Broccoli Salad

Broccoli Salad

I made this for a summer barbecue and it turned out great. It doesn’t make a whole lot so I think I will double it next time. 

Mix together in a large bowl:

5-6 cups chopped broccoli

1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 C crumbled bacon

1/2 C sunflower seeds, shelled and salted

2/3 C craisins

1/3 C red onion, finely diced

Dressing:  Mix well and stir into the salad mixture

3/4 C Mayo

1/4 C sour crea,

1 1/2 TBSP white wine vinegar

3 TBSP sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Refrigerate if not serving immediately. 

PREPARATION

STEP 1

Combine broccoli florets, cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, bacon, sunflower seeds, and onion in a large bowl.

In a separate, small bowl, whisk together mayo, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper until smooth and well-combined.

Pour dressing over broccoli combination and toss or stir well.

Serve. Keep refrigerated if not consuming right away.

Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients
6 large bell peppers
1 cup dry quinoa
15 oz. can black beans
1 can corn 
2 green onions
2/3 cup salsa
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. chili powder
Optional additions: chipotle, tomatoes, cilantro, green chilies, garlic powder, hemp hearts
Toppings of choice: guacamole (yum!), salsa, hot sauce, etc.

Directions
Cook quinoa according to package directions with 2 cups water/broth. (I often use vegetable broth in place of water for more flavor.)
Meanwhile, halve bell peppers and remove stems, seeds and ribs.
Rinse and drain black beans, thaw corn, and slice green onions.
In a large mixing bowl, add cooked quinoa and all other ingredients except bell peppers. Stir to combine, and adjust taste if necessary (salt, more seasonings, nutritional yeast).
Preheat oven to 350.
In a lightly sprayed pan, place pepper halves, and generously stuff them with the quinoa filling. Lightly press down to compact and fill all the crevices.
Cover with tin foil and bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove foil, and bake 10 minutes more.
Serve with any desired toppings.

Jello Pineapple Slices

Pour out liquid from a can of sliced pineapple.

Dissolve a 3 oz. box of any flavor jello in 1 cup boiling water (you could also use the pineapple juice and water to equal 1 cup liquid)

Pour hot Jello water over pineapple rings in the can.

Chill until set.  I would definitely suggest letting it set overnight. I tried taking mine out at about 8 hours and it was still kind of runny. Run hot water on the sides and bottom of can to loosen.  Then cut the bottom of the can and push the mold out or try to squeeze it out of the can. It is a little bit tricky and they don't come out absolutely perfect, but good enough! Cut between pineapple slices and serve.

*Optional:  top a slice with an ice cream scoop of cottage cheese or a dollop of whipped cream.

I think this would be really fun to do at Christmas time and do a red jello and a green jello and then layer them in a pattern on a platter. 

Sesame Noodles

I was looking for an easy Asian side dish to go with my sweet and sour chicken recipe and I ran across this really easy recipe for sesame noodles. I didn't have any sesame oil, but was able to make a substitute by sauteing 1 1/2 teaspoons of sesame seeds in 1/2 teaspoon canola oil until golden brown. It gave me the sesame oil taste, but I did add a bit of vegetable oil to the sauce to make up for the fact that there was very little actual oil in my substitute. I also didn't have green onions so I just used some finely diced red onion and that worked great. Next time I'll probably add some peas but, alas, I was also out of peas. Um....it sounds like someone should probably go shopping! These noodles can be eaten hot or cold, but I prefer them hot. I'm thinking these would actually be a good alternate to put in my kids lunches for school sometimes. They are super easy to make and the kids gobbled them up.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound (16 oz.) linguine or spaghetti 
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (or 1/2 tsp. ground ginger)
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sriracha or hot chili oil
• 1/2 cup thinly-sliced green onions
• optional garnishes: extra thinly-sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds, coarsely-ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions in a large pot of generously salted water.

Meanwhile, in a separate mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, garlic, vinegar, sesame oil, vegetable oil, and sriracha (or hot chili oil). Whisk until combined. When the pasta is ready, drain it. Then immediately toss with the dressing and 1/2 cup green onions until the pasta is evenly coated with the dressing. Serve immediately, topped with extra garnishes if desired.

Vegetable Cheese Chowder

• I made this soup a couple of nights ago and it was really delicious!  Think Broccoli Cheese Soup meets Potato Soup and falls in love and has a baby they name Corn Chowder and they all live together as one big happy family! 
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• Ingredients:
• 5 1/2 Tbsp butter, divided
• 2 cups chopped carrots (about 4)
• 1 cup chopped celery (3 stalks)
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 small)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 1/2 cups peeled and cubed russet potatoes, cut 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch thick (2 large)
• 3 cups chopped broccoli florets (from about 2 heads)
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 can corn
• 6 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk (preferably 1% or 2%)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (8 oz)
• 1/3 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese (1 oz)

In a large pot over medium heat, melt 1 1/2 Tbsp of the butter. Add carrots, celery and onion and saute 3 - 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer. Stir in chicken broth, potatoes and thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium, cover with lid and cook 15 minutes. Stir in broccoli and corn and cook 5 minutes longer or until veggies are tender.

• Meanwhile, melt remaining 4 Tbsp butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook, whisking constantly 1 minute. While whisking vigorously, slowly pour in milk (whisk well until no lumps remain). Cook stirring constantly until mixture begins to gently boil and thicken, stir in heavy cream. Remove from heat and once all veggies are tender pour into the soup and stir. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar and parmesan cheese until melted. Serve hot.

Lebanese Lemon Parsley Bean Salad

Ingredients:

2 cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained, or 3 cups cooked kidney beans

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1½ cups cooked chickpeas

1 can black beans

1 small red onion, diced

2 stalks celery, sliced in half or thirds lengthwise and chopped

1 ripe red tomato, chopped

1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced

3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or mint

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

1 teaspoon salt

Zesty Italian Dressing

Instructions:

1. In a serving bowl, combine the prepared kidney beans, chickpeas, onion, celery, tomato, cucumber, parsley and dill (or mint).
2. Make the lemon dressing: in a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper flakes until emulsified. Pour dressing over the bean and vegetable mixture and toss thoroughly. At this point I wanted a bit more flavor so I added a few generous squirts of Zesty Italian Dressing. Serve immediately for the most flavor, or let it marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for a couple of hours or longer. 

This is a great salad to take to a potluck or picnic because there's no mayo or cool whip to have sitting out on the table or in the sun.  And it tastes really good, nothing like the waxy bean salads you can buy in the store!

Pasta Salad

My son, Zac, age 9, is a pasta fanatic. Whenever I ask what we should have for dinner he ALWAYS asks for pasta. He doesn't care if it's spaghetti, or baked ziti, or stuffed manicotti as long as it's pasta! So for his part in our dinner it seemed appropriate that he should draw the Pasta Salad. Now, granted, this isn't exactly a "new" recipe, per our criteria in the previous post about our family potluck dinner experience, but it has been a really long time since I'd made it, so I decided it would count. There's not really a set recipe for this one. Just cook the pasta you want, add any vegetables, cheese, pre-cooked/cured meats (salami, pepperoni, ham etc.) Liberally coat with Italian dressing and salt and pepper to taste. We used the ingredients listed below, but you could alter it to what you like.

Ingredients:

1 16oz pkg. rotini or bowtie pasta
1 carrot, diced
5 green onions, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 tomatoes, diced
broccoli, chopped
1 can olives, sliced
1 can corn
1 cucumber, diced
cheese, cubed
Italian dressing
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese (optional)*

Cook pasta in salted water. Rinse with cold water to cool. Stir in vegetables, olives, and parmesan cheese. Add Italian dressing and salt and pepper to taste.

*I don't like the parmesan cheese in this salad. I think it makes it tastes "gritty." 

Mexican Fried Rice

 

 

Ingredients

2 cups long grain white rice (I used basmati rice)

4 cups vegetable stock or any stock of your choice

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 cup chopped colored bell peppers

1/2 cup sweet corn kernels

1 can stewed tomatoes (diced is best, but you can chop up larger tomato pieces)

1 can black beans *

1 can diced green chillies

1 Tbsp. taco seasoning

1 tsp red chill powder, Optional

Salt to taste

1/3 cup canola oil

 

* My picture doesn't show the black beans but I do like them. When I made this batch we were having friends over for dinner who don't like beans so I left them out. 

 

**I like it a little spicier so I do add a can of Rotel. 

 

Directions:
Rinse the rice really well. This is important so the rice doesn't clump. Then cook the rice in the 4 cups of broth. I use my rice cooker, but you could do it on the stove if you have mad rice cooking skills (I don't....hence the assistance of Cuisinart!) It's best if you do the rice ahead of time because it needs to be cold before you add it to the rest of the ingredients. I usually refrigerate it overnight. Warm rice will clump.

Then add the oil to a frying pan and saute the garlic, onion, and peppers. Add the tomatoes (if they aren't diced you'll want to chop them up a bit) and the corn, chilies, and black beans. Then add the salt and spices and fry for a bit, stirring occasionally.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I'd been looking for a broccoli cheese soup that didn't involve the ingredient "cheese food"... a.k.a Velveeta. It's more difficult than you might think! I finally found this recipe from the Six Sisters website and it uses actual, REAL cheese, from real cows! YAY! Initially I was a little skeptical about the nutmeg but it does turn out tasting great. I didn't change anything with this recipe except for I doubled it (the amounts listed below are for the doubled version) for my family of 6 which was a good call on my part. There were some leftovers but not much. 

Ingredients

8 TB butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 cups half and half
2 cups milk**
6 cups chicken stock or broth
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
6-8 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)
2 large carrot, diced
5 cups grated sharp white and/or yellow cheddar cheese plus more for garnish

Directions

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half and milk until smooth. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20minutes.

Add the broccoli florets and carrot to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.
 Discard the bay leaves.

Add the cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted.

**Use all milk or all half and half depending on how rich and creamy you want it.  Just be careful if you use all low fat milk that the mixture doesn’t curdle.  The lower the fat content is the easier it is to curdle.

Cucumber Salad

One of my neighbors gave me a bag of cucumbers this week so I decided to make this cucumber salad recipe that I'd seen on Pinterest.  I did it as the recipe called for but I have altered it a bit because I thought the vinegar was too strong.  This is my altered version.  I really liked it.  It's very crisp and "summery."  Though, admittedly, not for everyone.  It does have A LOT of flavor!

4 thinly sliced cucumbers
1 large  sliced red onion
1 large  sliced green bell  pepper (or color of your choice)
1 Tbsp salt
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tsp celery flakes
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp. minced garlic 

In a bowl place cucumbers, onion, peppers, salt, celery flakes, red pepper flakes and gently stir.  

Bring to a boil the vinegar,water,and garlic .  Then add two large handfuls of ice.

Pack vegetable mixture tightly into 2 quart jars (or 4 pints). Pour slightly cooled liquid mixture into the jars until they are full.  Keep in the refrigerator for up to two months.

Original recipe from Pinterest can be found Here.

Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes(or Pam)
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound penne pasta
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally*  
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
6 garlic cloves, finely minced
6 cups whole milk (I use 2% and it works great too)
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
One can stewed, diced tomatoes (I used the ones with basil and oregano)
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 1/2 cups shredded provolone (6 ounces)
1cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 6 ounces)
Optional:  Add any vegetables you like.  I put in a pkg of frozen spinach and 1 can of corn.  

1. Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. If you’re going to freeze one, use a disposable foil pan.  In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente (it cooks a bit more in the oven so you don't want to get it too soft or it will be mushy); drain pasta and set aside.
2. While pasta is boiling, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook through, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.  While chicken pan is still hot, toss the mushrooms in and saute until golden brown (3-4 minutes).  Use a little extra olive oil if needed.
3. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking constantly, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer.  Keep whisking frequently as sauce thickens, about 1 minute more. Add mushrooms and tomatoes (and any veggies you're using); cook 1 minute. Take the pan off the heat and and gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
4. Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with oregano, Italian seasoning, garlic salt and pepper to taste. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes. 
5. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Freezer instructions:
To freeze, prepare through step 4 and then let pasta cool.  Cover pan well with plastic wrap.  Place extra cheese in baggie (for topping) on top and then cover entire pan well with foil.  Freeze for up to 3 months.  To bake, preheat oven to 400.  Remove foil and plastic from pan and set cheese baggie aside.  Place foil back on pan and bake for about 1 1/2 hours.  Remove foil, stir pasta, and top with cheese.  Return pan to oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until mixture is hot and bubbly throughout.

 *For a vegetarian option you can easily leave out the chicken and add more vegetables.  That's how I did it.

Chicken Spaghetti

This is a really easy meal that  I always have the ingredients for and the kids all love it.  Plus, it makes a very full 9X13 size pan with plenty of leftovers.  I tend to make it if I know the next day is going to be too hectic to find time to make a good dinner. (i.e. soccer season starts tomorrow!)

Ingredients:
8 ounces angel hair pasta

2 cups chopped, grilled chicken*
1 can cream of mushroom soup 
1 cancream of chicken soup
1 can (10 ounces) Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained (I use mild and this dish still has a little 'kick' to it!)
8 ounces sour cream

Garlic salt to taste (at least 1/2 tsp.) 

1-2 cups of vegetables (either canned or frozen)

1 cup cheddar or Mexican-blend cheese

Bacon bits - optional, (but they do give it a nice flavor!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil pasta as package directs and drain. Mix all other ingredients (except cheese), add to cooked pasta and put in a 9" x 13" baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with your choice of cheese and return to oven to melt.

*Most of the time I actually leave out the chicken and make this a meatless meal (uhh.....unless you count the bacon bits!) It tastes great without the chicken, though then you can't really call it "chicken" spaghetti, can you?!

Lasagna

1 pkg. lasagna noodles
Ricotta cheese (at least 15 oz.  I usually use more than that)
2 cups mozzerella cheese, shredded
1 lb. hamburger*
1/2 medium onion, minced
1 clove minced garlic
1 26 oz jar pasta sauce
2 small cans tomato sauce
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. onion salt
Salt and Pepper to taste

1) Start a large pot of water to boil.  Can add a bit of salt.  Once boiling add the noodles and boil until al dente.  

2) Meanwhile, brown hamburger with minced onion and garlic.  Drain off any excess oil.  Return meat to pan and add pasta sauce, tomato sauce, and all the seasonings.  Test your flavor as you go.  You don't want to get it too salty. Simmer for about 20 minutes. 

3)Spray a 9 X 13 pan.  Layer noodles, then ricotta, then pasta sauce mixture, then mozzerella cheese.  Do three layers.

4) Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. 

*This can, of course, easily be a vegetarian meal.  Just leave out the meat and add layers of spinach leaves, fresh or frozen (if you use frozen be sure it is completely thawed and squeeze out any excess water.)

Roasted Cabbage

I got 2 large cabbages in my Bountiful Basket and I really don't cook a lot with cabbage.  So I went looking for a new recipe to try.  This was so easy and turned out really good.  Just slice your cabbage into about 1/2 inch thick round sections.  Spray a jelly roll pan and place the cabbage on the pan.  Then either drizzle olive oil on the cabbage rounds or put a dab or two of butter on each round.  Then sprinkle your favorite seasoning salt, or garlic salt, and ground pepper on top. (I actually did a no-salt seasoning mix on mine which is why there looks like a lot.  You probably wouldn't want to put it that thick if your seasoning contains a lot of salt)

Bake at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes until slightly browned and tender crisp. 

Egg Muffins

Lately I've been trying to do better at making my kids breakfast.  I tend to feel kind of guilty when I  slap a bowl of Lucky Charms in front of them for the 5th (or 7th, or 10th) day in a row!  These egg muffins are super easy and if you cook them the night before you can pop them in the microwave for about thirty seconds the next morning and you have a quick, easy and delicious (well, if you like eggs...which I don't.  But everyone else in the family does so I keep making them!) breakfast.

Directions:  Whip together 12 eggs.  Add any ingredient you like to put in an omelet.  Mine had 4 green onions, shredded cheese, diced ham, and 1/3 cup of fresh salsa I had left over from dinner, and salt and pepper.  Then pour the mixture into a well sprayed muffin pan.  You can fill the cups almost to the top but then put a jelly roll pan underneath to catch any spills.  Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned and set. If you make them the night before then let them cool for about twenty minutes and then refrigerate. 

Parmesan Roasted Vegetables

 This is a very easy and a tasty way to eat your squash.  Even my pickiest eater begged for more.  And my husband, who seems to have squashaphobia, ate a big plate full and loved it.

• Zucchini and Summer Squash (I used 3 small squash of each variety to fill the whole jelly roll pan)
• Garlic powder
• Pepper
• Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Chop your squash into large, chunky slices about 1/2 inch thick.
3. Spray a cookie sheet with a light coat of olive oil.
4. Line up your squash slices. Don’t worry about leaving any space between them.
5. Spray a light coat of olive oil over the top of the squash.
6. Sprinkle garlic salt, pepper and then parmesan cheese on the squash slices.
7. Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until they have a very light golden hue to them, and you can easily push a fork through them.

Broccoli Quinoa Casserole

One 10 oz can condensed Cream of Broccoli soup (or mushroom)

1/3 cup reduced fat mayonnaise 

2 tablespoons milk

1 1/4 cups reduced fat shredded cheese (cheddar, colby-jack, etc)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Dash nutmeg

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2 cups cooked broccoli

1 1/2 cups  COOKED quinoa (see note)

Parmesan cheese

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To cook quinoa:

3/4 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon salt

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Rinse quinoa in a fine sieve until water runs clear.  In a small saucepan combine the quinoa, water, and salt.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to low and cover.  Cook for 18-20 minutes, or until fluffy and the white ring/tail is visible.  Fluff with a fork.  I just put the quinoa in my rice cooker and cook it just like I would do rice. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a shallow (8×8 in or 5-6 cups) casserole dish – or individual ramekins – with vegetable cooking spray. *

In a large bowl combine the soup, mayonnaise, milk, shredded cheese, pepper, and nutmeg until well mixed. Stir in the quinoa and broccoli.

Spoon mixture into prepared casserole.  Sprinkle on a couple tablespoons of Parmesan and bake for 35-40 minutes (20-25 minutes for ramekins) or until bubbly on the edges and golden.  Makes 8 generous 1/2-cup servings.

*I doubled the recipe for my family of 6 and baked it in a a 9 X 13 pan.  Everyone liked it so much that there wasn't very much left over!

Honey Glazed Carrots

These were really good and my husband thought they were dripping in butter.....but they weren't!  They do have some oil but not a whole lot.

Mix Together:

2 Tbs. orange juice
2 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Cut 1 lb. of carrots into thin strips and then toss will the liquid mixture until coated.  Place as a single layer on a foil covered large jelly roll pan.  Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes or until they are tender.

Cantaloupe Craze

This morning I tried juicing cantaloupe for the first time.  I was hoping it would be pretty darn good because it is not cantaloupe season and I searched high and low to find a decent looking cantaloupe.  I liked it, but it does have a pretty strong cantaloupe flavor so if you don't love cantaloupe you may want to use less cantaloupe and throw in an apple or orange instead.  I've pretty much come to the conclusion that almost anything will taste fine if you add an apple. 

1/2 medium cantaloupe
5 medium carrots
3 stalks of celery

Calories = ~ 236

Sweet Potato Heaven

I'm not sure I would have considered using sweet potatoes in my juicer all on my own.  However, I had seen a recipe that called for it, but when I wanted to use my sweet potatoes I could no longer find the same recipe. So I just made this one up.  I really liked it.  It was really smooth and actually sweeter than I thought it would be. 

1 sweet potato (about 5 inches long)
4 medium carrots
3 stalks of celery
1 apple

Makes about 24 ounces
Calories = ~ 284