‘Broccoli’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Recipe: Broccoli & Bacon Salad {#Whole30 Approved}

February 17, 2017 · Narrative

A crisp fresh broccoli salad that is Whole30 and paleo approved? Yes please!

Broccoli salad is nothing new. I bet with a quick Google search, we’ll find it dates back to the 70s. Various iterations exist, and our favorite go-to is this one with cranberries. Some people add grapes. Personally I don’t like sweet items in my salad for the most part, but Broccoli Salad is one of those few exceptions. It just works.

It makes a big batch and I love having a healthy grab-and-go option for during the week. But recently I made a different version of the recipe.

Very pared down in terms of ingredients (although the original doesn’t have THAT long of an ingredient list), and I nixed the sugar, which means this version is now Whole30-compliant. The original recipe calls for a quarter cup of sugar and, while that’s not a huge amount, I’ve found that you really don’t need it with the touch of sweetness you’re getting from the raisins.

If you ARE on Whole30, make your own bacon for this recipe or find a store-bought one that does not have sugar in it. The same goes for the mayonnaise. Ever since my first round of Whole30 in last year, I make my own mayo all the time. It tastes so much better, and it’s just better for you.

With the Spring season coming, this is a nice light dish to bring to potluck or make for an easy weeknight dinner alongside a stack of grilled burgers or chicken.

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Recipe: Broccoli and Cheddar Dutch Baby

January 10, 2017 · Narrative

Are you bored by the same offerings for breakfast? This Broccoli and Cheddar Dutch Baby is a delicious and unique way to start your day.

When it comes to breakfast, there are days when I just cannot look at another egg.

No matter how I’m preparing it.

Because whether I’m eating clean or practicing strict Whole30, it’s ALL EGGS, ALL THE TIME.

And … well, ugh. Plain and simple.

So since I’ve largely resigned myself to mostly eating some form of eggs almost every day (except for satisfying a bagel craving once in awhile), I need to switch things up a bit.

And here we are, switching things up a bit. Going savory with a Dutch Baby.

Dutch Baby, which is similar to an Oven Pancake, usually falls in the sweet category, served with just a smidge of melted butter and a light dusting of confectioner’s sugar.

This is not that.

Kind of, but not.

Like a more traditional Dutch Baby, it takes just minutes to throw the ingredients together, twenty-some minutes in the oven, and you’re done. And since the twist is just simple small-bite vegetables and cheese, you can certainly change this up to suit YOUR individual tastes. Maybe roasted zucchini with Monterey Jack cheese? A few diced tomatoes and mozzarella? Just use the basic guideline and do your thing.

Let’s change up the egg routine … just a smidge.

Hungry for more?
If you have a hankering for the sweet, more traditional Dutch Baby, this is our go-to recipe.

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Recipe: Crustless Broccoli Quiche

June 29, 2015 · Narrative

An easy and delicious crustless quiche that is perfect for a week’s worth of breakfast.

If you’re a regular reader, you know I’m a fan of grab-and-go breakfasts, because our mornings (like yours, I’m sure), can be a little chaotic. And if making breakfast ahead for the week means we get a few extra minutes of sleep in the morning … well, sign me up.

I could very easily become vegetarian, since I love vegetables so much, but then I get an intense craving for a juicy burger and that’s the end of that. But in the meantime? Enter this Crustless Broccoli Quiche. Seriously the easiest recipe ever. Just pour a few ingredients into a pie plate and bake.

And in forty minutes, you have a delicious veggie-stuffed, slightly cheesy, mostly healthy quiche that is perfect for an easy breakfast (just slice and warm it up), or a light summer lunch.

If you’re not a fan of broccoli, you can easily swap in your favorite vegetable. I wouldn’t use zucchini, because of the high water content, but carrots would be delicious, as would cooked potatoes.

Go crazy….

Recipe: Butter Roasted Broccoli

June 3, 2015 · Narrative

A simple and delicious way to eat broccoli? I am so there.

Last night I crawled into bed at 8 pm, and was fast asleep by 10.

That’s when you know something is wrong.

I didn’t know it at the time, but a migraine was brewing and landed in full force this morning.

Between the five days of rain, the barometric pressure, and life, I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised, but it’s been awhile since one has knocked me off my feet.

And here we are.

Feeling slightly less like death now, and hanging in.

So broccoli.

Like the segue way?

When it comes to broccoli, I usually roast it (the kids’ favorite) or steam it (sometimes my favorite). Occasionally I’ll get creative with it (see broccomole), or play with a more involved recipe, but roasted and steamed are my go-tos.

So I was ripe for a new easy go-to, and this Butter Roasted Broccoli is a delicious stand-in.

My favorite thing about dishes this simple?

It means you have a bit of extra time to work on a more involved main dish.

#balance

This recipe is the perfect marriage between roasted and steamed. I wouldn’t say I necessarily fooled the kids into thinking this was roasted, because it doesn’t get that full-on crispness that a more traditional roasting would, but it was close enough that they would eat it.

And so I consider that a win.

Hungry for more broccoli recipes?
These Broccoli Parmesan Fritters received a huge thumbs up from even confirmed Broccoli Haters.
This Broccoli Pie is a perfect light lunch or dinner, or even for entertaining (hello brunch!).
Broccoli Cheddar Soup is one of my favorites from Panera. Now you can make it at home.
Funny that this broccoli dish was made after I was sick. Apparently broccoli paves my road to feeling better. Especially if it’s Roasted Broccoli and Portobello Mushrooms with Soy Dressing.

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Recipe: Roasted Lemon Garlic Broccoli

August 4, 2014 · Narrative

A super simple, quick way to serve roasted broccoli … lemon, garlic, and done.

Broccoli is one of the few vegetables that we can all agree on. The kids would happily eat roasted broccoli every day, but while I love it that way, I need a little more variety in my life.

Which today comes by way of garlic and lemon juice.

You can’t go wrong by roasting any vegetable. The process is simple and really lets the natural flavors of the vegetable come alive. A little drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper and you have the perfect side dish for pretty much any main course.

This recipe takes the basic premise of roasted vegetables and just bumps it up a notch with the addition of the garlic and lemon juice. Still simple. Still lets the broccoli be the star of the show. Still approved by everyone in the family. The lemon juice was perfect, giving the finished dish that little extra zing.

It’s an ideal side dish that doesn’t over-complicate anything. Vegetables in their purest form, naked and delicious.

And, thankfully, this is just different enough to keep us out of that roasted broccoli, roasted broccoli, roasted broccoli rut ~~we’re~~ I’m trying to avoid.

Now what to serve it with?
This Lemony Grilled Chicken from Debbie Matenopoulous would be perfect with it.
And you can’t find a quicker-to-make entree than this Best Ever Five Minute Grilled Salmon dish, and it’s one of my favorite go-tos.

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Recipe: Roasted Broccoli and Olives

December 3, 2013 · Narrative

Ready to take roasted vegetables in an entirely new direction? This mix of subtly salty and slightly crispy roasted broccoli will have you singing its praises in no time flat.

When it comes to roasted vegetables, I pretty much bypass new recipes for them, because, well, it’s not rocket science. Sheet pan, single layer of your favorite vegetable, drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and roast until your level of perfection is achieved.

But for some reason, this recipe for Roasted Broccoli and Olives in the December issue of Better Homes & Gardens caught my eye.

First. A moment of appreciation for the fact that I managed to read a magazine in the month it came out. Because unless it’s People or US, that almost never happens.

But this recipe. I think it was the olives that drew me in. Because I love them, and so does Nick, and since both kids will eat roasted broccoli like nobody’s business, I figured we kind of had to give this one a try.

The recipe is still just as simple as your average roasted vegetable method, but adding the olives? And the garlic oil? It elevates the broccoli to something completely different.

The first time we had it last week, Nick went right back to the kitchen and pretty much emptied the rest of the tray onto his dinner plate. And then was looking for more the next night.

And Madeline? Who is the ~~pickier~~ choosier eater of the two? Last night she told me it tasted like bacon.

While I don’t think it tastes like bacon, she was enamored enough with it that she ate all of hers with lightning speed.

Now if only she’d do that with the rest of her dinner…

Even if you think you don’t need a new recipe for roasted broccoli, try it anyway. If salt and garlic is your thing, you’ll adore these.

Tomorrow? A Bacon Swiss Dip!

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Planning and Preparation: Keys to Success {Eat.Live.Be.}

January 9, 2013 · Narrative

I don’t profess to have all the answers when it comes to fitness and consistently making healthy choices.

Because I don’t.

I struggle some days just like you and you and you.

Trial and error. Rinse, lather, and repeat.

But I do know, without a shadow of a doubt, some of the keys to success.

When it comes to keeping yourself on the straight and narrow, planning and preparation is huge.

Like Justin Bieber to my almost-five-year-old daughter huge.

How can you be expected to make a good snack choice when you open up your kitchen cupboards and are faced with cookies, chips, and candy?

You just can’t.

So don’t bring it into your house.

Why have the unnecessary temptation to lure you in a weak moment?

A friend of mine sometimes struggles with making the right food choices, so one night last week, she came over and we put together a meal plan. Just three dinners. To get her toes wet. And then the next day, I took her to a vegetable market we like and she bought all the ingredients to make those three dinners. And more items so she could stock her cabinets with good snack choices.

And by doing this, it became just a little bit easier.

On Saturday, another friend came over and we made a bajillion soups. And froze them all, so we had easy, healthy, grab-and-go lunches for weeks.

And by doing this, it became just a little easier.

These are not monumental tasks. But they are little tasks that add up to monumental changes.

Those little keys to success.

Baby steps, people, baby steps.

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