Broccoli and Cheddar Mini Quiches

There's going to be quite a few bite size/hors d'oeuvre type recipes coming up after all that bridal shower cooking. I do love me some bite sized foods though. Particularly anything that contains both broccoli and cheese.

Note: Makes about 24 mini quiches

Broccoli and Cheddar Mini Quiches
Adapted from: The Local Cook

Ingredients

4 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup chopped green onions (white and light green parts only) or chopped onion
2 cups broccoli florets (cut small)
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper to taste


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray.

2. Melt butter in a pan and sauté broccoli florets and chopped onion until softened.

3. Whisk the eggs in a bowl and mix in the broccoli mixture and cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the tops start to turn slightly golden brown. 

Pesto of the Week! Broccoli and Feta Pesto with Pasta

I've made this pesto a few times over the past year ... it's kind of a summery dish, but I was hankering for it anyway.  It's got a nice tang to it.  My only note is don't get overzealous and add a bunch more feta into the pesto.  It seems like a good idea at first but then it's a bit too much cheese. Imagine! Use the 1/4 cup and then just crumble some extra feta on top.  I added diced tomatoes for some added zing.


Broccoli and Feta Pesto with Pasta
From: The Kitchn

Ingredients

1 pound pasta (squiggly pastas work nicely - rotini, gemelli, shells, etc)
1 pound broccoli
Olive oil
1/2 small onion or two shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup feta
1/4 cup water
Salt and pepper

1. Bring water to a boil and cook pasta according to directions.

2. Cut the broccoli into small florets and steam over water until you can easily stick a fork through it.

3. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat, then add the onion and garlic and cook until they begin to soften. Add the broccoli and cook for a few more minutes, then add the parsley and continue cooking until its wilted. Add the lemon juice and simmer for about two minutes.

4. Transfer the broccoli mixture to a food processor and add a 1/4 cup of feta cheese and 1/4 cup of water. Puree until smooth, add more olive oil to make it thinner if you like. Add salt and pepper to taste and toss with pasta. Top with crumbled feta cheese. Some chopped tomatoes are a nice touch too.



Broccoli/shallots: 

Pesto!

Windowsill lighting: 

Pasta with Chicken, Broccoli, and Kalamata Olives

It's always kind of embarrassing to be reading a book that has the Oprah's Book Club logo stamped on it, but in all honesty, she does have some pretty good books in her collection.  So, that is why, with only minor hesitation, I decided to try this recipe from Oprah.com though the recipe was actually created by Cat Cora.  I found it when I was searching for recipes that had both chicken and olives.  I have weird cravings.

So, this was really good! It wasn't exactly creamy, at all. Maybe because I used skim milk, and not whole, but I don't even see how whole milk by itself would make this recipe creamy. I was tempted to add some butter to make it really creamy, but I've been over doing it on the butter lately, so a mild "cream" it was.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound chicken (cutlets/breasts) , cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 -3 cloves minced garlic
1 pound whole wheat penne pasta
2 heads broccoli, cut into florets and roasted (or you can use steamed or frozen broccoli)
1/4  - 1/2 cup kalamata olives
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. red chili flakes (optional)
1 tsp. dried Italian herb seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to directions.

2. In a large sauté/ frying pan, cook the chicken in olive oil over medium heat until the pieces begin to brown. Toss in the garlic and cook for about another 2 minutes.

3. Add the roasted broccoli and sauté for another 3-4 minutes.

4. When the pasta is finished, add it to the pan and mix everything together. Add the olives and sauté for 1 more minute, then add the milk, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, and mix.



Meanwhile, Keeper's tries on my black flats:

Roasted Shrimp and Broccoli

This is a great, quick week night dinner that is perfect over some rice, quinoa, or grain. Top with plenty of fresh lemon juice.

Ingredients
From: The Wednesday Chef

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)
Fresh lemon juice

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 and top with fresh lemon juice.

Peanut Lime Noodles

I made this Food Network recipe for Aromatic Noodles with Lime Peanut Sauce (such a fancy name!) the other night and realized that my battles with soy do not end with tofu. Any ideas for good alternatives to soy sauce?

Despite that - I really liked this peanut sauce. It wasn't too thick or too thin, it was, well, just right (I just wrote a 10 page paper comparing three different versions of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, so that's what is running through my brain right now).

Although I love veggies and practically add about a pound of them into every recipe I make, this recipe overloads the veggies quite a bit, so I cut those in half for the recipe. I also wasn't thrilled about the noodles I used because I couldn't find those clearish Pad Thai noodles, but overall, this was pretty tasty and fed me for a few days. I think the lime is really important, especially for eating the leftovers, so I'd get a few more of those to keep adding it on.

Ingredients

14 oz Pad Thai noodles
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup snow peas, trimmed
1 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus extra to taste
1 scallion, chopped
3/4 inch fresh ginger, finely grated
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup shelled unsalted peanuts
salt

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of water according to the directions on the package. Drain and rinse with cold water. While the pasta is cooking put the broccoli in a steamer basket over a large pot of boiling water and steam it for 3 minutes. Add the snow peas and sugar snap peas and steam for 2 minutes more.

2. Make the sauce by pureeing the peanut butter, soy sauce, water, vinegar, lime juice, scallion, ginger, sugar and red pepper flakes in a food processor or blender until smooth.

3. Right before serving, toss the pasta with the peanut sauce and vegetables. Chop the peanuts and add into the noodles. Squeeze extra lime juice onto the noodles and add salt to taste.