Everybody knows that moving to a new place is always stressful. But for me it was not just a stressful event, it was almost a tragedy (fortunately only for the first two days). Our landlords, nice and sweet people, by the way, decided to sell the condo we were renting, and we had two months to find a new home for us. I freaked out and decided to find a new place before the Thanksgiving and all the holiday season madness. The thing is I loved my old apartment so much that I thought we would never find a place as good as that one. Everything was perfect there: the pool, the price, the location, not to mention that our neighbors became our best friends. So I wanted to take my time and choose the best market could offer. I was so busy with all the searching and packing, and moving that I had no time for cooking and blogging. Actually, I think the nearby restaurants made a decent money on our everyday takeouts. Long story short, one month and 25 boxes later we are finally settled in a wonderful 2 bedroom condo in the heart of lovely Menlo Park. And I am peaceful, happy and ready to start blogging again.

After almost three weeks of takeouts and junk food my husband and I decided to watch our diet and eat healthy. That is not easy I need to say, you know old habits die hard. But anyway, we are doing pretty good. MyFitnessPal app helps a lot. Now my motto is – New healthy habits in a new sunny apartment!

From December 1st Sasha and I try to eat healthy, cut alcohol and count our daily calories. So, today I came up with this Sweet Potato Fries snack idea, which he loved very much. The best part is this avocado sauce, which in my opinion is absolutely delicious. Just try it folks and tell me what you think!

Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Avocado Dip

By voloshyna, December 2, 2014

• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:

• sweet potatoes - 3 medium, washed
• olive oil - 1/2 tablespoon
• sugar - 1/2 teaspoon
• paprika - 1 teaspoon
• chili powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• lemon zest - 1 teaspoon
• sea salt - 1 teaspoon
• dry garlic - 1/2 teaspoon
• For the Avocado Dip: -
• ripe avocado - 1, peeled and cut into wedges
• lemon juice - 1 teaspoon or to taste
• grape seed oil - 1/6 cup
• parsley - 3 table spoon, chopped
• grated parmesan - 1/4 cup
• chili powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• garlic - 2 cloves, chopped
• salt - to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Cut the potatoes into slim french fry shaped pieces. Try to cut them into even In a small bowl mix all the dry ingredients. Lay the fries in a single layer on a baking sheet, drizzle olive oil all over. Season with the spice mix. Bake for 10 minutes then gently flip with a spatula to cook evenly and bake for another 10 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and cook for 2 more minutes until crisp and golden brown. Be careful your fries might burn very fast. Arrange the fries on a platter. Meanwhile make the Avocado Dip. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl.

It’s Fennel Friday Again! Here is my quick and easy recipe of a Roasted Fennel. My little tip for you – add a little bit of Big Devil spice from Pollen Ranch, every time you want to make your roasted veggies piquant and even more delicious!

Roasted Fennel with Parmesan sauce

By voloshyna, October 25, 2013

• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
• Cook time: 30-35 minutes

Ingredients:

• Fennel - 1, quartered
• butter - 1 tablespoon
• all-purpose flour - 1 tablespoon
• milk - 1 cup
• grated Parmesan - 3/4 cup
• salt - to taste
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• garlic - 1 clove, minced
• Big Devil Spice - 1/2 teaspoon (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 F. In a small sauce pan melt butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Reduce heat to medium; cook stirring until the mixture turns a slightly golden. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until just about to boil. Slowly add milk to a butter mixture, whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook for about 5-6 minutes, then add the grated Parmesan cheese and minced garlic. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Big Devil spice. Remove from the heat. Place fennel into a small baking dish, pour Parmesan sauce. Bake for a 30-35 minutes, or until fennel is tender.

One more nice autumn recipe for Chinet Baking Series. This Mushroom Lasagna is a perfect example of my favorite comfort food for a cold weather – hot, creamy and incredibly delicious. The perfect dish to celebrate autumn and a Veggie lifestyle.

Super Creamy Mushroom Lasagna

By voloshyna, October 23, 2013

• Total Time: 01h 25min
• Prep Time: 60 minutes
• Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• For the filling: -
• portobello mushrooms - 1 lb, sliced crosswise ¼-inch thick
• fresh mushroom mix (like Mysopia - 1/2 lb, sliced
• medium red onion - 1, finely chopped
• extra virgin olive oil - 4 tablespoons, divided
• cream cheese - 1/2 cup
• kosher salt - to taste
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• dry Italian herbs - 2 teaspoons, divided
• For Béchamel sauce: -
• butter - 3 tablespoon
• all-purpose flour - 2 tablespoons
• milk - 2 cups
• salt - 1 teaspoon, or to taste
• freshly ground nutmeg - 1/4 teaspoon
• For the layers: -
• lasagna noodles - 12
• shredded mozzarella - 1 1/2 cup
• grated Parmesan - 3/4 cup

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 F. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened and lightly browned 10-15 min. Season to taste with salt, peppers and Italian herbs. Stir in cream chees. Cook until cheese is completely melted, remove from the heat. Now it's time for a Béchamel sauce. In a medium, heavy bottom sauce pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a slightly golden color, about 7-8 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until just about to boil. Slowly add milk to a butter mixture, whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Season with salt and ground nutmeg. Set aside. Cook the lasagna noodles in a salt boiling water, as described on the box. Drain and place in a single layer on dry paper towel sheets. Toss together the shredded Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses in a small bowl. Cover the bottom of 7x11x2 Chinet baking pan with a 1/2 cup of Béchamel sauce. Arrange 4 noodles in a single layer on top of the sauce. Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce evenly over the noodles, then sprinkle with a half of the mushroom mixture and ¾ cup of the cheese mixture. Repeat the layering of noodles, sauce, mushroom mixture, and cheese one more times. For the final layer, arrange the remaining 4 noodles on top and cover completely with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and 1 teaspoon of Italian herbs. Drizzle with an olive oil. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

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.

This is my first attempt to cook a real homemade ravioli. I’m proud of myself.

Ravioli with Parmesan cream sauce

By voloshyna, October 1, 2012

Ingredients:

• For the ravioli dough: -
• all purpose flour - 2 cups, plus more for dusting
• sea salt - 1 tsp
• eggs - 3
• extra virgin olive oil - 1 tbs
• For the filling: -
• mozzarella - 3/4 lb
• grated Parmesan - 1/2 cup
• chopped fresh dill - 1/2 cup
• salt - to taste
• black pepper - to taste
• For the sauce: -
• butter - 2 tbsp
• all purpose flour - 2 tsp
• milk - 1 cup
• freshly grated Parmesan - 1/2 cup
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste

Instructions:

Combine the flour and salt on a flat work surface. Shape into a mound and make a well in the center. Add the eggs and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the well and lightly beat with a fork. Begin mixing the eggs with the flour with one hand; use your other hand to keep the flour mound steady. Knead the dough until smooth, for about 10 minutes; add more flour if the dough is too sticky. Form the dough into a ball and wrap tightly with plastic. Leave to rest for a 30 minutes. While the dough is resting, you can prepare the filling. In a food processor combine all the ingredients for the filling, mix until smooth. Roll out the pasta dough into thin sheets no thicker than a nickel. Lay a strip of the thin dough over over ravioli press to make the little pockets. Fill the pockets with a teaspoon of filling and cover with the top sheet of pasta. Then, just roll over the top with your rolling pin and your ravioli will be perfectly cut. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a  boil over high heat. Stir in the ravioli, and return to a boil. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the ravioli float to the top and the filling is hot, 4 to 8 minutes. Drain well. For the sauce melt butter in a small saucepan, add flour and fry it stirring, until golden brown. Then add milk, Parmesan , salt and pepper to taste. Stir constantly until the sauce become uniform. Immediately serve with a hot ravioli.

Pesto – it’s just an incredibly delicious Italian basil sauce, with parmesan and nuts. I have no words to describe how fragrant, bright and delicious is freshly made pesto. It can be a wonderful addition to the fish, meat, actually for anything.In this recipe I used a pine nuts, but if you don’t have them, just replace with a cashews or almonds.

Homemade basil pesto

By voloshyna, September 25, 2012

• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Prep Time: 2 minutes
• Cook time: 3 minutes

Ingredients:

• fresh basil leaves - 3 cups, packed
• pine nuts - 1/4 cup
• grated Parmesan - 3/4 cup
• capers - 2 tbs.
• lime juice - 2 tbs.
• garlic - 2 cloves
• extra virgin olive oil - 1/2 cup
• salt - to taste
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste

Instructions:

In a food processor combine basil leaves, pine nuts, capers, garlic, lime juice and Parmesan. Blend to a smooth paste. Pour in oil slowly while still mixing. Add salt and pepper to taste.