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About Happy Kitchen.Rocks

Welcome to Happy Kitchen.Rocks!

Have you ever spent half your day preparing a new vegetarian dish that you thought sounded both healthy and tasty?

But to your disappointment, when you and your family took the first bite it just tasted… healthy?

Maybe you’ve checked out a vegan or vegetarian recipe and immediately felt overwhelmed by the huge ingredient list, the hours of preparation, and you just gave up.

Or have you been toying with the idea of adding more vegan dishes into your menu but you just KNOW your family isn’t going to be onboard.

Happy Kitchen.Rocks exists so home cooks like you won’t have to waste time or ingredients making a disappointing healthy meal.

I’ve spent hours creating, experimenting, tweaking and testing the over 200 vegetarian, vegan and whole food recipes (as well as the occasional sweet treat) found here that are sure to satisfy you and your family.

Creating whole, seasonal, and delicious vegetarian and vegan dishes shouldn’t be rocket science.

That’s why I’m on a mission here at Happy Kitchen.Rocks to share all my vegan and vegetarian recipe secrets that are delicious, simple, kid friendly, and most importantly, healthy!

Elena the author

About My Blog

I believe that everyone can cook mouth-watering dishes, without years of experience and fancy kitchen equipment. All you need is bit of guidance, as well as inspiration and enthusiasm.

That’s why I launched Happy Kitchen.Rocks in August 2015, as a way to combine my passion for cooking with my love of styling and photography.

My kitchen is a place of adventure, I love to try new things, combine, experiment, and explore.

In this food blog you will see a lot of reinvented classic and well-loved recipes with hints of fusion and multi-cultural flare.

Food has a way of bringing people together, it reminds us of our roots, connects cultures and carries out history. It is an ever-changing constant in life.

And since taste is an experience, I’m passionate about making food appealing not just to the tongue, but also to the eye.

When you spend a little time cooking with me, not only will you discover new, flavor-filled recipes that you and your whole family will enjoy but you’re going to experience the greatest reward a cook can receive: compliments!

What You Will Find Here

Some of the most popular recipes on my blog are in the video below. If you can’t see it, please disable your disable your AdBlock by clicking on the AdBlock button and selecting Don’t run on this page.

 

Here are some of my favorite products that are available in my Amazon Influencer Store.

About Me

I’m a Russian girl, married to a German guy with a Polish last name, whom I met in Indonesia, being a student of the university in Prague… How much more international could it be?

My inter-cultural marriage and expatriate lifestyle has enriched my food experience.

In 2012, I moved from Moscow to Prague to study political science.

Armed with 2 knives, a spoon, a fork, a couple of plates, a pan and a pot, and a shared a kitchen with a dozen of my dormmates, I began my journey of cooking every day.

But the real turning point in my cooking was after I moved to Hamburg to be with my husband (and taste tester). Since then, I’ve never stopped improving and experimenting.

Besides cooking, I love handcrafting and traveling.

I currently live in Frankfurt, Germany with my husband Nico, my children (son Alexander born on Dec. 22, 2016 and daughter Julia, born on Apr. 14, 2020) and two cats, Polly and Ester.

A few fun facts about me are:

I speak Russian, English, French, Czech and a bit of German.

I like board games, Russian classic literature, bicycling, amusement parks, being close to nature, my cats, my children and, of course, my husband.

He is my official recipe tester and the toughest critic. No recipe is published on this blog without his approval.

 

my-husband-and-I

Food Photography Course

Are you interested in diving into food photography?

Do you have your own food blog, or are you a small business owner looking for a way to up your food photography game?

I’m really excited to share with you my brand new online Food Photography Course.

This video-based food photography course suits both beginners and experienced photographers who want to take their food photography to the next level.

The course covers basic food photography principles including camera settings, light, props, composition, styling and so much more.

Press

My work has been featured on these sites:

Logos of the sources that feature Happy Kitchen Rocks food blog

I was honored to speak at the Eat Blog Talk podcast and The Smart Influencer about food photography.

Work With Me

Please check my Work With Me page and my portfolio for details. Feel free to contact me if you’d like to learn more about sponsored posts or other opportunities. Current media kit is available upon request. I look forward to working with you!

Contact Me

If you read my blog, you probably like cooking, so we already have a lot in common. I’d love to be connected with you by email: elena@happykitchen.rocks or via Instagram, FacebookPinterest or Twitter.

Subscribe to my email list to get a free e-book “How To Cook Without a Recipe” and receive a weekly newsletter with my latest recipes, straight to your inbox.

How to cook without a recipe ebook banner collage

I’m always happy to receive feedback from my readers. Drop me a line if you have any questions or just leave a comment in my blog. If you would like to share my content on your website, please be sure to post a link to my blog to credit my work.

If you made my recipe and would like to share it on the web, please mention my blog name @HappyKitchen.Rocks and use the hashtag #HappyKitchen.Rocks, so I can see it, too.

All writing, photographs, and recipe instructions on this blog are copyright HappyKitchen.Rocks. Please do not repost my blog text, full recipes and/or photos on your website or print material.  You are welcome to share one full-sized image on your blog only if it includes a follow link to the blog post for the recipe, and you do not print the recipe or instructions on your blog post. If you would like to request publishing rights, purchase my photography or for any other use, please contact me for permission at elena@happykitchen.rocks.

For advertisement, book/product reviews, sponsored posts or freelance work related to recipe development, photography and styling, write me an email at elena@happykitchen.rocks. Please, take into account that I am based in Frankfurt, Germany at the moment.

Thank you for stopping by!

Love,
Elena

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John Burton

Thursday 18th of November 2021

I would like to say that I was thrilled to find authentic Russian family recipes. I studied Russian language and culture for several years, taught by Russian nationals. I loved the history, perseverance, and as a chef the food. One thing I learned is the people are not the government. (America is learning that now.) All that aside, I'd love to learn more Eastern European recipes and food practices and would love any book or website recommendations.

Elena Szeliga

Thursday 18th of November 2021

@John Burton, Hi John, thanks for stopping by! I hope you can find some of the traditional Russian recipes on my blog. Make sure to check my grandma's pickled tomatoes and dill pickles, borscht, Russian pancakes, syrniki, vatrushka, sharlotka... Let me know if you have any questions!

Malini Krishnamurthi

Friday 14th of May 2021

I love many of the recipes and enjoyed reading them. I too love to experiment with food and eat vegan style. Awesome site! I plan to try some of your recipes.

Elena Szeliga

Wednesday 26th of May 2021

Hi Malini, thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. I'm so happy you enjoy my recipes!

Nancy

Tuesday 27th of June 2017

I'm so happy to belong to this group! My husband does much of our cooking, so I will help find the recipes for him to use! Love your love story...!

Elena Szeliga

Tuesday 27th of June 2017

You are so lucky, Nancy! :) Thank you for stopping by!

Jolene Kelewae

Tuesday 11th of October 2016

Hi! I was looking at recipes on Pinterest and your Mexican Salad came up. I decided to take a look at what else you have and I love it! I can't wait to try out the salad and some of the soups you have as well.

Elena Szeliga

Tuesday 11th of October 2016

Thank you for stopping by to say hi, Jolene! I hope you will enjoy my recipes!

Donna

Thursday 11th of August 2016

I stumbled upon your blog looking for vegan recipes and I'm browsing around the site. I just wanted to say that I love your international love story. You make a very cute couple!

Elena Szeliga

Friday 12th of August 2016

Thank you for your kind words, Donna! You made my day! Hope you find vegan recipes that you like! ;)

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