Sweet-ish Broccoli Salad

I'm eating this for breakfast, although I realize that most people would eat it for lunch or dinner. Fortunately for me, it's great any time of the day!

This makes one serving--Steve prefers "regular" breakfast food! Ha! You can double or triple the vegetables for more servings. The dressing will need to be added and stirred, adding more if it's needed, to maintain a crunchy consistency.

And finally, I used my mini-chop for the broccoli and carrots. Bless the inventor of this gadget!

4 large broccoli florets, chopped

4 baby carrots, chopped

2 Tbs. thinly sliced green onion

6 grape tomatoes

small handful of raisins (I would use cranberries here for Chelsea; she hates raisins.)

6 walnut halves, broken up into 3 or 4 pieces each--small chunks

1/2 c. olive oil

1 Tbs. dijon mustard

1 1/2 tsp. agave nectar (you could also try pure maple syrup, and this can be doubled for a sweeter dressing.)

2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

Combine broccoli, carrots, green onions, tomatoes, raisins, and walnuts in a small bowl.

Whisk together the olive oil, dijon mustard, agave nectar, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Pour about 2 Tbs. on salad. Taste and add more, if you'd like.

I thought this tasted great--and I'm not a big sweet-eater!! Ha! I hope you enjoy it!

Broccoli, Onion, Tomato, Carrot, and Jicama Salad with Creamy Dressing

I just realized that I didn't post this yesterday! SORRY!

Have I mentioned in the last 5 minutes that I love my food processor? Or how MUCH I love my food processor?!! And this salad is a perfect food processor meal! Woohoo! Of course, if you like chopping, you can do that, too. In fact, Marste just might be in 7th heaven, if she chops this. I think her body releases endorphins, or something, when she chops, because she says it relaxes her. Me, though. For me, the endorphins are hiding; chopping makes me crazy! I LOVE my food processor! Ha!

So, that said ad infinitum, use the pulse button for this. You don't want microscopic pieces, nor do you want a large piece of broccoli! Something in the middle would be good! Ha!

I fed this to 5 of us on Tuesday night, 2 growing teens, 3 adults, and occasional cubes of jicama to my dogs (who love it), and we ate it all.

6 cups small broccoli florets, chopped

4-5 slices medium brown onion, finely chopped

3-4 medium tomatoes (I like Romas, because they don't have as much juice), or 10-12 cherry tomatoes, chopped and drained (Food processors: use the pulse button 4-6 times on the cherry tomatoes, or on the regular tomatoes: cut them into quarters lengthwise and halve each piece crosswise. Pulse them 4-6 times, also! If you get foam, pour them into a collander and rinse briefly. Drain and toss them into the salad.)

2 medium carrots, shredded

1/2 medium jicama, 1/2" dice--okay, I didn't use the f. p. for this!

Dressing:

1 c. mayonnaise

3 Tbs. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. agave nectar or sugar

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/8 tsp. salt

NOTE: I like tangier salads. This salad, as written above, appeals to everyone else I know! So, if I'm making this just for me, I cut down the quantities--obviously!! Ha!--and leave out the carrots and jicama. I also leave out any sweetener in the dressing, and I add 1/4 tsp. oregano leaves. I LOVE this version!

To assemble: chop, shred, dice, etc. the ingredients and toss together. Mix the dressing and add it, a little at a time, until the salad is a consistency you like. (I like a lot of dressing, but Chelsea likes the vegetables! Ha!) Enjoy!

What I Ate for Dinner - Trader Joe's to the rescue!

I did NOT feel like fixing dinner the other night. I stood in front of my freezer, contemplating my options, which basically boiled down to either cooking something or eating a TV dinner. Neither option seemed particularly appealing.

And then, peeking out from behind some frozen ground beef, I saw it! Trader Joe’s Shrimp and Vegetable Stir Fry! It’s a self-contained meal with shrimp, veggies and a salt-and-pepper mixture, and all you have to do is stir-fry it.

But. I didn’t feel like expending the effort to get out a pan.

Yes, I was feeling JUST THAT LAZY. Shut up.

BUT! I figured that it had similar ingredients to a TV dinner, and THOSE are microwaveable, so why not the stir fry?

As it turned out, it takes a LOT longer to zap something that isn’t meant to be zapped. Altogether it took about 10 minutes in the microwave, and the veggies did come out a little weird. Also the shrimp were a little tough. (I didn’t care. I didn’t have to stir-fry.)

Having said that, I drained the water off and it was perfectly fine. (I will note here that when you stir-fry this stuff, it’s FANTASTIC. Microwaved . . . slightly less fantastic. But still good!)

The picture at the bottom is an entire package. So figure on one package serving 2 moderate adult-sized portions. Since the whole package is fairly low-cal, I ate the WHOLE FREAKIN’ THING, and it was YUMMY. MMmmmmmmm . . .

Wait, what? Where was I? Oh! Oh, yeah.

I almost always add some sort of extra sauce to it: oyster, plum, hoisin, peanut, whatever. But in truth, it’s really good as is, and it’s relatively inexpensive! (No, I don’t remember how much I paid for the package. Wouldn’t that be nice? *sigh*)

What I Ate for Dinner: Chinese-Style Soup – AKA Marste’s Soul Food

When I have a stomachache or cramps, or when I’m tired and weepy, or when I’m just emotionally exhausted and need to feel taken care of, this is what I eat. The ingredients vary – the recipe below is LITERALLY what I ate for dinner Thursday night – but it almost always includes garlic, ginger, onions, beef broth and soy sauce. (Sometimes that’s ALL it contains.)

The rest of the ingredients change depending on what I have in the fridge at the moment. I’ve used bok choy (fantastic), crab (well, imitation crab, anyway), beef, ground turkey (the consistency was weird on that one, though), carrots, green beans, lettuce (yes, really – it was good, too!), chopped celery (also good!), tomatoes, mushrooms – whatever is in the fridge.

What you see below is what I had in the fridge last night, so it’s what I had for dinner. As written, it won’t serve many, but you can just double it to feed a family. The whole thing, start to finish, took me about 15 minutes. Yes, really.

The Recipe:
Serves 2

½ Tbs canola oil
1 clove garlic, minced OR ½ tsp garlic powder
¼ cup frozen, pre-chopped onion
¼ tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp 5-spice powder
1 Tbs low- sodium soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
2 cups beef broth
1 handful frozen broccoli
1 or 2 pre-cooked chicken breasts, chopped (I use Trader Joe’s grilled chicken strips)
2 handfuls raw spinach (prepared)
½ package Chinese rice noodles (optional)

On the side:
chili paste
vinegar
sesame oil

If you’re using noodles, prepare those first. Boil them according to the package directions, and drain them. (Don’t worry about them getting cold; we’re going to pour boiling soup over them in a minute.)

In a pan, heat the canola oil. Add the garlic, onion, ginger and 5-spice powder, and sauté until the onion is translucent. Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, and beef broth and bring just to a boil. Add the frozen broccoli and the chicken and bring back to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer about 3-5 minutes, until the chicken is hot in the middle. Add the raw spinach and stir just until it wilts, about 15 seconds.

If you’re using noodles, portion the noodles out into bowls and pour the broth over the top. Otherwise just dish yourself up some soup!

Serve with vinegar, chili paste and sesame oil on the side, and let each person doctor their soup to taste.


Yeah. I know it looks a lot like this one. I had a lot of the same (visible) ingredients on hand. The spices are different though, so it doesn't TASTE the same. Really. ;)

Savory Butternut Squash Soup

I'm not crazy about the sweetness that most butternut squash soups are flavored with. I always sort of feel like I'm eating dessert for dinner, but not in a good way. :P So this recipe is a savory one. It's jam-packed with vegetables, and the colors are GORGEOUS. I like serving it during the holidays: the red, white and green of the vegetables look fantastic in the deep yellow color of the soup. Mmmmmmmm.

The Recipe
3 Tbs olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped (or 2 cups frozen pre-diced)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small package fresh rosemary, chopped OR 3 Tbs dried, crumbled into the pan
2 15-oz cans diced tomatoes (or 1 28-oz can)
6 cups chicken broth
10 cups butternut squash puree (methods below), or use canned pumpkin (and sage instead of rosemary)*
1 package frozen broccoli, thawed in the microwave
1 package frozen cauliflower, thawed in the microwave
1 cup cream or ½ & ½ (optional)
Bleu cheese crumbles for garnish (Yes, really. It’s FANTASTIC.)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a stock pot and add the onions and rosemary. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to turn a little brown. If the onions get too dry, add a little juice from the canned tomatoes.

Add the tomatoes and the chicken broth and bring to a boil.

Add the butternut squash about 2 cups at a time, stirring to combine after each addition.

(Note: if you are making this for a party, you can assemble it up to this point and then continue with the recipe about a half hour before you want to serve it. Make sure to heat the soup back to almost-boiling before continuing the recipe, though.)

Add the broccoli and cauliflower and heat through. Just before serving, add the cream or ½ & ½ and stir to combine.

Garnish with bleu cheese crumbles and a little salt and pepper. (I hardly ever add salt to a dish while it's cooking, especially if I know the ingredients - like canned tomatoes - have salt already added. Everyone likes different amounts of salt in their food, so I just think it's easier to put out the shakers.)




Serve with bread and a plate of olive oil and minced garlic for dipping.

*To make butternut squash puree:
Method 1: if you have a well-stocked Trader Joe’s nearby, just buy it canned. You’ll need 5 15-oz cans

Method 2: Sometimes you can find cubed butternut squash in the frozen vegetable section at the grocery. If so, just thaw it in the microwave and either dump it in the food processor or mash it up with a fork. Each package will make about 1 1/2-2 cups of puree. (If you end up with a little too much or a little too little, just use whatever you've got. It'll be fine.)

Method 3: Buy some butternut squash (figure 1 pound of squash for every 1 ½ cups of puree – so 4 pounds of squash will make 6 cups of puree). With a fork, pierce the outside a bunch of times. Microwave it for 8-10 minutes, cut it in half, and scoop out the insides. Repeat for as many squash as you have.

Method 4: Substitute canned pumpkin, and instead of rosemary, use sage.

Broccoli Divan

2 heads broccoli crowns, cut into florets (or 1 1 lb. package frozen broccoli florets)

4 Tbl. butter (1/4 cup)

4 Tbl. flour (1/4 cup)

2 cups milk or vegetable broth

1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use Kraft)

1/16 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Steam or microwave the broccoli until it's crisp tender.  (Steam for 8 minutes, or microwave on a dinner plate in 2 batches, each with 1 Tbl. water added and zapped for 4-5 minutes.)  Lay it in a 9 x 13 baking dish.

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter.  Whisk in the flour, and sauté it until it's lightly browned. Add the liquid slowly, whisking as you pour, so that you end with a smooth consistency.  Cook and stir until the liquid has thickened.  (If it's bubbling in the middle, even a bubble or two, that's probably as thick as it's going to get!)  Turn off the heat.

Stir in the mayonnaise until the consistency is smooth.  Stir in the garlic powder, onion powder, and lemon juice.  Pour over broccoli.  Sprinkle cheese over top.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.  

This is good with garlic bread and field greens dressed with vinaigrette.