The Taste of Eastern Europe

This is the time of year when Dave and I usually start packing our bags to head off on European adventures, but other shenanigans are afoot this year. Hello, cartooning and skiing!

The lovely gift of cooking is that I can enjoy the taste of a culture anytime, without the hassle of the trans-Atlantic flight and pesky border controls.

Here are some of my favorite recipes, inspired by our travels in the Czech Republic and the Balkans. Bon voyage and bon appétit!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERACzech Meatballs from Well Fed

paleo-pork-stewVampire-Fighting Pork Stew

mustard_garlic_brussels_sproutsMustard-Garlic Brussels Sprouts from Well Fed 2

DSC01283-55-2Czech Garlic Soup

cevapciciĆevapčići

ajvarAjvar

And in case you missed it, read all about my adventures shopping in the grocery store in Prague. This woman did not approve.

ladyinred

Moroccan Salad Platter

In my Paleo Magazine column, I teamed up with Steph Gaudreau to bring you the story of a traditional recipe and adapted it to fit...

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Oven-Fried Potato Latkes (Paleo)

In each issue of Paleo Magazine, I team up with Steph Gaudreau to bring you the story of a traditional recipe and adapt it to fit into a...

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Comments

  • Rochelle says:

    My husband was born in Czech Republic just outside of Prague. Much of his family still lives there, and we would go to visit quite often (until our twins were born). When I told him I was making your recipe for Czech Meatballs last night, he grimaced not believing that there could be such a thing other than cevapcici. He LOVED them and so did I! We hope to make it back to Prague sometime soon… Hope you do too.

  • Anita says:

    I just want to thank you so much! I stumbled upon your site while looking up some paleo recipes thinking how in the world am I really going to follow through with this? Thank you for so many wonderful recipes!

  • Kim says:

    I am new to your world and love it! I want to thank you so much for opening my eyes and rescuing me from the calorie counting and food recording nightmare I’ve been living for so long. I am happy now and feel more confident than I have in years. I made these meatballs on Sunday and my son and husband devoured the majority in less than one hour. I am a huge fan of yours!

    • Mel says:

      Congratulations on kissing calorie counting goodbye! I always say that eating paleo makes me feel peaceful; glad you’re feeling that, too! Happy cooking to you.

  • Michaela says:

    Hi Mel! I live in Czech all my life and I started my paleo journey two months ago and didn’t realize our čevapčiči or garlic soup could be perfect paleo meals! Thanks for inspiration! 😉

    • Congratulations on joining the paleo club! We just signed an agreement to have our cookbook Well Fed translated into Czech — should be out around Christmas time. So exciting! And yes, homemade čevapčiči are perfect paleo food!

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