Chocolate Cupcakes [gluten free]

A few weeks ago I bought some new silicone cupcake forms. They are really cute as they look like forms for tiny Bundt cakes or Polish babka: fluted and ring shaped, perfect for Easter. I couldn’t wait to use them to see how the tiny babkas would look like. Therefore, when I came across an interesting gluten free recipe* for cupcakes, I decided to give it a go. The recipe requires quite a lot of eggs and that is why even though there...

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Smoked Salmon and Tomato Salad

Although when I want to have something light to eat in winter months, I usually choose soups, I do fancy salads from time to time. The below recipe is, in my opinion, a great option for a winter salad: it is light but - thanks to the smoked salmon - substantial enough to keep you going and not feeling hungry for a few hours. The tomatoes, capers and lemony, slightly spicy dressing balance out the oily fish so you end up with a pretty...

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Chia Seeds and Strawberry Milkshake [vegan]

Strawberry milkshake is surely a classic in its group although probably everyone prepares it slightly differently: some add cream, some - ice cream; some use very ripe bananas, some - frozen bananas. For a very long time I prepared it as either a treat/snack or - sometimes - as an accompaniment to breakfast. This time I wanted it to be a wholesome breakfast and that is why I added chia seeds to my more-or-less usual ingredients....

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Hungarian Goulash

When a few months ago I visited Budapest, apart from enjoying the beautiful city, I was obviously interested in the local food. We had a chance to try a few dishes and cakes that we liked very much and that I wanted to cook myself. Goulash was one such meal. I spent some time looking for a traditional Hungarian goulash recipe and as it often happens I found many variations. Some of them asked for ingredients I don’t use (e.g. lard...

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Quinoa Porridge with Apples

I have already written about quinoa and its unique features, especially important for people who follow plant based diets. And because of the health benefits, I have used quinoa in dishes instead of rice, in salads and even in a cake. But since I never used it for breakfast dishes, I decided to give it a try.  When I was at university, there was a time when each day I ate my healthy breakfast - "doctor Bircher's muesli"....

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Bread Dumplings [Semmelknoedel]

My husband is half Austrian so no wonder that every now and then he craves for some great, traditional Austrian food. Dumplings are a good example of that cuisine although they are also extremely popular in Czech, Slovakia and Hungary. A few years ago my husband’s godmother taught me how to make Serviettenknoedel – a big bread dumpling that is boiled in a tea towel (hence its name) and then sliced into portions. Although my dumpling tasted...

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