Vegetables, Seeds and Protein

Today this was breakfast. . .
It was really good, and it went together quick!

1 med. carrot

1 handful broccoli florets

Scrub the vegetables and slice into a bowl. Cover with a damp paper towel and microwave on high 2 minutes. Drizzle with 1t EVOO and sprinkle with parsley garlic salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Add to the bowl, some sprouted pumpkin seeds, a few Kalamata olives and one quartered, hardboiled egg. Drizzle the egg with a little seasoned mayo you can make ahead and keep in a plastic squeeze bottle. Mine is 1c mayo mixed well with 2-3T brown, grainy-seedy mustard and 2T or so, white Balsamic vinegar. . .Lin

Orange and Green Asian Coleslaw

Wash, then thinly slice the ingredients shown here:

1/2 a skinny orange bell pepper

a small broccoli crown

fresh Brussels sprouts

4 green onions

1 carrot

Combine everything in a large bowl.

Drizzle with your favorite Asian dressing, 2T lemon juice, a sprinkle of garlic salt, pepper and 1t sugar. Mix well.

Chill an hour or more before serving. This will keep several days, covered in the refrigerator. . .Lin

Garlic Chicken and Vegetables with Steamed Broccoli

8oz. roasted chicken meat

2-3T olive oil

8 big cloves garlic

a few little potatoes

1/2 long red bell pepper

4 green onions

Cut the chicken into bit size pieces and sauté in the oil a few minutes until it's sizzling and beginning to brown. Add the sliced garlic cloves, stir and sizzle for a few more minutes.

Add the chopped potatoes and chopped pepper. Continue to stir and sizzle a few minutes, then toss in the sliced green onions.

Mix together a little more oil with 1/3c salsa and 1/3c water. Stir this into the pan, then arrange the broccoli florets on top. Don't stir, let them steam, covered, for 5 minutes or so after the mixture comes to a low bubble again. This made three servings. . .Lin

Crunchy Broccoli Craisin Salad

To make the dressing, combine a 2-3T of lemon juice and the same amount of fruity white Balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, dry dill, 1-2t sugar, and about 3/4 to 1c of mayonnaise. I don't remember the exact amounts since I made this a day or so ago and didn't write it down, but this is a pretty good guess. Before pouring over the salad, I had to add about 1/3c of water since it thickened up since I made it.

Chop into a medium-large glass bowl:

1 lg. broccoli crown

1 celery heart with greens

1/2 lg. sweet onion

2/3c craisins

2/3c chopped walnuts - optional

I absolutely recommend adding almonds or walnuts, but . . . I forgot to pack mine! With or without nuts, this always turns out so well. It's best when made at least 6 hours in advance and chilled until you're ready to serve. . .Lin

Strawberry-Broccoli-Chicken Salad

1 broccoli crown - washed and dried

Break this up into florets. Cover with a damp paper towel in a single layer, in a flat bowl. Microwave for 90 seconds. Uncover and add:

2c chopped celery
4 sliced green onions
2oz. chopped walnuts
5-6oz. cubed roasted chicken
1/4c Asian Yum Yum Sauce
. . .or poppy seed dressing. . .
2T fruity white Balsamic vinegar
1t Everything Bagel Seasoning
fresh ground black pepper
quartered strawberries

At this point, you can cover the salad with plastic wrap and chill it to serve within the next several hours, or a day or two, or serve right away.

To serve, scoop some into a bowl then toss a bit, since it's a layered salad, to coat everything with the dressing.

This is a really good salad! . .Lin

Lemon-Pepper Buttered Broccoli

In a casserole dish combine and microwave the following for 1 minute, or until the butter is melted.

5T butter

zest and juice of 1 lemon

1/2t to 1t lemon pepper seasoning with salt

2 big broccoli crowns

Wash, dry and cut up a couple crowns of broccoli, into florets and small stem pieces.

Add this to the lemon-pepper-butter sauce. Toss to coat everything. Microwave, covered, on full power for 2 minutes. Cook another 2 minutes. Toss everything and cover until you're ready to serve.

If making this ahead, chill at this point. Just before serving, heat it, covered, for 2 minutes at 60-70% power before tossing and serving. . .Lin

Salads - With Turkey

Each of these was a full dinner salad. . .

as in a salad for dinner.

This one started with some mixed greens, a little bit of chopped turkey, green onion and Kalamata olives. 

Add some sauté-steamed broccoli florets and some orange bell pepper in a little EVOO and a big splash of vinegar at the end.

Top with chopped avocado, pepper jack cheese and some half-sharp paprika.

Tonight, another of these sounded good to me. Again, it began with some chopped mixed greens, lightly steamed broccoli, about an ounce of chopped turkey, green onion, celery, avocado and splashed with a little of my favorite homemade 'clean' salad dressing.

Meat doesn't have to be the main event. Here it's a minimal addition to healthy green salads. . .Lin

Broccoli-Craisin Salad

3/4c craisins

1t fresh ground black pepper

1/4c fig white balsamic vinegar

Mix these 3 ingredients in a medium glass bowl first thing, to rehydrate the craisins.

4 green onions

2 med. broccoli crowns

1/2c sunflower kernels

1/2c± mayonnaise

1/2t turbinado sugar

1-2T fresh lemon juice

a pinch of salt

Slice the green onions, separate the broccoli into florets. Finely slice-chop the tender part of the stems. Put onion and broccoli into the bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, gently mix everything together. Refrigerate an hour before serving. . .Lin

Walnut Broccoli Brussels Sprout Salad

Measure the following ingredients into a medium glass bowl. Heat them for 20 seconds in the microwave, then whisk well.

1/3c fruity white Balsamic vinegar

2T horseradish mustard

2T fresh lemon juice

1T organic honey

1/3c EVOO

1/2c Mayonnaise

1/2t salt - 1t fresh ground pepper

If you don't want to make dressing, I think a good quality poppy seed dressing or an Asian toasted sesame dressing would be really good!

Cut the top of the broccoli into small florets. Peel and chop the tender part of the stems. Cut the bottoms off the sprouts, take off the first layer of leaves then slice very thin. 

1# broccoli crown

5oz. fresh Brussels sprouts

1 bunch green onions

1c walnuts

1c craisins

~ 1½oz. crisp crumbled bacon - optional

Combine the broccoli and Brussels sprouts with the dressing in the bowl and heat 30 seconds in the microwave. Add the sliced green onions, toss well and let stand 5 minutes to marinate these vegetables just a little. Mix in the craisins and nuts. Toss well to coat everything with the dressing then chill an hour or so to let the flavors blend. Add bacon before chilling, for more flavor, or toss it in just before serving, to keep it crispier. 

I'll make this again! Next time I'll go heavier on the Brussels sprouts! This would pair nicely with grilled shrimp, fish or chicken. Burgers, steak, grilled cheese, mac & cheese, or just by itself as the main course. It's a big bowl full of great cruciferous vegetables, omega 3's. The dressing, craisins, bacon and onion accenting everything perfectly. Dig in and feel The Healthy overtaking your body! 😉 . Lin

Lemon-Chicken, Broccoli, Mushroom, Rice Pilaf

Creating this recipe proved to me that ~surprisingly~ onion and garlic are not absolutely necessary to create a chicken dish with a LOT of wonderful flavor!

12oz. boneless chicken breast

3/4c long grain white rice

2T good quality EVOO

Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and sauté' with the rice and oil, over medium heat, until everything is sizzling and nicely browned. Add the following, cover and simmer for 20 minutes over low heat:

fresh ground black pepper

1-2T white balsamic vinegar

8oz. fresh sliced mushrooms

juice and zest-peel of 1/2 a fresh lemon

1-2T Better Than Bouillon - chicken flavor

1 to 1-1/2c water

stir/check often, adding more if needed

When this is 5 minutes from being fully cooked, add the broccoli florets, cover and turn off the heat. Broccoli is cooked when the color is bright and the peeled stems are done. This made 3 servings. . .Lin

Quinoa and Vegetables

This made 2 servings, in the amount shown.  For me, one tonight and another tomorrow for lunch.  If you want this as a side dish, it would make 3-4 servings.

• 1/3-1/2c tri-colored quinoa
• 2 med. carrots
• 1c± water
• 1 big clove of garlic
• 1 5"-6" clump of broccoli
• 1/3c Italian, Greek or Moroccan EVOO
• a big shake of Lemon Pepper seasoning

Slice the carrots and put them and the quinoa in a 2 quart pot. Add water, cover, and simmer 10 minutes or until the quinoa sprout little tails. Turn down the heat and add sliced garlic and broccoli florets. Once everything begins to steam, cover and set the timer for 5 minutes.  Stir in EVOO, garnish  and serve. . .Lin

Sautéed Chicken and Vegetables with Mashed Sweet Potatoes

1+# sweet potatoes

butter - salt - pepper

a little half and half

1-2T butter or coconut oil

1# dark chicken meat

1 sm. onion - chopped

lots of rough chopped garlic

1 mini red pepper - sliced 

2c broccoli florets

Peel and chop the sweet potato cubes into cold salted water. Simmer until they're soft. Drain, add seasonings, half and half and mash. Sauté and stir the chicken and vegetables until the onion and garlic scent your kitchen, for about 10-12 minutes. Add a little water, broccoli florets, cover and simmer over low heat 5-7 minutes. Serve the broccoli on the side and the rest over the mashed sweet potatoes. This made 2 big servings. . .Lin

Poached Cod, Potato, Broccoli

I'm not big on traditional waffles, pancakes, cereal, orange juice type breakfasts. Not that I don't like them, I was raised on that sort of breakfast, but once I start eating like that, it's all I crave, and in no time I'd be gaining horrible amounts of weight!

I need less bad carbs and more protein in my diet. The closest I come to that is when I chop frozen berries and cherries then warm them a little and add plain Greek Yogurt and some really good, grainy-nutty granola. Some mornings I'll have dinner leftovers or scrambled eggs with steamed green beans and crumbled bacon. Today I woke up knowing just what I wanted. . .

• 4oz. frozen cod
• 1 sm.-med. red potato
• 1-2c fresh broccoli florets
• Old Bay Seasoning
• 1T butter

In a medium non-stick pan, steam-poach the cod with peeled potato cubes, in about a half-inch of seasoned water, for 4 minutes. Add the broccoli, turn the fish over, cover, and simmer-poach another 4 minutes. Plate the fish, add butter to the vegetables, stir to coat them with the remaining seasoned water and butter and add them to the plate. This came together in about 15 minutes, and contains 310 calories. It's great for a healthy, quick breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Think outside your parameters!  Make your menus healthier! . .Lin

Broccoli-Cauliflower-Cheese (Apple) Harvest Vegetable Soup

1 med.-lg. head of cauliflower

4-5 sm. chopped potatoes

1-2c broccoli florets

1+c chopped celery

1+c chopped onion

3 chopped carrots

¼c dry white wine

¼c butter

1-2t Penzey's Smoky

½-1t  finely ground black pepper

4-6c water

1-2T Better Than Bouillon-vegetable flavor

*6oz. American cheese

*1c half and half

*⅔c sour cream

Combine all the chopped vegetables, wine, butter and seasoning in a 6 quart pot.  Simmer-saute' over low heat, covered to bring all the flavors together and pull the liquid out of the vegetables, for 20-25 minutes.  Uncover and increase the heat.  When it starts to sizzle, stay close and stir.

As the vegetables lightly brown, add water a little at a time and continue to simmer, covered another 20-30 minutes.  Add soup base, check flavors.  When everything's cooked the way you like, blend with an immersion blender.  *Stop now if you want for a dairy-free, delicious blended vegetable soup, or continue on - add cheese, stirring in to melt.  Pour in the half and half, about a half a cup at a time until the thickness and flavors are just right.  I used one cup.  If you also want to add the sour cream, stir that in now.



Increase heat only till the soup just starts to bubble right before serving.  I had my first bowl with a sprinkle of dill, and crispy croutons.  The apple with this was excellent and could also be chopped and blended into the soup!

Which is exactly what I did!  After the first bowl, I chopped up 2 big apples, unpeeled, simmer them in about ¾c water, covered for 10 minutes.  Added this to the soup and blended it all again.  This time topped with bacon crumbles. . .

Mmmm, tastes great! 😃

Be Bold - Be Creative!  Happy Cooking. . .Lin

Chicken and Rice Pie

See previous recipe for ingredients:

2-3c leftover rice blend

1 jumbo egg

In a medium glass bowl, combine the rice and egg with a fork until well mixed.  Spread it into a greased 9" glass pie pan.  Bake at 375° until lightly browned.

½ head of cauliflower

8-10oz. frozen chopped broccoli

just a little bit of water

Chop the cauliflower and simmer with the broccoli and water for 7-10 minutes.  Add remaining leftover chicken.  Use as filling for the crust.  Bake at 375° until edges of the crust are nicely browned and the surface of the chicken is a little dry. . .Lin 

Asparagus (Broccoli-Carrot-Spinach) Soup

1 big bunch of fresh asparagus

6oz. fresh mushrooms - sliced

2 big carrots - grated

a bunch of green onions - sliced

10oz. fresh spinach - chopped

12oz. frozen chopped broccoli

½ a bunch of cilantro - chopped

6 lg. cloves garlic - minced

2t-2T powdered chicken soup base

2c water

2-3c half and half

Snap off the bottoms from each spear of asparagus, chop and boil them in a couple cups of water.  If they're tender enough to use in the soup, keep them separate for now, adding them at the end.  If not, mix them with your dog's food.  (S)he'll probably love them as much as my dogs do.

Slice the asparagus very thin into a big pot.  Add the rest of the ingredients except the half and half.  Simmer 30-45 minutes.  Decide if you want to keep the soup as is, or blend it smooth.  Check the flavors.  You might want to add a little nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice to bring out some interesting flavors.  Pepper, red and black or lemon pepper would also be nice.  Blend, or keep it chunky, add the half and half.  Serve with sunflower seeds, croutons and sour cream. . .Lin

Broccoli-Sausage Cornbread Bake

12oz. breakfast sausages

1 med. yellow onion

1 box cornbread mix

1/2-1t finely ground black pepper

2 eggs

1/2-1c half and half
1-2T vinegar

1 4oz. jar chopped pimentos + liquid

1# frozen, chopped broccoli

4oz. sliced Velveeta cheese

2-4oz. fresh grated parmesan cheese

Cut each sausage into 6 pieces.  Combine with chopped onion in a non-stick pan, over medium heat until nicely browned.  While this is happening, whisk together the next 6 ingredients in a medium size bowl.  The vinegar and half-and-half make a rich buttermilk that amplifies all the flavors. 

Pour-spread 1/3 of this in the bottom of a buttered 9x13" glass pan.  Cover this with the sausage and onion.  Make the next layer with the chopped broccoli and cheese.  Add more water if needed, to make the cornbread mixture pourable then pour this over everything in the baking dish.  Bake at 375° for 15-25 minutes until the top is lightly brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Since the cornbread mixture is sweet, I drizzled some Spicy Cilantro-Garlic Mayo over this before serving.  Ohhh, it was good! . . . Lin

Broccoli-Craisin Salad

3/4c mayonnaise

2T raspberry balsamic vinegar

fresh ground pepper

1 head of broccoli 

1/2 lg. Vidalia onion

3/4c smoked almonds

3/4c craisins 

1 apple - scrubbed and chopped

In a medium sized bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar and pepper.  Chop and break the broccoli into florets, quarter and slice the onion and add to the bowl, along with the remaining ingredients.  Combine and chill for an hour or two.  Mix again and serve. . .Lin

Thai Broccoli-Chicken

For each serving:

1 boneless-skinless chicken breast

1T coconut oil

1/2t red chili lime seasoning

salt and ground black pepper

1-2c broccoli florets

1/2 med. onion - chopped

Chop the chicken into bite-size pieces.  Season and saute' in coconut oil for 10-15 minutes over medium-high heat until lightly browned.  Add broccoli and onion, cover and simmer a few minutes until the broccoli is a bright green and onions are almost translucent.  Serve as is or over pasta or rice. . .Lin

Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

1c golden raisins

1c carrot matchsticks

1c roasted-salted sunflower seeds

1 med. onion – chopped

Ranch dressing

1 sm. head cauliflower

1 crown broccoli

In a large bowl combine the first 5 ingredients using enough dressing to hold everything together. Add cauliflower and broccoli, broken into florets. Stir until well mixed then chill an hour or longer. . .Lin