Fresh Broccoli Salad

This is another side dish that we served at my daughter's family birthday dinner.  I knew that I wanted to make some sort of broccoli salad.  I've seen many variations on this dish and thought it would be a great side for our dinner.  My husband is the one who found this recipe.  However, I did the grocery shopping and actual preparation of it!  This is really easy to make since the only cooking invovled is the frying of the bacon.  Perfect for the summer when you want an easy side for a BBQ that requires little cooking (no oven required!). I was a bit skeptical of the mayo dressing but somehow, with the sugar and vinegar, it works.  This dish was surprisingly tasty (it might even be my favorite of the night) and one of the few dishes that there were no leftovers of.  I will be making this dish again soon!

Fresh Broccoli Salad
recipe slightly adapted from allrecipes.com, courtesy of Nora

Ingredients:
2 heads fresh broccoli
1/4 red onion, chopped
1/2 pound bacon
1/2 cup craisins
1/2 cup dried blueberries
3/4 cup slivered almonds
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Directions:
1.Place bacon in a deep skillet and cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Cool and crumble.

2.Cut the broccoli into bite-size pieces and cut the onion into thin bite-size slices. Combine with the bacon, raisins, your favorite nuts and mix well.

3.To prepare the dressing, mix the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar together until smooth. Stir into the salad, let chill and serve.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!

This post is shared at:
Tasty Tuesdays @ 33 Shades of Green
Totally Tasty Tuesdays @ Mandy's Recipe Box
Time to Sparkle Party @ The Recipe Critic
Work it Wednesday @ High Heels and Grills

Roasted Broccoli and Aged Cheddar Gratin

This was the last veggie side that I made for our Easter dinner.  I think broccoli is one of the only vegetables that BOTH of my kids will eat without complaint.  I wanted to do something besides steam it.  I saw a recipe for Roasted Cauliflower and Aged White Cheddar Gratin on Closet Cooking.  I didn't want to use cauliflower, but used that recipe for the inspiration for this dish.  I substituted broccoli and omitted/added various ingredients until I had this dish.  It was tasty and the kids enjoyed it. 

Roasted Broccoli and Aged Cheddar Gratin
recipe inspired by Closet Cooking

Ingredients:
1 large head broccoli, cut into florets
2 tablespoons oil
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 cup aged cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the broccoli florets in the oil along with the salt and pepper and arrange them in a single layer on a large baking sheet.

2.Roast the broccoli in until lightly golden brown, about 20-30 minutes.  Once broccoli is roasted, reduce oven heat to 350 degrees F.

3.Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, mix in the flour and let cook until it just starts to brown a little.

4.Mix in the milk, salt, pepper, dijon mustard, and cheese and heat until the cheese melts and the sauce thickens.

5.Mix broccoli into the sauce, pour into a baking dish and top with the bread crumbs.

6.Bake in oven until it is bubbling on the sides and golden brown on top, about 15-20 minutes.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.

This post is shared at:
Tasty Thursdays @ The Mandatory Mooch
One Project at a Time @ A Bowl Full of Lemons

Recipe Repeat: Baked Macaroni & Cheddar

I originally found this recipe in an issue of EveryDay with Rachael Ray back from 2008.  I had made it once before, but not sure when.  I figured if I had saved the magazine tear-out it must have been good.  You can't really go wrong with mac & cheese.  Plus, this recipe has broccoli in it, so I didn't need to make any extra veggies!   My kids love mac & cheese and broccoli, so of course this was a hit with them! 

Baked Macaroni & Cheese
recipe from EveryDay with Rachael Ray, April 2008

Ingredients:
1 large bunch broccoli, cut into bite-size florets and stalks peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pound whole wheat elbow pasta
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots (about 3)
3 tablespoons flour
3 1/2 cups low-fat milk
3 tablespoons cornstarch
12 ounces cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes
6 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
1 clove garlic, smashed
3 tablespoons bread crumbs

Directions:
1.Fill a large pot with enough water to reach a depth of 2 inches and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook for 1 minute; drain and rinse with cold water. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and add the broccoli in an even layer.

2.Fill the same pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente; drain.

3.Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees . In the same pot, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the flour for 1 minute. Whisk in 1 cup milk until thickened, then whisk in 1 cup more. Whisk the cornstarch into the remaining 1 1/2 cups milk, then whisk the mixture into the pot. Simmer, whisking, until the sauce thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Lower the heat and stir in the cheddar and 4 tablespoons parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the pasta. Spoon the mixture over the broccoli.

4.In a small heatproof bowl, combine the garlic and remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter; microwave at high power until melted, about 20 seconds. Stir in the bread crumbs, the remaining 2 tablespoons parmesan and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Discard the garlic, then sprinkle the bread crumb mixture on the pasta. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!

This post is shared at:
Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage
Creative Thursday @ Michelle's Tasty Creations
Showcase Your Talent Thursday @ What's Cooking, Love

Around the World: Chinese Broccoli Beef

About once a month or so we usually order Chinese take-out.  Although we like to try different things we have our favorites that we like to order.  Growing up my family always ordered Chicken with Broccoli.  We rarely order it now and I don't think we've ever ordered Beef with Broccoli.  Broccoli is one of the kids' favorite vegetables so I thought this would be a good dish to make.  I found some beef already prepped for stir-fry at the grocery store.  Although it may look like a lot of steps/ingredients, this was really quick and easy to put together.  Beef doesn't have to be cooked very long and the broccoli is steamed so it still has crunch to it.  The sauce was really tasty.  My daughter, who loves steak loved this dish.  My son, who dislikes most meat tried a bite and found it too chewy, only ate his broccoli.  We served this with rice for a complete meal.

Chinese Broccoli Beef
recipe from New Asian Cuisine

Ingredients:
1 lb top sirloin or flank steak, sliced into 1/8-in (3-mm)-thin strips

For the marinade:
1½ teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon cooking oil

For the Stir-fry Sauce:
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
2 teaspoons black vinegar (can substitute dark balsamic vinegar)

For the Broccoli:
1½ lb broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic

Directions:
Marinate the beef in soy sauce, cornstarch and the ½ teaspoon of oil for 10 minutes at room temperature.

In a small bowl, mix together the stir-fry sauce ingredients.

In a wok or large frying pan, add 1 inch of water and salt and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cover to steam for 3 minutes. Broccoli should be bright green, crisp tender and you should be able to pierce the stem with a fork. Drain.

Discard the water in the pan and dry the pan well. Heat the pan over high heat and when hot, add the 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and fry for 15 to 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the steak strips, keeping them in one layer and fry 30 seconds. Flip the strips and fry the other side.

Pour in the stir-fry sauce and stir to combine. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat a back of a spoon, about 30 seconds. Add the cooked broccoli back into the pan and toss to coat well.

Family Rating:  1 1/2 thumbs up.

Broccoli Cheeese Corn Bread

Instead of serving biscuits or rolls at my son's 4th birthday party for the family, I decided to make this bread.  I know there are many different recipes and variations of this out there.  I found this recipe though and went with it. I thought it would be a good way to get in additional veggies. Now don't be fooled by this recipe's title.  The cheese in this recipe is cottage cheese!  Whether you're a fan or not though of the stuf, you don't taste it, honestly!  It just helps add moistness!  I did have some shredded cheddar that I was going to add (as a variation) but totally forgot! No worries, it was great without.    This recipe is quick and easy and really tasty. A guest commented that the onions were a bit crunchy and strong.   I rarely make the same recipe twice so I probably won't be making this again (even though it was tasty and I liked it a lot!) but if I did, I could saute the onion before putting it in the batter.  As I'm getting ready to post this recipe I just discovered that this is the one dish that I did not get a picture of in all the craziness of the meal prep!  And of course this is the one dish that I do not have any leftovers of!  Honestly, it was so good that I'm posting it anyway, with the link to the original recipe, in case you would like to see pics! 

Broccoli Cheese Corn Bread
from allrecipes.com by MARBALET

Yield:  12 servings

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 (10 ounce) package chopped frozen broccoli, thawed and drained
1 cup cottage cheese
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 (8.5 ounce) box Jiffy mix
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease an 11x7 inch baking pan.

2.In a large mixing bowl, combine cornmeal mix and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, cottage cheese, onion and butter. Stir the egg and cheese mixture into the flour mixture. Fold in the broccoli. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3.Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.

Spicy Broccoli Salad

In addition to her monthly Crazy Cooking Challenge Tina  at Moms Crazy Cooking also hosts a weekly This Week's Cravings themed link-up.  In honor of St. Patrick's Day, This Week's Cravings is Green Food.  I have shared the collard green recipe from yesterday and I am also sharing this recipe. 

Unfortunately, I rarely focus on veggie sides.  While I make a new main dish almost every night and experiment with carb sides, it's just so easy to take a bag of frozen veggies out and stick them in the microwave.  When I learned about the theme for This Week's Cravings I looked for main dish recipes and didn't really find anything besides pesto that really stood out as being green.  Broccoli....definitely green.  Broccoli crowns were on sale at the grocery store this week which made it even better.  Plus, I got to try a new veggie side dish recipe.   

My kids like broccoli so I make it a lot, mostly of the frozen, steam in a bag, variety!  I ended up adapting this recipe a lot.  I couldn't see myself buying a red pepper and a red onion for the 3 Tbsp. each the original recipe called for.  I'm really trying to avoid the unused pile up in the produce drawer, which ultimately ends up getting thrown out.   Then I assumed I had rice wine vinegar, which I didn't. I had rice wine and rice vinegar but not rice wine vinegar. The original recipe called for regular distilled vinegar as a substitute but I used half each of what I did have and hoped for the best!  I didn't add the crushed red pepper until after I spooned the sauce over the kids' broccoli.  My daughter thought it was too sweet.  However, my son ate his and both my husband and I enjoyed it.  It was definitely a nice change from regular steamed broccoli. I served this with Steak and Cheese Sandwiches with Mushrooms (see tomorrow's post!).

Spicy Broccoli Salad
recipe adapted from The EatingWell Rush Hour Cookbook, 1994.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds broccoli
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Salt, to taste

Preparation:
1.Cut off broccoli florets. Trim and peel stems; cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place broccoli florets and stems in a steamer basket over boiling water; cover and steam until cooked but still crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Refresh under cold water. Drain well.

2.Stir together vinegar, oil, brown sugar and crushed red pepper in a serving bowl. Just before serving, add the broccoli and toss to combine. Season with salt.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.