baked sausage peppers

brown one package of mild italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled, in olive oil with chopped garlic, one chili pepper, diced, and chopped onion. add chopped sage, basil and rosemary. dice three tomatoes and cook till reduced. add chopped broccoli, then cubed monzarella, stirring till melted, with parmesan grated.

sliced peppers halfway and seed them. stuff with sausage mixture, place in casserole, and surround with extra mixture if available. cover with more parmesan and bake.

chicken divan healthier

i wanted broccoli and cheese and mushrooms, but no heavy sauce. so i did this:

browned 8 oz of sliced mushrooms
half a medium onion
in 1 T butter. well, or 2.
salt and peppered.
moved them to the side and added two skinless chicken breasts, sliced. browned them.

placed browned chicken in a pam sprayed baking dish with a lid.
cut up fresh broccoli and added that to the dish on top of the chicken.

to 4 oz of greek yogurt, added gorgonzola crumbles and shredded cheddar and mushrooms. poured this over the chicken and broccoli. topped with shredded parmesan. baked covered till bubbly, abt 30 min at 350. removed top and browned 15 minutes. the "sauce" was watery, so I drained that, reduced it and added a teaspoon of cornstarch, reduced more. poured this over the dish and heated another 5 minutes.

lemon broccoli and chickpea rigatoni

From Food and Wine, from a new cookbook by Marc Meyers, chef at Five Points.

Ingredients

1. One 19-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2. 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3. 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4. Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
5. 1 1/2 pounds broccoli, cut into florets
6. 1 pound rigatoni
7. 5 large garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
8. 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
9. 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, toss the chickpeas with the lemon juice and 1/2 cup of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the broccoli until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the broccoli to a colander and rinse under cold water until cool. Add the rigatoni to the boiling water and cook until al dente.
3. Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook over moderate heat until the garlic is golden, about 3 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the chickpea mixture and cook until warmed through, about 1 minute.
4. Drain the rigatoni, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the broccoli and chickpeas along with the reserved cooking water and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the rigatoni is coated with sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Transfer the pasta to a bowl, sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and serve.

creamy lemon shrimp

* 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
* 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon
* 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
* 1 teaspoon olive oil
* 2 teaspoons sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 medium lemons
* 1 pound cooked shrimp (any size)
* 2 cups broccoli florets, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* 2 cups arugula
* 1 bag (8 ounces) tofu noodles, rinsed and drained (found in the Asian section of grocery store)

Preparation

Place yogurt, sour cream, chives, tarragon, garlic, mustard, oil, sugar, salt and pepper in a bowl. Zest lemons over bowl. Juice 1 lemon into bowl. Whisk until smooth. Add shrimp, broccoli, arugula and noodles. Toss to coat and serve with remaining lemon, cut into wedges, if desired.

green orzo salad

Orzo Super Salad Recipe

If you are going to transport this to an outdoor picnic or potluck, place all of the ingredients, layered, in a big bowl or container. Toss the avocado gently with a bit of lemon juice ahead of time - so it doesn't brown. Make sure there are a few inches of head room in the container, and you'll need some sort of lid. Carry the dressing in a separate jar. When you are ready to serve the salad, gently toss the ingredients with the dressing using your hands, or leave the lid on the container and gently shake/tumble it - not ideal but it works. You can double or triple this recipe to serve more of a crowd. To make it vegan, you know the drill, skip the feta. And GF-ers, you can swap in a gluten-free grain/rice (for the orzo) and make a grain salad out of this instead.

1 cup dried (whole wheat) orzo pasta
8 - 10 medium asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch segments
1/2 a medium head of broccoli (or broccolini), cut into small trees
small handful of cilantro(or mint if you prefer), chopped

1 small clove of garlic, mashed with a big pinch of salt and chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

a small handful of sprouts
1/3 cup almonds, toasted
1/2 small cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 medium avocado, sliced into small pieces
1/4 cup feta, crumbled

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously and boil the orzo per package instructions. Avoid over-boiling, you want your orzo to be cooked through, but maintain structure. About 30 seconds before the orzo is finished cooking stir the asparagus and broccoli into the orzo pot. Cook for the final 30 seconds, drain and run under a bit of cold water. Just long enough to stop the cooking.

In the meantime, whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and more salt (if needed) into the dressing. Set aside.

When you are ready to serve the salad toss the orzo, asparagus, broccoli, and cilantro with about half the dressing. Add more dressing if needed, and toss well. Now add the sprouts, almonds, cucumber, avocado, and feta. Very gently toss a couple of times to distribute those ingredients throughout the salad and serve.

broccoli soup with lemon chive cream

Oh, and should you have some of the sour cream mixture left over, it makes a great dip for potato chips.

For the soup:
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 medium leeks, white and tender green parts only, sliced
1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 ½ lb. broccoli, both crowns and stems, trimmed and coarsely chopped
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 rind (about 2 inches square) from a piece of Parmesan cheese
¾ tsp. kosher salt, or less if your broth is well salted

For the sour cream:
1 cup sour cream (not low-fat or nonfat)
2 scallions, white and pale green parts only, very thinly sliced
¼ cup minced chives
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
½ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. pressed or minced garlic

In a small stockpot or Dutch oven, warm the butter and oil over medium heat. Add the leeks and onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have softened and the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for one minute. Add the broccoli, stock, Parmesan rind, and salt, and stir to mix. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, partially covered, until the broccoli is tender, about 20 minutes.

While the soup cooks, prepare the cream. In a medium bowl, stir together the sour cream, scallions, chives, lemon zest, lemon juice, grated Parmesan, salt, and garlic, mixing until fully combined. Taste, and adjust as necessary.

To finish the soup, remove the Parmesan rind. Using a blender and working in small batches – when puréeing hot liquids, never fill the blender more than one-third full – purée until very smooth. (Alternatively, purée it in the pot with an immersion blender.) Return the soup to the pot, add a few dollops of the cream mixture – I add about 1/3 cup – and stir to incorporate. Taste for seasoning, and adjust as necessary. If needed, rewarm the soup gently over low heat.

Serve the soup with a spoonful or two of the remaining cream on top.

Roasted Broccoli with Shrimp

Serves 4

2 pounds broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds (or 1/2 teaspoon ground)
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds (or 1/2 teaspoon ground)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot chili powder
1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 1/4 teaspoons lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
Lemon wedges, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss broccoli with 2 tablespoons oil, coriander, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and chili powder. In a separate bowl, combine shrimp, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, lemon zest, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

2. Spread broccoli in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 10 minutes. Add shrimp to baking sheet and toss with broccoli. Roast, tossing once halfway through, until shrimp are just opaque and broccoli is tender and golden around edges, about 10 minutes more. Serve with lemon wedges, or squeeze lemon juice all over shrimp and broccoli just before serving.

Creamed broccoli

* 1 bunch broccoli (1 1/4 pounds)
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
* 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
* 3 tablespoons grated parmesan
* 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation

Peel broccoli stems, then coarsely chop stems and florets. Cook broccoli in boiling salted water (1 1/2 teaspoons salt for 4 quarts water) until just tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain in a colander and run under cold water to stop cooking.

Simmer cream, garlic, nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a medium saucepan, uncovered, until slightly thickened and reduced to about 2/3 cup, about 5 minutes.

Add broccoli and simmer, mashing with a potato masher, until coarsely mashed and heated through, about 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in parmesan and lemon juice.

Cooks' note: Broccoli can be boiled 1 day ahead and chilled.

broccoli love

Recipe: Garlicky Sesame-Cured Broccoli Salad


Published: February 20, 2008

Time: 10 minutes, plus 1 hour marinating

1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste

2 heads broccoli, 1 pound each, cut into bite-size florets

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 fat garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

2 teaspoons roasted (Asian) sesame oil

Large pinch crushed red pepper flakes.

1. In a large bowl, stir together the vinegar and salt. Add broccoli and toss to combine.

2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil until hot, but not smoking. Add garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in sesame oil and pepper flakes. Pour mixture over broccoli and toss well. Let sit for at least 1 hour at room temperature, and up to 48 (chill it if you want to keep it for more than 2 hours). Adjust seasonings (it may need more salt) and serve.

Yield: 6 to 8 side-dish servings or more as an hors d’oeuvre.