Baked Broccoli Bites

Oohhhh boy. This is a FUN recipe. I love anything bite-sized, and I love anything that makes vegetables taste good, and these are definitely both of those things! The original recipe called them something like "Broccoli Bites for Kids," but I'm not a kid (well, not technically at least), and I love them! Plus, they're SUPER easy to make! 

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:

12 oz package of frozen broccoli, thawed and drained

1 1/4 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese

3 eggs

salt & pepper, to taste

1 cup of Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl.

2. Use your hands to form the mixture into small patties. Place the patties on a baking sheet (lightly greased, or covered with parchment paper or a Silpat).

3. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes, flipping the patties over after the first 15 minutes.

(broccoli thawed and drained)

(ingredients)

(mixing it all up)

(patties!)

(after the first 15 minutes in the oven - flip them over!) 

(all done!) 

(yummy broccoli goodness!)

(crispy and warm and broccoli-y and cheesy and delicious!)

Ta-da! 

Enjoy!

Indian-Style Basmati Rice

If you're going to try out my recipe for Indian Butter Chicken (or any other Indian main dish), you've got to make this rice to go with it! Just a few little tweaks make it way better than regular rice! 

Recipe adapted from here.
Ingredients: 1 cup basmati rice (they have it by the regular rice in our grocery store) 1 2/3 cup water 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp cardamom 1 tsp cumin 1/3 medium onion, diced
Directions: 1. Place rice into a bowl and add enough water to cover the rice. Set aside to soak for 20 minutes, then drain. 2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the cinnamon, cardamom, and cumin. Cook and stir for about a minute.  3. Add the onion to the seasoning mixture and saute until golden brown (about 8-10 minutes). 4. Stir the rice into the saucepan. Cook and stir for a few minutes, until the rice is lightly toasted. 5. Add water to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15-20 minutes until all the water has been absorbed. 6. Let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and serve! 

(oil, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, and onion)

(after adding rice)

(after adding water and bringing to a boil)

(all water has been absorbed! The spices may make a little pile like this, but it'll all mix up when you fluff with a fork)

(fluffing)

(all done!)

Ta-da!

Enjoy!

Indian Butter Chicken

We really like Indian food around here. It's usually fairly healthy (as long as you don't glop a ton of sauce on your plate), and it cooks pretty quickly, and it tastes yummy! This is the recipe that got me started making Indian food at home, Indian Butter Chicken!

Recipe adapted from here.
Ingredients: 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped 2 tsp ground ginger 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 jalapeno, de-seeded and chopped 1 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp garam masala (it's a spice blend... you can find it at most big grocery stores!) 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp cardamom 1/2 tsp coriander 1 6oz can tomato paste 2 cups low sodium chicken broth 1/2 cup half-and-half 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes 3/4 tsp black pepper 1/2 tsp salt 3 tbsp butter
Directions: 1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, ginger, and jalapeno. Stir often and cook until the onion is translucent (about 5 minutes).  2. Add in garlic, garam masala, chili powder, cardamom, and coriander. Cook for another minute, stirring continuously.  3. Put the skillet mixture into a blender or food processor. Add tomato paste and chicken broth. Blend until the mixture is smooth. Pour the sauce back into the skillet.  4. Add the half-and-half to the sauce in the skillet. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Add the chicken, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat the chicken pieces. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has slightly thickened. 5. Cut the butter into chunks and stir it into the sauce until melted. Serve the chicken and sauce over hot rice. 

(onions, ginger, and jalapeno)

(onions, jalapeno, garlic, and spices)

(into the blender...chicken broth and tomato paste added)

(blend until smooth!)

(sauce goes back in the skillet...)

(adding half-and-half)

(adding chicken, salt, and pepper)

(cooking the chicken)

(stirring in the butter)

(all ready!)

Ta-da!

Enjoy!

Baked Parmesan Zucchini Fries

These zucchini fries are delicious, fairly easy to make, and wayyy healthier than regular fries! You can gobble up a handful without feeling guilty about it (woohoo!)!

Yummm. I'm craving some right now! 

Recipe idea from here.  Ingredients:  1 small zucchini, sliced into thin "fry-like" strips 1 cup flour 3 tsp paprika 6 tsp garlic powder 2 eggs 1 cup panko bread crumbs 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese Directions: 1. In a small bowl, combine the flour with 1 tsp paprika and 2 tsp garlic powder. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. On a plate or dish, combine the panko crumbs, Parmesan, 2 tsp paprika, and 4 tsp garlic powder. 2. Coat the zucchini strips in the flour mixture, then dip them in the egg, then coat them in the panko mixture. 3. Put the zucchini fries on baking sheet (it's fine if they're close together) and bake at 425 for 20 minutes (flipping them over after the first ten minutes). 

(zucchini sliced)

(flour mixture ingredients)

(panko mixture ingredients)

(finished panko mixture)

(here's my station all set up - flour first, then egg, then panko)

(onto the baking sheet...)

Ta-da!

Enjoy!

Farfalle with Mushrooms, Spinach, and Italian Chicken Sausage

Sometimes you just need an easy dinner that's pretty much impossible to mess up. This recipe will totally work for that. It's really forgiving... you can mess with the ingredients to work with what you have in the fridge/pantry, and it always turns out great. Just adjust the spices and veggies to make it perfect for your taste buds! 

Ingredients: 12 oz farfalle pasta (or you know, 1/2 farfalle and 1/2 rotini, or whatever you have in the pantry) 1/2 of a 10 oz bag of baby spinach 1 lb Italian chicken sausage (or regular Italian sausage, or ground beef, or whatever) 8 oz fresh sliced mushrooms 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbsp Italian seasoning 1 tsp thyme 1 tbsp oregano 1 tsp black pepper 1/2 to 1 jar red pasta sauce, depending on how saucy you like it! Freshly shredded Parmesan, to taste
Directions: 1. Boil the pasta according to package directions. Add in the spinach for the last three minutes. Drain and return to pot.  2. Remove sausage from casing (or, if it's just the ground kind, don't worry about it). In a skillet, crumble the sausage and cook over medium heat until cooked through. Add in the mushrooms and garlic for the last 5 minutes or so of cook time.  3. Add the sausage & mushrooms to the pasta and spinach. Add in the Italian seasoning, thyme, oregano, pepper, and pasta sauce and stir to combine.  4. Top with shredded Parmesan and serve! 

(pasta and spinach)

(Kroger's italian chicken sausage)

(removing from casing)

(cooking sausage)

(adding garlic and mushrooms)

(sausage-mushroom mixture is done!)

(adding it to the pasta and spinach)

(adding in the pasta sauce and herbs)

(topped with Parmesan cheese, yumm!)

Ta-da!

Enjoy!