Broccoli Casserole with Cheese

10 to 12 ounces frozen chopped broccoli, cooked and drained

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons finely minced onion (I used ½ med. Onion, finely chopped)

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

Dash of pepper

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups half-and-half or light cream (I used 1 cup evaporated milk & ½ cup water)

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar (I used Mexican Blend)

3 large eggs, beaten 

Heat oven to 350 F. Grease a 2 1/2-quart casserole or baking dish.  Arrange the cooked and drained broccoli in the prepared casserole.  Heat the butter in a large skillet or sauté pan; add onion and sauté for about 2 to 3 minutes, until onion is tender.  Stir in flour until well blended and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the pepper, nutmeg, salt, and half-and-half. Continue cooking over low heat until thickened. Stir in cheese and cook just until cheese is melted.  Add about one-third of the hot cheese sauce mixture to the beaten eggs; add back to the hot mixture, blending well. Pour over the broccoli.  Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center of the broccoli casserole and comes out clean.

Comments:  I can’t say enough about this dish.  It is so good.  I wasn’t sure I wanted to add the nutmeg but glad I did.  It gave it a very different flavor that fit with the onions perfectly.  I will be making this one again.

Cheddar Broccoli Bacon

1/2 lb. uncooked, lean bacon, cut into small pieces
1 large head broccoli
1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400.  Scatter the bacon over the bottom of a cast iron frying pan.  Cut the stems off the broccoli and cut into bite size pieces.  Bake 20-25 minutes, stirring about every 5 minutes.  Broccoli and bacon should start browning.  Sprinkle with cheese and return to oven.  Bake another 5 minutes or until cheese has melted and started to brown.  Stir, pat with paper towels and serve.

Comments:  I opened my refrigerator and saw that I had some bacon that needed to be used.  I wanted to do something different so when I spotted the broccoli I decided to give the two a try.  Only one of my food testers was lucky enough to give this dish a try and he ask the next day when I would be making more.  He loved it and so did I.  It's even good cold!  As for changes, I will use more broccoli the next time and may even cook the bacon about halfway through, drain, pat with paper towels and then add the broccoli.  That will take care of most of the grease from the bacon, which does add a lot of flavor.

Baked Broccoli Bites

12 oz. broccoli, chopped, thawed
1 large egg
2 Tbsp diced onions
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
1 tsp. minced garlic

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.  Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.  Shape mixture into bite size logs, pressing firmly together to prevent them from falling apart.  Place on baking sheet.  Bake 20-22 minutes or until lightly browned and hot throughout.

Comment:  A version of this recipe came from a site titled Yummly.  I did my usual and made a couple of changes.  I used chopped broccoli instead of the larger pieces or fresh.  I eliminated the salt and pepper.  The recipe called for 1 tsp of each and I found that was too much due to the salt in the cheeses.  The original recipe quoted this as having only 12 calories per serving with the recipe making 4 servings.  I can't vouch for that but I can say that this is one delicious 'snack' food.  I'll be making this later using spinach.  I have a feeling it will be just as good and possibly even better.

Spaghetti with Garlic-Shrimp & Broccoli

1/2 lb. Spaghetti, uncooked (I used Quinoa)
4 cups small broccoli florets
1/2 cup Kraft Tuscan House Italian Dressing
1 lb. uncooked deveined, peeled large shrimp
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese

Cook spaghetti in a large saucepan as directed on the package, omitting the salt.  Add broccoli to the boiling water for the last 2 minutes of cooking.  While spaghetti is cooking heat dressing in a large skillet on medium high heat.  Add shrimp and garlic;  Cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until shrimp turns pink.  Drain spaghetti mixture (rinse with hot water if using Quinoa).  Return to the pan and add shrimp mixture and cheese.  Mix lightly.

Comment:  I found this on the KraftRecipes.com.  It not only sounded good but I actually had all of the ingredients on hand.  I do gluten free so I used the Quinoa spaghetti which I've found needs rinsing in hot water after cooking due to the starches that cook out.  Other than that I followed the recipe completely.  This dish is not only good but it's only 330 calories for a serving.  The picture above is 1 1/4 cups and that is the per serving amount.  A lot of food!

Ham Chowder

1 ham steak, cut into bite size pieces (or leftover ham bone with meat)
3 cups water
1 pkg (1 lb.) mixed broccoli and cauliflower
2 potatoes, cubed
1 scallion
salt & pepper to taste
1 - 2 Tbsp. flour (Rice flour)

In a large pot  bring ham and water to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer until ham is tender and starting to fall apart (about 1 hour).  Add broccoli & cauliflower, potatoes and scallion.  Mix flour in 1/4 cup of water until blended.  Add to pot.  Allow to cook until it thickens.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Comment:  This is a soup I made up when cleaning out my freezer.  I had a ham bone with very little meat but had a ham steak that would make up for the lack of meat on the bone.  I cooked the bone and steak for about 1 hour giving a delicious flavor to the water.  I had originally planned on using broccoli only but spotted a bag with broccoli and cauliflower so decided, why not.  The added potatoes gave me just one more texture as well as taste as did the scallion.  I used rice flour to keep this dish gluten free and must say that it works perfectly.  One thing I've noticed about rice flour is that it seems to help keep the flavors of the other ingredients separate.  Don't know why but it does.  You can add more or less flour, and even corn starch to reach the thickness you like best.

I almost didn't add this recipe to the site.  I love the taste of broccoli and cauliflower and both are really strong so I wasn't sure how well these flavors would go over, but... my food testers agreed that this was a recipe that had to be shared.  It was delicious to me as well as to them.  Hope you enjoy as much as we did.

Broccoli Chowder (1984 cookbook)

2 lbs. fresh broccoli
2 (13 3/4-oz.) cans chicken broth
3 cups milk
1 cup cooked, chopped ham
1 cup half & half
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese (I used cheddar)
1/4 cup butter
salt & pepper to taste
(3 Tbsp. corn starch - my addition)

In a large pot combine broccoli and 1 can of broth.  Cover and cook 7 minutes or until they are crisp tender.  Remove broccoli; col and chop coarsely.  Add other can of broth, milk, half & half, ham, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Stir in broccoli, cheese and butter.  Stir constantly but don't allow to boil.

Comments:  This recipe came from a cookbook dating 1984 called The Enlightened Gourmet.  I love broccoli cheese soup and this one had the addition of ham that I hadn't tried before.  It is delicious!  I added the corn starch to thicken it just a little and that worked good too.  Also this called for Swiss cheese but I'm a cheddar lover so I did make that change too.  I'm sure the Swiss is delicious but I also have problems getting Swiss to melt smoothly so that was another reason for my using cheddar.  The flavor of this soup is so good.  The only other change I might make would be to add a few chopped leeks to the broccoli.  I don't think it could get much better than that.

Comment from Carol:  My mother is a great fan of broccoli soup and has been quite an authority on it over the years.  Today she pronounced this is the best broccoli soup she has ever had!  She especially liked the addition of the ham to an already solid friendship between broccoli and cheddar.  Martha has told us how to thicken the soup according to our tastes (by adding a little corn starch) and it allows us to choose degrees of thickness.  This is a delicious soup and now I know that it is the recipe we will follow form here on out!

Roasted Broccoli

2 heads broccoli
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. terragon leaves, crushed
1 tsp. paprika
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut broccoli off the stalk.  Melt butter in a medium size bowl.  In a large bowl mix Panko, cheese, terragon, paprika, salt and pepper.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Dip broccoli in melted butter, into Panko mixture and then on to the baking sheet.  Continue until all broccoli has been coated.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until broccoli is done to your own taste.

Comments:  This recipe came from a 1983 cookbook that actually called for cauliflower and was cooked in the microwave.  I decided to use the broccoli instead and bake it in the oven so it would come out with a slight crisp.  This dish is really good.  Be careful with the addition of salt since the Parmesan is already a little salty so taste the crumbs before adding salt.  These are even good cold!

Broccoli Frittata

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen, chopped broccoli, thawed
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
5-6 slices pre-cooked bacon, chopped
6 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 cup shredded cheese
paprika

Preheat oven broiler.  In a large ovenproof nonstick skillet, heat oil.  Add broccoli, garlic and bacon.  Cook 4-5 minutes on medium, stirring now and then.  In a bowl, whisk eggs, salt and pepper.  Pour over broccoli and cook on medium for 5 minutes or until eggs are nearly set.  Sprinkle evenly with cheese and paprika.  Broil for 1-2 minutes, just until eggs are set and cheese is melted.  This can be served warm or at room temp.  Serves 6.

Comments:  I tell everyone to Think With Your Taste Buds and that is exactly what I did with this recipe.  The original called for asparagus but I'm not an asparagus fan but do love broccoli so I switched.  Also, while Thinking With My Taste Buds I decided to add some bacon.  These turned out to be a really good combination.  I added a touch of paprika over the cheese before broiling which made it even more appealing.  I've decided that the next time I make this dish I'm going to add a little onion to the broccoli and possibly even some red bell peppers.  Bet that will be good too.

Comments from Carol:  The Frittata was great!  I think that bacon, broccoli and cheese combo with the eggs is a super thing to put together for lunch or dinner and very useful.  Also very healthy!  I was also wondering how that would be with cauliflower and ham and cheese.  It's such a great vehicle for vegs!

Comment from Martha:  The idea for using cauliflower and ham and cheese sounds great.  You are now doing what I try to teach everyone... Thinking With Your Taste Buds

Broccoli Fritters

1 pkg. (1 lb.) frozen, chopped broccoli
1/2 cup flour
1 cup shredded cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
salt & pepper to taste
cooking oil

Thaw and cook broccoli until well done.  Drain as much as liquid as possible out of broccoli.  Add flour, cheese, egg, salt and pepper.  Refrigerate for about an hour.  Heat oil in a large frying pan.  Spoon mixture in hot oil.  Press flat like a pancake.  Cook like you would a pancake frying on both sides until brown and done inside.  Just remember that the cheese will make them a little sticky so don't mistake that as them not being done.  Makes about 12 depending on their size.

Comment:  I had cooked a package of broccoli for dinner one night but ended up with a change in plans and didn't use the broccoli.  The next day I decided to come up with something simple yet tasty to do with my broccoli that I had actually overcooked.  It was soft and mushy so that's when I decided to try making fritters.  These are delicious!  You can add more or less cheese but the amount I added seemed to work perfectly for the amount of flour, broccoli and egg allowing them to cook nicely and hold together.  I could have eaten all of these myself, they are that good.  This could easily be made with cauliflower and squash.  Just make sure you drain out as much liquid as possible.  I bet spinach would be good too.

Leek, Broccoli, Potato Soup

2 leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
1 pkg. (1 lb.) frozen broccoli florets, thawed
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
6 cups water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1 Tbsp. corn starch
½ cup evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot over med. high melt olive oil and butter.  Add leeks and sauté 3-4 minutes.  Add broccoli, potatoes, garlic, water and bouillon cubes.  Cook covered until potatoes, broccoli and leeks are soft.  Using a potato masher, mash all veggies.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Mix corn starch in evaporated milk until completely blended.  Stir into soup.  Bring to a boil for about 2 minutes stirring constantly.  Serves 6-8. 

Comments:  I went looking for a soup recipe using leeks and broccoli.  I found several but neither was completely what I wanted so this recipe was developed by pulling from 2 others plus my own additions.   Both called for 1 small potato but I increased it to 2 large.  One used veggie broth, one used chicken broth.  I used the bouillon cubes adding one at a time until I got the taste where I wanted it.  One called for ¼ cup of half and half.  I changed that to ½ cup of evaporated milk.  Both called for the soup to be run through a food processor but I changed that to the masher and added the corn starch for a very slight thickness.  With all my changes I came out with a really delicious soup!

Comment from Carol:  This is a soup full of character.  Each ingredient has a character of its own and what I think gives it dynamic taste is the fact that the ingredients are mashed, or smashed, not pureed into one blended flavor.  The distinctive taste of each morsel is recognizable as broccoli or leek with the results being a lively soup with complex flavor.  This is not a soup that tastes simple; it is substantial.  This soup positively shouts out "I am healthy!" to the estent that my 95 year old mother wants to add it to the list of soups we make to give to friends and family when they need cheering up: 1) fresh chicken-vegetable; 2) potato leek; 3) AND NOW broccoli, leek potato

Broccoli-Cauliflower Soup

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
1 pkg. (1 lb) broccoli-cauliflower mix, thawed and chopped
2 Tbsp. flour
4 cups half & half
1 pkg (8 oz.) cream cheese, cubed
1/2 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg (add more to taste)
pepper to taste

In a large frying pan melt butter on med. high and saute onions 3-4 minutes or until they start becoming transparent.  Add broccoli and cauliflower and saute until they are just beginning to become tender.  Add flour and stir to blend well with vegetables.  In a large pot on med. high heat add half & half, cream cheese and velveeta.  Stir VERY frequently until melted.  Add vegetable mix, nutmeg and pepper.  Serves 6-8.

Comments:  The sweetness of the sauteed onions and the nutmeg give this soup a taste that can't be described.  The nutmeg can be adjusted to your own taste by starting with the 1/2 tsp. and adding more if you like.  I like my broccoli to have just a slight crunch so I saute it for 5-6 minutes, depending upon how finely I chopped it.  You can use fresh broccoli and cauliflower or the frozen type.  Both work but you'll get a stronger flavor from fresh.  The base of this soup is also great for Mushroom Soup and even Cream of Chicken Soup.  Simply replace the vegetables with the mushrooms or cooked chicken which would eliminate the need to saute.  This is also GREAT using Imitation Crab or fresh if you can afford it.  For the Imitation I use 1 lb.  For fresh, which is stronger I would use maybe half a pound.