Tuscan Chicken, Cheese and Broccoli Bake (Low carb)

This is comfort food without the extra calories, which my friends is my kind of meal at the moment in the lead up to Christmas. Leftovers are even more delicious the following day for lunch or served for dinner. You could almost think you are eating a lasagna but not missing the pasta because of the extra protein, vegetables, herbs and cheese. It's very tasty.

Baked Salmon with Pea, Broccoli and Mint Mash

This is an easy-peasy recipe.... ready to eat in less than 20 minutes, it's nutritious and low calorie. Oh and of course it's delicious or it wouldn't be on my website. I've played around with the flavours a bit, to bring it up to just how I like it.

This is one of those recipes where you eat the food on the plate with your eyes first, then tuck in.

Cheesy Broccoli Fritters, Baked not Fried

Broccoli Fritters which can be baked instead of fried, are my ideal way of making delicious and easy fritters where there's no risk of them breaking apart and no need to stand endlessly at the stove flipping fritters. I just know you will love this method too.  Baking ensures they are crispy and hold together well, thanks to the egg and cheese binding all the ingredients together. 

Light and Cheesy Green Vegetable Coconut Soup

Vegetable lovers, this one is for you. This soup is a celebration of all the beautiful green produce coming into season right now.  I have made no compromises with this soup my friends, it is all vegetable based, using totally green produce, organic is preferable. Leek, broccoli, zucchini, celery, peas, baby spinach, garlic and fresh ginger are the basis of my soup this morning but any edible green vegetables you find lurking in your vegetable crisper, will  be perfect. Frozen green veg can be used as well. It's Meat Free Monday in our kitchen, and the perfect day for it. It's a wonderful time of the year to increase our intake of fruit and vegetables. With the weather cooling down even here in the tropics thank goodness, the markets and supermarkets are stocking a beautiful selection of fresh produce at reasonable prices.  Broccoli is $2.99 a kilo today, reasonably priced at last. Will it go lower in price, I hope so. The weekend is often the time when we spend time socialising with friends and family, consuming delicious food and enjoying a couple of drinks so let's give our bodies a chance to recharge on Monday and also help the environment by going meat free. Never has it been more important to keep healthy and boost our immune system, and that is our responsibility.

Oh I just realised, I probably can't call the garlic or the coconut oil green, however they are both produced organically, and the garlic I use is grown locally at nearby Eungella.

 Broccoli and zucchini are now recognised as being key vegetables for people suffering from high blood sugar and Type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes. Without going into too much detail about it, broccoli is a rich source of Chromium, a mineral which helps to improve insulin action in pre-diabetes and control blood glucose, an important factor for everyone these days I think. Never has it been more important to keep healthy and boost our immune system. Green vegetable soup is also quite creamy when pureed, thanks to the texture and structure of the versatile zucchini. This soup makes it so easy to include broccoli in your family's diet in a very appetising way, and to control our weight as well. However, for some variety and to be economical, try using up green leftovers and bits and pieces in your crisper by adding celery, beans, chives, eschallots, peas, spinach or silverbeet, a mix of herbs, or anything green and edible. I used 1 cup of frozen peas and beans in this soup which is so convenient.

Ingredients:

1 leek, washed and roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 tablespoons organic coconut oil

6 cups roughly chopped green vegetables, which can include 2 zucchinis, 1 head of broccoli, celery, 1 cup frozen peas and 1 cup beans.  Use whatever you have. (However, it works best using zucchini and broccoli as a base for your other vegetables.)

2 handfuls of baby spinach roughly chopped, these cook right down (optional)

1-2 green chillis (optional)

1 litre vegetable stock (homemade is best if you have it or use stock cubes)

1 cup roughly chopped herbs, such as coriander, basil, oregano or flat-leaf parsley leaves

2 coriander roots finely chopped if you are using coriander as one of your herbs

Pinch of salt, ground black pepper for seasoning

Juice of ½ to 1 lemon (Test the taste after adding juice from ½ a lemon and add more if required.)

1 cup crumbled sharp cheddar such as parmesan

Recipe Notes: 

• I love the flavour of leeks, however you can use onion.
• Use butter, olive oil or ghee instead of coconut oil to fry the vegetables if that is what you prefer, and add some coconut milk at the end of the cooking time for a delicious coconut flavour.
• Swap the green vegetables around using whatever you have on hand.
• Use chicken stock instead of vegetable if that is all you have.
• Use fresh rocket for some punch if you wish.
• If you are vegetarian, add some cooked green lentils for extra protein in your diet.
• Use up most of the green vegetable. Use the green stalk of the leek if still fresh, the leaves of the celery
• Zucchini is a great vegetable to use as it makes the soup nice and creamy
• Add some blue cheese at the end if you have some on hand (did I say blue, you'll be forgiven this time because it tastes great) but parmesan will be delicious

Method:

Sauté the leek and garlic in the coconut oil in a large saucepan for a superior flavour. (if you are really in a hurry omit this step and just add to the rest of the vegetables, it will still taste great). 

Add the green vegetables to the leek and garlic and stir for a minute, then pour in the stock and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Stir in the herbs, salt to your taste, and a few grinds of black pepper, and then the rocket if you are using it. 

I threw quite a mix of chopped herbs into my pot this time, basil, parsley, coriander and tarragon, however just use what you can find. Parsley as a minimum will work.

Simmer until all the vegetables are cooked and softened. Taste to check the seasoning and add more salt or pepper if needed.

Turn off the heat and puree until smooth using a stick blender, or pulse in a normal upright blender when it has cooled slightly.

Whisk in the lemon juice and stir through the cheese, or omit the cheese and top with a dollop of low fat yoghurt or basil pesto. I like to garnish with lots of fresh green herbs such as parsley. There are so many healthy options to choose from.

You can also add some tasty blue cheese to the soup bowl. It will take the whole experience to a new level.

Have an enjoyable and safe week,

Best wishes,

Pauline

Cheesy Green Broccoli Coconut Soup

 I couldn't live without soup, particularly during our Winter, which sadly is almost over, here in the North of Queensland.  Using Coconut oil to saute the vegetables brings a very subtle coconut flavour to the pot. It can consist of whatever left over or frozen vegetables you have in your refrigerator, as long as they are green. I am not generally pedantic about these things, but green it is. Just 6 cups of chopped green vegetables and you almost have a soup. Broccoli and zucchini are generally the star ingredients, and at the moment in our supermarkets broccoli  is under $3.00 a kilo, so I went for it and bought heaps of broccoli before the price goes up again. Now we also have a good stock of this in my freezer for those cold or rainy nights, or just those nights when cooking isn't on the agenda. Did I also mention that not only is it extremely healthy, it is also extremely delicious, particularly served with a slice of toasted rye sourdough bread.

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons coconut oil, ghee or butter

6 cups roughly chopped green vegetables , zucchini, broccoli, celery or whatever you have. (However, it works best with zucchini and broccoli.)

1 litre vegetable or chicken stock (homemade is best if you have it)

1 cup rocket or watercress (optional)

1 cup roughly chopped herbs, such as coriander, basil or flat-leaf parsley leaves

Pinch of salt

Juice of ½ to 1 lemon (Test the taste after adding juice from ½ a lemon and add more if required.)

½ cup crumbled sharp cheddar

Method:

Sauté the onion and garlic in the coconut oil in a large saucepan for a superior flavour. (if you are really in a hurry omit this step and just add to the rest of the vegetables, it will still taste great). Add the green vegetables to the onion and garlic and stir for a minute, then pour in the stock and bring to the boil.
Broccoli and zucchini are now recognised as being key vegetables for people suffering from high blood sugar and Type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes. Without going into too much detail about it, broccoli is a rich source of Chromium, a mineral which helps to improve insulin action in pre-diabetes and control blood glucose, an important factor for everyone these days I think. Never has it been more important to keep healthy and boost our immune system. Green vegetable soup is also quite creamy when pureed, thanks to the texture and structure of the versatile zucchini. This soup makes it so easy to include broccoli in your family's diet in a very appetising way, and control weight as well. However, for some variety and to be economical, use up green leftovers and bits and pieces in your crisper by adding celery, beans, chives, eschallots, peas, spinach or silverbeet, a mix of herbs, or anything green and edible.

You can also add some tasty cheese to your bowl, and if that happens to be a blue cheese well so be it, it will take the whole experience to a new level.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Stir in the rocket, herbs and salt. (I have used basil, oregano and coriander and they are great in this soup.) The only disappointment with this soup is that it doesn't retain the colour of the beautiful green broccoli when it is cooked, but just becomes a very soupy colour. Never mind, all of the goodness is there.

Changing colour

Turn off the heat and puree until smooth using a stick blender, or pulse in a normal upright blender when it has cooled slightly.

Whisk in the lemon juice and stir through the cheese, or omit the cheese and top with a dollop of yoghurt or basil pesto. I like to garnish with lot of fresh and green herbs such as parsley.

Soup for a freezer stockpile

Serve it up hot my foodie friends and enjoy.

Thanks to Sarah Wilson for this recipe.

Best wishes,

Pauline

Itsy Bitsy Broccoli Bites for the holidays

With a free morning up my sleeve, I made a batch of these green goodies  for the freezer to have on hand at Christmas time. These nutritious and fun snacks are great for small children to munch on and for adults to enjoy with a cold Christmas drink. If you know you are being visited by young parents over Christmas with little people you will score some serious Brownie points if you produce these little beauties which the kids will love. They don't even realise that they are packed with nutritious green vegetables and no sugar. Finger food and vegetables are essential for healthy children and if they see us eating them as well, they will want them. The Sweet Chilli Jam on the side is strictly for adults only.

The rain has stopped for the moment leaving muggy and oppressive weather, suggesting that more rain is on it's way. The Dove orchids are coming out in bloom again, also a promise of more rain,  so hopefully they are right. According to the BOM reports Cyclone Owen will be bearing down on us this Sunday so batten down the hatches. I am trying to get all of the housework, washing etc done today knowing that over the next couple of days the wet weather could hamper our activities.

To make these little gems, I whizz the broccoli up in the food processor to save time doing all that chopping and then the rest of the ingredients just need to be mixed up, shaped into bite sized balls and put in the oven to quickly bake. So easy and just serve with Sweet chilli sauce or Sweet chilli jam for the adults,  or homemade relish or eat them unadorned! This is my version of Sarah Wilson's clever recipe. I also find it easier to grease my hands with a light layer of coconut oil when rolling them as they can get sticky.

I am putting this recipe up again as I last posted it two years ago and for some reason all of the photos disappeared. This recipe has endured the test of time.

Ingredients:

Makes 36 Bites

2-3 cups of finely chopped fresh broccoli or frozen, thawed and chopped broccoli
1 1/2 cups grated cheese ( cheddar, Parmesan or whatever you have on hand)
3 free range eggs, beaten at room temperature
1 cup flour (plain, gluten-free or almond)
1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano
sea salt
olive oil, coconut oil or butter for greasing (I use coconut oil and put a little on my hands as well when rolling the balls)

Let's cook:

Preheat your oven to 190 deg. C.
Line two baking trays with baking paper and lightly grease the paper.
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.



Roll the mixture into bite sized balls and place on the baking trays. Or spoonfuls of the mixture can just be plopped onto the tray to resemble small fritters.



Sprinkle a small amount of dried oregano or black sesame seeds onto each ball before cooking for the rustic look and for added flavour. Reserve the black sesame seed bites for the adults.

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden.



These will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days, or freeze for a few months.



Best wishes

Pauline

Broccoli Timbales

For recipe click here:

Broccoli is on sale for only $2 a kilo at the supermarkets at present, and at that price I bought heaps of it. So today is broccoli day. It needs to be prepared and cooked up before it turns yellow in the frig. I suppose that is the only downside that if it isn't absolutely fresh when purchased it will turn yellow quickly. Also it needs to be washed very well before cooking, unless it is grown organically, as the farmers use lots of insecticide and high-nitrate fertilizers during the growing process.

Broccoli must rate as the number one vegetable in nutrient content, as well as being very easy to prepare. I mostly just cut it into flowerettes, steam it for 4-5 minutes, or until it has turned bright green and tender, and serve as is or with a small knob of butter if I am feeling decadent. It is high in caretenoids and Vitamin C and contains B complex, calcium, phosphorus and potassium as well. Sally Fallon who has written a great book called Nourishing Traditions, says new research proves that it is also rich in chromium, a mineral that protects us against diabetes. It is also a great source of fibre, which is so important for a healthy gut and has a few anti cancer agents thrown in as well. At that rate it seems we should be eating lots of it.

I thought I would cook something different with it today and timbales in the French style of cooking sounds perfect and can be applied to lots of chopped vegetables or chopped meat as well. There is also  a recipe for a Lemon Sauce at the end of this page, which I think compliments this dish beautifully, but I am saving that for another day. I know I will be cooking this again.

Ingredients:

Serves 6

1 large bunch broccoli
4 tablespoons butter, softened
4 tablespoons good quality sour cream, or creme fraiche
4 eggs. lightly beaten
1 small onion, very finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
good pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

1. Steam your broccoli until just tender and coloured a deep green
2. Place the broccoli in your food processor and pulse a few times until well chopped.
3. Add the butter, sour cream, eggs and onion and blend well.
4. Season to taste.
5. Pour mixture into six well-buttered moulds, or ramekins or even muffin tins.
6. Fill a baking pan with boiling water to a depth of halfway up the moulds. Place moulds into the baking pan and bake uncovered at 180 deg C, or 350 deg F for 20 minutes until a knife inserted near the centre comes out clean.
7. Loosen timbales gently with a knife around the edge and turn onto individual plates or a warmed platter.
8. Garnish with any green herb such as a fine dill leaf or flat leaf parsley. Dill compliments the flavour perfectly.

If you are serving these as an entree or for a special occasion, and you are not counting the calories,  it will be delicious and very effective to serve them with the lemon sauce given below. However, I think this would work very well served as a main course with fish.

Lemon sauce:

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon plain flour

1 tablespoons softened butter

1 teaspoon powdered chicken stock

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons snipped fresh dill

In a small bowl, combine 1 cup cream and lemon juice, and let this stand for 1 hour at room temperature.

For the sauce, combine flour and butter  to form a paste. In a large heavy saucepan, combine the lemon-cream mixture, powdered chicken stock and salt and pepper. Bring to the boil. Whisk butter mixture into the cream mixture until it is smooth and the mixture has thickened. Add snipped dill. Remove from the heat and set aside. Serve around the base of the timbales.

For other broccoli recipes try the following which are also delicious:

Broccoli Bites, great for kids:-

http://happyretireeskitchen.blogspot.com.au/2016/02/go-green-with-broccoli-bites-very.html

Homemade quiche:-
http://happyretireeskitchen.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/easy-vegetable-quiche-recipe.html

Enjoy and have a great day!

Best wishes

Pauline

Quick and Easy Cheesy Green Soup

Quick and Easy Cheesy Green Soup

Broccoli and zucchini are the stars of this show. As we prepare for our round Australia road trip, initially heading for Darwin and then Perth, I am trying to reduce the calories in our diet in a very healthy but enjoyable fashion before we leave, knowing that there will be many  amazing food experiences along the way, and a fair bit of just sitting.

This soup is brilliant, we never tire of it, and it is so easy to make. It can also consist of whatever left over veges you have in your refrigerator, presuming they are green. Broccoli and zucchini are the star ingredients, and are now also recognised as being key vegetables for people suffering from high blood sugar and Type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes. Thankfully we are not in that category. The soup is also quite creamy when pureed, thanks to the texture and structure of the versatile zucchini.

Without getting into too much detail about it, Broccoli is a rich source of Chromium, a mineral which helps to improve insulin action in pre-diabetes and control blood glucose, an important factor for everyone these days I think. This soup makes it so easy to include broccoli in your diet in a very appetising way, and control weight as well.

Ingredients

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons coconut oil, ghee or butter

6 cups roughly chopped green vegetables , zucchini, broccoli, celery or whatever you have. (However, it works best with zucchini and broccoli.)

1 litre vegetable or chicken stock (homemade is best)

1 cup rocket or watercress (optional)

1 cup roughly chopped herbs, such as coriander, basil or flat-leaf parsley leaves

Pinch of salt

Juice of ½ to 1 lemon (Test the taste after adding juice from ½ a lemon and add more if required.)

½ cup crumbled sharp cheddar

Method:

Sauté the onion and garlic in the coconut oil in a large saucepan for a superior flavour. (if you are really in a hurry omit this step and just add to the rest of the vegetables, it will still taste great) Add the green vegetables to the onion and garlic and stir for a minute, then pour in the stock and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Stir in the rocket, herbs and salt. (I have used basil and coriander and they are great in this soup.)

Turn off the heat and puree until smooth using a stick blender, or pulse in a normal upright blend when it has cooled slightly.

Whisk in the lemon juice and stir through the cheese, or omit the cheese and top with a dollop of yoghurt or basil pesto.

Serve hot and enjoy.

Thanks to Sarah Wilson for this recipe.

Go green with Broccoli Bites, a very healthy sugar free snack for Adults and Children

Go straight to the recipe here:

Broccoli Bites

Broccoli Bites served with  tomato chutney

I am going green with Broccoli. What I love about these mini broccoli scones or mini fritters, however they fall onto the baking tray, is that they are only the size of a couple of mouthfuls. These little babies are small enough to enjoy a mouthful or two and if I want more, I just eat a few of them. Mind you they look larger in my photograph than they actually are. I don't look at them the same way as I do at savoury or sweet muffins in the coffee shops and think that I can't eat all of that. Purchased muffins are getting bigger and bigger, needing to be shared or just encouraging waste.  These ones also hold their shape without needing to be cooked in mini muffin pans. I really think they are meant to be Broccoli Balls, however I was in a hurry when I made these and took the photo, so they became mini fritters or mini pancakes. They still taste great. You can place your own stamp on them.