There is nothing to compliment a good meal quite like fresh salads. Here is a selection of traditional Slovenian salads perfect for the summertime, or any time.
With the advent of summer, plenty of fresh local vegetables begin to be available. One of the best ways to enjoy them is with as little alteration as possible - salads are a wonderful way to maximize their flavors with a minimum of effort. Enjoy these traditional Slovenian salad recipes; there's something for everyone, and every meal.
There are few things I enjoy more than gardening and growing tasty foods. One of my favorites to grow - quick, easy, and prolific - is cucumbers! Since there's only so much you can eat at one time, and they really are prolific, this quickly means needing a recipe for pickles!
There are two main 'categories' of pickles. Heat-canned pickles, which are shelf stable and can be stored almost indefinitely; and refrigerator pickles, which are simply cucumbers soaked in the pickling brine, and must be kept in the refrigerator. For those unfamiliar, think of the difference between, say, Vlassic dills on the grocery store shelf, versus Claussen pickles in the refrigerated section. The uncooked, needs-refrigeration variety are always my favorites, crisp and fresh tasting.
This homemade ranch dressing recipe is based on one originally from my childhood best friend's family. I have tried lots of recipes for ranch over the years, but this remains my very favorite, hands down. The flavors are complex and lively, but don't overpower the taste of the fresh salad ingredients. It includes all of my favorite aspects of various recipes, combined into one.
Spaghetti is my absolute go-to meal. It's easy, inexpensive, and you can make a huge batch and freeze it in single-meal servings in ziploc bags, saving even more via bulk purchasing, and allowing for super simple meal preparation later.
Because of this, the measurements I will be giving are relative, easily adjusted to the size batch you are making. Just be aware so that you scale them appropriately. I usually use a 3-lb container of ground beef, 6 jars of sauce, and about 4 large onions, for example.
For parents with vegetable-averse kids, it's easy to sneak in some extra veggies in this, too. Just finely mince whatever veggies you like – carrots and bell peppers are great choices, for example, thanks to their nutrient contents – and add them midway through the browning of the onions. By the time it's done cooking, they should be unidentifiable.
This has been one of my favorite soup recipes for most of my life, slightly modified to be gluten free since we recently found out my spouse has Celiac's. (I used to thicken it with a roux, instead of cooking down some of the potatoes first.) It is always one of the first things my mind goes to when the weather starts to cool in the fall.
If you aren't as fond of garlic as we are, you can reduce it as desired – I think the original recipe called for about ¼ as much.
I have recently ventured into the world of home canning. I am already in love! I made a huge batch of my Vegetable Beef Soup, substituting frozen vegetable for the canned vegetables so they wouldn't turn to mush in the canning process; and, of course, only heated it up rather than completely cooking it, allowing it to finish cooking during the processing. Being able to just pop the lid off, stick it in the microwave for a minute and eat it is just amazing. Totally worth the extra time in the cooking/prep phase.
For my next adventure, I decided to do something with butter beans, since I've been told by my doctor to eat more high-potassium foods thanks to one of my medications. Some poking around online and recipe browsing, and the basis for this soup was born. It's rich and hearty, without being overly complicated. The 15 pints I made won't last long! This is definitely going to be a regular addition to our menu.
I used speckled butter beans for this first batch; regular green butter beans (aka baby lima beans) should work just as well – and possibly be more visually appealing. Some hot sauce, like Cholula, would be a great addition/substitution for the vinegar, but unfortunately I can't use it (allergies). Celery or bell peppers, if you have some on hand, would likely also be good additions.
Back when I was first learning to cook on my own, I conflated two recipes my grandmother made when trying to replicate her goulash. It wasn't "right", but as often happens, I decided I actually liked this new hybrid recipe even better, and so it is how I have made it ever since. It has the basis of goulash - a sauce primarily made of cooked down onion and paprika with beef - but then has the addition of some tomato, mushrooms, and peas, making it a bit more interesting to eat.
This recipe is for a large batch; we usually get several 'fresh' meals, as well as several portions to freeze, which it holds up to quite well.
So, with my health being so poor for so long, but now good enough for my spouse to go back to classes, we've decided to give Freshly a try.
If you aren't familiar, they are one of these new trends of "meal box plans" by mail. BlueApron and Plated are the more well-known, but they send you ingredients which you then have to cook. Since in my case, the standing-long-enough-to-cook is the issue, we opted for Freshly, which is ready-made meals which you just have to heat up in the microwave. You can choose from 6, 9, 12, or 21 meals. We opted for 6 meals to give it a try before we committed to any more. The meals aren't exactly "super cheap" (ranging from $10.75-$11.50 per serving depending on how many you get), but it's about equivalent to fast food, and looks to be a LOT healthier. I do feel it's a tad overpriced for the serving sizes at full price, but not so much that it is a deal breaker by any means.
These little cupcake frittatas are amazingly versatile, and even more tasty!
They are an easy way to 'sneak' in healthy veggies – you can change out what you use depending on your tastes, the season, or just what you have on hand. They are also easy to make in advance – either a few days, kept in a bag in the fridge, or several weeks frozen! Just pop them in the microwave when you're ready to eat them.
Delicious, nutritious, and made in advance; it just doesn't get much better than that.
This is another of those fabulous super-simple crockpot recipes that will have you going back for seconds. Rich and flavorful, this Mexican fajita inspired dish pairs beautifully with saffron rice and a little sour cream. I served it with garlic-buttered Italian green beans, whose calm flavor went quite well with the more lively dish.
(I used a bit too much salsa, and have already adjusted the recipe accordingly; you may prefer more or less than I do.)
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