broccoli

Broccoli Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

~ lk529 ~ 9 Comments

I love a good broccoli salad and I am not afraid of mayo.

But I know many people who aren’t as in love with the condiment as I am. And that’s okay.

I settled on bringing broccoli salad to Easter dinner as my contribution. I was going to use my go-to recipe, which involves pasta, but then I found a non-mayo recipe on Pinterest. Those stalkers knew just what I would like!

My favorite thing about this broccoli salad is that there’s lots of fruit involved – apples, blueberries, and cranberries! The poppy seed dressing is sweet and tangy and a perfect compliment to both veggie and fruit. It gets bonus points for sunflower seeds.

I’m sharing the recipe today with some other Festive Foodie bloggers in honor of National Picnic Day, which is today April 23rd. I think this salad would be great for any picnic or potluck!

Broccoli Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Ingredients:

  • 2 small heads broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
  • 1 large apple, cut into bite size pieces
  • 1 C blueberries
  • 1/2 C dried cranberries
  • 1/4 C sunflower seeds
  • 1/4 C diced red onion
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice, divided use
  • 1 C plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 C honey
  • 1 tbsp poppy seeds
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Steps:

  1. In a large bowl, toss together the broccoli, apple, blueberries, cranberries, sunflower seeds, and red onion with 1 tbsp lemon juice.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, honey, remaining lemon juice, poppy seeds, and vinegar.
  3. Pour dressing over salad to taste (I had a little dressing leftover) and serve.

*This recipe is adapted from Kristine at https://kristineskitchenblog.com/no-mayo-broccoli-salad-blueberries-apple/ *

Broccoli Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing for National Picnic Day from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Be sure to check out these other great picnic worthy recipes:

Asian Slaw by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Bánh Mì + A Wine Suggestion by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Broccoli Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing by Sew You Think You Can Cook

Chicken BLT Shaker Salad by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

Deviled Eggs with Horseradish and Dill by Palatable Pastime

Florida Stone Crab Claws with Key Lime Mustard Dipping Sauce by Family Around the Table

Italian Antipasto Pasta Salad by Books n’ Cooks

Marinated Three Bean Salad by Jolene’s Recipe Journal

Roasted Corn Salad with Chile Vinaigrette by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

Southern Crispy Oven Fried Chicken by Everyday Eileen

 Thank you, Ellen of Family Around the Table, for hosting this National Picnic Day event.

Chicken and Broccoli Teriyaki

~ lk529 ~ 15 Comments

I think kids have a natural-born radar for sweets. The other day I was enjoying a homemade rice krispie treat and Firecracker walked over to me and took a bite of it right out of my hand. Now, he’s never seen a rice krispie treat before, how was he to know what it was?! He wouldn’t have done the same thing if it were celery in my hand instead. I was highly amused and slightly baffled.

While I’m on that note: Can someone please explain to me why if it comes out of a package or box my 2 year old will devour it?

As is normally the case if it comes from a restaurant. Chicken Teriyaki from the mall food court, perfect. Chicken Teriyaki made by Mom, no thanks. Maybe he sensed that the chicken wasn’t battered and fried…? My 8 month old enjoyed it at any rate. I think my husband enjoyed it most of all, if only just for the excuse to use his Darth Vader Lightsaber Chopsticks.

Chicken and Broccoli Teriyaki

Ingredients:

  • 2/3 C sugar
  • 1/2 C + 2 tbsp water, divided use
  • 1/3 C soy sauce
  • juice 1/2 lemon
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tsp canola oil
  • 1 large chicken breast, chopped or sliced
  • 2 C broccoli florets
  • 1-2 scallions, thinly sliced (optional)

Steps:

  1. Combine sugar, 1/2 C water, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic, and ginger in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer. In a small bowl whisk together the cornstarch and 2 tsbp water until smooth. Add to the sauce. Allow sauce to thicken over low heat.
  2. In a wok or large skillet, heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken with S+P, saute chicken until browned and fully cooked. Add the broccoli to the pan and cook until tender.
  3. Add as much teriyaki sauce to the chicken and broccoli as desired, tossing to coat.
  4. Serve over a bed of rice and garnish of scallions.

*The sauce recipe is adapted from Kylee at http://www.kyleecooks.com/2016/06/homemade-teriyaki-sauce.html*

Chicken and Broccoli Teriyaki Sew You Think You Can Cook

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

Broccoli Artichoke Dip

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Right before the Super Bowl the Sunday Supper Movement hosted a Big Game Day Recipes event. During that event I shared Slow Cooker Thai Wings. There were a good number of recipes I wanted to try, but the Roasted Broccoli Artichoke Dip by Cooking Chat was the one I’d picked to make first! With only two (maybe 2.5) of us, I halved the recipe. I shouldn’t have though, because I ate about half of it for lunch that day! The rest of it was inhaled by my husband. Between the two eating sessions, I stored the dip in the fridge. When cold, it got a little too hard for the chips to hold up against, but a quick 10-15 seconds in the microwave fixed the broken chip problem.

We ate this dip with multigrain tortilla chips (our favorite!), but it would be wonderful with pita, too.

broc dip 1 FG1

Broccoli Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

  • 1 head broccoli, florets chopped
  • ½ tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp minced garlic, divided use
  • ½ can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained
  • 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
  • ¼ C sour cream, at room temperature
  • 1 scallion, chopped
  • ¼ tsp dried parsley
  • ¼ tsp cumin
  • 1/8 C Parmesan cheese
  • Lemon juice, as needed

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Toss broccoli in olive oil with ½ the garlic. Season with S+P. Place on a baking sheet and roast 15-20 minutes, until softened. Set aside to cool.
  3. Place broccoli, artichokes, and scallion in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.
  4. Add cream cheese and sour cream to the food processor and pulse until combined. Mix in the parsley, cumin, and Parmesan, pulse until fully incorporated. Add lemon juice, S+P to taste.

*This recipe is adapted from David at http://cookingchatfood.com/broccoli-artichoke-dip/*

broc dip 2 FG1

Cheesy Turkey and Rice Skillet

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Today’s Thanksgiving leftovers recipe is one that I’ve made in my kitchen before. I made this one pot meal last month when my mother-in-law was visiting. We had just joined Sam’s Club and had a coupon for a free rotisserie chicken! This skillet meal was a perfect way to use some of that chicken. We all went back for seconds. So when I decided to Thanksgiving leftovers leading up to Turkey Day I knew this dish would be on the menu.

What makes this meal perfect for after Thanksgiving is that it only dirties one pot. Okay, two pots because you need to cook some rice ahead of time. But after a whole day of pulling out casserole dishes you forgot you had, eating on that once-a-year china, and stacking up the Tuperware it’s nice to not have to wash eight thousand dishes.

This recipe can be adjusted based on your leftovers. Swap out the broccoli for some green beans or Brussels sprouts.

Cheesy Turkey and Rice Skillet

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 1/2 C broccoli
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 2 C milk
  • 1/2 tsp ground mustard
  • 2 C diced cooked turkey
  • 2 C shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 C cooked rice (brown, white, or a mix of both)

Steps:

  1. In a high sided skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Saute onion and broccoli until tender. Stir in flour. Slowly mix in the milk. Allow to simmer until thickened slightly. Season with ground mustard, S+P.
  2. Add in the cooked turkey. Melt in the cheese. Mix in the rice.

*This recipe is adapted from Lauren at http://www.laurenslatest.com/broccoli-cheddar-brown-rice-skillet/*

Skillet

SRC: Broccoli and Grape Pasta Salad

~ lk529 ~ 26 Comments

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I love the Secret Recipe Club so much that when the opportunity presented itself to help someone out in Group B’s reveal day I jumped on it! There are four groups in the Secret Recipe Club. We each post on a different Monday. As I am a member of group D, my reveal day is the fourth Monday of every month. As you can tell, group B posts on the second Monday of the month. Today!

My assigned blog for this “bonus” posting is Flavors by Four, a mother daughter blogging team. I started searching through their blog and found over ten things that piqued my interest. They have a wonderful selection of appetizers which is perfect now that the holiday party season is fast approaching. If you like stuffed mushrooms I encourage you to head on over to their blog, they have a multitude of recipes to choose from including French Onion Soup and Spinach Artichoke. With American Thanksgiving on the horizon I was tempted to pick their Orange Cranberry Bread and Mini Gobbler Pies are a fantastic idea for leftovers! I’m actually making their Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes tomorrow night.

I ultimately settled on Nicole’s Broccoli and Grape Pasta Salad. Frozen grapes are my favorite healthy dessert and we are on a grape kick right now. I also really like broccoli but never seem to buy it. I knew that this pasta salad would be great for me to have in the fridge as a quick lunch during the week. With a four month old I never know when I’ll be able to eat and this pasta salad sounded like a great alternative to my bagel. Of course, this would be a perfect dish to take to a potluck!

Broccoli and Grape Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

  • 6 strips cooked center cut bacon, chopped
  • 1/2 lb pasta, cooked and drained
  • 2 heaping cups halved grapes
  • 4 C broccoli florets
  • 2 heaping tbsp finely diced red onion
  • 1 C mayonnaise
  • 1/3 C red wine vinegar
  • 1/8 C sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Steps:

  1. In a large bowl toss together cooked bacon, cooked pasta, grapes, broccoli, and red onion.
  2. In a medium bowl whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.
  3. Toss pasta salad in dressing and chill in the refrigerator over night.

*This recipe is adapted from Nicole at http://flavorsbyfour.blogspot.com/2013/09/broccoli-grape-pasta-salad.html *

Pasta Salad FG1

To see the other bloggers who participated in the Secret Recipe Club this month click here:

Eating the Bible: Eternal Dust

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Each year during Lent I try to reconnect with my faith. I am not the most religious girl, and I don’t often enter into conversations regarding religion and in no way offer to convert someone. I have an almost all-encompassing view of God. I was raised Catholic and when I do go to church I attend the local Catholic Church – I like the rhythm of mass. And while I don’t always agree with the Catholic viewpoint, I still get something out of each homily.

I see religion as a human’s way to understand life, as a way to provide a purpose to human existence. I do believe that there is a God – I don’t have an image of God, and I definitely don’t provide Him with a human quality – more of a giant ball of light and energy. I believe that every religion is actually one in the same (not I’m not trying to spark a debate here), and that different cultures and peoples choose to understand and believe in their vision of God differently.

With my blog I have decided to take a different outlook on my Lenten journey this year. It’s been a long time since I’ve given something up (candy, soda, fast food, etc) and instead I look to adding something to my life – usually it’s going to Church each Sunday (as I don’t do that weekly) or reading the New Testament. But with the blog I thought it’d be great to add a food aspect to my journey. I’ve never failed a Lenten promise and I don’t want to set myself up for failure here, so two times a week (Wednesdays and Sundays) I plan to cook a recipe from Rena Rossner’s Eating the Bible.On those days my posts will be in the evening after supper.

Rena took it upon herself to enrich her bible study through food. These recipes are inspired by the Old Testament. And even though Lent is about the 40 days Jesus spent wandering in the desert, renouncing the Devil and Temptation and ends with Holy Week which marks the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Easter!), I can still find Rena’s cookbook to help me slow down and think about God. While she references many stories from the Old Testament, she provides “food for thought” both in recipes and in questions to ask about God.

The first recipe that I’m trying from Eating the Bible is Eternal Dust which was inspired by Genesis 13:16. 

“And I will make your progeny like the dust of the earth: so that if a man could count the dust of the earth, then your progeny could also be counted.”

I feel this recipe applies greatly to Ash Wednesday. During Ash Wednesday mass, ashes are placed on our forehead in the shape of a cross while the words from Genesis 3:19 “Remember that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return.” are said.  Ash Wednesday serves as a reminder of earthly mortality and repentance to God.

Rena decided to make a spice rub, or a spice “dust”, as a compliment to this bible study. She titled her spice blend “Earthly Seasoning”.  I used this “Earthly Seasoning” on roasted shrimp and broccoli which I served over rice.

“Earthly Seasoning” is a mix of 1 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp dry mustard, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1 tbsp cumin, 2 tsp black pepper, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp cayenne, and 1 tbsp sugar.

Earthly Seasoned Shrimp and Broccoli

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
  • 3/4 lb broccoli florets
  • 3 tbsp olive oil, divided use
  • 2 1/2 tsp “Earthly Seasoning” (recipe above), divided use

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Toss broccoli in 2 tbsp of olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Season with 1 1/2 tsp “Earthly Seasoning”. Roast for 10 minutes.
  3. Gently toss shrimp in remaining olive oil and seasoning. After broccoli has been roasting for 10 minutes flip broccoli and add the shrimp to the baking sheet. Cook another 8-10 minutes, turning half-way.
  4. Serve over rice with a squeeze of lemon.

*This recipe is modified from Adam at http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2009/02/roasted_shrimp.html*

Roasted Shrimp & Broccoli

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. 

CIC: Broccoli & Pumpkin Puree

~ lk529 ~ 11 Comments

CIC-header

As expected, October’s Crazy Ingredient Challenge involved pumpkin. But I never dreamed that broccoli would be the costar! At first reaction I thought – gross. But then I surprised myself with many different ideas:

  • Pumpkin Hummus w/ Broccoli Pesto Swirl
  • Pizza with Pumpkin Cream sauce and Roasted Broccoli and Sausage
  • Broccoli Salad with Pumpkin Dressing and Pumpkin Seeds
  • Pumpkin Mac and Cheese with Roasted Brocolli
  • Pumpkin Broccoli Bread

I decided to make the last option because my in-laws were in town over the long Columbus Day weekend. Having a bread available seemed like the smartest option.

I took a Banana Zucchini Bread recipe and substituted pumpkin puree for the banana and broccoli for the zucchini. I purchased a bag of broccoli slaw from the grocery store so that I wouldn’t have to shred the broccoli myself. (If you can find a bag of just shredded broccoli I’d suggest that instead of having to pick out the red cabbage and carrot.) Zucchini has a higher moisture content than broccoli so I boiled it prior to incorporating it into the batter.

Pumpkin Broccoli Bread

Ingredients:

  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 C sugar
  • 1 C vegetable oil
  • 1 C pumpkin puree
  • 3 C flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 C shredded broccoli
  • 1/2 C slivered almonds

Steps:

  1. In a pot of boiling water, cook broccoli for 4 minutes. Drain and pat dry between paper towels. Set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and add in the sugar and oil. Add pumpkin. Mix in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Fold in broccoli and almonds.
  4. Pour batter into two loaf pans and bake for 50 minutes, until a knife come out cleanly. Note: This will make 24 muffins.

Pumpkin Broccoli Bread 1Pumpkin Broccoli Bread 2

To see other bloggers who participated in this month’s Crazy Ingredient Challenge, click on the link below!

 

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Broccoli Chicken Salad

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

Here’s a lettuce-less twist to Salad Night. And a great way to practice your knife skills. I actually prepared this salad the night before we ate it. I knew if I didn’t we’d end up ordering pizza or picking up Chick-fil-A, because let’s face it what sounds better – pizza or broccoli? But if dinner is ready to go, no waiting, then it’s hard to argue with healthy. I can’t promise you that this recipe is tastier than pizza, but I can assure that it’s delicious in its own right. And it’s most definitely better for you.

Broccoli Chicken Salad

Ingredients for salad:

  • 1-2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 1 lb broccoli, chopped
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1 C shelled edamame
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • Crunchy Chow Mein Noodles for garnish

Ingredients for dressing:

  • 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp sriracha
  • 1 1/2 tbsp minced ginger
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp salt

Steps

  1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
  2. In a medium skillet brown chicken in olive oil over medium-high heat. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
  3. Par-boil broccoli for 2-3 minutes. Drain broccoli and put into an ice bath.
  4. In a salad bowl, combine the broccoli with the edamame, carrot, and red pepper.
  5. Whisk together dressing ingredients and toss with the salad. Top with the Chow Mein noodles. Note: If you choose to make this ahead of time like I did, keep the dressing separate from the salad until serving.

*This recipe is adapted from Sara at http://www.wherethecookiesare.com/2013/07/10/chinese-chicken-broccoli-salad-with-fresh-ginger-sesame-dressing/*

Broccoli Chicken Salad 1 Broccoli Chicken Salad 2