Broccoli and Roasted Apple Soup

I saw this recipe on foodgawker and made my own version of it last night.  I did not add the feta topping because some of our guests do not eat cheese.  Blake really liked this soup so if I make it again I'll try it with that topping.

Ingredients:
1/2 onion, chopped
2 red potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 large head of broccoli, chopped
3 granny smith apples, cored and chopped
chopped sage, fresh thyme
salt, pepper
olive oil
2 cans vegetable broth

Directions:
Toss the apples with some olive oil, salt, pepper, sage and thyme and roast at 400 for about 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, heat some olive oil over medium heat and sautee the onion until softened.  Add the potato and the broccoli and cook for a few minutes.  Add the apples when they are ready and cook for a few more minutes before adding the vegetable broth (I only had 1 can so I added another can of water and a vegetable bullion cube).  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until potato chunks are soft.  Puree using an immersion blender.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Broccoli Cheese stuffed potatoes

I made this for an easy dinner a while back. I seasoned and baked the potatoes at 400 for an hour, and then made a cheese sauce with broccoli cuts in a sauce pan. I don't remember exactly how I did that, but I used milk and cheddar and whisked in some seasonings.

Broccoli, Sundried Tomato, Goat Cheese Quiche with roasted potatoes

I used the other frozen pie crust I had to make a second breakfast for dinner. This time I blind baked the crust correctly, but may not have baked it long enough. The crust wasn't very crispy on the bottom. It might have helped to wait for it to cool a little more before eating, but as always I had no patience for that. This one was better the next day too.

For the potatoes, I just quartered them and tossed them with olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary and baked them in the oven with the quiche for about a half hour, stirring them up occasionally to make sure they got crispy for Blake.

Ingredients:
frozen pie crust,
1 bunch broccoli florets
handful sundried tomatoes, cut into strips
goat cheese
3 eggs
milk
salt, pepper
mozarella

Directions:
Defrost pie crust, poke with holes and blind bake at 375 for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, blanch broccoli florets and tomatoes in boiling water for a few minutes. Remove to an ice bath and then drain completely. Add the drained mixture to the crust when it comes out. Beat the eggs and mix them with milk and a good amount of goat cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over the broccoli mixture in the crust. Bake for about 25 minutes or until set. Before taking it out of the oven, add some mozarella cheese and broil until browned. Let cool before serving.

Baked Chicken Tender Dinner

I made this meal for dinner this past Monday. It came out well, especially the sweet potatoes, which Blake said were restaurant worthy. He also liked the broccoli salad which was unusual because he said he usually doesn't like raw broccoli. The sweet potato recipe came from Sweet Pea's Kitchen and I followed the recipe exactly. Then for the chicken, I basically used a recipe from dlyn, but I changed it according to what we already had in Blake's kitchen. I didn't measure for this one. I looked at some recipes for broccoli salad, but ended up just making it myself. I probably didn't need to buy 3 broccoli crowns, because we had plenty left over.

Chicken Ingredients:
1 package organic chicken tenders
about 1 cup of milk
about 1/2 tsp of salt. pepper, garlic powder, paprika
about 1 cup bread crumbs
about 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme, garlic powder, italian seasoning, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper
a pinch of fresh thyme
olive oil

Directions:
Marinate the chicken tenders in the milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika for up to 24 hours. When ready to prepare, preheat oven to 400. Mix bread crumbs and seasonings on a plate. Shake off chicken so it is not dripping, and press into breadcrumbs until evenly coated. Set on a rack over parchment paper for about half an hour so breading sets. Drizzle with olive oil and place oiled side down on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Drizzle the other side with olive oil and bake for about 12 minutes. Then flip over and bake another 9 minutes. Serve immediately.

Sweet Potato Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes
2.5 tbsp olive oil
2.5 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
honey

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Peel and cut sweet potatoes into 1 inch chunks. Place in bag and add olive oil, sugar, chili powder, salt and pepper. Mix and let sit for about 15-30 minutes. Grease a pyrex and dump in potatoes. Drizzle with honey. Bake for 40-45 minutes, stirring about every 10 minutes.

Broccoli Ingredients:
3 broccoli crowns
about 1/4 red onion
1/2 cup dried cherries and golden raisins
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
Brianna's poppyseed dressing

Directions:
Cut broccoli crowns into small pieces. Dice onion small. Mix all ingredients together and dress. Chill and serve.

Potato, Brocooli, Cheddar Soup

I'm not feeling well this week so I wanted to make soup in my slow cooker last night. My plan was to put it in right when I got home so I wouldn't have to mess with anything later when Blake came over to eat. I tried to cut a recipe in half, but I had to add more water to get the right consistency so now I have soup which I have to eat the rest of the week. I couldn't really taste the soup that well but I think it was kind of bland. It was probably because the recipe didn't have any cream in it.

Ingredients:
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 bunch of spring onions, whites only, chopped - reserve greens for garnish
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can vegetable stock
1 can evaporated fat free milk
about 2 cups of water
1 package cut broccoli florets
salt, pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Add everything into the slow cooker except water, broccoli and cheddar. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for longer. Mash potatoes with a potato masher. Add water if necessary to thin out the soup. Stir in the broccoli and cheese. Heat through and serve immediately with crusty bread. Garnish with green onion.

Broccoli Slaw Salad

I made this last Friday night to go with a dinner of filet and mashed potatoes that Blake was making. I made it at his house and didn't take a picture. We both liked it but it didn't keep well because the dressing makes it soggy.

Ingredients:
1 bag of broccoli slaw
toasted almond slices
1 package of chicken flavored ramen
sunflower seeds
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions:
Mix the broccoli slaw with the almonds, sunflower seeds and the ramen noodles, broken up into little chunks. In a small bowl, mix together the balsamic vinegar, seasoning package from the ramen, and sugar and then whisk in the vegetable oil. Add the dressing to the salad 10 minutes before serving and chill until ready. Serve immediately.

Broccoli cheddar potato casserole and turkey tenderloins

Tonight I made potato broccoli casseroles in the mini cocottes. I made turkey tenderloins with this but I forgot to take a picture.

Broccoli potato cheese casserole
Ingredients:
2 cups small white potatoes (about half a bag)
1 head of broccoli
1 can broccoli cheddar soup
1 cup grated cheddar
salt, pepper

Directions:
Quarter potatoes. Blanch broccoli, cut up and add to potatoes. Mix in soup. Season with salt and pepper. Top with cheddar. Bake at 350 for about 40 minute so potatoes cook through. Serves 4. (I put 2 in the fridge for another day)

Turkey tenderloins
Ingredients:
1 1/4 pounds turkey tenderloins, pounded flat
1 cup flour
1 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
salt, pepper

Directions:
preheat oven to 375. Grease a baking dish. Pound tenderloins between sheets of Saran wrap with a heavy saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Put flour in one dish, mix breadcrumbs, thyme, and cheese together in another dish. Beat eggs in third dish. Dip pieces in egg and then drop into bread crumb mixture. Coat evenly with mixture and add to greased baking dish.
Bake for about 35 minutes. Serves 4. (I packed the leftovers for 2 lunches the next 2 days)