Whenever I go to the store I always buy a couple heads of broccoli. I never have any idea what I'm going to use it for, which is highly uncharacteristic of me but I like to have it on hand because it encourages me to eat 1/2-2 heads per week and it's nice to throw into soups or other dishes. Sometimes I'll just steam it up and drizzle with a sauce, or top with cashews and nutritional yeast.
Yesterday, however, I wanted to make something a little more involved. Now, this broccoli is hardly "involved" but it sure tastes like it is. This is a really quick recipe for dressing up broccoli with roasted garlic and a flavorful sesame sauce.
Roast for a quick 20 minutes and you'll have the perfect for side dish or a snack! This is definitely one of my new favorite ways to have broccoli.
To learn more about broccoli and what it can do for you, check out this wealth of information on the little green guys at nutritionfacts.org. It's my go-to place for scientifically based research on nutrition!
Roasted Garlic Sesame Broccoli
Serves 2
2 small heads of broccoli, florets only largely chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. liquid amino acids (or soy sauce)
1/2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
3 garlic cloves, minced
sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Chop the broccoli and transfer to a large bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Next, drizzle the sauce over the broccoli and mix well to coat.
Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes. Halfway through, stir and rotate.
German Word of The Day: Broccoli --> Brokkoli (It's pronounced pretty much the same, I just thought it was cool that it's with two "k" instead of the "c".
Any medical people out there? I had the worst exam of my life today. It was so bad. On so many different levels. The ARRT is going to come and revoke my licenses. They are going to rip them right off the wall and smash them to pieces on the ground in front of me. Then...they are going to decapitate me. Yes. It's true.
So, if you don't hear from me in the coming weeks, it's because I was decapitated. And I deserved it. Though I plead technology difficulties! After work, I bought some Coconut Bliss ice cream (treat yo' self!) and sniffled on the couch while contemplating my utter incompetence. I can be a bit of a perfectionist, at times.
Moving on from my gruesome and inevitable death, when we were down in Ohio, one of Todd's sisters had made us some garlic bread. Todd was instantly addicted. We got the recipe, brought it back home and it stayed safe and sound in my sock drawer. I understand that makes no sense. But, that's what happened.
Anyways, in the move it got lost and so Todd took it upon himself to find a recipe and make us some garlic bread. He's always in charge of the garlic bread making. So this time he did the cooking!
Crispy, soft and warm herbed garlic bread. This is about as easy and quick as it gets.
Easy Herbed Garlic Bread
Inspired by Todd's sister
Makes 1 loaf
6 large garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
sprinkle of ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large loaf of fresh Italian bread
slathering of vegan butter
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Add all ingredients except the bread and butter into a small saucepan. Saute over low heat for about 3-5 minutes or until the garlic has cooked.
Slice the bread in half horizontally and butter one half. Spread the garlic and herb mixture on the other half.
Put the bread pieces back together and wrap with foil. Bake on the middle rack at 350 F for 5 minutes. Then, open the foil and continue to bake for another 5 minutes.
Remove from the foil and serve in warm slices.
We ate this with some scrumptious pasta last night!
Lemony Garlic Pasta with Brussel Sprouts & Crispy Polenta. What's wrong with me? Ugggh. This might be my longest dish name ever. Apparently naming dishes is not in my book of talents...or is it? I guess it depends on who you ask.
Regardless of it's name, this pasta dish was pretty bomb-diggity. Unless you don't like brussel sprouts or polenta. But who doesn't? What's almost as good as this pasta was how quick and easy it was to make, not to mention it's pretty darn healthy. Everything can be prepared and cooked while the polenta bakes in the oven and the sauce is already made thanks to Citizen Chef.
Citizen Chef is my personal sous chef. No, that's a lie. It a food company that has a line of ready-made, fresh sauces and salads. Normally I'm not really big on pre-made things like sauces, but sometimes I'm just too busy to whip one up myself. Imagine that. We can all relate, yes? Yes. Okay, so here's what you need to know about this ready-made Limone Garlic Sauce from Citizen Chef so you can hurry up already and get back to your busy life.
Limone Garlic Sauce by Citizen Chef
What: The Limone Garlic Sauce is "made from scratch with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and a fresh squeeze of lemon." It can be used in simmering, grilling, sauteing, and baking. This particular sauce is made primarily from a vegan stock, onions, olive oil, garlic and lemon. There's four servings per container with 70 calories a serving. What I really liked about this sauce in contrast to many others, is that it's not loaded with sodium. It has 250 mg per serving which is less than most I've seen.
Why: Our world is a busy one and sometimes we have to choose between healthy food and fast food. But thanks to Citizen Chef, when crunch time comes it's nice to know that you can reach for a prepared sauce and whip something up that's healthy as well as fast. All of the ingredients in the Limone Garlic Sauce are natural and there's no artificial flavors or preservatives, because seriously we don't need them.
In addition to actually cooking a meal, sometimes finding a recipe can be just as consuming. Don't worry though, Citizen Chef's got your back with recipes on their website specific to what sauce you'll be using. Whew! Their "...passion is to empower people to make healthier choices for their bodies, their families, and the planet..." So join them! It's easy when half the work is already done!
Where: Take a look at these retailers to find Citizen Chef products, including Costco and Safeway.
Recurrence: I wasn't able to find Citizen Chef at my local grocery store and the closest Costco is a little over one hour away, so I haven't made it there yet. When I do though, you can bet I'll be picking up some of these sauces for those days of the week that get a little cray cray.
So avoid eating Oreos for dinner (I never do this...) and whip up a meal as quick as it'd take you to open that cookie package. If you're not keen on lemon and/or garlic (say what?!) you're sure to find one you enjoy, like Thai Coconut, Chipotle Adobo, Hawaiian Pineapple BBQ or others. You might just see a review for a different flavor later down the road!
Lemony Garlic Pasta with Brussel Sprouts & Crispy Polenta
Inspired by myself
Serves 4
9 oz. of pre-cooked round polenta (half a tube), diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups brussel sprouts, ends removed and halved
3 Tbsp. of water
1 13 oz. box of your favorite pasta (I used whole wheat linguine)
1 10 oz. container of Citizen Chef's Limone Garlic Sauce
fresh lemon thyme for sprinkling (optional)
vegan parmesan cheese (I use Parmela)
Start by preheating the oven to 450 degrees. Dice up the precooked polenta into bite sized pieces and arrange on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, ensuring that they don't overlap. Once the oven has reached temperature, bake for 30 minutes or until crispy on the outside.
Wash the brussel sprouts and chop them in half. Make sure to cut the stems off at the end first and discard any leaves that fall off after being halved. Feed them to your dog. Bob loves them!
In a large frying pan heat the olive oil, then add the halved brussel sprouts. Allow them to brown slightly over medium heat. This will take about 5-10 minutes. After they've browned, add in the water and cover. Turn to low and allow them to cook for about 10 minutes or until they justbecome tender. If you prefer your elf heads on the crunchier side, feel free to only brown them.
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While the brussel sprouts steam, cook the pasta according to the package then drain it and return it to it's pot.
Once the sprouts and polenta are all finished cooking, combine them in the pasta pot including the entire container of the Limone Garlic Sauce and mix well to combine. Serve hot with a sprinkle of fresh lemon thyme and vegan parmesan cheese. Dinner's done and in record time!
Lemony Garlic Pasta with Brussel Sprouts & Crispy Polenta
Recipe Type: Entree
Author: Katie - Produce On Parade
Serves: 4
Pan-fried brussel sprouts and crispy, baked polenta mix with linguini and a ready-made lemon garlic sauce for a fast, simple and healthy dinner with help from Citizen Chef.
Ingredients
9 oz. of pre-cooked round polenta (half a tube), diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups brussel sprouts, ends removed and halved
3 Tbsp. of water
1 13 oz. box of your favorite pasta (I used whole wheat linguine)
1 15 oz. container of Citizen Chef's Limone Garlic Sauce
fresh lemon thyme for sprinkling (optional)
vegan parmesan cheese (I use Parmela)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Dice the precooked polenta into bite sized pieces and arrange on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Once the oven is ready, bake for 30 minutes or until crispy on the outside.
Halve the brussel sprouts. Make sure to cut the stem off at the end first and discard any leaves that fall off after being halved.
In a large frying pan heat the olive oil, then add the halved brussel sprouts. Allow them to brown slightly over medium heat. This will take about 5-10 minutes.
Next, add in the water and cover. Simmer cook for about 10 minutes or until they become just tender.
Cook the pasta according to the package then drain it and return it to it's pot.
Once the sprouts and polenta are all finished cooking, combine them in the pasta pot including the entire container of the Limone Garlic Sauce and mix well to combine.
Serve hot with a sprinkle of fresh lemon thyme and vegan parmesan cheese.
Roasted Garlic Sesame Broccoli
