Creamy Chicken-Broccoli Mac & Cheese with Mushrooms with Birdwatching on the Side

  With this version of mac and cheese, you can eat all you like ~ there’s a helping of greens is in it, as in broccoli.  Broccoli is full of vitamins and minerals and is a classic example of a superfood. 

Actually, there has not been much cooking here lately, as Bill and I have been busy “birding" for a while ~ watching 2 bird nests in bushes on the side of our house; one, a nest of cardinals and the other, a nest of robins.  

Healthified Broccoli Cheddar Soup on a Cold Winter Day!

Sometimes, on a chilly day, you just need a bowl of hot, creamy, cheesy soup for a comforting meal, just not all the calories and fat though.

I found a plethora of recipes on the internet for broccoli soup and settled on this healthier version of it, a recipe courtesy of Food Network Kitchen. 

Delicious Garlic Shrimp and Pasta w/Vegetables

This is a 

lick-your-plate-clean 

sort of dish!

With a pound of shrimp, a box of pasta and assorted veggies, you can have dinner on the table in less than a half hour!

Not only it this recipe easy, it’s a healthy protein-rich dish too.  The omega-3 fat acids in the seafood boost immune function and regulate inflammation.  The vegetables are filled with important sources of many nutrients, including potassium, dietary fiber, folic acid, and vitamins A and C.

Rotini is corkscrew-shaped pasta.  The names comes from a 17th-century Italian word meaning “small wheels.”  It originated in Northern Italy and the tight twists help them retain a wide variety of sauces better than some other pastas.  

Colloquially, they may be called “Scroodle Noodles”  or “Scroodle Macaroni,”  or just plain “corkscrews,” like I call them.

Be sure though, there’s no skimping on taste here ~ this dish will fill you up, without weighing you down!

It makes Monday night dinner seem more like Saturday night!

Garlic Shrimp and Pasta w/Vegetables

Ingredients:

12 ounces rotini pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed 
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, divided
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon seasoned pepper, divided
12 ounces frozen broccoli florets, thawed and drained
16 ounces frozen mixed vegetables of your choice, thawed and drained
½ cup white wine
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
Chopped fresh parsley, garnish

Method:

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 5 minutes less than al dente,  reserving ½ cup of pasta water.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
Add shrimp and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon each of red pepper, slat and seasoned pepper. 
Sauté, just until cooked through (a little pink and opaque),  and stirring to coat with seasonings, about 3-4 minutes.
Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Heat remaining oil over medium heat.
Add vegetables, and remaining salt and peppers.
Sauté until heated through, 4-5 minutes.
Add wine and return shrimp to skillet, cook 2 minutes.
Stir in lemon zest and juice.
Add pasta to the skillet and toss to combine, adding ¼ cup or more of reserved pasta water if needed.
Adjust to desired seasonings and consistency with pasta water.
Transfer to a large serving bowl, garnish with parsley.
Serves 6
Printable recipe



Enjoy!

Mediterranean Roasted Broccoli and Tomatoes

Should you not be a veggie lover,

this tempting little dish will 

turn on your taste buds

making you forget 

you’re eating 

vegetables!

It’s a great side dish of roasted broccoli and tomatoes tossed with Mediterranean ingredients just before serving.

If you’ve never roasted vegetables, it will blow your mind with how delicious the finished dish tastes. 

Roasting brings out the vegetables rich flavors while preserving nutritional value.  

This is a simple easy side dish for any meal.  It’s filled with bite-size chunks of colorful vegetables with that good Mediterranean flavor.

I bet it disappears quickly at your house too!

Oops!  Remembered to remove lens cap, forgot to change camera settings!   (◔◡◔)

Mediterranean Roasted Broccoli and Tomatoes
Printable recipe

Ingredients:

12 ounces broccoli florets (about 4 cups)
1 large tomato, cut into bite-size pieces
1 small red onion, cut into wedges
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
10 pitted kalamata olives, sliced
2 teaspoons capers, rinsed

Method:

Preheat oven to 450°.
On a baking sheet, toss broccoli, tomatoes, oil, garlic, salt and pepper until evenly coated.
Bake until broccoli starts to brown, 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
Toss with roasted vegetables.
Serve warm.


Enjoy!

Easy Smoked Turkey Sausage Skillet

 

 

Here’s a tasty quick little dish 
for your busy day!

This is a slightly adapted Hillshire Farm’s recipe.  Using smoked turkey sausage, cuts fat and calories; substitute the regular if that’s what you prefer. 

Stir-fry the meat in a little chicken broth and water, then added a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes.

Bill suggested it would do well with the sausage mixture served over a bed of rice, instead of combining it all in the skillet ~ I’ll do that the next time!  Most likely, the appeal of it would improve also.

My brain was on vacation when I served it though; I noticed the mozzarella sitting in the refrigerator after dinner.  It would've been great to have the cheese scattered over it…


Smoked Turkey Sausage Skillet
Printable recipe

Ingredients:

1 package smoked turkey sausage, sliced thin diagonally

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large red bell pepper, large chop

1 white onion, chopped

1 package frozen broccoli, thawed

1 can (14.5) ounces, diced fire-roasted tomatoes

2 cups instant rice

1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella

Method:

In a non-stick skillet, place sausage slices and cook until browned, transfer to a plate.

Heat oil in skillet.

Add pepper, onion, broccoli, and tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the liquid is absorbed.

In the meantime, prepare rice according to package instructions.

Stir sausage and rice into the skillet, combine well.

Sprinkle with cheese!

Serve

ENJOY!

Cheesy Creamy Broccoli Soup via Dottie

There must be a zillion cheesy broccoli soups out there.  I could never decide on which one to try, so didn't until...

Dottie, over here, at Family Plus Food Equals Love, started "Soupy Tuesday."  I told her I'd like a good cheesy broccoli soup recipe, and she delivered!

This is basically a rich cheese sauce, made with milk, instead of heavy cream; bits of broccoli, a little onion and garlic for extra flavor.  As a huge plus, it's "soup" in under 30 minutes; awesome for a homemade soup!

I can truly say this is a perfect cheesy broccoli soup, because I know what the "unperfect" ones taste like.  It's delicious, so rich and creamy ~ perfect for this time of year!  

It's sinfully delicious and just in time for soup season, thank you Dottie!

Cheesy Creamy Broccoli Soup

Printable recipe 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
¾ pound (12-ounces) Velveeta cheese, cut into ½" cubes 
1 package (10-ounces) frozen broccoli florets, thawed and drained
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
Salt to taste*

Method: 

Melt butter in large saucepan on medium heat.
Add onions and garlic, cook and stir 5 minutes or until onions are tender, do not burn garlic.
Add flour, cook 1 minute or until bubbly, stirring constantly.
Stir in milk.
Bring to boil, simmer on medium-low heat 1-3 minutes.
Add remainder of ingredients, stir well.
Cook 5-8 minutes or until Velveeta cheese is completely melted and soup is thick and heated through, stirring occasionally.
Pour into cups or bowls.
Serve

*Remember:  Cheese has salt, you can always add but it is hard to take out.  If it is too salty, add a potato, cut up into chunks, that will absorb the salt.



ENJOY!

Shrimp and Broccoli Scampi

Scampi is the Italian word for “prawn.”  It’s also the name for an Italian-American dish called Shrimp Scampi, referring to shrimp that has been cooked in garlic butter or oil, plus a splash of wine.  It’s topped over pasta, which soaks up the delicious sauce.  

This is a lighter version that is every bit as good, substituting chicken stock and lemon juice for wine, and cutting out the butter and back on the oil. 

If you keep a bag of shrimp in the freezer, and broccoli as well, like I do; then, you have the ingredients on-hand for a quick dish for dinner to go along with a green salad and hot garlic bread!

Shrimp and Broccoli Scampi

Ingredients: 
8 ounces thin spaghetti

12 ounces broccoli florets
Cooking spray
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon olive oil
12 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup unsalted chicken stock
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method:

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt.
Add broccoli in the last 2 minutes of cooking; drain well.
Heat large skillet over high heat and coat pan with cooking spray.
Add shrimp, cook 2 minutes on each side; remove from pan.
Heat butter and oil in pan over medium-low heat.
Add garlic, sauté 1 minute.
Add stock, bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.
Combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl.
Stir cornstarch mixture into stock mixture, cook 1 minute.
Stir in shrimp, pasta mixture, parsley, juice, salt and pepper.
Cook 1 minute, tossing to coat.
Sprinkle with Parmesan.
Serves 4 

ENJOY!

Chicken Baked w/Broccoli, The Southern Living Way

It will be 35 years this August that I’ve lived in the Midwest, but my heart is also in the South, where I grew up.

And that’s where Southern Living enters the picture.  I read about a 1981 cookbook, Southern Living Cookbook for Two here (unfortunately I can’t find the exact post on Nellie’s blog), and knew it meant a visit to Amazon was in order ~ as this cookbook addict hasn’t meant a cookbook, particularly from Southern Living, that she didn’t like. 

I write all over my cookbooks, do you?

It’s a great cookbook with many more recipes I’ll be trying.  And, incidentally, after all these years, I still have a subscription to Southern Living magazine.

As to the recipe, this is one of the most tender, delicious chicken dishes I have ever made, with Bill concurring!  The winning combination of chicken, broccoli, mushrooms, and cheese turns this casserole into a mouthwatering dish.  I slightly adapted the recipe by adding mushrooms and less butter.

Headed to the oven

It’s a good filling meal for this time of year, that’s simple and only needs a green salad to round out the dinner.  Here’s hoping you like it also, should you make it!

Chicken Baked w/Broccoli

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 (8-ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained

1 (10-ounce) package frozen broccoli florets

1 can cream of mushroom soup

½ cup milk

½ cup (2-ounces) shredded Cheddar Cheese

½ teaspoon coarse-ground pepper

1/3 cup breadcrumbs

Hungarian Paprika

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place chicken in a 2-quart baking dish, and drizzle with butter.

Spread mushrooms over top.

Bake for 40 minutes.

Cook broccoli according to package directions, al dente; drain.

Arrange around chicken breasts.

Combine soup, milk, cheese and pepper.

Pour over chicken and broccoli.

Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and paprika.

Bake an additional 20 minutes.

ENJOY!

Cheesy Penne w/Broccoli

What a way to eat your broccoli!

I’m thinking broccoli and pasta are made for each other, a great duo as this Cooking Light recipe proves.

This tasty sauce is similar to an alfredo sauce but, without heavy cream and butter.  Low-fat cream cheese and skim milk are the substitutes, with Dijon mustard and seasonings flavoring it up.

Any short pasta can be substituted here, with rotini and farfalle being good choices.  I think next time; I’ll throw some minced garlic into the mix.

Try this and enjoy your broccoli!

Cheesy Penne w/Broccoli

Adapted

Ingredients:

8 ounces uncooked penne pasta

5 cups broccoli florets (about 1 medium head)
1 1/3 cups skim milk
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tablespoons 1/3-less fat cream cheese
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon seasoned pepper
Dash ground nutmeg
2/3 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

Method:

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

During the last 4-5 minutes, add broccoli to pan; drain well.
Place both in a large bowl.
Combine milk and flour in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk until smooth.
Cook 5 minutes or until slightly thickened; remove from heat.
Add 2 tablespoons Parmesan and remaining ingredients, whisking until smooth.
Add cheese mixture to pasta mixture; toss.
Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. 

Serves 4

ENJOY!

Roast Squash Medley and more…

We had a great fun time at Bill’s reunion ~ sooo many “old” people there…

Las Vegas was a blast as usual, and Elton John was the best.  The photo below is the gargantuan project under construction, to open early 2014.   

To give a little perspective, the photo is taken from the 21^st floor of the Flamingo, in the very middle of the strip, where the Ferris wheel is located.  It is to be the largest Ferris wheel in the world:  28 pods, holding 40 people, that’s over 1100 crazy brave people, floating over Las Vegas, 550 feet into the sky; taking anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour for a revolution; according to which story you read.

Holy moly!!!

Delicious food all over the place there, but here’s a delicious dish I made when we returned…

Vegetables ~ Roasted.

Butternut Squash.  Carrots.  Broccoli.

Maple Syrup.  Pecans.

Perfect!

The temperature is really falling here now, and there’s something about the cooler weather that makes a hearty healthy vegetable dish like this very appealing.

Maple syrup, squash and carrots were made for each other.  Broccoli adds great color and ups the nutritional value of the dish, with pecans adding a nutty crunch to the mix. 

This recipe is from the Chicago Tribune.  It’s colorful, healthy and delicious; maybe it just might make an appearance on our Thanksgiving table.  And, I’m wondering ~ a dash of cinnamon, perhaps…

Roast Squash Medley

Adapted

Ingredients:

2 pounds (about 1 large) butternut squash, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes

4 carrots, peeled and cut into bite-size chunks

1 pound broccoli florets

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon seasoned pepper

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1/3 cup toasted pecans, halved

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss together first 7 ingredients (up to syrup) in a large bowl.

Spread vegetables out on rimmed baking sheet (may need two pans).

Slide into oven and roast, stirring twice until broccoli is browned and all the vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes.

Pour maple syrup over vegetables, stir.

Roast 5 minutes more.

Scatter on nuts and toss.

ENJOY!!!

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog, @My Kind of Cooking for great tips and delicious easy recipes!