Mexican Bean Salad

Like any other dish we prepare at home, this one is based on a certain amount of hot peppers. Here they are paired with crunchy cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, soft avocado and creamy beans Mexican way. Do not forget the onion and tangy lime juice.
This salad is great on its own or with some tortilla chips. Let there be summer!

Russian Salad Bulgarian way

No, this is not the recipe for Salad Olivier, although many of the recipes for Russian salad throughout the Internet refer to it as if both salads were one and the same.

Frankly said, I don’t think anybody prepares Salad Olivier at home (or anywhere at all) nowadays. 

Salad Olivier was created (predictably) by a Belgian or French chef Lucian Olivier back in 1860. 19 century was obviously tolerating mayonnaise, salads with mayonnaise were seen as more sophisticated - for reference see the original recipe for Waldorf Salad. 

Unlike Waldorf salad, created in New York, Russian Salad Olivier was invented in Moscow. It was not intended to be a simple everyday meal – it contained boiled veal tongue and grouse (a type of bird), crawfish tails and aspic. 

The salad called Russian salad nowadays and served widely around the world represents a distant echo of Olivier Salad and although this is one of the recipes which are not followed exactly and which contain varying ingredients according to the local taste or the ingredients available, it still shall contain mayonnaise, pickled cucumbers, boiled carrots and potatoes. Many people add diced ham, boiled eggs, apples. I prefer the version without them. 

And actually this is the recipe perceived as Russian salad in Bulgaria. 

Tabbouleh Salad

Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern Salad, in which the main ingredients are parsley, bulgur and tomatoes. 
This tangy, refreshing salad is light and dietetic and its deep green and red colors bring back the summer at least at the table.

Roasted eggplant dip (Kyopoolu)

One of the main characteristics of the cuisine of the Balkans is the wide variety of salads. Countries in the region have hot and sunny climate and vegetables grow full of taste. But this is only one of the reasons for the huge consumption of salads here. The heart of the matter is that we start lunch and dinner with hard alcoholic drinks. Rakia in Bulgaria, raki in Turkey, ouzo and tsipouro in Greece are national drinks served at the beginning of the meal. These strong drinks go well with salad. Kyopoolu - a roasted eggplant dip, is one of the most popular Bulgarian summer salads, although it has a Turkish origin. The typical smoky taste of its roasted skin, the soft inside which absorbs a lot of olive oil and salt, the freshness of grated tomatoes and roasted peppers, the garlic as an ingredient make this dip irresistable.

Cherry and blue cheese salad

Cherries are my favorite fruits. And this is my new favorite salad - sweet and salty.

Tiro salata (Spicy feta cheese spread)

The Greek word 'τύρι' means cheese. Tiro salata is a mixture of Feta and Myzithra (similar to ricotta) cheeses, olive oil and hot peppers. Sounds good and tastes good. This traditional spicy appetizer is served in nearly every restaurant in Northern Greece where we spend our summer holidays. It is a good meze for ouzo, beer or retsina and it is quick and easy to make at home. The hot banana peppers could be roasted or fresh. If you use roasted peppers, which are easier to incorporate into the cheese mixture, you should roast them on the grill until charred on the outside, then place in a plastic or bag and allow them to sweat until cool enough to handle. After that the skins could be easily removed and you'll be left with  succulent roasted hot peppers. I use fresh peppers. The tiro salata does not look so homogenous, but it is fresh and tasty and I can feel better the spicyness.

Tsatsiki - yogurt and cucumbers appetizer from the Balkans

Tsatsiki or tzatziki is the worldwide popular name of a Greek dip, consisiting of yogurt, grated cucumber, some minced garlic and a little olive oil. In Bulgaria there is a salad with same ingredients, but cucumbers are diced small in Bulgarian version and the texture is little denser than the Greek one. Bulgarian name is little funny - this salad is called Snejanka, which is the name of Snow White in Bulgarian, probably because of its white color. On the other hand, people can easily feel its garlicly flavour, so if Snow White had it on her table, no dwarfs would be around her, much less a prince. Anyway, if you don't have kissing in your schedule, you can enjoy this dish, beacuse it is tasty, healthy and easy to prepare.

Leek and tomato salad

This is a rich and tasty salad, one of our favorites for winter. It is created for the cold months when all the fresh tomatoes have bland and undeveloped taste, but you miss the sweetness of good ripe tomatoes. The oniony taste of leek is by far slighter than the one of onion and garlic, despite they all belong to same family of vegetables and the velvety texture of the chopped canned tomatoes adds softness to the dish. The salad brings summer colors to the table - bright green and white of the leek meets red vibrant color of good quality canned tomatoes. 
My mother-in-law prepares it when she wants to please her hubby. So do I.

A little health info: With its high fiber content and low calories amount leek is a good part of a healthy diet plan. Eating fresh leek reduces the risk of cancer, stroke, heart disease and many other health problems. It supports the healthy digestion. 
Canned tomatoes are more beneficial than the fresh ones because they contain more lycopene - carotenoid responsible for the red color of tomatoes which helps to decrease the risk of hearth disease.   
But the taste of the salad does not need additional reasons to enjoy this simple salad - it is a spicy salad for those who like the heat even into cold dishes.

Apple beet salad

This is one of my favorite autumn salads. It is very proper for diet times, because honey satisfies the craving for sweet and apple and red beet are good for the health.

Warm goat cheese salad

Yes, goat cheese has a really strong flavor and many people hate it because of that. But we like it, so I prepare it often. This recipe is something between salad and appetizer.
Goat cheese pairs perfectly with the jam. Tangy meets buttery, sweet meets sour. And that is enough for a light dinner with a glas of wine.

The heart of the beet

I like the deep red color of red beet and its natural sweetness. Thiny sliced steamed red beet marinated in olive oil and vinegar with some pressed garlic cloves is good enough as a healthy addition to the autumn menu in my home. But cut into interesting shapes with a cookie cutter and with some tasty additions like pistacchios (salty), dried cranberries (sweet) and sour cream (sour and milky), it is a tasty and beautiful salad or sidedish.

Autumn Salad

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 small head white cabbage
• 1 small head red beet
• 3 carrots
• 100 g coarsely grated fresh pistachios
• olive oil
• red wine vinegar
• salt

Preparation:

Slice the cabbage into ribbons and put in a large bowl. Add the salt and vinegar and squeeze the cabbage for a while to make it softer. Peel the beet and grate it on the large holes of the grater and add to the cabbage.

Grate the carrots and add them to the mixture. Season with the olive oil and sprinkle with the pistachios.