Tag Archives: side

Cheesy Baked Broccoli and Cauliflower

Health, Fitness, and Food Blog, Recipes, , , , , , ,

So, today at the local market here in Puerto Aventuras I found this…

11081468_10203588078813947_1735164320791916802_nYes, that’s right. A Cauliflower larger than my fiancés head.

Now if you haven’t figured it out yet… I LOVE Cauliflower. I’m pretty sure I’ve said that before, but just to reiterate… I LOVE CAULIFLOWER!

This cauliflower is almost 3 times the size of a normal head of cauliflower, so I should be able to make about 3-4 different recipes with this head! YIPPEEEEEE!

I was asked what I was going to do with this amazing find, and one of my answers was to make a broccoli and cauliflower casserole. I decided I would share this delicious recipe with all of you.

broccaulibaked_Fotor

Are you hungry yet?

Well, here is goes… Welcome to Cheesy Baked Broccoli and Cauliflower!!!

Instructions:

1 fresh head Broccoli, cut into florets

1/2 fresh head Cauliflower, cut into florets

1/2 Tbsp no salt Butter

1 ½ cups fat-free Milk

2 Tbsp Flour

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp Pepper

1 clove Garlic

1/2 tsp (+ more for topping) Paprika

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese (I used combination of Cheddar, Monterrey Jack, & Mozzarella)*

5 wedges Laughing Cow Light Cheese, or 4oz Light Cream Cheese**

1/4 cup Light Mayo 

1 cup Onion, chopped

1/2 cup Panko Breadcrumbs***

1/2 Tbsp Butter, melted

*I have used many different cheese blends, and the recipe still turns out great. (Manchego, Chihuahua, Gouda, Cheddar, Monterrey Jack, Mozzarella, etc). I usually have Manchego and Chihuahua on hand, as they are quite affordable here in Mexico.

**As I live in Mexico, Laughing Cow cheese can be a bit more pricy than local cheese choices. If I do not have Laughing Cow cheese, I substitute Light Cream Cheese, and it works great!

***I added a couple of tablespoons of Parmesan cheese in with the Panko Breadcrumbs

Instructions:

1- In a stock pot, steam broccoli and cauliflower in water until cooked to tender. Once cooked, drain and set aside.

2- Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a 9in round casserole dish, or similar, with non stick cooking spray.

3- While broccoli and cauliflower are cooking, in a sauce pan, melt 1/2 Tbsp of butter. Once melted, add in the flour, and lightly brown. Add in milk and bring mixture to a light boil, whisking frequently, until sauce thickens.

4- Add in shredded cheese and Laughing Cow (or Cream Cheese) wedges. Stir to combine.

5- Once all cheeses are melted, cook cheese mixture for 2-3 minutes, then add in mayo, onion, garlic, and spices. Continue cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes. Sauce will thicken, again.

6- When cheese sauce and vegetables are finished cooking, place vegetables in the bottom of the casserole dish. Spoon cheese sauce evenly over the vegetables.

7- In a small bowl, melt 1/2 Tbsp of butter, and mix with the Panko crumbs, and an additional 1/2 tsp Paprika. Sprinkle crumbs evenly over the top of the vegetables.

8- Bake, covered with foil, for 15 minutes. Remove foil, and bake for an additional 10- 15 minutes, or until bubbly, and crumbs are lightly browned on top. Serve immediately.

This recipe is delicious, yet still healthy! I hope you will enjoy it as much as my family does. Here is a link to a printable version of the recipe: Cheesy Baked Broccoli and Cauliflower

Try this recipe out, and let me know how you like it! I would love to hear how you enjoy making your Cauliflower! ENJOY!

 

Spice Up Your Cauliflower- Round 3- Side Dishes

Health, Fitness, and Food Blog, Recipes, , , ,

Today, I am moving on from main dishes, and going to give you 2 side dish recipes for Cauliflower. The first one is very simple and the second is a new twist on the Broccoli Bites that I posted last week!

Side Dish 1:

Cauliflower Melt

1/2- Head Cauliflower, boiled, drained, and cut into florets

1/4- cup Cheese of your choice. I use cheddar and parmesan

1- tsp Garlic Salt (or to taste)

1- tsp Ground Pepper (or to taste)

Place the Cauliflower florets in a microwave safe bowl. Cover the cauliflower with 1/2 of the cheese, salt and pepper, and mix through. Place in microwave for 30 seconds, and slightly melt the cheese. Remove cauliflower from microwave and stir, so cheese is blended well through the cauliflower. Top the cauliflower with the remaining cheese, and return to microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute (until cheese is fully melted.) Serve immediately, as a quick, easy, and healthy side dish to any meal! Goes great with Chicken and Fish!

 

Side Dish 2:

Cauliflower Balls

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

1- head of Cauliflower, steamed and finely chopped

1 cup- Grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese

3 egg whites

Garlic Salt and Pepper (about 1 tsp each)

1/4-1/2 diced Jalapeño – omit for less spicy option

1/2 cup Italian Breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all ingredients together in a medium sized mixing bowl. With the mixed ingredients, form 1 inch sized balls, making sure all ingredients are well combined. Place cauliflower balls on cookie sheet sprayed with non stick cooking spray.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and flip. Return to the oven for a remaining 8-10 minutes. Serve immediately!

 

Well I hope you enjoy these two very simple recipes to use Cauliflower as a side dish. Share with me your comments and feedback, as well as any questions or concerns. Hope you enjoyed this series on Cauliflower. Coming soon, I will have a series on Spinach, as well as Broccoli! Enjoy 🙂

Cheesy Broccoli Bites

Health, Fitness, and Food Blog, Recipes, , , , , , ,

As promised, I will be blogging my favorite recipes (well, my family’s favorites, too) to share the yummy goodness with you! Today, I want to share these easy to make, healthy to eat,  satisfying treat.

Cheesy Broccoli Bites have been a huge hit at our house lately. We have tried them with just broccoli, with cauliflower, and with a bit of both. We really enjoy a tad bit of spice to our food, so to spice them up, I add one finely diced jalapeño to the bites.This is a very simple, and inexpensive side dish that kids and adults a like will love. Its a great way to spice up that plain head of broccoli, while keeping it healthy and simple.

bites5_Fotor

Ingredients:

1 head- Fresh Broccoli

1 1/2 cup- Cheddar Cheese (or any type of cheese you prefer)

3- eggs

1 cup- Italian Breadcrumbs

Salt and Pepper (I use Sea Salt or Garlic Salt, as I prefer the flavor over plain Salt)

Optional: 1- jalapeño 

Instructions:

1- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Boil the fresh broccoli in water on the stove with a sprinkle of salt & pepper. Once cooked until it is tender, drain and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

2-Finely chop broccoli, and mix in a bowl with remaining ingredients. 

3-Once mixed completely, form small patties with your hands and place on a baking sheet sprayed lightly with non stick cooking spray (Pam).

4- Place bites into the preheated oven, and cook for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, flip and return to oven for  15 minutes more, or until cheese has slightly browned on both side

5-Once cooked, remove from oven and serve immediately.

Here is a link to a pdf Recipe card of this recipe for you to print out, and add to your recipe box! Cheesy Broccoli Bitespdf

Give these a try and let me know what you think! Enjoy! 🙂