This salad will captivate your guests and leave everyone asking for more—it’s always the first to disappear from the table! With its irresistible taste and quick preparation, you’ll want to try it today. It's a real hit these days when people are fasting and need lean food on the table. Here’s how to make this delightful dish:

Ingredients

• 450 g vegetable mix for Russian salad (potatoes, carrots, peas)
• 350 g lean small macaroni
• 100-150 g finely chopped pickles (adjust to your taste)
• 250 g lean mayonnaise
• Salt to taste

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Preparation

1. Cook the Vegetables
   Bring a pot of water to a boil, then add the frozen vegetable mix. Cook for about 8-10 minutes or until the peas are tender. Drain and set aside.

2. Prepare the Macaroni
   Cook the macaroni in a separate pot, following the package instructions. Once done, drain the pasta and let it cool slightly.
   
   Tip: I cooked the vegetable mix together with the pasta.

3. Combine Ingredients
   In a large bowl, mix the cooked vegetables and pasta. Let the mixture cool completely.

4. Add Pickles
   Finely chop the pickles, then gently squeeze out any excess juice. Add them to the vegetable and pasta mixture, and stir to combine.

5. Finish with Mayonnaise
   Stir in the lean mayonnaise and season the salad with salt to taste. Mix well until everything is evenly coated.

Serve chilled or at room temperature, and enjoy! 

Healthy, vegan, a new hit and a hit on the Slava tables! This salad is the new favorite, especially now, during Lent.

Anyone who doesn’t know the recipe and doesn’t know what it’s made of will claim that it has yellow cheese in it, and not only is there no yellow cheese, nor cheese, and not only is this salad lean, but it’s also ON WATER!

All those who fast for religious reasons will understand the enthusiasm for this recipe. It’s also ideal for a lean Slava table. Here's what you need:

Ingredients:

• 200 g roasted peppers
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 100 g roasted peanuts (marinated in salt)
• 100 g marinated mushrooms
• 2+1 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 250 g soy yogurt (solid soy yogurt with the consistency of sour cream)

Preparation:

1. You can use autumn roasted peppers that you have stored in the freezer, peeled, cleaned of stems and seeds and squeezed of the juice they have released. You need 200 g of cleaned, roasted peppers. Cut them into small cubes.
2. Drain the mushrooms from the marinade (they are full of juices, so squeeze them to get rid of the excess), chop them finely and add them to the peppers. Season with salt and lemon juice.
3. Then add the ground peanuts that are marinated/roasted only in salt, not fried in oil, 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds (in a dry pan until fragrant).
4. Finally, add the soy yogurt that has no added oil. This salad is very healthy and does not contain fat or mayonnaise and does not need to add other ingredients, because it is very tasty on its own.
5. Optionally, everyone can add a little mustard if they like that taste. Mix the salad well and pour it into a serving bowl. Sprinkle a tablespoon of sesame seeds on top.
6. The salad can be served immediately. It is stored well closed in the refrigerator, it preserves its fresh taste for up to 3-4 days. 

I invented this recipe myself and definitely for a long time now, I have replaced the regular taratur with this version, which is much richer and, at least for me, much tastier and with a firmer structure. The preparation is simple and this taratur can replace a cream salad and you can also prepare it for more solemn occasions. I even used it in sandwiches as a spread with some ham in between.

Traditionally, taratur is made with sour cream or sour milk, cucumber and garlic.

Ingredients:

• 400 g of sour cream (20% fat)
• 300 g of ricotta
• salt as needed
• 2 cucumbers peeled and cut into small cubes
• 50 g toasted sesame
• garlic if desired (I added only 1 clove of crushed garlic for touch)

Preparation:

1. While you chop the cucumbers, toast the sesame seeds on medium heat in a regular pancake pan. Stir occasionally and when sesame seeds change color, set it aside to cool.
2. Mix the sour cream with the ricotta, add the cucumbers, if the ricotta is not salty, add a little salt. Finally, add the cooled toasted sesame seeds and mix well.
3. Your salad is done and ready to eat. It can be further cooled before consumption.
4. Goes excellent with rakija - tried!

Cheers.

This is a great way to serve fruits. Colorful, good looking, tasty, you can serve these fruit sticks on parties and cocktails. To prevent fruits from darkening, add lemon juice. It's the best to enjoy the fruits right after preparation, right? 

Preparation is easy. For 4 sticks you'll need:

• 1 piece of melon
• 1 piece of watermelon
• 1 banana
• 1 peach
• about 16 grapes
• 4 sticks

1. Cut melon, watermelon and peach in cubes.
2. Slice the banana.
3. Arrange fruits on sticks in your desired order.
4. Serve immediately. 
5. Believe it or not, I combined them with piece of white cheese. Goes excellent, especially with the watermelon and the grapes.

A very tasty recipe and after I made it and tried it, I realized that it is one of the most useful ways to use bread to create something that is delicious and resembling on the table and in front of guests. I used the first third of the bread in the morning to make the filled boats, I will have that recipe announced later, and the rest 2/3 of the baguette to fill with some kind of cocktail salad (something like French salad) and after cutting, they look a like salty rolls both in taste and appearance. I warmly recommend this recipe to everyone.

 

Ingredients:

•  1 fresh baguette French bread 
• 400 g ricotta cheese or some creamy cheese
• 100 g finely chopped in cubes ham
• 100 g finely chopped in cubes cheese
• 2 larger boiled carrots finely chopped in cubes 
• 2 pickles  finely chopped in cubes 
• 2 tbs mayonnaise
• yogurt for pouring over the middle of the bread as needed  

Preparation:

1. The baguette is cut into 3 parts. I used 2 parts, and you can use all 3, depends on the bread length, mine was 50-60 cm long.
2. The middle of the bread is removed using a knife, or if you have a thinner fingers, by hand.
3. The middle of the bread is sprinkled with yogurt to get wet. Let it soak.
   
4. Mix chopped pickles, carrots, salami, cheese, add the ricotta and mayonnaise and softened bread and mix nicely.
   
5. After I filled up one baguette, I placed 2 tablespoons of ajvar in the rest of the filliong and filled the other baguette with that filling.
   
6. After you fill the baguettes, wrap them well in a nylon foil and place them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to harden nicely so that they be cut in slices without any problem.
7. You can customize the filling according to your taste.
   

If guests come and you don't have much time to prepare food, these salads are a really great choice in which everyone will enjoy.

They are prepared very quickly and easily,  very tasty and are an excellent addition to kifli and other pastries, as well as rakija or mastika.


For tiro salad

Ingredients:

• 250 g of feta cheese
• 400 g of sour cream
• 5-6 small hot peppers (relish or fresh)
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dry parsley
• salt

Preparation:
Spread the cheese with a fork, add finely chopped hot peppers, sour cream, oregano and dry parsley and mix well.


For Sesame Salad

Ingredients:

• 250 g of ricotta cheese
• 3-4 tablespoons of sour cream
• 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
• 100 g roasted sesame seeds

Preparation:

Roast the sesame seeds on a pan without oil. It will get a wonderful aroma.
Mix the ricotta cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise and add the sesame seeds and mix well.

I first tried this salad when visiting friends. My friend gave me the recipe after I ate it whole from the table :) She said they call it Indian salad. Why-I don't know. Nevertheless the name, it's a beautiful cocktail salad, especially when u have guests. They'll be impressed, I guarantee!



Ingredients:

• 200 g of mayonnaise
• 500 g of boiled and chopped chicken meat
• 200 g of sour cream
• 100 g of peanuts
• 100 g sunflower seeds
• salt, pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 1 tablespoon curry in powder
• 3-4 pickles 

Preparation:

1. Boil the chicken and let it cool down, then cut it into small pieces. Add crushed peanuts and sunflower and mix. Add the chopped pickles.
2. In another bowl, mix sour cream, mayonnaise, pepper, salt, mustard, and curry. Then mix in all ingredients.
3. Decorate salad as desired.
4. Store in a refrigerator.
   

Excellent variation of the famous taratur with cucumbers, except we add zucchini instead of cucumbers, Yummy! You can also add crushed feta cheese if desired, either ways it's great. Or add half cucumber, half zucchini - I leave that to you.

 Ingredients:

• 1 pack sour cream 500 ml (with more fat)
• 1 zucchini
• 4-5 cloves of garlic
• 50 g of nuts
• oil
• salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Peel zucchini and cut into small cubes, blanch them in salted boiling water shortly and drain them.
2. Put zucchini in a bowl, add crushed garlic, oil and salt to taste.
3. Add the sour cream and mix.
4. Sprinkle crushed nut on top.
5. Combine with rakija :)
   

Delicious spread (pate) from chickpeas seeds (leblebi)! And healthy too! Easy to prepare, it goes excellent with wholewheat bread and lettuce. I bought a little jar from the store several months ago. I paid about 3 dollars for the smallest jar. This one costed about 1 dollar and I got 2 jars! And it tastes even better than from the store!



Ingredients:

• 100 g of leblebi
•  water from the boiling
• 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 3 cloves garlic
• juice of ½ lemon
• vegeta, little pepper, turmeric and red pepper (spices as desired)
• a little salt

Preparation:

1. Put the chickpeas in water to stay overnight.
2. The next day, pour the liquid and put them in new water to boil for 40 minutes until the beans are soften. Keep the water from boiling, you'll need it later for mixing.
3. You can mix the sesame seeds or it can remain whole.
4. After beans are softened, place them in a blender and add about 100 ml of the warm water in which they boiled. Add garlic, sesame seeds, lemon juice and spices and blend. A smooth, thick mixture should be obtained, similar to pâté. Add more water if needed. If the mixture sticks to the walls of the blender, it means that it needs more liquid
5. Keep in the refrigerator in a cool place. I got 2 small jars of this amount. If desired, it can be prepared with oil instead.
   

Another great and healthy recipe, this time a spread from seeds combined with mushrooms. This spread is a great choice if you're in a lent period. Replace pâté you buy from the stores with this tasty homemade veggie pâté.
Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons of sunflower seeds
• 3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1 tsp mustard
• 4-5 tablespoons finely chopped mushrooms (marinated or fresh)
• salt, black pepper, spices to taste

Preparation:

1. Roast seeds separately in a frying pan. Roast until they start changing color.
2. Then, merge and grind all together in a blender.
3. Gradually add water to obtain a mixture with density of a pâté. 
4. Then add mushrooms. If mushrooms are fresh, put them in a frying pan to fry until they release water, when they release water, leave them to cook for 2-3 minutes to soften. Then add mushrooms and other ingredients and mix until you combine all the ingredients.

Tahini, or sesame seed paste, is a staple of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking. It's perhaps most notable for its essential role in making hummus, although its uses go far beyond that iconic dip.

Tahini is pretty much used for preparing spreads when you're fasting. It's very healthy and you can even prepare it at home. Combining tahini with our Bukovska pepper, garlic, nuts and tomato sauce gives this beautiful spread which is also very healthy and a great choice for your fasting period.




Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons Bukovska pepper
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 250 g of crushed nuts (hazelnuts or walnuts)
• salt and black pepper to taste and other spices as desired
• hot oil or hot water (depends whether you're fasting with water or oil)

Preparation:

1. Clean garlic and smash it well. Then add the Bukovska pepper and mix.
2. Pour hot oil or hot water and mix.
3. Then add tahini, tomato sauce, nuts and salt ant pepper.
4. If it is very thick, add more hot oil or water to get the desired density.

One of the easiest salads to prepare when you're suddenly announced that you'll have guests. It's delicious and everyone who has tried it is asking about recipe and when I tell them how easy is to make it, they won't believe it. I suggest you use smaller macaroni or other pasta in a smaller form, it looks better though the taste is the same.


Ingredients:

• 250 g of macaroni
• 250 g of pickles
• 250 g of ham salami
• 2-3 tablespoons of sour cream
• 2-3 tablespoons of mayonnaise

 Preparation:

1. Boil macaroni as usual.
2. In a meantime, cut in cubes salami and pickles.
3. Drain and cool macaroni.
4. Then put macaroni in a larger bowl and add chopped salami and pickles and mix.
5. Add sour cream and mayonnaise and gently stir. If necessary add more mayonnaise.
6. Optionally, you can add boiled eggs or cheese for richer taste.

I love this sauce in combination with breaded chicken steak or breaded cheese, that's my perfect combination and that's the only way I use it. Let's see how you can prepare tartar sauce at home.



Ingredients:

•      3 pickles
•      5-6 cloves garlic
•      1 cup sour cream
•      1 tbs mustard
•      150-200 g mayonnaise
•      some parsley

  Preparation:

1. Grate pickles on the smallest holes on your grater. Drain well the juice.
2. Grate garlic. Mix with the grated pickles.
3. Add sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard and chopped parsley.
4. Mix everything and refrigerate until serving.

Enjoy!

This is a salad that I invented myself. Since I always have too many eggs for Easter, I had to be creative and find a way to spend all those eggs somehow. This is perfect salad, it can also serve as a light lunch. I prepare it many times for my friends in the evening, they're all thrilled with this salad. It goes well with wine too.

For all those who love garlic (like me), this is the real thing, you'll enjoy the taste and plus it will defend your body against cold and flu. Makalo goes well with barbecue and with everything else. The only drawback is that you'll eat a lot of bread :).

Garlic sauce (makalo)

Ingredients:

• 1 head garlic
• salt as needed
• 5 tablespoons oil or more
• 3 tablespoons vinegar
• 400 ml of lukewarm water
• 2-3 small hot peppers
• some milk or yogurt
• optionally parsley

Preparation:

1. Clean garlic and wash.
2. Put it in a wooden bowl for pureeing garlic or in a blender, but it is much better in a wooden bowl, it gets a special taste.
   
3. Add salt. Mix until you get a smooth mixture as mayonnaise.
4. Add the oil and mix to unify.
5. Gradually add vinegar and mix all.
6. Add the lukewarm water and stir well.
7. Add some milk or yogurt.
8. Add hot peppers and finely chopped parsley.
   

The ingredients can increase or decrease, depending on taste. You can put it in a plastic bottle and refrigerate, it can stand for a long time and still be is as fresh. If you prepare larger quantities, don't add milk or yogurt, add before serving.
Enjoy!

Mustard is very easy to prepare, all you need is only few ingredients. This is the basic recipe for its preparation. The most important is to get grind mustard seeds, or mustard seeds which you'll grind yourself preferably in a machine for grinding coffee.
Ingredients:

• 110 g ground white mustard seeds
• 10 g salt (2 teaspoons)
• 20 g honey or brown sugar (2 tablespoons)
• 60 ml white vinegar
• 80 ml water
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

Preparation:

1. Place ground mustard seeds in a bowl, add the remaining ingredients and mix nicely. Stir the mixture for about 5 minutes. It will be quite liquid in the beginning, but after 10 minutes you will see how the mustard mixture thickens. Leave it in the pot about 2 hours and stir occasionally.
2. Finally, place the prepared mustard in a jar. Cover with lid, but don't close. Mustard needs to stand overnight and ferment. You can then close the jar and store in the refrigerator.
3. Thus prepared mustard needs three weeks to "mature". It's very chill in the beginning and it's taste softens as time goes by.
4. For richer taste you can add garlic, rosemary, curry, ginger, poppy and turn simple plain mustard into a delicacy.

VERY IMPORTANT!
Be careful when grinding mustard seeds, keep machine cool, because by heating mustard (even at 30°) it loses flavor and gets bitter taste.
Once you notice that the machine is even slightly warm, stop grinding, wait 2-3 minutes to cool and then continue. You can split the amount of 110 g into several parts and then grind each part separately. You should get fine ground mixture. If available, buy ground mustard seeds from the store.

This recipe is borrowed from monastery menu for the lenting period. It's a healthy pate cream, oil free and very tasty.

Ingredients:

• 4-5 potatoes
• 250 g crushed walnuts
• 1-2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1-2 tablespoons mustard
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Salt, pepper, finely diced garlic and onion to taste

Preparation:

1. Peel potatoes and boil. Separate water after boiling, but don't discard, you'll need some when mashing potatoes. 
2. Mash potatoes, add nuts and all other ingredients. Mix with mixer and add spices and salt to taste.

Enjoy!

How to make delicious homemade mayonnaise? Lovers of cooking and trying out new recipes will be delighted with this quick and easy recipe. It's time for a real tasty homemade mayonnaise that will be ready "in the blink of an eye."



Ingredients:

•     1 cup (250 ml) sunflower oil
•     pinch of salt
•     2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
•     1 tablespoon mustard
•     2 egg yolks
•     2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preparation:

1. Take two eggs and separate yolks from whites. Put the egg yolks in a bigger stirring bowl. Add two tablespoons of lemon juice. Then add a tablespoon of mustard, two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and a little salt. 
2. Then mix well all the ingredients with a mixer. Reduce the mixer speed and slowly add the oil. Mix and if necessary add a little more lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Mix until the mixture becomes consistent, then cool it in the refrigerator and serve.

Important: Eggs must be fresh for two reasons. First - bacteria and second - egg which is not fresh won't make foam and mayonnaise will fail. Be sure to use eggs which are fresh for sure.

Traditional Macedonian table without a plate of fermented milk? It is not Macedonian table! Especially in mountainous parts where farmers produce fermented milk with consummate taste due to abundant pastures which are rich with thyme, oregano and other aromatic plants.You can also easily prepare it yourself. My grandmother used to prepare fermented milk 2-3 times a week, I don't remember she ever bought one. With fresh whole milk and a little effort, your home can enjoy this extremely healthy food.



Ingredients:

• 2 liters of whole milk (raw is the best milk)
• 200 ml fermented milk (later always leave this amount for "maya")

* Maya is a starter culture.

Preparation:

1. Boil the milk.
2. Cool the milk stirring occasionally with wire to avoid forming curd, which later during mixing would turn into lumps. Cool milk until it becomes lukewarm, not hot.
3. Sour milk (for maya) should be cold from the refrigerator. Mix it well with a wire.
4. Warm the pot/dish where you will prepare the fermented milk by placing it under running hot water.
5. Pour the warm milk in the warm container. Add the sour milk. Stir vigorously with a wire until nicely smooth. Place the pot in a warm place to stand overnight. My grandma used to cover it well with a blanket.
6. Place the dish in the fridge to cool for four to five hours. Cooling is very important, because if it isn't cooled, the water will split.

Serving
When serving, don't "dig" with the spoon, but finely capture the surface. You can mix it well and get yogurt. With the addition of fruits mixed in a blender, you can get a healthy fruit yogurt. Do not forget to save "maya" for the next fermented milk, thus you'll get more beautiful and better-tasting product over time.

Garlic, garlic and garlic only! I think I fall in trance or other state of mind when I eat this god given food! I've been searching for the perfect recipe for a long time. The thing is I sometimes want it rare and sometimes I want it thick. So there's no perfect recipe, it's how you feel at that very moment. Whatever its aggregate state is, I just love it. I like the way it lowers my blood  pressure to a state where I feel comfortably numb :) I have a tip for you, if you like makalo, find a partner who likes it as well :)
Let's start with this thick makalo.

Ingredients:

•  clove garlic
•  vinegar
•  butter (oil)
•  salt

Preparation:

1.  Take whole clove of garlic. Place in a blender with a little vinegar. Blend until you get a uniform mixture.
2. Melt butter on the side, about 100 g. Add a little salt and blend constantly while you add the melted butter. For a cheaper alternative  add oil instead of butter. The secret is, drop by drop. Just as making mayonnaise to get one fine volume and density.
3. Eat it with people who like garlic just as you do. Combine it with every food you can think of.