Past posts

As it now stands, this is the 448th article for Nall's Kitchen.  There are lots and lots and lots of goodies in our archive.  Let's take a look back at what the top 3 posts are for each of the items in this week's box.  Maybe we'll find some goodies!

Broccoli

3. Pattypan Pasta has quite a bit of broccoli, too.

2. Beef With Broccoli

1. Broccoli Blitz was a listing of top broccoli recipes.  The Spicy Chicken With Broccoli looks very promising!

Oranges

3. This year's New Years post has that wonderful Brandy Orange Cake!

2. Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp uses this week's strawberries too!

1. Pomegranate and Citrus Salad (mmm... pomegranates!)

Baking Potatoes

3. Potato Skins -- because, after all, the Superbowl will be here shortly!

2. Curried Chickpeas, Potatoes & Collards

1. Veggie & Chicken Stuffed Potatoes

Strawberries

3. Strawberry Baby Cakes would be really good about now, wouldn't they?

2. Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle sounds quite amazing too.

1.  Fresh Strawberry Cake is one of the most popular posts of all time!

Parsley

3. Baked Spaghetti Squash With Garlic & Butter in case you haven't used your spaghetti squash yet.

2. Bacheofe is a classic Alsatian dish.  Alsatian cuisine is a perfect blend of French and southern German influences.  If you've never tried Alsatian cooking, Lyon Hall in Arlington is a wonderful place to start!

1. Mushrooms Sautéed With Sherry Vinegar  The Store has some wonderful mushrooms right now!

Lemony Shrimp & Broccoli Over Roasted Cabbage

One good thing about being gluten free is it really forces you to rethink bases for dishes.  You can't throw everything into a pita or onto just any ol' pasta. While I've found some incredible GF pasta's, and there's always the good ol' standbyes of rice or quinoa, I like to get creative with veggies to take the place of traditional starches.  Thanks to my friend Natasha (check her out over at Tash's Noshes - and we'll see more from her in a little bit), I'm OBSESSED with "zoodles."  Zucchini sliced thin into noodles and cooked up with just a titch of olive oil and then dressed as you would any pasta.  But the other veggie that has become my jam for a base is...cabbage.  I'm pretty well convinced that I could eat anything if it was put on top of roast cabbage ribbons.  So when I got to the end of the week and I still hadn't used up the cabbage from our St. Patrick's Day boxes (I know, I should be arrested by the Irish police for not making cabbage-something last weekend), I knew I needed to act fast.  I'd thawed out some shrimp and we had that lovely broccoli, so I vowed to somehow make all these things play nice together.  And play nice they did!

Lemony Shrimp & Broccoli Over Roasted Cabbage

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 broccoli crown, chopped
Handful cherry tomatoes, halved
2 lbs shrimp, fully cooked and thawed
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
Zest of 1 lemon
Dash of red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper to taste
See Simple Roasted Cabbage for cabbage portion of recipe


Start preheating your oven and prep your cabbage, according to the above recipe, so that it can cook while you whip up the rest of the dish.

In a skillet over medium high heat, heat your olive oil and then add your garlic.  Cook for about 1 minute or until fragrant.  Add in your broccoli and cherry tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are soft and skin begins to peel, about 5 minutes.  Add in shrimp and toss to fully incorporate, then add your lemon zest and juice and stir to blend all the flavors.  Cook for an additional minute or two, just long enough to heat shrimp fully through.  Season with red pepper flakes, salt & pepper.

Serve over top of the roasted cabbage.

Mega Snownadotopus vs. Snowbominable Zombie Prianhaconda: Snow Day Comfort Cooking!

Well a few years ago we had Snowmageddon (aka Snowpocalypse or SnOMG!), and tonight it looks like we're in for some more powdery fun!  YAY!  In good SyFy Originals fashion, I just couldn't resist giving an over-the-top name to the next 48 hours, and I feel my blog title has done that in pure overblown style.  Now, I get it, many of you are not originally from lands where this type of snow is a weekly winter (and fall, and spring) occurrence, and the words, "lake effect," "parking ban," and "shoveling the roof" have never been a part of your vocabulary.  So before panic sets in, here are this Northeast Ohio gals tips for winter storm survival:

1. PUMP YOUR BRAKES!  Seriously people, even if you have anti-lock breaks, please do not come flying up behind me at a stop light and think if you slam on your breaks you will stop.  Go slow, use caution on turns, pulling out and merging, and when you need to use your breaks, gradually pump them to slooooooowly decrease your speed.  Also, don't make drastic U-Turns into oncoming traffic and expect that I can slam on my breaks and stop (I'm looking at you black BMW on Beulah Street!).  That being said, unless the conditions are ungodly, going 5 mph on the Beltway is also in itself dangerous, and you will likely be the cause of an accident.  Oh and if you're in a big pickup or black government issue Suburban, let me remind you that ice is a great equalizer of all vehicles and just because you drive a big honkin' tank, it doesn't mean you can go or exceed the posted speed limit.  Slow your roll big vehicles, slow your roll.

2. Invest right now, right now, in a snow scraper and a shovel!  I've witnessed too many people trying to clean their cars or shovel out around their cars with baking sheets to know that proper snow removal implements are apparently a real need in this area.  Good people have invented wonderful devices to handle snow, so that you can leave the baking sheets for all the Snow Day baking you'll be doing.  Mmm, cookies & cocoa!  Also, once it really starts coming down, if we do get the higher totals they're calling for, trust me, you DO NOT want to try and shovel 10" of snow out of your driveway all at once, so shovel in intervals.  As the son my parents never had, I've had to shovel near knee-deep, heavy, wet snow, that was so heavy the snow blower said, "no, no thank you."  I wound up with what was likely a stress fracture in my left wrist for several months.  Not fun.  But snowball fights while you shovel your driveway in intervals are!  Plus, it's an excuse for more cocoa or hot toddies when you come back in!

3. Fairfax County Schools have already called it for tomorrow, so if you have kids, you get outside tomorrow and you play in that snow!  Snow forts, sledding, snowmen, snow angels, snowball fights, belly flops into snow (this is only fun if the under layers of snow are not frozen, if they are, trust me, it reaaaallly hurts), and even trek your way to the nearest playground and play on the equipment in the snow.  If you don't have kids...you get outside a be a kid!  But just as a friendly reminder to all...don't eat the yellow snow, and yeah, really don't eat any snow at all.  I've seen recipes on Pinterest for making ice cream from snow and I'm like um, probably not a sound idea folks.  Think of it like a sandbox, a very cold, wet sandbox, so don't eat the contents!

4.  There will still be Doritos, milk, bread and water on Friday.  It amazes me the first things to disappear from grocery shelves here, and apparently Doritos are a part of every snow emergency kit.  Unless you plan to go through a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk, 8 gallons of water (I have witnessed this purchase this week, and yes she was in full storm panic mode), and 3 bags of Doritos in the next 24 hrs, maybe just buy some comfort foodstuffs.  A nice bottle of wine, a large roast, some potatoes, bagels from the bakery, you know, cozy foods you want to cuddle up with.  You're not going to be wearing a power suit and heels tomorrow, you're going to be letting the gut out in some slouchy, comfy pants (what I call, "party pants"), so eat accordingly!


See, this is fun!  Most of you will have the day off tomorrow, and just get home safely tonight and Mother Nature has just gifted you a Pajama Day!  HOORAY!  So like I said in #4, rather than stocking up like the world is ending (really lady at the Giant, 8 gallons of water??), get ready for some stick to your ribs comfort cooking.  And with that in mind, tonight I whipped up a faux cheesetacular batch of Chicken, Broccoli, and Zucchini Mac & Cheese!  There's nary a lick of dairy in this mac, but I dare you to not succumb to the ooey gooeyness.  I'll give you the dairy-free version, but you can always go with a dairy-full version and just use the real milk versions of the ingredients.  Well, at least in theory it should work, I never actually made mac & cheese from scratch before I met my dairy-free Mister.

So get home safe everyone, and if you don't have to venture off to work in the AM, then stay in those pj's all morning until you change into your snow gear to go play, and then immediately come home to change into another set of pj's before you curl up with some comfort food and a good film.  Happy Snow Day!

Dairy-Free Mac & Cheese with Chicken, Zucchini & Broccoli

Ingredients:

12 oz pasta (shells, rotini, or macaroni)
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large zucchini, stem end trimmed and then cut into bite-sized pieces
2 broccoli crowns, chopped
Ground black pepper & garlic powder
1 breast, thigh and leg from a rotisserie chicken, shredded
4 cups unsweetened rice milk (or use skim milk for real dairy)
1 cup Daiya jack "cheese" shreds
4 cups Daiya mozzarella "cheese" shreds (or use the real version of each cheese)
2 tsp ground black pepper
2-3 dashes nutmeg


Start your pasta water to boil and get your pasta cooking according to package directions.

In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add in veggies, season with a few sprinkles of ground black pepper and garlic powder, and saute until just slightly browned, 4-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Dismember your rotisserie chicken, and shred breast, thigh and leg meat with two forks (use the remaining breast and thigh for these Zucchini Boats Stuffed with Pesto Chicken...and know your husband has likely already eaten one chicken leg within 5 minutes of getting home from the grocery).  Set aside.

In a saucepan, heat rice milk over medium high heat.  When it begins to simmer, whisk in your cheese and continue to whisk until fully melted and well-combined.  Reduce heat to low and season with black pepper and nutmeg, whisking to fully blend.  Fold in shredded chicken and veggies and allow to cool for a few minutes while pasta finishes cooking.  When pasta is done and drained, pour cheese and veggies over top and gently fold in to cover all of the pasta.  Allow to cool and set up for a minute or two before serving.  Proceed to bow in awe before the lusciousness of the faux cheesiness!

Broccoli Pesto

I've got a fever, and the only cure is...MORE PESTO!  I've gotta have pesto, baby!  Ever since my Cilantro Pesto escapades, I've been obsessed with making it in just about any form I can.  We're talking, "I can't live if living is without you!!!!" levels of pesto obsession.  So last night, this past week's broccoli made its way into a new batch of pesto with delicious results.  You can't taste the broccoli in it, so this is an excellent way to sneak more veggies into your family's food without them having to actually eat the happy little trees.  This recipe makes a lot, and by a lot I mean after tossing about a cup of pesto with my pasta, I still have a full pint jar full of pesto.  Oh the possibilities!  Or maybe just hand me a spoon...

Broccoli Pesto

Ingredients:
1 cup roasted, unsalted almonds
2-3 cups basil leaves
1 cup olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
6-8 cloves garlic (depending on how much garlic punch you like)
4 Tbsp lemon juice
1 head of broccoli, florets trimmed and blanched
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
Pasta of your choice

In a pot bring water to boil and add broccoli florets.  Allow to blanch for 3 minutes or until broccoli is not longer bright green and has stopped floating on top.  Remove with a slotted spoon and place directly into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.  Rinse out pot, and refill with water (or use same water if you don't mind an extra broccoli flavor to the pasta), bring to boil and add pasta to cook to package directions.

In a food processor, add your almonds, basil, olive oil, garlic and lemon. Blend until smooth.  Strain your broccoli out of the ice water and add to food processor.  Add salt and blend until fully smooth, taste and adjust any lemon juice, garlic or salt, as needed.

This makes A LOT of pesto, so half the recipe if you don't want the leftovers.  As you really only use about 1/2 cup to 1 cup of pesto to toss with your pasta.  Add a few more glugs of olive oil when tossing with pasta to keep everything from sticking, and adjust with a pinch or two of salt.

With the remaining pesto, keep in an air tight container and use instead of mayo on some BLT's, toss with some roasted potatoes and olive oil for a fragrant side dish, or use as an appetizer spread on crostini with cheese and meats.

BLT Bonanza (plus a bonus recipe for Brussels Sprout Chips!)

I get the whole bacon craze, I just am not that insane over bacon (though it was a dark chocolate & bacon bar that caused me to fall off the vegetarian wagon).  That being said, if you slap that bacon on a carb and add tomato & lettuce, you better get out of my way because I'm going to go all Shark Week on it!  So a few months ago, I had a mad scientist moment in the kitchen and concocted this sinfully good BLT Pasta.  Yes, there is lettuce in the pasta, because hey, it's a green, it will saute up like spinach.  So, with the cherry tomatoes and Boston lettuce this week, just grab yourself a slab of bacon and your favorite pasta and you're on your way to pastavana (pasta nirvana, but somehow it just sounds like a yoga pose, a yoga pose that I really hope exists and includes eating pasta).

Bacon Lettuce Tomato Pasta

But wait, there's more!  With last week's green leaf lettuce and the tomatoes in store, I whipped up some Triple Decker BLT's.  Now a traditonal BLT needs no recipe because duh it's toasted bread with lettuce, a slice of tomato and crispy bacon.  Easy enough.  But most folks slather mayo on them, and since the Mister has an egg allergy, and I forgot to pickup Veganaise at the store, I decided to pull out some leftover homemade basil & almond pesto and slather that on instead.  I never want to see mayo near my BLT ever again!  Pesto is king!!!  For the pesto, use this Cilantro & Pistachio Pesto recipe as a base and sub in the basil and almonds for the cilantro and pistachio.  OR...I just came across a recipe for Broccoli Pesto that I'm dying to try, so why not weave another Crop Share veggie from this week into your BLT and use some of the broccoli for a pesto!  I know I'll be leaving out the cheese and adding more garlic to my version, because if you don't have dragon breath after eating pesto, then you didn't do it right.  The Boston lettuce will work great for your "L" but I suggest grabbing some larger tomatoes in store for your "T" as the cherry tomatoes will just fall the heck out of your sandwich.  BUT!  As an added bonus I made Brussels Sprouts Chips, as a healthy side to my leaning towers of bacon.  Let me just say, move over Kale Chips, there is a new green chip in town and it is the muscles from Brussels!  So I'll provide the recipe for those after the photo.

Baked Brussels Sprouts Chips

Ingredients:

1 quart fresh Brussels Sprouts, ends trimmed, exterior leaves discarded

1 - 2 Tbsp olive oil

Coarse ground salt & pepper to taste (or instead throw on some Dizzy Pig's Cow Lick Seasoning -- in store -- that's what I did!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Pull apart leaves of Brussels Sprouts and spread evenly on a baking sheet.  You may need to core them a bit more to get all of the leaves off.  Then drizzle with olive oil and toss in your seasoning of choice.  Bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes or until the chips have started to brown and caramelize.  Proceed to eat them all before you walk away from the oven.

Throwback Thursday: Broccoli Blitz

I probably get way more excited than I should when we get broccoli in the Crop Share, but so many of my current favorite dishes are chock full of this cruciferous veg.  So here's the recipes that have been in heavy rotation in my kitchen every single time broccoli comes my way!

Homemade Take-Away: Beef with Broccoli

Spaghetti with Broccoli, Sausage & Hot Peppers

Szechauan Noodles with Cabbage & Broccoli

Baked Spicy Brown Sugar Salmon with Roasted Vegetables

Spicy Chicken & Broccoli via Tash's Noshes

Homemade Take-Away: Beef with Broccoli

Having a gluten-allergy means that most take-away is off the table for me.  It's a good thing I love to cook, and I'm sure in the long run my waistline and my heart will thank me, but sometime you just want to pick up the phone and order pizza or Chinese without a care in the world.  Thankfully Moo Goo Gai Pan was always my favorite Chinese take-away dish and is the one dish that is actually safe for me.  But man a good Beef with Broccoli, or beef in any of that wonderful sweet, salty, yet mildly spicy brown sauce is sooooo yummy, and sooooooo off limits for me.

But, the day that local snow peas arrived in the store, Valerie began to celebrate in the office because that meant she was making The Pioneer Woman's Beef with Snow Peas and thanks to gluten-free soy sauce this recipe would be within my reach.  So I too grabbed snow peas the the rest of my supplies, tweaked the recipe a bit (I just can't leave any recipe well enough alone), and that night I treated the Mister and myself to homemade Chinese take-away.  It was BETTER than take-away, and I wanted to eat it ALL!  Oh Ree Drummond, you are a ginger angel of food loveliness (which by the way, leave it to a fellow ginger to come up with a recipe that relies on lots of lovely fresh ginger, oh how you rock woman)!  So this meant when broccoli made its way into last week's share, I knew what had to be done...sub out the snow peas and throw in that broccoli!  Let's just say I ate leftovers for breakfast this morning.  Go ahead and judge, I care not!  

So give your favorite Chinese restaurant delivery guy a break tonight, and make your own Beef with Broccoli at home.  I recommend prepping all your ingredients first, as once you start, this recipe goes super fast.  So I always make the sauce, get the meat in it to marinade, and then get my rice started so that's cooking away when I start to cook the veggies.  The sauce for this recipe is a great base, so feel free to sub in lots of different veggies.  I always throw in mushrooms, but think this would be great with sliced carrots, asparagus, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, cabbage, and eggplant.  You can even leave out the meat and make a hearty vegetarian version with lots of veggies.

Homemade Take-Away: Beef with Broccoli 

Ingredients:

1 lb sirloin, flank steak or thin sliced top round

1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce (use gluten-free soy or tamari to keep it wheat-free)

2 Tbsp sherry vinegar

2 Tbsp local honey

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp corn starch

1 Tbsp heaping, minced ginger

1 tsp heaping minced garlic

Dash of crushed red pepper (optional)

1 head of broccoli, chopped

1/2 lb mushrooms, gently washed & sliced

2 Tbsp scallions, chopped

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp sesame seeds

4 cups cooked jasmine rice

In a bowl, mix together soy sauce through red pepper, making sure there are no cornstarch lumps left, and set aside.

Cut beef into thin strips and add to bowl with sauce.  Allow meat to marinade while you get your rice on to cook, as from here, it's going to go pretty fast.

In a large skillet or wok add oil and heat over high heat.  Not medium high heat, but face melting high heat.  So wear an apron or a riot shield if you're worried about oil splatters on your clothes.

Once oil is nice and hot, carefully add broccoli and mushrooms and cook for about a minute to a minute and a half, stirring continually to prevent any burns.  Once mushrooms have started to brown, transfer veggies to a separate plate.

Using tongs, carefully add in beef and if your skillet isn't large enough, you'll want to add it in stages.  Cook meat for 45 seconds.  Toss in scallions and give everything a quick stir.  Pour in rest of sauce and add back in veggies.  Cook for an additional 30 seconds at most, until sauce has started bubbling.  Remove from heat to prevent beef from over cooking and becoming chewy.  Stir in sesame seeds for an added garnish and serve over jasmine rice.  Should make enough for 4 generous portions.

Throwback Thursday: A (Short) Trek Down Crop Share Memory Lane

So I've apparently contracted some sort of plague, and while I've attempted to kill the germs with fire (inhuman amounts of garlic sauce from Baytna Mediterranean Kitchen in the Landsdowne Plaza and troughs of green tea), I still feel like someone hit me with a bus and then backed over me for good measure.  Thus, the new posts will be few and far between tonight.  Instead here's a smattering of past recipes centered around this week's items, and once I'm feeling less plague-like, gird your loins -- your sirloins that is -- for a homemade version of a Chinese take-away classic, Beef with Broccoli.  But until then, between sips of tea, I give you some past recipes...

Lentil & Potato Soup

Spaghetti with Broccoli, Sausage & Hot Peppers

Sausage, Potato & Kale Soup

Chipotle & Herb Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Eggplant & Pepper Curry

Leek & Potato Soup

Szechuan Noodles with Cabbage & Broccoli (Peanut & Gluten Free)

As promised, I tried my hand at a peanut & gluten free version of Barefoot's Szechuan Noodles, and my oh-so delicious results are below.  I absolutely forgot to pick up bell peppers to add in (geeze Tara, where do you work again?) and forgot to trim my beastly growing scallions to complete the recipe (again  I ask, what do I do for a living?), so this version is sans a few of the veggies from the original.  But I did add in some sauteed cabbage, which I think was a great addition and would play well with all the original veggies I forgot to include.

Szechuan Noodles with Cabbage & Broccoli

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp wok oil (or olive oil if using a saute pan)
2 broccoli crowns, rough chopped
1/2 head of green cabbage, sliced thin into strips
pinch salt
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp dark chili oil
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste)
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 cup gluten-free soy sauce
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/4 cup sherry or dark red wine (I had a tad bit of some Merlot leftover that had gotten quite full bodied, so I used that in place of sherry.  I know, leftover wine, I should be ashamed of myself.  My Mama raised me better.)
1/4 cup local honey
3/4 tsp red chili pepper flakes
2 Tbsp dark sesame oil
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 lb gluten-free pasta (I used rice-based tagliatelle noodles from Schar)

Cook pasta to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a saute pan or a wok, heat oil on medium high heat.  Add in broccoli and cabbage, and saute until they begin to brown.  Season with a pinch of coarse ground salt and lemon juice.  Stir in sesame oil and sesame seeds and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, taking care not to burn the sesame oil as it does not have the same heat properties as normal cooking oils.  Remove from  heat and set aside.

In a food processor or blender, blend ginger, clover and vegetable oil until smoothe.  Add in tahini, almond butter, soy sauce, vinegar and sherry/wine, and blend to incorporate fully, scraping down the sides if need be.  Add in honey, chili flakes, sesame oil and black pepper.  Pulse until well blended.  Pour half over pasta and toss to fully coat the noodles.  Reserve the rest in an air-tight container for future use (I think it could make a pretty killer marinade for some flank steak).  Stir in veggies and serve immediately.

Szechuan Noodles with Broccoli via Barefoot Contessa

Wednesdays are typically my day off from Nalls Produce and that means I actually get to watch Barefoot Contessa.  Nothing relaxes me quicker than the soothing sound of Ina Garten's voice, even though I always feel like she's silently judging me.  Am I using good olive oil?  Would Ina approve of my faux cheeze?  And this week, as I slipped into a vicarious food coma, I watched as Ina whipped up Szechaun Noodles with Chicken & Broccoli.  Then I thought to myself, "Ooo, next time we get broccoli in the Crop Share, I'm making this!"  And then lo and behold...broccoli is coming home with all of us this week!  The version linked below is the bare bones version, but in the show she added shredded chicken from 4 roasted, bone-in chicken breasts and about a cup of blanched broccoli.  I'm going to use some of this week's cabbage and possibly some of the eggplant, as well, in this dish.  And since we're peanut free in this house, I'll see how it turns out with almond butter in place of the peanut butter called for in the sauce.  So be on the lookout for my follow up post after this weekend, but until then, I give you Barefoot's version...

Szechuan Noodles with Broccoli via Barefoot Contessa

Click through to view this recipe from Barefoot Contessa...

Spicy Chicken & Broccoli via Tash's Noshes

Not only are our Crop Share members generally awesome, many of them also have their own food blogs.  Yes, so much talent in one group and so many budding chefs using Crop Share as a way to hone their skills and stretch themselves.  It's enough to make me a little farklempt.  Excuse me.  Talk among yourselves.  I'll give you a topic...the Thigh Master is neither a thigh nor a master...discuss.  Okay, I'm better now.  (For those of you not cool enough *cough cough* old enough to get the Saturday Nigh Live reference, my apologies)

One such bloggy member, Natasha, recently started up Tash's Noshes, giving her healthy spin on dishes.  We all love Chinese take-away, but it doesn't always love us back, at least not in the best ways.  Hello MSG!  But Natasha's take on a spicy version of chicken & broccoli will leave you and your body feeling very happy.  Plus, for those of us having to avoid gluten, this is one stir-fry we can enjoy without having to make ANY alterations!  Hooray!  So enjoy a little home cooked take-away style nosh from Tash...

Spicy Chicken & Broccoli

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into 1-inch cubes

2 Tbsp lime juice

2 tsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp honey

3 Tbsp sriracha sauce (more or less, according to your own spiciness preferences)  (um, more please!!)

1 medium head broccoli, chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp sesame seeds

Click through to view the rest of the recipe on Tash's Noshes...

Grilled Vegetable Skewers via Proud Italian Cook

Pardon my lack of original content this week, I'm out of town for a wedding and my lonely share is waiting for me back at Nalls.  :(  So for all you Crop Share newbies, don't worry, cooking does actually happen in Nalls' Kitchen!

In the meantime we can all drool together with some gems I discovered thanks to Pinterest, like this Grilled Vegetable Skewers from Proud Italian Cook.  A great way to use up the corn, bell peppers, broccoli and even slice up the tomatoes into wedges to skewer.  I hear grilled cantaloupe is fantastic!  Though probably hold off on grilling the spinach, something tells me that's a bad idea.

So follow the link below to view this recipe that has me ready to fire up the grill at 9am!

Grilled Vegetable Skewers

Spaghetti with Broccoli, Sausage & Hot Peppers

Since we recently started stocking McCauley's Roasted Pepper Relish in the store, I've basically been looking for reasons to put it on everything.  Oh look a random chip...pepper relish.  That last piece of goat cheddar...pepper relish.  Tofutti cream cheese...pepper relish.  Pancakes...okay, well maybe not.  So after one late night at work I decided to just concoct some random pasta dish and of course...toss in the hot pepper relish.  What started out as throwing stuff into a pan to try and use up some Crop Share broccoli turned into one of my all-time favorite pasta dishes.  Good thing I actually measured things out, so I could share the goodness with you all!

Spaghetti with Broccoli, Sausage & Hot Peppers

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
5 turkey sausage links, casings removed and crumbled
1 head of broccoli, chopped
1/4 dry white wine
3 Tbsp McCauley's Roasted Pepper Relish (in store!)
12 oz spaghetti, cooked to package directions

Cook pasta per package directions and meanwhile...

In a medium sized skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.  Add in turkey sausage, casing removed and crumble as much as possible.  You'll need to break the bits up with your saute spoon as it cooks.  Cook until meat is browned and cooked through.  Stir in chopped broccoli.  Deglaze pan with white wine and stir to scrape any browned bit off of the bottom of the pan.  Stir in pepper relish (can use less to reduce the heat), and cook to heat through, about 1 to 2 minutes.  Remove from heat, add in pasta and toss to evenly coat.  Serve with the rest of that bottle of white wine!

Baked Spicy Brown Sugar Salmon with Roasted Vegetables

Salmon is a go-to protein around here, as the Mister isn't a huge poultry fan and I don't eat very much red meat or pork.  So I'm always on the hunt for new and exciting preparations for this tasty piece of fish, and one of my current favorites is this baked salmon with a spicy brown sugar rub.  We made it for some friends for Easter dinner this year, and it had everyone ooo'ing and ahh'ing.  And there's really nothing better to serve with this dish than a simple medley of roasted vegetables.  We all know yellow squash is divine when roasted up, but certainly don't miss out on roasting this week's yellow squash along with the tomatoes, as the flavor just explodes.  For those of us without access to a proper grill, it's the closest we can get to some lovely charred tomatoes.

Baked Spicy Brown Sugar Salmon with Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients:

4 salmon fillets
olive oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 crushed red pepper flakes
3 yellow squash, halved and sliced into half-rounds
2 tomatoes, halved and sliced into wedges
1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
2 broccoli crowns, chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt, pepper & garlic powder, to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.  Drizzle salmon fillets with olive oil and then evenly distribute brown sugar rub onto fillets, gently massaging the rub onto all sides of salmon.  Place in a baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes.  If you want a bit of a crispy crust, reduce cook time by a few minutes and place under the broiler on high and allow sugar to begin to bubble and caramelize.

Spread veggies out on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with lemon juice and season to taste with salt, pepper & garlic powder.  Or for an added zing, reserve some of the salmon rub to sprinkle over veggies.  Bake also at 425 for 20-25 minutes, turning half-way through, until veggies begin to brown.

Throwback Thursday: Pattypan Squash with Pasta & Mint via Katrina Runs for Food

Last June we shared this delicious recipe for Pattypan Squash with Pasta & Mint from Katrina Runs For Food, and it's just far too good not to share with you again.  Since pattypan squash is a summer squash, it's incredibly versatile, much like yellow and zucchini squash.  They are almost too cute to eat...almost!  Click the link below to visit the original post...

Pattypan Squash with Pasta & Mint

Broc-Cauli: The New Dynamic Duo?!

For those of you who've picked up this week's Crop Share, you already know, SURPRISE, you also got cauliflower!  Alright, I'll admit, cauliflower is not high on my list of beloved vegetables.  Okay fine, it tops my list of most despised.  But I'm trying, I really am and I'm bound and determined to find a preparation for it that makes me realize what everyone else raves about.  Thanks to an idea from Valerie, I think I've found it via a broccoli & cauliflower combo...broc-cauli!  Sherlock has Watson, Batman has Alfred, so perhaps all cauliflower needs is broccoli!

So with the holiday weekend at hand, here's two "broc-cauli" side dishes to complement your dinner table.  First, a warm and rustic Cauliflower-Broccoli Gratin from Eating Well, and then a light and fresh Broccoli Grape Harvest Salad from Eat Yourself Skinny (omit the pasta and toss in your chopped cauliflower to create the broc-cauli effect and a low-carb side dish).

Cauliflower-Broccoli Gratin

Broccoli Grape Harvest Salad

Let us know how you incorporated this week's Crop Share into your holiday meal, we love to know what's cookin'!

Happy Easter and happy cooking!

Spicy Penne With Chicken and Broccoli

A simple pasta dish is a necessity for a weeknight dinner. This pasta has a little kick to it and some tang from the olives. Vegetarian? It's just as good without the chicken!

Ingredients:
Kosher salt
1/2 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 lb. (about 1 large) boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
2/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
1 lb. penne
1/2 lb. broccoli florets, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

To view the rest of this recipe, please visit: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/spicy-penne-chicken-broccoli-chopped-olives.aspx

Mashed Potatoes and Broccoli

Usually when I think of adding a little something extra to mashed potatoes, it's either extra butter or garlic. Why not add something that's just a little bit healthier?

Ingredients:
1/2 bunch broccoli, finely chopped (3 cups)
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
1/4 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
kosher salt and black pepper








To view the rest of this recipe, please visit: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/mashed-potatoes-broccoli-00100000064466/index.html

Broccoli Potato and Bacon Hash

Most recipes call for broccoli florets, they're beautiful and easy to cook, but what about the stem? I usually cut it up into small pieces and give them to my dog so that it doesn't go to waste. Finally a recipe comes along that uses the much ignored stem of the broccoli. 

Ingredients:
4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 onion, diced
2 red or white potatoes, cut into 1/2" dice
Stem of 1 head of broccoli, peeled and cut into 1/2" dice (about 1 cup)
salt and pepper
1 clove garlic, finely minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)

To view the rest of this recipe, please visit: http://steamykitchen.com/20996-broccoli-potato-bacon-hash-recipe.html

Stir-Fried Shrimp and Broccoli

I don't cook with shrimp often enough. When I do, I realize how easy and light it is. It's so easy to dress up with veggies and tangy sauces. This recipe only takes 20 minutes to make and is greatly satisfying.


Ingredients:
1 cup long-grain white rice
1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 clove garlic, chopped
3/4 pound frozen peeled and deveined large shrimp, thawed
kosher salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 carrots, thinly sliced
1/2 bunch broccoli (about 1/2 pound), cut into small florets
1 small sweet onion, sliced 1/2 inch thick

Directions: 

1. Cook the rice according to the package directions. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, cornstarch, garlic, and ½ cup water.
2. Season the shrimp with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook, tossing occasionally, until almost opaque throughout, 2 to 4 minutes; transfer to a plate.
3. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add the carrots, broccoli, and onion and cook, tossing, until beginning to soften, 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Return the shrimp to the skillet, whisk the soy sauce mixture again to redistribute the cornstarch, and add it to the skillet. Cook, tossing frequently, until the shrimp are opaque throughout and the sauce is thickened, 1 to 2 minutes more. Serve with the rice.

(Source: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/stir-fried-shrimp-broccoli-00100000064283/index.html)