Recipes
Roasted Broccoli and Potatoes There are many takes on this basic recipe. You can gussy it up with a milk/cheese gratin with a breaded parm topping. You can skip all of that altogether. Or you can go partway by roasting the veggies and then topping with bread crumb/parm or just parm as I have offered up here.
1 medium head broccoli or bunch broccoli crowns
3 small potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 400° F. Clean the broccoli. Remove the tough stem ends and cut the remainder into medium florets and small stem pieces. Place broccoli and potatoes in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Add the next 4 ingredients and toss or stir to combine. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until the vegetables are tender, about 1 hour. (If you prefer crispier broccoli, check it after 45 minutes.) Remove the foil and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Return to oven just until the cheese melts slightly. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.
Cucumber Salad
Here's a great cucumber salad recipe.
1 large cucumber
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
Dash of garlic powder
1/2 cup water
Sweet paprika
Black pepper
Peel the cucumbers and slice them very thin. Sprinkle with salt and let stand for 30-60 minutes with a plate and a 5-pound weight on top. Squeeze out the water on a paper towel.
Combine the sugar, vinegar, garlic powder, and water. Add the cucumbers and marinate for a few hours. To serve, sprinkle paprika on half of the salad and black pepper on the other half.
Caprese Pasta Salad
This recipe comes from one of my favorite blogs, Annie Eats. It's a great twist on a summer favorite. I'd also throw in some chopped cucumber and black olives.
1/2 lb. pasta shapes, such as shells, bow ties, etc.
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella, cubed
4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain well. Rinse with cold water. Drain again. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, combine the olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes over medium-low heat. Warm the oil slowly and let infuse with the garlic and chile flavors, about 5-10 minutes. Do not let the garlic burn. Set aside to cool slightly.
Add the pasta to a large bowl. Toss with the olive oil mixture, balsamic vinegar, tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil until evenly combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Napa Cabbage Salad with Buttermilk Dressing
Feel free to spruce this salad up with more veggies such as grated carrots or cucumber.
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1/2 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
1 pound Napa cabbage, cored and thinly sliced crosswise (4 cups)
6 radishes, diced
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced diagonally
Whisk together buttermilk, mayonnaise, vinegar, shallot, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl until sugar has dissolved, then whisk in chives.
Toss cabbage, radishes, and celery with dressing.
Sweet and Sour Pac Choi This is a great recipe - the greens are a little tangy and the sauce is sweet. Serves 4.
2 tbsp oil
1 onion, cut in slivers
pac choi, left whole, bigger ones cut in half the long way
2 tbsp maple sugar
2 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
Combine sugar, vinegar, soy sauce in a small bowl. Set aside. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok or large skillet. Stir fry the onions until browning, remove to a bowl. Add remaining tbsp oil, stir fry the pac choi in a couple batches until they have a few browned spots, the green tops wilt and the stems are crisp tender. Add the onions back into the wok with all the greens and stir in the sauce. Cook another 30 seconds. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes if you like.
Veggie Bean Burgers
You can pre-bake these burgers and just re-heat on the grill with the rest of your dinner.
3-4 cups cooked black beans (drained)
2 carrots, grated
1/2 cup dry rolled oats
1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine the oats and pepitas in a food processor and grind until coarsely chopped (they will still be a little chunky). Let it run for roughly 10 seconds. Grate the carrots, and then add to your mixture in the food processor. Add 3/4 of the beans, all spices, and the olive oil. Once all of this is in the food processor, give it a whir and mix it all together.
Spoon mixture into a mixing bowl and then fold in the rest of the whole, reserved beans. Wet your hands and then form into 6 medium sized patties. Place patties on a non-stick baking sheet or into a baking pan, and bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes, turning once in the middle. If you want to grill these, pre-bake them for 30 minutes at 300, and then throw them on the grill to reheat and get a little extra browning.
Huevos Rancheros Tacos
What could be better than huevos rancheros folded into a taco? This is more of a knife and fork taco. From Cooking Light, May 2013.
4 6-inch corn tortillas
Cooking spray
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup cooked black beans
2 tsp olive oil
4 eggs
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup pico de gallo or salsa
2 tbsp Mexican crema
1/2 ripe peeled avocado, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro
4 lime wedges
Preheat broiler to high. Arange tortillas on a baking sheet; lightly coat with cooking spray. Broil 2 minutes; remove pan from oven. Turn tortillas over and top each with 2 tbsp cheese and 2 tbsp beans. Broil 1 minute or until cheese melts. Remove from oven.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Crack eggs into pan and cook for 2 minutes. Cover and cook 2 more minutes or until whites are set. Place 1 egg in center of each tortilla and sprinkle with pepper. Top tacos evenly with pico de gallo, crema, avocado, and cilantro. Serve with lime.
Broccoli Salad
There's nothing better than a good broccoli salad with fresh, crunchy broccoli. This recipe makes 3-4 servings.
1 head fresh broccoli cut into small florets
1/2 medium red onion
1/2 cup grated cheese
4 strips of bacon (cooked crisp and crumbled)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup craisins
In a large bowl combine broccoli, onion, and grated cheese. Then add in bacon pieces, sunflower seeds, and craisins. Put in refrigerator while making the salad dressing below.
Broccoli Salad Dressing
1 cup light mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix well to dissolve sugar. Chill dressing for at least one hour before tossing with the salad. (You don’t need to wait one hour, but the flavors combine better if you do.) Then pour dressing over broccoli salad and stir to coat.
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