Beetroot is just about the main vegetable in any detox program. It helps to eliminate toxins, improves blood composition, and cleans the liver. It also goes well with almost any fruit and veg, and in a glass with a straw looks fantastically raspberry-red.
How to prepare: peel 1 boiled or canned beet, ½ a carrot, and 1 sweet-and-sour apple. Slice all the ingredients and place in the blender. Pour in 1/2 cup of water, add ½ teaspoon of lemon juice, and blend at full power.
Read more: 10 Russian beetroot dishes worth trying at least once a lifetime
When you fancy a warm breakfast that isn’t scrambled eggs or porridge, just imagine you’re somewhere high up in the mountains and treat yourself to a warm salad with Adygei cheese, a Caucasus delicacy. But if you don’t have Adygei cheese, feta will do the trick.
How to prepare: Cut Adygei cheese (100 g) into slices 1 cm thick, roll in flour, and quick-fry on both sides in a pan with vegetable oil. Chop 1 eggplant and 1 Bulgarian pepper, and fry them in a pan until cooked. Mix lemon juice (½ tsp), olive oil (3 tbsp), and a pinch of salt in a bowl, tear off some lettuce leaves and mix with the dressing. Make a salad pillow on a plate, and add cherry tomatoes cut in half, fried vegetables, and Adygei cheese. Sprinkle with flax seeds on top, add spices (black pepper, marjoram, thyme) and a touch of salt, and sprinkle with oil.
Read more: How to master traditional Adygei cheese at home
How to combine porridge, eggs, and pancakes in one dish? With an oatmeal omelet in the form of a thin pancake, of course. You can even roll it up and add a filling.
How to prepare: Break 2 eggs in a bowl, and add milk (40 ml) and a pinch of salt. Beat with a fork or whisk. In the blender, grind oats (2 tbsp), add to the egg mixture, and mix everything. Pour the mixture into a pre-heated oiled pan, and fry on one side for 2-3 minutes. When the pancake starts to brown, turn over. Cook for a few more minutes under the lid, during which time you can grate the cheese (50 g). Turn the pancake onto the lesser cooked side, place the cheese on top, fold in half or roll up, and cook in the pan for another minute so that the cheese starts to melt. Breakfast for two is ready.
This is surely one of the most photogenic breakfasts imaginable. And it’s not bad in the mouth either! The ambient taste of egg on a piece of spicy Borodino bread with avocado and salmon chunks will take you to culinary heaven and back.
How to prepare: Boil 2 fresh eggs in lightly salted water for 3 minutes until half cooked and leave to cool in cold water. Use this time to toast some slices of Borodino bread. Put pieces of avocado and salmon (if your fridge stocks them) on the pieces of toast, and coarsely chopped egg on top. Salt and pepper to taste, and decorate with greens.
Read more: How to cook legendary Borodinsky bread at home
Zapekanka is an “anything goes” dish, in the sense that any ingredients can be added, which only makes it tastier. Spinach pudding is sure to add variety to your breakfast.
How to prepare: Wash, wring, and finely chop spinach (200 g). Crumble 500 g of cottage cheese (9%) with a fork, and mix with the spinach. Add 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons of sour cream (25%), 3 tablespoons of semolina, and 1 teaspoon of salt, then mix everything thoroughly. Grease a baking dish with oil and pour in the mixture. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes at 180 C.
Unlike wheat, rice, and barley, millet is gluten-free, and it is better digested than buckwheat. So not for nothing is millet porridge a staple food for gourmets and health addicts alike.
How to prepare: Wash millet, pour over water in a 1:3 ratio, and add salt. Bring to the boil, and cook for 30 minutes. Add butter, plus a few spoonfuls of honey to taste, and mix. Sprinkle with pine or other nuts before serving and garnish with fresh berries.
In Russia, there are a thousand and one recipes for pancakes and fritters, but the jazziest are definitely the pumpkin variety. We recommend them in combination with the slightly souring sea-buckthorn – just what you need to kick-start your day.
How to prepare: Grate peeled pumpkin (400 g) with a large or medium grater, and pour off the excess juice. Mix the pulp with eggs (2 pcs), flour (100 g), and salt. Tablespoon the dough into a hot, oiled frying pan, then fry the pancakes on both sides until golden brown. A good tip is to pour sea-buckthorn sauce over the fritters, and sprinkle with sea-buckthorn berries.
Sea-buckthorn sauce is best cooked in the evening. 1 kg of sea-buckthorn requires 8 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of corn starch, and 1 glass of water. Boil the berries in sugar for 10 minutes. Dissolve the starch separately in cold water. Sieve out the seeds from the broth, put the remaining portion back on the stove, and add the diluted starch. Cook and stir until the sauce thickens. Leave to cool and place in the fridge.
Read more: 8 Russian dishes made with pumpkins
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