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This sour cream radish salad comes from Russia with love! It’s perfect for summer. Fresh, crunchy, and creamy…it goes well with burgers, steaks, fish, pork, chicken…you name it! It’s a great side for anything you grill. And it’s super easy to make.

You may or may not know this, but I was born and raised in the former Soviet Union, so I love Russian food, of course! Although Russians eat bread with just about everything, many of the Russian dishes are perfect for a keto or low carb, high fat diet — they’re filling and satisfying (think sour cream and mayonnaise). This salad is one of those dishes, and it’s quite delicious!

Russians also add cucumber and sometimes tomatoes when making this salad, however, since both of those fruits are high in lectins, I omit them in my cooking.

To make this salad Paleo-friendly and dairy-free, use extra-virgin olive oil instead of sour cream. Russians sometimes make this salad with sunflower oil, but as a seed oil, it’s not good for you, so use olive oil instead.

Watch how I make it. The written recipe is below.

Ingredients

1 bunch fresh radishes, sliced
1 green onion, chopped (green and white part)
1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sour cream (preferably organic from pasture-raised cows)
Salt to taste (I prefer Himalayan pink salt for its mineral content)
Freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Place sliced radishes, chopped green onion, and minced dill into a salad bowl.
  2. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Add sour cream.
  4. Mix together.
  5. Enjoy!

TIP
If you love onions as much as my husband does, feel free to add a second green onion to this recipe.

I hope you fall in love with Russian food!

The days are hot right now, which makes me want to eat light side dishes with my steaks, burgers, chicken, fish, or whatever protein I’m eating that day. One of the easiest side dishes to throw together is my tangy broccoli slaw.

Typically I’d add mayo to it, but not on a hot summer day. My love Joel, The Grillmaster, cooked up succulent grass-fed rib eyes to go with the slaw.

grilled rib eyes

This tangy, light, and crunchy broccoli slaw is super easy to make. It’s a perfect side dish for summer days.

Watch how I make it. The written recipe is below.

Ingredients

4 cups store-bought, pre-washed, pre-cut broccoli slaw
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (I like Bragg’s Raw, Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar)
Salt to taste (I prefer Himalayan pink salt for its mineral content)
Freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Place broccoli slaw into a salad bowl.
  2. Add extra-virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar.
  3. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Toss together.
  5. Enjoy!

TIP
Feel free to add fresh herbs to your liking, such as parsley, cilantro, or any other.

I haven’t been drinking alcohol lately because I’m a light-weight and don’t like waking up groggy the next day, so I’ve been getting creative with non-alcoholic drinks.

Christine, a friend of mine, got me into drinking raw apple cider vinegar. She swears it’s a cure for everything. I’m not sure if it is or not, but the drink I created is perfect for warm summer days, or any time of the year, for that matter.

It’s tangy and super refreshing. Give it a try!

Watch how I make this drink. The written recipe is below.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (I like Bragg’s Raw, Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar)
1 cup SodaStream fizzy water or any sparkling water
1 lime wedge for garnish, if desired

Directions

  1. Pour 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar into a glass.
  2. Pour sparkling water into the glass.
  3. Add a lime wedge for garnish.
  4. Enjoy!

I love asparagus, but I don’t like how it’s typically cooked. It’s steamed, oven-roasted, or sautéed…blah. I say there is a better way.

One day I was volunteering as a chef’s assistant in a cooking class. I clearly remember Chef Dan Witherspoon, of The Gourmet Spoon in Denver, Colorado, say that the best way to cook asparagus is to grill it. If you can’t grill it, broil it. It’s the next best thing to grilling.

Then once, during an annual ski weekend with my former college buddies, I was cooking batches of asparagus for dinner. People kept coming up to me and asking what I put in it because it tasted so good. I said, “Nothing special. It’s just quality oil and salt, and I broiled it.” People couldn’t believe how simple and delicious it was.

So, here is my “special,” super easy, and quick recipe for the best asparagus you can cook at home.

Watch how to prep asparagus for cooking, how to broil it, and enjoy! The written recipe is below.

Ingredients

1 bunch asparagus spears, trimmed by hand (see tip below or watch the video)
3 tablespoons avocado oil (or any high-heat cooking fat)
Sea salt to taste (I prefer Himalayan pink sea for the minerals in it)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste, if desired

Directions

  1. Preheat the broiler.
  2. Place asparagus into a mixing bowl and drizzle with avocado oil. Use your hands to coat the spears with oil. Sprinkle with sea salt.
  3. Arrange asparagus onto a broiler pan or baking sheet in a single layer. Make sure there is a bit of space between each spear.
  4. Broil for about 5 minutes. Flip over and broil for about 2-3 minutes.
  5. Remove from oven and transfer to a serving plater immediately. Arrange asparagus in a single layer, otherwise, it will steam and become soggy.
  6. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper to taste if you’d like.
  7. Enjoy!

For thicker spears increase cooking time by a few minutes depending on the thickness. You may keep checking while the asparagus is cooking to ensure it doesn’t get charred. It should be slightly crispy, but not too brown.

TIP

Use your hands instead of a knife to trim your spears. Simply hold a spear with both hands on each side and bend it. The spear will naturally snap. Discard the tough end and use the tender portion of the spear.

You can tell by this recipe that I like to use my hands when working with food. They are the original kitchen tool!