Hi, everyone! I am finally back to blogging after a long silence. I’m not only back with a new recipe but also with a new fun experiment. The thing is that I’ve decided to try 21-day detox program that I’ve found on the internet. As a part of this cleansing diet I even turned into a vegan for a week, furthermore I survived it=). Maybe, for some of you this is not a big deal, but for such devoted meat lover as I am, not to eat any animal protein is a very serious decision. You would probably ask me, why I decided to change my diet so dramatically. The answer is – I did it just because of my natural curiosity; this quality is probably the most powerful force that drives me forward and always makes me try something new. Moreover, I read a lot of different articles and watched many movies about all the benefits of vegan and detox diets, so, I’ve decided to try if it works for me. Oh, I also decided to go nuts and not drink any alcohol and coffee, as well as not to eat anything that contains refined sugar, except for an extra dark chocolate, because I would not survive otherwise =) But, food is only one of the pieces of my detox puzzle. I also drink cleansing juices and teas, exercise five times a week and treated my body with the favorite Citrus Scrub. As a result, after one week of detox and one more week of the vegan diet, I’ve lost 3 pounds, and I’m feeling very well, strong and healthy. But we’ll see what my physician tells me tomorrow. I still have one more week of diet ahead of me, so if you’re curious about my little experiment, you can follow me on Instagram and Facebook, just to make sure I’m not cheating =)

But enough about my detox, it’s time for a new recipe! Regarding my new healthy lifestyle, I want to post this Mediterranean Sabich today, which is a pita bread open faced sandwich with a mix of fresh and grilled veggies, hard boiled eggs, and tahini sauce. I’ve found that Sabich is a very healthy and tasty alternative to American sandwiches and can be a real treat for those who are on a diet. P.S. This Sabich contains eggs only because I photographed it long before my vegan days =)

Sabich

By voloshyna, May 12, 2015

• Total Time: 01h 15min
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• large eggplant - 1
• large bell pepper - 1
• large red onion - 1
• sea salt - 1 tablespoon
• extra virgin olive oil - 1/4 cup
• pita bread or naan - 4
• tahini sauce - 1 cup
• hard boiled eggs - 4, peeled and quartered
• cherry tomatoes - 1 cup, halved
• cilantro - 1/2 cup, chopped
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• za'atar spice - to taste, optional

Instructions:

Cut the eggplant and onion into 1-inch thick rounds, and then slice the bell pepper into medium wedges. In a large bowl mix the vegetables with oil, season with salt. Working in batches, grill the vegetables until tender and lightly charred all over, about 8 to 10 minutes for the bell peppers; 15 minutes for the eggplant and onion. Arrange the vegetables on a platter and season with black pepper. Place 1 pita or naan on each plate, spoon some tahini sauce over each piece. Then arrange the grilled veggies, eggs and cherry tomatoes on top. Drizzle with more tahini sauce and sprinkle with za'atar spice and chopped cilantro.

A little bit of warm Italian-Style dish for the weekend lunch!

Warm Italian Potato Salad

By voloshyna, September 28, 2013

• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• new red, purple and yellow potato, small - 1 lb
• green beans and yellow been - 2 cups
• hard-cooked eggs - 3, quartered
• cherry tomatoes - 2 cups, halved
• kalamata olives - 1/2 cup
• fresh basil leaves - 1 cup, finely chopped
• extra virgin olive oil - 1/3 cup, best quality
• red wine vinegar - 2 tablespoons or to taste
• salt - to taste
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste

Instructions:

Cook potato in simmering salted water until tender, 10-15 min. Drain; cool slightly. Cut the potatoes into quarters. In a boiling water blanch the beans, for 3-4 min. Drain; run in a cold water. In a big bowl add warm potato quarters, beans, halved tomatoes, eggs and kalamata olives.  In a small bowl combine olive oil, vinegar, salt and black pepper. Toss with the salad. Sprinkle with a chopped basil. Serve immediately.

Today I want to present you my first mussel dish on DivineCuisine. Before I started to cook this dish, I carefully learned how to clean this little creatures properly. Thankfully I have Julia Childs cookbook, where I found all the necessary information and can share it with you. So, at first before the mussels can be cooked you have to be sure all of them are alive. Discard any mussels that are not firmly closed, or which are mush lighter or much heavier than the rest. Scrub each mussel with a firm brush under running cold water to remove all the dirt and sand. Set the mussels in a big bowl with a fresh cold water for an hour or two. Then wash and drain them again, and they are ready to cook.

The cooking process will be quick and easy, but you have to cook pasta and mussels at the same time.

Pasta with mussels, cherry tomatoes and basil

By voloshyna, June 17, 2013

Ingredients:

• extra virgin olive oil - 6 tablespoons
• garlic - 4 cloves, minced
• mussels - 2 lb, scrubbed and soaked
• cherry tomatoes - 1 lb, cut in halves
• dry white wine - 3/4 cup
• roughly chopped basil leaves - 1 cup
• spaghetti - 1 lb
• salt - to taste
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste

Instructions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook pasta until al dente; drain pasta. Meanwhile, in a large deep skillet heat 4 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat; add minced garlic and fry for a 20 seconds. Don't let the garlic become brown, because it'll get this nasty bitter taste. Add the mussels, tomatoes and basil; pour in white wine, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and steam until they open, 5 to 6 minutes; discard any that do not open after 6 minutes. Add pasta to mussels and toss over low heat until the pasta is uniformly coated. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to warmed shallow bowls, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and serve immediately.

The fancy name for this recipe is Gnocchi alla Sorrentina. This dish contains everything I love about Italian cuisine: delicious mozzarella cheese, light tomato sauce and my favourite fresh basil (which, by the way, I grow on my balcony). Such simple ingredients make this dish just incredible! Believe me, you can never go wrong with this recipe.

Gnocchi with tomatoes and mozzarella

By voloshyna, May 3, 2013

Ingredients:

• cherry tomatoes - 1 lb
• extra virgin olive oil - 5 tbsp
• garlic - 2 cloves, thinly sliced
• basil leaves - 1 cup, packed
• coarse sea salt - to taste
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• sugar - 1/2 tsp
• potato gnocchi - 1 lb
• butter - 2 tbsp
• baby mozzarella - 8-10 balls
• grated parmesan - for serving

Instructions:

Remove stem ends from tomatoes and chop them into 1/4-inch cubes, reserving all juices. In a medium saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds until light brown. Add tomatoes and juices and cook 2 minutes. Add chopped basil, season to taste with sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then remove from the heat.  In another sauce pan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the gnocchi and put shake the pan to make one even layer. Season with salt and pepper and let them cook until caramelized. Toss them until golden brown on all sides. To finish add the gnocchi to the pan with the sauce, add 1-2 tablespoons of water. Carefully toss on medium heat. Add mozzarella and then pour onto a large platter. Serve with a chopped basil leaves.

This is my very first risotto. Recently I watched one episode of Jamie Oliver show, about his traveling to Venice and I decided that risotto is my next must-try dish! I absolutely happy with this recipe and I recommend you to try it as soon as possible!

So creamy and incredibly delicious!

Creamy risotto with tomatoes and basil

By voloshyna, March 18, 2013

• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• medium yellow onion - 1, finely chopped
• celery stalks - 2, finely chopped
• extra virgin olive oil - 7 tbsp
• arborio rice - 2 cups
• salt - to taste
• dry white wine - 3/4 cup
• chicken or vegetable stock - 7-8 cups
• butter - 2 tbsp
• grated Parmesan - 1 cup
• chopped garlic - 2 cloves
• cherry tomatoes - 3 cups
• basil leaves - 1 1/2 cups
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• salt to taste - to taste

Instructions:

In a medium saucepan preheat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add finely chopped onion and celery and cook until soft, about 10 min. Then add the rice. Stir until the rice is well-coated with olive oil and it begins to turn a brighter white (2-3 min). Pour the wine and continue stirring until the wine is mostly absorbed. Then add 1 cup of stock every 1 minute, you have to stir your risotto pretty often. Cook for 15-17 minutes until al dente, add butter. Add grated Parmesan and stir. Remove sauce pan from the heat and cover with a lid. Let to stand for 2-3 min. In another sauce pan preheat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add minced garlic and fry for a 15 seconds. Add tomatoes and basil; cook until tomatoes are very tender, season to taste. Combine tomatoes and risotto in one pot and mix well. Serve hot, topped with the fresh basil leaves, Parmesan and drizzle with the remaining olive oil.

Always wanted to cook salmon ravioli and finally I made it. I called this dish a restaurant style ravioli, because it turned out really pretty especially with this orange cream tomato sauce. You can use this recipe for your romantic Valentine’s dinner!

Taste best with a glass of cool Chardonnay!

Salmon ravioli with tomato cream sauce

By voloshyna, February 12, 2013

• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 40-45 minutes

Ingredients:

• ready made wonton/ravioli wraps - 1 package
• egg - 1
• salmon fillet - 1 (1/2 lb)
• ricotta cheese - 5 oz
• lemon zest - 1 tbsp.
• salt - to taste
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• For the sauce: -
• cherry tomatoes - 2 cups
• extra virgin olive oil - 1 tbsp.
• sea salt - 1 tsp
• finely chopped garlic - 1 clove
• finely chopped sage leaves - 1 tbsp
• anchovy fillet - 3
• prosecco or white wine - 1/4 cup
• heavy whipping cream - 1/2 cup
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• freshly grated Parmesan - 1/2 cup

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Toss cherry tomatoes with an olive oil, chopped garlic, sea salt and sage leaves. Put them on a baking sheet an bake for 15-20 min until tender. Transfer roasted tomatoes with a juice in a small sauce pan, add chopped anchovy fillet and pour with a prosecco or white wine. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to a medium-low and continue simmering 5 min. Pour tomatoes with all the juice in a blender; puree until smooth. Pour tomato mixture through a sieve and return to a sauce pan over a medium heat. Stir in cream and simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add 2-3 tablespoons of Parmesan, season with salt and black pepper to taste. Remove from the heat. In a food processor combine salmon fillet, ricotta and lemon; process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. In a small bowl lightly beat egg. Spoon a small amount (about 1 teaspoon) of salmon mixture onto each wonton. Brush the edges of the wonton with egg. Fold over the wonton to form a triangle, make sure it seal tightly. Pull the sides to form the classic tortellini shape and pinch the ends together. Drop ravioli into a salted boiling water and cook until they float. Remove cooked ravioli from the water to a serving dish. Serve ravioli with a hot tomato cream sauce and grated Parmesan.

I know this feeling when you  cann’t decide what to make for diner, because you want to cook something quickly but at the same time tasty. This pasta recipe is my latest discover. I spend only 30 min to cook it and I can tell that this dish is very simple but not boring. Roasted cherry tomatoes add freshness to the pasta and tandem of anchovies and sage create piquant accent!

My “secret” advice is to use freshly made fettuccine, it incomparably better then the dry one!

Piquant pasta with roasted cherry tomatoes and anchovies

By voloshyna, January 15, 2013

• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• fettuccine - 1 lb.
• cherry tomatoes - 1/2 lb.
• fresh sage leaves - 15-20
• anchovy fillet - 8-10
• minced garlic - 2 cloves
• freshly grated Parmesan - 1 cup
• sea salt - to taste
• extra virgin olive oil -
• freshly ground black pepper -

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 F. Place tomatoes on a deep backing sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with half of chopped sage leaves. Season with  a good pinch of salt, minced garlic and freshly ground black papper to taste. Bake for about 10 min, or until tomatoes are soft and begin to burst. Place a large pot filled with water over high heat and bring up to a boil to cook the pasta. Once boiling, add some salt and the pasta, and cook until al dente according to package directions (2-3 min for fresh pasta). Reserve about a 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid before draining the pasta. Return pasta to pan, add roasted tomatoes with all the juice, anchovies, fresh sage leaves and 1/2 cup of grated Parmigiano cheese. Drizzle with an extra virgin olive oil. Toss to coat, taste and re-season with some salt and pepper then serve with more grated Parmigiano.  

If you like the sun-dried tomatoes, you will definitely like this recipe. These oven dried tomatoes are super easy to make, plus it’s really cheap. You just need to buy a very good extra virgin olive oil, the rest is very simple. Enjoy these gourmet dried tomatoes with your favourite dishes or like a super natural snack.

Homemade oven-dried tomatoes

By voloshyna, October 11, 2012

• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• cherry tomatoes - 2 lbs
• extra virgin olive oil - 5 tbs + more oil to use when preserving them in jar
• coarse sea salt - 1 big pinch
• freshly ground black pepper - 1/2 tsp
• Italian seasoning (rosemary, dill, oregano, tame, parsley) - 1-2 tbs
• garlic powder - 1tsp

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 200 F. Wash and halve tomatoes. If you don't want to do it, that's ok, but it will take longer to dry. Place the tomatoes cut side up, on a non-stick cookie sheet, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs. Drizzle with an olive oil. Bake until tomatoes take on a leathery texture. Using the fork, turn each tomato from time to time. Your tomatoes should be a little bit moisture, but not juicy. It's usually takes 4-8 hours, depends on the size of tomato. Set the pan aside until completely cool and then transfer the tomatoes to a clean and sterilized jar and pour an extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with a dry herbs. Store in the fridge for 4 – 5 weeks.

This recipe I found in Jamie Oliver’s book “My Italy” and now I just love it. I call this dish “summer in a bowl”. Warm bread and tomato soup is always reminds me of summer. Fresh ripe tomato and flavored basil make it so rich, flavorful and tender that my mouth starts to watering.  Try to cook it, I promise it will not take much time.

Toscana soup

By voloshyna, August 23, 2012

• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook time: 25-30 minutes

Ingredients:

• cherry tomatoes - 1/2 pound
• minced garlic - 2 cloves
• basil - big bunch (leaves picked, stalks finely chopped)
• extra virgin olive oil -
• whole peeled plum tomatoes - 13 oz
• stale white bread - 1/2 pound
• sea salt - pinch
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste

Instructions:

Prick the cherry tomatoes with a fork. Mix them with minced clove of garlic, olive oil and 1/4 of a basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Try to choose the best olive oil, it gives a unique flavor for all of your dishes. Put the tomatoes evenly on a baking sheet, bake in a preheated 350 F oven for about 20 minutes. The reason for doing this is so that their flavor becomes intense and concentrated. Meanwhile, in a pot, preheat an olive oil. Add the garlic and basil stalks, cook stirring for about 1 minute. Then add cup of water. Break the tomatoes up with a spoon, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Cut the bread into a thumb size pieces and add them to the pan. Mix well and season to taste. Tear in the basil leaves and let the soup sit on a low heat for 10 minutes. By this time the cherry tomatoes will be ready. Pour them into a soup with all the juices, basil and oil from the tray, mix well. This soup should be thick and silky texture, so if you need you may add a little more water. Then remove it from the heat and add 6 or 7 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Divide between your bowls and serve with a little extra basil torn over the top if you like.

Zucchini is never really inspired me. All the dishes cooked with them, seemed incredibly boring to me. Fried zucchinis, stews, squash blinis -I used to eat them without much enthusiasm. Big changes occurred when I began to cook by myself. My kitchen become a place for experiments, where I can come up with a new recipes and find the most incredible combinations. So, one day, I decided to give a chance to zucchinis. I fried them in a batter with parmesan and bread crumbs, dressed with homemade spicy sauce, and cherry tomatoes slices on top. They came out crispy and golden on the outside and very tender inside. I can no longer say that zucchini is boring!

Crispy zucchini sandwiches

By voloshyna, August 9, 2012

• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• small zucchinis - 2
• all-purpose flour - 1 cup
• ground Parmesan - 3-4 tbs.
• bread crumbs - 3-4 tbs.
• chili powder - 1/4 tsp.
• eggs - 2
• salt - to taste
• cherry tomatoes - 8-10
• vegetable oil - for frying
• For the sauce: -
• homemade mayo - 1/2 cup
• minced garlic - 2 cloves
• finely chopped dill and parsley - 2-3 tbs.
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste

Instructions:

Cut zucchinis into 1/2-inch rounds. In a small bowl mix together flour, Parmesan, bread crumbs, chili powder and pinch of salt. In another bowl, lightly beat eggs with 1/4 tsp. of salt. Dip zucchinis in the flour mixture, followed by the egg, do the same manipulations one more time. Preheat oil on the frying pan. Place the zucchini slices in the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Transfer them into a paper towel sheets to drain. Combine together mayonnaise, garlic and herbs, season with a black pepper. Put one teaspoon of sauce and slice of tomato on top of the each zucchini.