Celery Root Coleslaw and Veggie Rice

When it comes to side dishes I am very picky. I am not a fan of just serving everything with fried or mashed potatoes. When I serve a protein based dish I feel like I need to have two side dishes to accompany that: one salad and one starch. 

My favourite starch-based side dish is rice. But this is a more yummy and a colourful rice because it has carrots and peas in it. When I was a kid I also used to eat this as a meal with some yoghurt on the side. We Turkish people love to eat food with yoghurt, because our yoghurt is a little bit different than the yoghurt you eat for breakfast. It is similar to the Greek yoghurt but not exactly the same. So you can use Greek yoghurt for our fake coleslaw recipe. 

When I was a kid my mother used to cook the celery root with potatoes and tried to show the dish as a boiled potato dish. But I was smart enough to understand that there were not only boiled potatoes. And to be honest, I hated the feeling of having a bite thinking that it is potato but tasting something completely different. But as I grew up I got used to the bitter taste of the celery root and it is one of my favourite dishes as a salad, I still don't like the version with potatoes because of the bad memories. But the salad version is actually super healthy and delicious. 

So, here is the recipe for two of my favourite side dishes: veggie rice and celery root coleslaw. You can serve these with steak, chicken or with anything that you think will go great with. 

Eggplant Parmesan

When I think of summer I think of the warm sunshine, the clear sea and new friendships. Italian cuisine seems to be my new best friend. Maybe because the cuisine is similar to ours or maybe because I just enjoy cooking and eating Italian dishes. I just like everything that is Mediterranean and fresh during summer. I have been cooking risottos, pastas and many others but Eggplant Parmesan seems to be one of my favorites so far. It is also a great vegetarian recipe that both carnivores and your vegetarian friends will enjoy. 

I will be going to Çanakkale which is in the region of Turkey close to the Mediterranean. It is actually in the Aegean region, where lots and lots of vegetables and olive oil is consumed. Çanakkale is where our summer house is and where my grandparent are spending their summer. When I visit there we will probably have some barbecues as a family tradition. But what I am looking forward the most is learning new family recipes from my grandmother. She is the best cook I know. I mean this lady can cook everything delicious. And she has tiny handy secrets when things go wrong in the kitchen. So I will be sharing my "cooking vacation experiences" when I go there. I think it is also the time for you to get to know "mantı" which is my favourite dish in this planet. Not because I have been to other planets but because it is soooo delicious. More details on that later. 

So, if we come to Eggplant Parmesan, You know that I absolutely love eggplant, in every form. And one day I saw this  dish on the menu of an Italian restaurant. However it wasn't like I expected. The eggplants were dry and cold plus the tomato sauce was very greasy. So I said, why not try this at home. Here is the recipe for a delicious Eggplant Parmesan: