!).

You can add any other vegetable left in your fridge and it'll work perfectly- no rules as every family has their own special recipe.

Russian cuisine has many soup recipes. It's easy and economical, tasty and nutritious. Again it's normally made with meat based stock, in my opinion the hearty flavour comes from the beetroot and it can be served with sour cream and dark rye bread.

Ingredients...
1 medium beetroot, sliced thinly
1 medium potato cut into cubes
1 carrot diced
1 celery diced
1/2 cup purple cabbage sliced
1 onion diced finely
2 cloves of garlic diced finely
2 tomatoes roughly chopped
1 sprig of spring onion finely sliced
1 tablespoon coconut oil
salt, pepper
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
pinch of curry powder
fresh dill, can use dry
fresh parsley
water
vegetable stock (optional)

Method...
1. Saute the onions, garlic, celery, spices, salt, and carrot using coconut oil in a saucepan.
2. Add potato and beetroot, mix it through and add water or vegetable stock, keeping a moderate heat going.
3. Now add the cabbage and tomato and let simmer gently and if it needs extra salt or pepper, season accordingly.
4. Chop dill, spring onion and parsley and add just before serving.

Radish and cucumber salad...
This salad is self explanatory. When you have organic ingredients, food doesn't need to be covered in sauces. Radish is another Russian favourite, along with dill. Add cucumber, spring onion, seasoning and a nice dressing. Sour cream and mayonnaise is commonly used on everything but I like it clear dressing with just a little oil and apple cider vinegar.

Small wins :)

Love
Ulyana...