Cavatelli and Broccoli

I think I need to detox. I ate way too much bacon this summer and now I have this thirst that I can't seem to quench. So I decided, no more bacon for a while and I need to eat some veggies. I decided to make cavatelli and broccoli which is SO EASY. I usually steam my broccoli but for this dish I just saute it with garlic and oil and toss with the hot pasta. It's delicious! I wish I had more leftovers! You can make this with spinach, broccoli rabe or any green veggie you like. Make it spicy if you like by adding lots of crushed red pepper.

I always find cavatelli in awkward amounts. I just used two bags. It was either a little more or a little less than a pound. I can't remember, don't worry if it's off a little.

Cavatelli with Broccoli

1 lb. frozen cavatelli
3 small heads of broccoli, cleaned and cut into small pieces
4 cloves of garlic, peeled & cracked (smashed with the side of a knife)
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
extra virgin olive oil

Heat a liberal amount of oil in a large saute pan that has a cover, it should be enough to cover the bottom. Add garlic and crushed red pepper and cook for about 1 minute. Add broccoli and toss in garlic infused oil. Let it cook for a few minutes to absorb the flavors add more oil if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Add a couple of tablespoons of water and cover to finish cooking. Meanwhile, cook cavatelli in a large pot of salted water. When pasta is done reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain. Toss with broccoli and add 1/4 cup of water and more if needed to bring it all together (and so the pasta isn't just swimming in oil.)

Cavatelli and Broccoli

I think I need to detox. I ate way too much bacon this summer and now I have this thirst that I can't seem to quench. So I decided, no more bacon for a while and I need to eat some veggies. I decided to make cavatelli and broccoli which is SO EASY. I usually steam my broccoli but for this dish I just saute it with garlic and oil and toss with the hot pasta. It's delicious! I wish I had more leftovers! You can make this with spinach, broccoli rabe or any green veggie you like. Make it spicy if you like by adding lots of crushed red pepper.

I always find cavatelli in awkward amounts. I just used two bags. It was either a little more or a little less than a pound. I can't remember, don't worry if it's off a little.

Cavatelli with Broccoli

1 lb. frozen cavatelli
3 small heads of broccoli, cleaned and cut into small pieces
4 cloves of garlic, peeled & cracked (smashed with the side of a knife)
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
extra virgin olive oil

Heat a liberal amount of oil in a large saute pan that has a cover, it should be enough to cover the bottom. Add garlic and crushed red pepper and cook for about 1 minute. Add broccoli and toss in garlic infused oil. Let it cook for a few minutes to absorb the flavors add more oil if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Add a couple of tablespoons of water and cover to finish cooking. Meanwhile, cook cavatelli in a large pot of salted water. When pasta is done reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain. Toss with broccoli and add 1/4 cup of water and more if needed to bring it all together (and so the pasta isn't just swimming in oil.)

Spinach or Broccoli Quiche

This recipe was given to my by my good friend Dawn years ago. For more than 10 years this has been my go to quiche recipe that I love to bring to parties when I don't have the time to come up with something new. It's so quick and easy and there is no crust involved. This has been a huge hit over and over again for me. In fact, last week I brought this to my office on my birthday to share with my coworkers. This is the second time I brought this in and this time I remembered to pass out the recipe . I've done this with Broccoli and Cheddar (and even mushrooms once) but my favorite is the spinach. In my rush to set everything up I forgot to take a picture of the quiche once it was sliced so I am posting a picture of my broccoli quiche that I had saved.



Broccoli/Spinach Quiche


Ingredients:

6 eggs beaten
2 packages frozen broccoli florets, defrosted (OR 2 packages frozen chopped spinach, drained well)
1 package of grated mozzarella
Parmesan cheese to taste (at least ½ cup)
1 ¼ cup bisquick
1 ¼ cup whole milk
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper
EVOO

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.


1. Sauté onion and garlic in oil until softened add broccoli (or spinach) and sauté for about 5 minutes, set aside to cool. Drain any excess oil.

2. Mix together milk and bisquick. Add eggs, broccoli and onion mixture, mozzarella, cheese and broccoli; mix well.

3. Put in a greased pan and cook for about 40-45 minutes or until middle sets. (Can use two round pie pans or 1 large rectangular pan.)

Spinach or Broccoli Quiche

This recipe was given to my by my good friend Dawn years ago. For more than 10 years this has been my go to quiche recipe that I love to bring to parties when I don't have the time to come up with something new. It's so quick and easy and there is no crust involved. This has been a huge hit over and over again for me. In fact, last week I brought this to my office on my birthday to share with my coworkers. This is the second time I brought this in and this time I remembered to pass out the recipe . I've done this with Broccoli and Cheddar (and even mushrooms once) but my favorite is the spinach. In my rush to set everything up I forgot to take a picture of the quiche once it was sliced so I am posting a picture of my broccoli quiche that I had saved.



Broccoli/Spinach Quiche


Ingredients:

6 eggs beaten
2 packages frozen broccoli florets, defrosted (OR 2 packages frozen chopped spinach, drained well)
1 package of grated mozzarella
Parmesan cheese to taste (at least ½ cup)
1 ¼ cup bisquick
1 ¼ cup whole milk
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper
EVOO

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.


1. Sauté onion and garlic in oil until softened add broccoli (or spinach) and sauté for about 5 minutes, set aside to cool. Drain any excess oil.

2. Mix together milk and bisquick. Add eggs, broccoli and onion mixture, mozzarella, cheese and broccoli; mix well.

3. Put in a greased pan and cook for about 40-45 minutes or until middle sets. (Can use two round pie pans or 1 large rectangular pan.)

Two Fabulous Sides - Oven Roasted Broccoli and Oven Roasted Potatoes

These are the two sides I served with my Chicken Cordon Bleu. I know I promised to post it the next day. I'm really late with this one! Sorry about that!

I was very excited when I saw a bag of mixed baby potatoes in the supermarket last week. There were baby red, fingerling, yukon gold and purple potatoes in the sack. I prepared them quite simply and I'm glad I did. The potatoes were creamy and had a great flavor on their own.

Since I was already turning on the oven at a high temperature I figures I might as well try roasting the broccoli as well. It seems to be a new trend on the food network and I have been meaning to give it a shot. The temperature may have been slightly too high for the broccoli or maybe I should have taken them out a bit sooner as some of them burned...um...I mean caramelized. Luckily, the broccoli still tasted great! When you make it check your broccoli after 10 minutes to check for desired doneness. I will make this again and get a more accurate cooking time.

Roasting is a great method for cooking veggies with little effort and lots of flavor. If you need another reason, it makes for a night of easy cleanup! My stovetop remained clean!





Oven Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 bag of mixed baby potatoes
4 cloves of garlic, cracked
Kosher salt and Pepper, to taste
Approx. 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Scrub potatoes and pat dry. Spread out on in a roasting pan or a cookie sheet. Something that is large enough that the potatoes aren't touching.

2. Season potatoes with oil, salt, pepper and garlic and toss around with clean hands. Spread out.

3. Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes or until a knife easily pierces the potatoes. Shake the pan a couple of times to make sure that they aren't sticking and are getting evenly browned.

4. Toss with parsley. Serve hot or at room temperature.






Oven Roasted Broccoli

Ingredients:

2 bunches broccoli, trimmed of most of the stem and cut into florets.
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
Approx. 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (I tend to go back and add more)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
kosher salt

Directions:

1. Toss broccoli with oil, salt, pepper and garlic and spread in a roasting pan or cookie sheet.

2. Cook for 10-15 minutes at 400 or until desired tenderness is reached.

Options:

Add some grated romano or parmesan cheese when it comes out of the oven.
Toss with browned bread crumbs (or bread crumbs and cheese).
Squeeze some fresh lemon juice on top just before serving.

Two Fabulous Sides - Oven Roasted Broccoli and Oven Roasted Potatoes

These are the two sides I served with my Chicken Cordon Bleu. I know I promised to post it the next day. I'm really late with this one! Sorry about that!

I was very excited when I saw a bag of mixed baby potatoes in the supermarket last week. There were baby red, fingerling, yukon gold and purple potatoes in the sack. I prepared them quite simply and I'm glad I did. The potatoes were creamy and had a great flavor on their own.

Since I was already turning on the oven at a high temperature I figures I might as well try roasting the broccoli as well. It seems to be a new trend on the food network and I have been meaning to give it a shot. The temperature may have been slightly too high for the broccoli or maybe I should have taken them out a bit sooner as some of them burned...um...I mean caramelized. Luckily, the broccoli still tasted great! When you make it check your broccoli after 10 minutes to check for desired doneness. I will make this again and get a more accurate cooking time.

Roasting is a great method for cooking veggies with little effort and lots of flavor. If you need another reason, it makes for a night of easy cleanup! My stovetop remained clean!





Oven Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 bag of mixed baby potatoes
4 cloves of garlic, cracked
Kosher salt and Pepper, to taste
Approx. 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Scrub potatoes and pat dry. Spread out on in a roasting pan or a cookie sheet. Something that is large enough that the potatoes aren't touching.

2. Season potatoes with oil, salt, pepper and garlic and toss around with clean hands. Spread out.

3. Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes or until a knife easily pierces the potatoes. Shake the pan a couple of times to make sure that they aren't sticking and are getting evenly browned.

4. Toss with parsley. Serve hot or at room temperature.






Oven Roasted Broccoli

Ingredients:

2 bunches broccoli, trimmed of most of the stem and cut into florets.
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
Approx. 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (I tend to go back and add more)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
kosher salt

Directions:

1. Toss broccoli with oil, salt, pepper and garlic and spread in a roasting pan or cookie sheet.

2. Cook for 10-15 minutes at 400 or until desired tenderness is reached.

Options:

Add some grated romano or parmesan cheese when it comes out of the oven.
Toss with browned bread crumbs (or bread crumbs and cheese).
Squeeze some fresh lemon juice on top just before serving.