It feels good to be back to the cooking and blogging world! I haven't been posting any recipes, and to tell you the truth, I haven't been cooking much either. Let me explain what's been going on the last 6 months. But before I do that, I want to thank my friends who have encouraged me with my new blog ideas and all of you who just stop by and check out my recipes!
Six months ago I started having health problems and lost all appetite and desire to cook. I was eating toasted bread and drinking almond milk pretty much three times a day for two months. I was diagnosed with a gallbladder disease. I had been maintaining a mostly plant-based diet prior to my first attack. I had been running. I thought I was doing everything right. Why me? I didn't even know I HAD a gallbladder before it attacked me. I was mad at my body for hurting. I was mad at the food that I couldn't eat. I was scared and miserable. Even though it was tough to decide to go under the knife, it was the best decision I've made. I had a surgery two months ago. I was still having a hard time after my gallbladder was removed, but my appetite gradually came back. With that, my desire to cook returned too!
A lot of my friends were asking me why I wasn't posting on my blog anymore. It was hard to explain without going into too much detail. I finally decided that I was ready to go back in the kitchen, start cooking again, and share my favorite recipes. But my blog looked like crap! I felt like inviting people to check out my recipes on the old blog was like inviting them into a dirty messy house. The experience just wouldn't have been as pleasant as I wanted it to be. The blog needed a serious facelift.
That's when my friend Bethany came into play. And oh how happy I am that she did! I met Bethany a few years ago at work. Since then she left the company and started her own web design business. I saw her ad on Facebook and checked out her portfolio. She looked like a perfect match for my blog ideas! Visit her website to see the work she has done on other blogs! She's been a delight to work with and had a lot of creative ideas. She revived my blog and gave it a new feel.
Life is still crazy. I go to school full-time and have a demanding full-time job. I'm back to running thanks to my husband Derek's example and inspiration. We're running our first race of the year next weekend. I teach Sunday School at my church. And of course, I'm back to cooking. Life is good and I couldn't be happier.
This blog is dedicated to vegetarian recipes from around the world. A great deal of them are plant-based or vegan. I believe that by reducing the amount of animal products we eat or eliminating them (and substituting them with healthy plant-based alternatives), we will have better health and have lesser negative impact on this beautiful planet and animals. I will also occasionally post recipes that use dairy or eggs.
These recipes are my way of exploring the world without leaving my kitchen. I hope you enjoy them.
Let's stay in touch!
Love,
Ksenia
P.S. I snapped the picture on the top while visiting Hearst Castle in California. William Randolf Hearst, a newspaper magnate, used to entertain his high profile guests at his castle at the beginning of the XX Century. His kitchen was enormous.
The picture on the left below is of me an hour before my surgery. A nurse who was getting me ready had run 50 marathons and also had her gallbladder removed. She told me I would be fine and she was right!
I'm showing off a Baked Lemon Cheesecake fresh out of the oven on the right.
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