Easy Roasted Broccoli

So, the bottom line is...I need to eat more vegetables. It's not that I don't like vegetables, it's  just I never think to buy any at the grocery store unless I am making a recipe that calls for specific produce. I decided to stock up tonight at the grocery store and put myself to a 'don't let it spoil' challenge. You can of course find many recipes for roasted broccoli but I always just stick with what I know.

Zandria's Roasted Broccoli

2 cups of broccoli
olive oil for drizzling
fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon
2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt to taste
pepper to taste
parmigiano reggiano


Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place broccoli and garlic on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss broccoli and garlic with olive oil until evenly coated. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and parmigiano reggiano  to taste and roast in oven for 20-25 minutes.

Herbed Baked Goat Cheese Salad

First of all, sorry for the shadow in the picture. I have never been good with a camera.

As you know, I am a fan of America's Test Kitchen. If you don't watch it, you should. It is awesome and full of great ideas and recipes. I have recently spotted their magazines when checking out at the grocery store and I simply can not resist.  I found this recipe in the "best of" addition and I have been wanting to make it for a while. It's very easy but you just have to plan ahead since preparing the cheese will take you 3 hours.

Herbed Baked Goat Cheese Salad
Courtsey of The Best of America's Test Kitchen 


Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 small shallot, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1/8 teaspoon of salt

Salad
1 1/2 cups pecans
12 ounces goat cheese, softened
2 tablespoons fresh chopped chives
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
2 large eggs
12 cups hearty salad greens (i used spring mix)
vegetable oil spray

Directions:

For the vinaigrette, combime all ingredients in a jar, seal lid and shake until combined

Salad:

Pulse pecans in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to bowl. Add cheese, chives, and thyme to the food processor and process until smooth ( i chopped the herbs in the food processor then added the cheese). Refrigerate the cheese mixture in a covered bowl until firm, at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

Using your hands, take 2 tablespoons of the chilled cheese mixture at a time and roll into twelve 1 1/2 inch balls. Beat eggs in a medium bowl. One at a time, dip the balls in the egg, allow the excess to run off, then roll them in the nuts, pressing gently to adhere. Place the balls 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Press the balls into 2 inch disks with a greased measuring cup. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until completely firm, at least 2 hours or up to 1 week.

Heat the oven to 475 degrees. Remove the plastic and spray the cheese lightly with the vegetable oil spray. Bake until the nuts are golden brown and the cheese is warmed through, 7-10 minutes.  Toss the greens with the vinaigrette and serve the warm cheese rounds over the dressed salad.

Fusilli with Spinach and Tomato

I know what you thinking. This dish may not look like much...but it is full of flavor! Christian and I normally don't celebrate Valentine's Day but I decided at the last minute that I wanted to make him dinner. Due to the recent snowpocalypse and my last minute dinner idea, I knew my options were going to be limited. I decided pasta would be a good choice for many reasons. a) it's fast  b)fewer indgredients increases my chances of having a successful grocery trip c) i love pasta and  d) it's not a romantic meal so it technically doesn't count as a celebration. The entire meal took about 15 minutes and was absolutely delicious. I plan to make this again and again...especially on weeknights.

Fusilli with Spinach and Tomato
Courtesy of Giada

1 pound fusilli pasta

1/4 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (9-ounce) bag fresh spinach, roughly chopped
8 ounces (1/2 pint) cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup (about 3 1/2-ounces) grated Asiago
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper



Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.


Meanwhile, warm olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach and tomatoes and cook until the spinach wilts, about 2 more minutes. Add the cooked pasta and toss. Add the cheeses, salt, pepper, and the pasta cooking liquid and stir to combine.

Pumpkin Pecan Pie

Yep, you read it right...pumpkin pecan pie!  I couldn't decide what I wanted to make because both of these are Thanksgiving staples. So, I decided to look for a recipe for a hybrid of the two. On the good side, everyone seemed to enjoy it. On the bad side, I did not enjoy it as much as I expected. Since others enjoyed it so much, I decided to post the recipe.  If you decide to try it out,  let me know what you think!

Pumpkin Pecan Pie
Courtesey of Several Recipes on the Internet

3 eggs, divided
1 cup canned solid pack pumpkin
1 cup sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
dash of salt
2/3 cup light or dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
1 frozen pie crust*

Directions:
*thaw pie crust as directed on the package
Preheat oven to 350°.

In small bowl, combine one egg, pumpkin, 1/3 cup sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Spread in pie crust.

In medium bowl, beat remaining two eggs slightly. Stir in corn syrup and remaining 2/3 cup sugar, the butter and vanilla; stir until well blended. Stir in pecans. Carefully spoon over pumpkin mixture.

Bake 60 minutes or until filling is set around edge. Cool pie completely on wire rack.

Garlic and Sun-Dried Tomato Corn Muffins

I made these corn muffins for a New Years Eve party my friend hosted. She mentioned they were going to serve Italian soup so I thought these would be a perfect addition. Since I thought to make these at the  last minute, I was very happy they were incredibly easy to make. As they baked in the oven the smell literally permeated the entire apartment and I could not wait to try them out. I have to admit I tried a few before I took them to the party!  Everyone at the party raved about how good they were so needless to say they were a hit.

Garlic and Sun-Dried Tomato Corn Muffins
Courtesy of Giada's Kitchen

2 (8 1/2-ounce) packages Jiffy corn muffin mix


2 cups frozen whole kernel corn, thawed

3 garlic cloves, minced

2/3 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil ( 8-ounce jar)

2/3 cup buttermilk

2/3 cup sour cream

2 large eggs



Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 2 muffin tins.

In a large bowl combine the muffin mix, corn, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir to combine. In a small bowl whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and eggs until well blended. Add the buttermilk mixture to the muffin mix. Stir to combine. Spoon the mix into the muffin tins, filling up the cups about halfway. Bake until golden brown on top, about 15 minutes.

My New Toy

I can't wait to make many delicious meals in this baby!

Chicken Enchilada Verdes

Lime Shrimp Tortillas...Chicken Enchiladas Verdes, can we say that I am on a Mexican food kick this week? I watched one of my favorite cooking shows, America's Test Kitchen , the other night and they made these yummy enchiladas that I just could not resist. So, I decided to make them for  a weekend lunch and have a couple of friends over. They weren't exactly the fastest dish to make but let me tell you, these were amazing! These were much better than traditional enchiladas with red sauce. They were a perfect combination of tanginess, sweetness, and heat and the chicken was delicious and tender. I cant wait to make these again!

Chicken Enchilada Verdes
Courtesy of America's Test Kitchen 

4	teaspoons vegetable oil
1	medium onion , chopped medium (about 1 cup)
3	medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1/2	teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2	cups low sodium chicken broth
2-3	boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of excess fat
1 1/2	pounds tomatillos (16 to 20 medium), husks and stems removed, rinsed well and dried  (canned is a fine substitute)
3	medium poblano chiles , halved lengthwise, stemmed, and seeded (see note)
1 - 2 1/2	teaspoons sugar
	ground black pepper  table salt
1/2	cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
8	ounces Pepper Jack cheese or Monterey Jack cheese, grated (2 cups) ( I used pepper jack)
12	(6-inch) corn tortillas 1. Adjust oven racks to middle and highest positions and heat broiler. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering; add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons garlic and cumin; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Decrease heat to low and stir in broth. Add chicken , cover, and simmer until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 160 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken  to large bowl; place in refrigerator to cool, about 20 minutes. Remove 1/4 cup liquid from saucepan and set aside; discard remaining liquid. 2. Meanwhile, toss tomatillos and poblanos with remaining 2 teaspoons oil; arrange on rimmed baking sheet lined with foil, with poblanos skin-side up. Broil until vegetables blacken and start to soften, 5 to 10 minutes, rotating pan halfway through cooking. Cool 10 minutes, then remove skin from poblanos (leave tomatillo skins intact). Transfer tomatillos and chiles to food processor. Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees. Discard foil from baking sheet and set baking sheet aside for warming tortillas. 3. Add 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, remaining teaspoon garlic, and reserved cooking liquid to food processor; process until sauce is somewhat chunky, about eight 1-second pulses. Taste sauce; season with salt and pepper and adjust tartness by stirring in remaining sugar, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Set sauce aside (you should have about 3 cups). 4. When chicken  is cool, pull into shreds using hands or 2 forks, then chop into small bite-sized pieces. Combine chicken with cilantro and 11/2 cups cheese; season with salt. 5. Smear bottom of 13- by 9-inch baking dish with 3/4 cup tomatillo sauce. Place tortillas on 2 baking sheets. Spray both sides of tortillas lightly with cooking spray. Bake until tortillas are soft and pliable, 2 to 4 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Place warm tortillas on countertop and spread 1/3 cup filling down center of each tortilla. Roll each tortilla tightly and place in baking dish, seam-side down. Pour remaining tomatillo sauce over top of enchiladas. Use back of spoon to spread sauce so that it coats top of each tortilla. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and cover baking dish with foil. 6. Bake enchiladas on middle rack until heated through and cheese is melted, 15 to 20 minutes *top with sour cream and chopped fresh green onions