We looooove kale chips in the Fotheringham household: they’re delicious, nutritious, and satisfying, and they provide a bit of salty, crunchy goodness in our lives without us having to resort to less healthy alternatives (I’m looking at you, soybean oil laden tortilla chips…). Plus, they provide a painless way for veggie-phobes and picky eaters to get more greens into their diet. The problem? They are ridiculously expensive when you buy them premade at the store (not to mention the ecological implications associated with the packaging, desiccant packs, etc.). Fortunately, they are super easy to make at home!
Recipe: Russian/Ukrainian Herring Under a Fur Coat Salad (Селёдка под шубой)
One thing that I really liked about Ukraine is that a lot of the food and traditional dishes are pretty darn Paleo. So, a lot of foods take little or no adaption to make them healthy and nutrient dense. (Our ancestors were onto something…) This salad is one of those dishes! It’s called ‘herring under a fur coat’ (selyodka pod shuboi/cеледка под шубой, or simply shuba/шуба). It’s a colorful layered salad with diced herring, onion and grated boiled vegetables under a red ‘coat’ made of beets and mayonnaise. It’s customary to have this on New Year’s and Christmas, in addition to a bunch of other cold salads. So, if you are looking for something different and adventurous to try this holiday season, give this one a whirl! Or, you know, if you’re reading this in April, still make it. It’s really good. I promise. If you’re squeamish about herring, or you can’t find it, just used diced cooked chicken; it will work just as well. There are lots of variations to this salad, but this is the version that I like the best.
Recipe: Sweet and Tangy Marinated Cauliflower Salad
This salad is quite common here in Ukraine, kind of like potato or egg salad for Americans, and it’s sold at every supermarket deli counter. It was there at the supermarket that The Ukrainian pointed it out to me and suggested we try to make it ourselves. Now that I’ve tried it, I’m definitely going to add it into my cauliflower recipe arsenal!