Hello Food Enthusiast!
My name is Vicky and I welcome you to Avocado Pesto and the 500 recipes I have put together in 3 years of blogging.
First and foremost I believe in healthy eating without the diet, low fat, no fat, fake sugar products. We’re talking about real food made {mostly} from scratch with minimal processed food products. You will find that many of my recipes cater to restrictive diets such as paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and vegetarian diets.
There is an endless variety of options when it comes to food and I’m here to show you that healthy eating is both delicious and good for your body. Nutrition plays such a large role in how you feel day to day and I am a huge supporter of drastic diet changes when battling various ailments or diseases.
Not to worry though, making healthy food at home does not need to be super complicated. There are plenty of meals than can be made with a handful of ingredients in minimal time.
If that sounds like your cup of tea then I encourage you to sign up for my foodie newsletter, where I send out weekly recipes to help you plan your meals and stay healthy with real food!
My Favorite Recipes
If you want to see a more complete list of my recipes you should head over to my awesome visual recipe index.
But for now I’ve picked out a few favorites to get you going!
Salad: For a salad or simple lunch try this avocado chickepea salad with vegan pesto {gluten-free, vegan}
Dessert: For a healthier dessert or snack make these homemade vegan caramel chocolate turtles {paleo, gluten-free, no added sugar)
Soup: I could eat soup every day of my life and have so many favorite recipes to share: creamy vegan zucchini soup, vegan pumpkin soup, and laksa soup.
Rice: I could live without rice just fine, but if there’s one dish I can’t turn away from it’s this one pot sausage rice.
Pasta: I’m not a huge fan of pasta but I do love a good orzo with salmon, sundried-tomatoes, avocados and feta (this just so happens to also be the first recipe I shared on the blog) and you can never go wrong with a BLT pasta salad either.
Potatoes: I’m all about potatoes and love my roasted potato wedges {gluten-free, vegan}
Chicken: I love my mom’s gluten free roast chicken because she’s got a secret marinade to ensure that chicken never comes out dry!
Pork: When I think pork I think of my mom’s delicious baked pork chops which I grew up eating and frequently requesting.
Beef: I no longer eat beef but back when I did to I loved my Mongolian beef and my flank steak stir fry with crispy chow mein noodles
Fish: I once drove all over town running into multiple stores to see if they had whole Mediterranean sea bass so I could make my all time favorite steamed whole fish – branzini with Asian flavors, but if we’re talking about fish as an appetizer you’ve got to make tuna tartar served on rice crackers.
Seafood: I absolutely love these steamed mussels in asian broth with soup. All in one you’ve got mussels as a starter and then the soup that they cooked in as your main.
View My Top 10 Most Popular Recipes of All Time:
- Baked Pork Chops
- Roasted Cauliflower Soup
- Thai Veggie Quinoa Bowls
- Garlic Naan
- Sweet Potato Chickpea Salad
- 4 Ingredient Artichoke and Garlic Broiled Chicken Thighs
- Raw Vegan Recipe – Collard Wraps
- BLT Summer Rolls
- Panera Broth Bowl
- Caribbean Fish Curry
More About Me
I’m Vicky, lover of chilled white wine, sunflower seeds, popcorn, quinoa and of course anything and everything related to avocados and pesto.
I was born in Russia but then my parents whisked me away to Australia and finally to to the US. I grew up speaking Russian at home and enjoying caviar with crepes and sour cream on Saturday mornings while babbling on in English with my American friends and watching way too much Sex and the City on Saturday nights.
While I was growing up I used to spend a month in Russia every summer, visiting my maternal grandmother and my aunt and cousins. I discovered my love of cooking through my grandmother in all the afternoons we spent together making simple and intricate Russian meals.
Even when I was back in the US we would chat over the phone, exchanging recipe ideas and sharing the meals that we had just prepared. We connected on so many levels but food and cooking really solidified our bond.
Whenever I made something I loved I would instantly think of my grandmother and how I had to share it with her (and all the way across the ocean she was doing the same with me). She died in November 2011 during surgery and I feel like a part of me will be lost forever, but whenever I am in the kitchen I feel like she’s still with me. And now even without her, my love for cooking and recipe creating continues to grow with every year as I get more and more excited about all the endless kitchen possibilities.
In 2012 (two years out of college) my boyfriend D (now husband), and I decided to leave corporate America, quit our jobs and backpack around the world.
One and a half years later we are still going (having explored parts of Europe, Asia and Oceania already) and I am still sharing the things I make in kitchens all over the world. When I’ve got nowhere to cook (when we’re staying in hostels)
I’m taking cooking classes to absorb as much of the local food culture as possible.
You’ll find a large collection of international recipes that I’ve picked up after cooking classes in China, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, France, India, Nepal and Malaysia.
Food is such an important element in bringing people together and I love nothing more than making delicious food for family and friends. So join me on my recipe sharing journey so you can make healthy and tasty meals for yourself and those around you.
STAY IN TOUCH
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