Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli

This is an Ina Garten recipe, and I didn't follow it totally since I didn't have all the ingredients and I made a lot less, but it was really good anyway. I also used frozen broccoli, just note that it won't be as crispy as it would be if you use raw broccoli.

Parmesan - Roasted Broccoli

4 to 5 pounds broccoli

4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil leaves (about 12 leaves)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the broccoli florets from the thick stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets, discarding the rest of the stalks. Cut the larger pieces through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart. You should have about 8 cups of florets. Place the broccoli florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with 5 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.
Remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, Parmesan, and basil. Serve hot.

Simple Stir-Fry

The other night I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner and not have to go grocery shopping. We were hitting the mother hubbards empty cupboard stage too. I did have one piece of chicken left though, rice and a bunch of frozen and fresh vegetables, so stir fry seemed to be the perfect meal. The nice thing about stir fry is that it's so versatile, you can just do broccoli and it will taste good or go all out and have a different varieties of veggies, rice or noodles, chicken or beef, etc....

So here is what I did.

Stir Fry

Chicken

Teriyaki Sauce (optional)

Soy Sauce

Garlic (powder or minced)

Onion Powder

Ginger, ground

Sesame seed oil (optional)

Pepper

Veggies (I used broccoli, carrots, peas, squash, I would put an onion in there too, but my last one was bad)

Rice

I marinated the chicken in the teriyaki, soy, sesame seed oil, garlic, and onion powder

started sauteing the veggies

cooked the chicken

once the chicken was cooked I tossed it with the cooked marinade into the veggies.

Serve over rice and have extra soy sauce on hand to sprinkle over the top if you like more flavor.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta

This is a Cooking Light recipe that I changed up a little. :-)

Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
Cooking spray ( I used Olive Oil)
12 Turkey Bacon (raw)
1 cup thinly sliced shallots
8 ounces uncooked mini penne (or shell, elbow)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp provolone cheese (I used Extra Sharp Cheddar)
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese  (I just used regular)


Preheat oven to 425°.



Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and pepper. Place squash on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt mixture. Bake at 425° for 45 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Increase oven temperature to 450°.



Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 1/2 teaspoons drippings in pan; crumble bacon. (Since Turkey Bacon doesn't have a lot of fat, I just cut it up and cooked it, and then used Olive oil to make the milk and flour mixture) Increase heat to medium-high. Add shallots to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Combine squash mixture, bacon, and shallots; set aside.



Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.



Combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add provolone, stirring until cheese melts. Add pasta to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; top with squash mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash Soup

1 Butternut Squash

1 Onion, med sized, chopped or pureed

1 Carrot, normal size, chopped pureed

Chicken broth or boullion

Garlic, minced or powder

Pepper

Cayenne Pepper

Olive Oil

Parsley (optional)

I only cut the squash into halves, but I would recommend cutting into 4ths for faster cooking time. I just stuck in the microwave on a plate until it was soft enough to scoop out with a spoon, but you can roast in the oven too.

I started out by cooking the Olive Oil, Carrots, and Onion

Added 5-6 tsp of Chicken Base and water. (Water will depend on how soupy you want your soup, I like mine on the thick side) Then add Garlic, Pepper, and a little Cayenne.

Add the Squash, let simmer and then beat with a whisk, or with a hand blender

Sprinkle in some dried parsley, stir in for a few minutes serve with breadsticks.

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

Ok, I'll admit it, I was a little hesitant to try this, but I'm glad I did because it was REALLY good. :-)

Spaghetti Squash Spagetti

Spaghetti Squash

Tomato Sauce

Couple of Tomatoes

Ground Beef or Meatballs

Basil

Oregano

Italian Seasoning

Pepper

Cayenne

Onion and Garlic Powder

Sour Cream

Parmesan

Start by cutting your squash in half, you can either cook it in an oven for about an 45-60 min at 350 ish, or put it on a plate and stick in the microwave for around 15 min.

I tried one half this way, in a baking dish, with a little water, covered in plastic and it didn't get done any faster than the squash I just set on a plate and stuck in the microwave for 15 minutes.

Mix the seasonings (lots of Basil, Italian Seasoning, some Oregano, Onion and Garlic powders, a little Cayenne to give it a kick)

Add a couple of Tomatoes, I just pulled these out of my freezer so I didn't cut them up very well.

Cook down, and then sprinkle some Parmesan in

After the Spaghetti Squash is done cooking (soft and easy to scoop out with a spoon) put in a bowl

Add some meatballs to your sauce, or cooked ground beef, add a dollop of Sour Cream and mix in.

Serve over the top of your squash.

Salsa - The Lazy Way

I got this recipe from my sister and last fall I would make double batches of this stuff and we were eating it like crazy up until I got morning sickness, and then anytime anyone even mentioned the word "salsa" it would send me into gagging, dry heaving fits. I was finally ready to make this and eat it again, this week.

Salsa

1 can Rotel Tomatoes with Chiles (or Peppers)

1 can Rotel Tomatoes/ Lime and Cilantro

1 little can of Tomato Sauce (the tomato sauce with Basil, Oregano and Garlic is good!)

1/2 Onion (yellow or white)

Lime Juice (Juice of 2-3 Limes)

Pinch of Kosher salt

One bunch of Cilantro

If you want it even spicier, you could throw a jalepeno in there. Put the can of tomatoes and chiles with the onion and chop up in the blender. Add everything else and mix in blender to the chunkiness you desire. Cary likes his thick and chunky, I like mine really blended, and since I'm the one making it, I win. :-)

I didn't want to pull my big blender out so I blended everything separately

Then mixed together in a bowl.

Zucchini Chicken

This is an adaptation of a recipe from my uncle James

Zucchini Chicken

Boneless, skinless Chicken

Zucchini, grated(med size for every piece of chicken)

Parmesan Cheese

Flour

Salt

Pepper

Onion Powder

Garlic Powder

Olive Oil

A non stick skillet would be best, place the chicken in pan, drizzle olive oil over the top

Sprinkle Flour over the top while cooking, brown each side with the flour

Sprinkle Parmesan Cheese and other spices over your Zucchini and mix together

Spread Zucchini over the top of the chicken, place a lid over the top and let the chicken and zucchini cook for about 15-20 minutes

Sarah's "Healthier" Muffins

Well, the recipe I was going to post was a flop so I decided to post this instead. My friend Sarah made these muffins and posted the recipe and we liked them, so I wanted them on my blog so I can find the recipe later.

Sarah's "Healthier" Muffins

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar (I used brown sugar)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 large, overly ripe, bananas, mashed
2 cups zucchini, grated
1 cup carrot, grated
3 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup white flour
1 1/2 whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 - 3/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Bake @ 400 for 15-18 minutes (I forgot, and mine were in for 22 minutes and were good)
Makes 20-24 muffins

Grated Zucchini

"Wet" ingredients

Everything mixed together

(You don't have to use the muffin paper cups) :)

Black Bean and Zucchini Pancakes

This recipe is adapted from a recipe I got from one of my message boards. It ended being very similar to the Zucchini Cakes I posted earlier. I changed things since the original recipe wasn't holding together very well while cooking and I didn't think it was very flavorful.

1 15-oz can of whole black beans
2-3 Eggs
1 tsp garlic, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 medium zucchini, shredded and pat dry
1-2 cups dried italian bread crumbs
Salt
Pepper
Onion Powder
2 tsp oil (I use peanut) for frying (I used more oil)

top with salsa, tomato sauce or shredded cheese

1.Heat a large skillet to medium heat and add oil.

2. Combine all of the ingredients except the topping of choice.

3. Form patties and cook 4 minutes per side or until golden brown and crisp.