broccoli

Golden Broccoli Cheese Soup

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Years and years ago, I worked at a roofing company. We had an amazing great office crew! We had potluck lunches from time to time with fabulous dishes and often shared the recipes. As a result of one of those recipe swaps, I’ve been making this soup for more than 25 years!  

So, do you need a meatless Monday dinner? A great soup recipe for that last (we hope) big cold snap before spring? A way to use up some broccoli from your fridge? Need more veggies in your life? I’ve got you covered! This is a creamy soup that comes together quickly. It’s great for a weeknight meal. This recipe can be easily doubled, tripled, quadrupled – you get the idea — to feed a crowd. And if you overestimate, it also freezes well. –Kathy

Golden Broccoli Cheese Soup

2 T. butter

¼ c. water

1 (10 oz.) pkg frozen corn

½ c. shredded carrots (or finely chopped)

¼ c. finely chopped onion

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 c. milk

1 c. chopped broccoli, cooked crisp tender

2 (10.5 oz.) cans Cream of Potato Soup

½ c. shredded mozzarella

1 c. shredded cheddar

In a large sauce pan or soup pot, combine butter, water, corn, carrots, onion and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add cream of potato soup, milk, broccoli and cheeses. Stir to combine well. Bring to simmer over low heat, stirring often. Taste for seasoning. Serve and enjoy! 

Roasted Broccoli & Garlic

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In case you haven’t noticed from my recipes (case in point:  Roasted Garlic Hummus), I LOVE garlic.  I eat it so much, vampires would probably pass me up… mostly I eat it for supper though, so I don’t lose friends.

It’s no surprise that this Roasted Broccoli & Garlic is one of my very favorite vegetables/side-dishes.  My kids eat it well too so that’s a plus.  The crunchy edges on the broccoli and the crispy bits of garlic are a match made in heaven.  ~Erin

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Ingredients:

  • 2 medium heads of broccoli, washed
  • 1 small head of garlic
  • 1 T. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • cooking spray for the pan

Instructions: 

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Spray a large sheet pan with cooking spray; set aside.
  3. Cut the broccoli into small florets.  For more crispy surface area, cut each floret in half longways, so each one has a flat side to place on the pan.
  4. Separate the garlic cloves & smash them with a heavy object.  I use my cast iron skillet or a large can of vegetables.
  5. Remove the papery skins from the garlic and cut the larger cloves in half.
  6. Toss the broccoli & garlic with olive oil and spread in a single layer on the sheet pan.
  7. Lightly salt the broccoli & garlic
  8. Roast in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time, or until broccoli is tender and golden browned on the edges.

WW Freestyle Info.: Makes 4 servings at 1 point each.

Sweet & Spicy Chicken Stir-Fry

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My daughter turns 11 this week. She’s just like I was as a kid in that she starts planning her next birthday celebration the minute her previous birthday ends. I have to put the kibosh on some of her wild hair ideas but I try to always allow one or two. This year we are taking her and a few of her friends to the zoo and she wants to go dressed as unicorns. Yes, unicorns. I ordered unicorn horns as party favors and she’s created unicorn shirts, complete with rainbow colored tails attached. Good thing she’s crafty.

She also wants a 3 layer cookie cake. Not a plain cookie cake. A sugar cookie cake with 3 layers, frosting between, and sprinkles. It’s a little unexpected (as usual) but honestly it sounds divine so, challenge accepted. (I’m sure you’ll be seeing that soft sugar cookie recipe here on the blog soon. I got it from Kathy and it’s THE BEST. Keep your eyes open for it.)

She also requested this Sweet & Spicy Chicken Stir-Fry for her birthday. Just kidding, that’s a lie. Hahaha, she’s 11, she wants pizza. Surprisingly though, as my more picky child, she actually will eat this stir fry. I know that doesn’t sound like a glowing recommendation but I promise it is. She usually turns up her nose at vegetables mixed in with meat. Not this one. She mostly eats the broccoli and chicken out, but I ain’t complaining if she eats it at all! My son likes it but he eats like a grown up. Anybody else out there have a picky eater? (All the moms raise their hands.) There’s one in every family.

This stir fry is one of our mom’s creations. Mom has always liked to create new recipes, and this is one she came up with not long ago and shared with us at one of our visits to her house. I immediately asked for the recipe. Thanks, Momma! It’s made with basic ingredients but is packed with flavor… spicy without being hot, and has a hint of salty sweetness as well. What can I say, our mom knows how to cook! ~Erin

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Ingredients:

  • 8 T. red pepper jelly (found in the jelly isle)
  • 4 T. Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
  • ½ tsp. ginger paste or freshly grated ginger
  • 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
  • Seasoning of your choice for chicken (I used a prepackaged Asian seasoning but salt, pepper, and garlic powder would be fine too.)
  • 1 large white or yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 T. garlic, minced or pressed (I use pre-minced jarred garlic)
  • 1 yellow, 1 orange, 1 red, and 1 green bell pepper, deseeded sliced into strips
  • 2 small heads of broccoli (about 3 cups), cut into small florets; discard stems
  • 2 ½ T. sesame oil or olive oil, divided
  • Prepared rice, red pepper flakes, chopped green onions, and/or more soy sauce for serving (optional)

Instructions:

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together red pepper jelly, soy sauce, and ginger; set aside.
  2. In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 T. oil over medium high heat. Cook the seasoned chicken a few minutes on each side, until lightly browned and cooked through; remove from pan and set aside.
  3. In the same skillet, heat 1 T. oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook until onions are tender and becoming translucent (about 5-6 minutes, stirring often).
  4. Increase heat to medium and add ½ T. more oil. Add all the bell peppers and cook until they start to get tender.
  5. Add the broccoli and cook for 3-4 minutes, until tender but not overly soft.
  6. Add the cooked chicken & sauce to the pan with the veggies; cook & stir until evenly coated & heated throughout.
  7. Serve over rice with more soy sauce if desired.

WW Freestyle Info.:  This recipe makes 8 servings. Each 1 ½ cups serving is 4 points, not including rice.

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Lemon Dill Broccoli

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Are you always looking for ways to eat vegetables that don’t involve ranch dressing or some sort of cheese sauce? When you’re in a family like ours – one that seems to have a genetic predisposition to love all things that involve carbs and sugar – a good vegetable recipe is dinner-time gold! ~Tracy

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Ingredients: 
1 large head of raw, fresh broccoli
1 c. prepared chicken bouillion
½ tsp. dried basil
½ tsp. dill (or more to taste)
¾ tsp. garlic salt
1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice (can use bottled lemon juice)

Instructions: 
Chop broccoli into bite sized pieces leaving a small piece of the stalk on each to hold the
broccoli together.

Prepare chicken bouillon according to directions. Pour into a saucepan large enough for the broccoli to be in one layer. Add broccoli to bullion in saucepan. Sprinkle basil, dill, and garlic salt onto broccoli.

Turn on low heat and allow to simmer, covered, until broccoli becomes tender. Remove from heat; toss to coat well with all seasoning and bullion. Remove broccoli from saucepan and add lemon juice; toss to coat.

WW Freestyle Info.:  ZERO SmartPoints!

Broccoli Salad

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Posted by Robin

Our aunt Kathleen never failed to bring this anytime we were having a salad supper at Grandma’s house, and we never failed to devour it. Even as small children. And the main ingredient is broccoli.  Enough said. 🙂

Salad Ingredients:

  • 4 slices of bacon, crumbled into very small pieces (homemade bacon bits)
  • 4 cups of small florets of broccoli (fresh – about 2 sm. heads)
  • 3/4 c. sharp cheddar, shredded (don’t get the finely shredded cheese, as pieces won’t be substantive enough to taste well in the mix)*
  • ¼- ½ large red onion, diced (depending on preference – I do ½ c.)

Dressing Ingredients:

  • 1/2 c. Miracle Whip*
  • 1 1/2 T. sugar
  • 2 T. white vinegar 
  • A dash of salt

*For the WW version if this recipe, use Miracle Whip Light and low fat cheddar. All other ingredients and quantities are the same.

Instructions: 

Cook bacon until nice and crispy; drain, cool, and crumble.

In a large bowl, combine broccoli florets, cheddar, red onion, and bacon. Set aside.

To make dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together Miracle whip, sugar, vinegar, and salt until sugar is dissolved well, and it’s evenly combined.

Pour dressing over salad and gently toss to coat salad evenly.

WW Freestyle Info.: Makes about 1 pound of salad – about 10 half-cup servings, 2 points per serving.

Asian Beef & Broccoli

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Posted by Erin

The only “vegetables” (even if you can call them that) I at as a child were potatoes and hominy.  Hominy… not sure that even qualifies as a vegetable, it’s so over-processed.  My mom tried everything to get me to eat my vegetables.  She tried making me sit at the table until I ate them… I was apparently a very strong willed child.  She tried seasoning them differently or “hiding” them in casseroles… I didn’t fall for that.   She even tried paying me.  That one actually worked… until she quit paying me, then I quit eating them.  My poor mom.  Fortunately, my taste buds have changed and now I’m a lover of all foods, meat and vegetables alike.  Luckily for me, my kids are a lot better eaters than I was as a child.  One of their favorite veggies is broccoli so we have it a lot.  We like it roasted, steamed & seasoned, covered in cheese, or incorporated into a dish such as this one.  This Asian Beef & Broccoli is a one-pan meal, which you know I love!  (Okay, two pans if you count the one you cook the rice in.)  It’s fast & easy to prepare and tastes like Chinese take-out!

Ingredients:

  • ½ c. beef broth (I use water & beef bouillion)
  • 3 T. cornstarch, divided
  • 2 T. sweet chili sauce (found in the Asian section of the grocery store)
  • 4 T. low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 T. garlic, minced
  • ½ tsp. fresh ginger or ginger paste
  • ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1 T. sesame oil, divided
  • 1 (12 ounce) bag frozen broccoli florets, thawed and drained on paper towels (I chop them smaller so they spread more evenly throughout the dish & cook faster.)
  • ½ a medium onion, chopped
  • 1 lb. tenderized round steak (a.k.a. cube steak), trimmed and cut into small strips
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • Salt & pepper
  • Cooked rice, for serving (We also like to have more soy sauce on hand to season our rice.)

Instructions:

In a small bowl, combine beef broth, sweet chili sauce, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, minced garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes (if desired); set aside.

In a large skillet or wok, heat ½ tablespoon sesame oil over medium-high heat.  Sautee the broccoli, stirring frequently, until it gets some brown coloration on it.  Turn off heat, remove broccoli from the pan, and set aside.

In a bowl or plastic baggie, sprinkle steak strips with corn starch, garlic powder, onion powder, and a dash of salt & pepper; toss to coat.

Heat remaining ½ tablespoon sesame oil in the skillet again over medium high heat.

Add beef; cook and stir until brown and juice runs clear.

Add broth mixture & broccoli to pan with beef.

Reduce heat to low.

Simmer & stir about 5 minutes, until broccoli is tender and sauce is thickened.

Serve over rice; add more soy sauce, if desired.

WW Freestyle Info:  Each 8 ounce (weight) serving is 6 points; makes 4 servings.