Hello! My name is Natalia. I have always loved cooking, I started back in school and with my mother’s book “About Tasty and Healthy Food.” My mother was an artist by profession and by life, and even a simple, uncomplicated dish was always decorated and served in a very original way. I still remember how the meat in the pots was choked, the lights were always turned off, any alcoholic drink that could be set on fire was poured onto a baking sheet, and all these pots were carried out of the kitchen on fire to the guests to everyone’s surprise. It was impressive! Therefore, I inherited my passion for everything beautiful from my parents. For me, the presentation of a dish is no less important than the dish itself, and it doesn’t matter if it’s something quickly prepared or a recipe that requires a long preparation. By the will of fate, I have been living in Latin America for a long time, in a country with an extraordinary climate, where you can find air temperatures from +40 to -2 degrees, where there is snow, and the coasts of two oceans - the Atlantic and the Pacific, where there are jungles and alpine meadows, and beaches. Of course, such diversity could not but leave its mark on the gastronomy of Colombia. The country has a lot of seafood, meat and a variety of exotic fruits; The gastronomic preferences of the local population change from region to region, but I draw inspiration from all this local color. I cook a lot, I don’t like monotony, so my cuisine is very diverse. I can’t say which cuisine I like best, I really love Mediterranean food, Russian food, local food, and Asian food, I also adore pastries and shortbread dough... well, you get the idea, everything that’s delicious! If I try something new that I liked in a restaurant, I always try to first understand what seasonings and ingredients are there, and if I really liked something, I reproduce it in my kitchen and surprise my family and friends. Of course, a very important source of inspiration is the Internet and various cookbooks. But if a recipe doesn’t have a nice photo, I won’t even read it! For some time now I started sharing my acquired knowledge and skills on Instagram (@vlasna) and that’s why I picked up a camera. I believe that any recipe should be accompanied by a decent picture, so that the viewer understands what is on the plate and how it can be served, and ideally, so that he would also want to eat it!)) Well, I try to choose recipes that are not difficult to execute and do not require huge waste of time. Everything we love: #SimplyFastTasty. I have my own recipes that have been tested over the years, but if I borrow something from others, I usually modify it a little to suit myself. Anyone who cooks a lot and often will understand me. Here I will be happy to share with you my experience and favorite recipes. Cooking for yourself and friends is so much fun! If anyone has any questions, I will definitely answer, and of course I will be glad to see you on my Instagram page @vlasna Come in, I will be glad to chat!
To make beetroot hummus with feta the night before, rinse the chickpeas well and cover them with cold water. In the morning, drain the water, rinse the chickpeas again and place in a saucepan. Pour the chickpeas with plenty of water (its level should be about 3-5 cm above the level of the chickpeas). Bring to a boil, skim off any foam and cook the chickpeas over low heat for an hour.
Drain the broth from the finished chickpeas, but do not throw it away - you will still need it for making hummus. Transfer the chickpeas into a bowl and cool to room temperature.
To save time, you can use canned chickpeas. To make hummus you will need 2 jars.
Prepare the beets. To do this, wash the beets with a brush and trim off the tails and tops. Wrap each beet tightly in foil and bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 1 hour. Allow the beets to cool to room temperature, then peel and cut into pieces of any size.
It is better to bake beets for making hummus rather than boil them. This will not only protect your kitchen from unpleasant odors, but will also retain most of the vitamins and microelements in the beets.
To prepare beetroot hummus with feta, place the prepared chickpeas in a blender bowl, add sesame seeds, pour in olive oil and squeeze the juice from half a lemon. In order for the chickpeas to be crushed better and the consistency of the finished hummus to be more tender and homogeneous, it is worth adding about 100-150 ml of chickpea broth to the blender.
In a traditional hummus recipe, tahini, a sesame paste, is added instead of sesame seeds. But it is difficult to get in stores, so sesame seeds, which can be pre-fried in a dry frying pan until golden brown, will serve as an excellent replacement.
Add salt and pepper and turn everything into a homogeneous mass, which is then placed in a large bowl.
Place beet pieces in a blender bowl, add crumbled feta and balsamic vinegar.
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I offer a recipe for vegetable cutlets made from zucchini and cabbage with chickpea flour. This is a meatless recipe and the cutlets are gluten-free.
Flatbread a la focaccia with basil will serve as an excellent addition to soup or main course as bread. And this is a completely independent delicious pastry, similar to pizza.
