broccoli

Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Bowl with Broccoli and Tomato

Chicken quinoa bowls have staked their healthy claim on quick and easy meal-prep dinners that are flexible enough to mix and match ingredients for take-to-work lunches that never get boring, too.

This quinoa bowl combines what seems to be my ever-lasting, default flavor combo, inspired by Mediterranean flavors ala Donny and Marie: it’s a little bit Italian, and a little bit Greek goddessness. And it all taste good to me.

Over the years I’ve found myself adopting more and more recipes inspired by the Mediterranean diet to my weekly eating plan. I eat more anitoxidant-rich vegetables and fruits (avocado all day!), healthy legumes and whole grains, and loads of fresh herbs. I don’t eat a whole lot of red meat, but chicken, turkey, and EFA-loaded fish like salmon are my friends and olive oil tinged with lemon is one of my favorite flavorings.

And wine. Yes, wine is heart-healthy too.

I’ve known about the heart-healthy benefits of the Mediterranean style of eating ever since my days designing health and wellness magazines, way back when you had to shop for quinoa in specialty health food stores and when my editors made sure I didn’t sound alike a complete goof when I said “kwin-O-aaa” instead of “KEEEN-wa.” Bless their hearts, they were always looking out for me.continue to the recipe… about Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Bowl with Broccoli and Tomato

Easy Broccoli with Feta Cheese

Everyone knows broccoli is healthy for your body and is a superfood powerhouse that’s high in fiber too. While it’s delicious served raw and steamed, my favorite way to eat it these days is roasted in the skillet.

Most often when I choose a recipe to feature here from a cookbook I love, I tend to skew toward the main dishes or maybe a dessert. But lately, I’ve been hearing my sister’s voice in my head, replaying her request to add more easy side dishes to my recipe list. Sides that aren’t complicated to make, or that call for too many unusual ingredients.

Just really good, simple food that compliments a variety of mains to pair it with.

So when I received the new cookbook A Couple Cooks Pretty Simple Cooking: 100 Delicious Vegetarian Recipes to Make You Fall in Love with Real Food from my friends Sonja and Alex Overhiser, I found myself totally torn between several of the recipes within, and even took to Instagram stories to ask which you’d like to see between a simple broccoli side dish or Turmeric Cauliflower tacos.continue to the recipe… about Easy Broccoli with Feta Cheese

Ramen Noodles with Marinated Steak and Broccoli

Ramen noodles aren’t just for soup anymore. Here’s how to hack every college student’s favorite noodle recipe and give it an instant upgrade by turning it into an easy and healthy weeknight meal ready in just 30 minutes or less.

If you’re looking for a soupy ramen recipe with that rich, tonkotsu or miso broth with slow-roasted pork belly and jammy eggs, this isn’t it.

But if you’re looking for an incredibly easy, time-saving, totally-flavorful, make-most-of-it-ahead-of-time meal? THIS IS YOUR DINNER, BABY!

I’ve had a version of this recipe written down in my old-fashioned recipe binder for years. Literally, years, and yes! Handwritten recipe files do still exist! Take THAT Pinterest! I don’t remember where the original recipe came from, maybe an old issue of Cooking Light?

Regardless, I’ve doctored it up and made it into a make-ahead weeknight meal that is in and out of the skillet and ready to devour in under 30 minutes.

And if you’re lucky? Yep. Leftovers for lunch the next day.

So what’s my secret? A little planning ahead, some light meal prep vegetable chop chop, and a super easy master marinade that does double-time as the sauce, too.

Easy peasy because that just the way I do!

How to Give Ramen Noodles an Instant Upgrade

This noodle recipe calls for good, old fashioned, cheap-o grocery store ramen noodles. But you won’t be needing that seasoning packet they come with because this dish gets its flavor from a recipe I posted earlier this week, my master Asian marinade master sauce.

Now, this isn’t just any sauce. It’s like the Swiss army knife of sauces. It’s a sauce, it’s a marinade, it’s a dressing, it’s a flavoring, it’s Superman!continue to the recipe… about Ramen Noodles with Marinated Steak and Broccoli

Creamy Chicken Pesto Penne with Broccoli

This creamy pasta combines the fresh bite of broccoli with grilled chicken in a creamy almond milk and pesto sauce, and is equally good served hot or chilled.

This post is brought to you by Almond Breeze

You don’t find balance, you create it. Everything in moderation. Too much of a good thing, is, well, too much.

These are all sayings to live by. I try. I really do try. But sometimes life gets the better of me and I find that little purple devil-horned emoji dude sitting square on my shoulder whispering in my ear, “You can have it. It’s just one bite. It’s not like it’s gonna kill you.”

But then that one bite turns into a whole meal, and that then turns into one week, and that makes it that much harder to get back on track.

But that’s where this creamy chicken pesto pasta recipe makes its power play. It’s creamy in a totally healthful way that cures my comfort cravings. It’s fresh broccoli and whole grain pasta turn off my guilt-0-meter. And with most of the ingredients simple to stock in the fridge, freezer and pantry, preparing it is far from a weeknight chore.continue to the recipe… about Creamy Chicken Pesto Penne with Broccoli

Linguine with Broccolini and Walnut Pesto

Nothing turns the seasonal tide toward light and simple eating like a bright pesto. This one features one of wintertime-turning-to-spring’s favorite vegetables, the delicate broccolini paired with toasty walnuts.

Most often we associate pesto with fresh leafy basil. Fresh, green, bright and oh so summery. But when my harvest of basil is still a few months away, I’m perfectly okay with messing with tradition and adapting ingredients to try something new.

Sure I’ve made pesto with basil, and a version of pesto with spicy, bitter arugula, too. How good is it on pizza? This is how good it is on pizza. And pesto pasta can be served as a main, a side or under a freshly fried egg for breakfast. It’s very open minded that way.

My husband has band practice twice a week (yep he’s a rock star—at least in my eyes anyway) so that means twice a week dinner is girls night for me and my gal Smudge. Invariably when I ask her what she’s in the mood for it’s one of two things: Tomato soup or pesto.

Pesto it is my darling.continue to the recipe… about Linguine with Broccolini and Walnut Pesto

Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup

Still dreamy but lightened up in the load, this cheesy potato and broccoli soup leaves the cream right out of it.

I was a bit of an an0maly as a kid.

I didn’t care for peanut butter, opting for liverwurst instead. I loved oatmeal for breakfast and salad was one of my favorite snacks. And what was my pre-dinner ritual? Two tall glasses of milk before the food ever even hit the table.

Who was this kid?continue to the recipe… about Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup

How to Make the Best Broccoli Salad

This healthier take on classic broccoli salad features fresh, crunchy broccoli florets topped with a light dressing with a little sweetness from golden raisins, cranberries and pineapple for a super summer salad.

Where some visitors to a new city or town search out the best restaurants, bars or bakeries, you’ll find me scouting out grocery stores and specialty food shops. I may not even need groceries, have a kitchen on hand or be planning to cook at all, but a visit lets me know what ‘might’ be available should I happen to be in need.

What is wrong with me??

One of my beeline destinations is the grocery store deli case. That’s where you’ll see me peering over toddlers muddying the glass with their chubby little hands as I look for ideas of what people are really eating. Because if a grocery store is going to give space for a salad, side or main in the ready-made case, it’s likely that it’s a dish people are gonna want.

Broccoli salad is one of those recipes I see time and time again in deli cases across the land. But let us not think these salads are all created equal. Hardly.

continue to the recipe… about How to Make the Best Broccoli Salad

Superfood Salad with Lightened-Up Poppy Seed Dressing

Kale, brussels sprouts, broccoli, quinoa, and salmon are just a few of the superfoods in this powerhouse salad that packs a nutritious punch in just one bowl.

Again this year I’m happy to share that I’m partnering with Blue Diamond AlmondBreeze to share healthful recipes made with almond milk. Today we’re adding Almond Breeze’s new Almondmilk Cashewmilk Blend to the recipe mix for a creamy, healthy dressing to one of my standard lunchtime salads.

This however, is no normal salad. It is simply packed, and I mean PACKED with a bounty of superfoods that should make any normal human being feel, well, superhuman.

In a previous version of my professional life I designed natural health magazines. Each month I designed the pages of those magazines where the article’s authors explained the merits of things from shark liver oil to CLA, from GLA to SAM-e, from whey protein to spirulina and all the vitamins, minerals and healthy alternatives to what is standardly subscribed, or ignored, by mainstream medicine.

We talked a LOT about eating well for good health. It’s a philosophy I’ve adopted in my own life And in my family’s. And it’s a philosophy I’m happy to share here on FoodieCrush, too.

continue to the recipe… about Superfood Salad with Lightened-Up Poppy Seed Dressing

Beef with Broccoli Recipe and Crushing On Iowa Girl Eats

This incredibly easy but incredibly flavorful recipe for one of the most popular Chinese dishes can easily be made gluten-free or traditional style.

Kristin Porter has been entertaining us with healthy, easy recipes, motivational workout routines, travel tales, and more, since the birth of her blog, Iowa Girl Eats six years ago.

Suffice it to say, when she contacted me about creating an e-book about helping others go gluten-free by sharing her own story and personal struggles, I knew she had a winning formula and signed on right away. Her new e-cookbook and beginners guide, Gluten-Free for Beginners: 30 Day Meal Plan and Guide for Gluten-Free Success, is so much more than an e-book. It spells out everything one needs to lead a healthy, vibrant life by embracing their dietary needs.

First, contributor Hayley Putnam interviewed Kristin to find out more about her journey, where she’s been and the success she’s found now. Later in this post you’ll find one of the recipes from Kristin’s e-cookbook, Gluten-free Beef With Broccoli. Take it away Hayley.

continue to the recipe… about Beef with Broccoli Recipe and Crushing On Iowa Girl Eats

One-Pot Skinny Pasta Primavera

Almond milk replaces cream and butter in this easy and healthy, spring-inspired version of the Italian classic, that’s loaded with fresh veggies and herbs.

This year I’m partnering with Almond Breeze to create and share recipes using almond milk. The previous recipe I created using almond milk was breakfast-centric. This month, we’re heading to the dinner hour for a savory way to end the day.

I was in my Weight Watchers meeting this week where the theme was rediscovering your kitchen. We were asked to bring in some of our favorite healthier recipes to share.

As is par for the course, I couldn’t choose just one. Hello, I’m a food blogger.

So instead, I took this cookbook and this list of 5 food bloggers weight loss success stories to share. Because inspiration breeds determination. Am I right? *btw, did I just make that up or is it a real saying?*

continue to the recipe… about One-Pot Skinny Pasta Primavera

Broccoli and Shiitake Mushrooms With or Without Soba Noodles

Hearty soba noodles are tossed with stir-fried broccoli and shiitake mushrooms and ponzu sauce for an easy, healthy, and delicious dish that pairs well with any protein.

I tend to get into the trap of not always sharing our tried and true dishes. The ones we eat over, and over, and over again.

Why not? I’m not sure.

I guess I think they’re mundane. Too boring. Not enough Pow! Bam! Wow!

When in reality, we’re all searching for ways to make our lives easier, and that should start with our favorite foodie eats.continue to the recipe… about Broccoli and Shiitake Mushrooms With or Without Soba Noodles

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Whole Wheat Pasta

“I like the chicken. And the broccoli is pretty good. But I like the pasta the best.” Music to this mama’s ears, especially given I was delivering whole wheat pasta for dinner.

I’m not going to paint a picture that’s all rosy and rah-rah that says my family agrees with me when I say, “Yes! Let’s eat more healthy whole foods!”

The truth is, my family is a little reluctant when it comes to downing a whole bowl of whole wheat pasta. Case in point when my husband walked into the kitchen and saw this dish on the stove, and said, “Oh. * sad face * Whole wheat pasta, huh?”

Ahhh, not to fear, I have my wiley ways. And things can change pretty quickly around here, including his mind, when I put my mind to it.

continue to the recipe… about Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Whole Wheat Pasta

Crushing on Catherine McCord of Weelicious and Stuffed Pizza Rolls

Former model and T.V. host, Catherine McCord is not your typical Hollywood housewife. While she has traveled the world, and even the cat-walk (hello Donna Karan, Calvin Klein and Victoria Secret), she has roots and healthy beliefs for the whole family that run deep in the food world.

As the creator of the super popular blog Weelicious, Catherine has followed up on her first cookbook Weelicious: 140 Fast Fresh and Easy Recipes with even more recipes of delicious food for kids in Weelicious Lunches: Think Outside the Lunch Box with More Than 160 Happier Meals. To celebrate, you’ll be able to take a beat from our latest crush and give your kids a healthy, and deliciously unique spin on the lunchbox routine with recipes created from your own copy of this tasty book for yourself.

Catherine grew up Louisville, KY and thanks her parents and her grandparents for her understanding of the impact food has on a person’s health and well-being. She was taught to respect food and now is passing that along to her own kids – think top model gone model mom.

If the “secret to having it all” does exist, Catherine has it. And lucky for us, she’s all about sharing what she knows, and what she loves. That’s where Weelicious.com comes into play. Like in these cheesy, broccoli spiked Stuffed Pizza Rolls. Did I mention she’s sneaky too?

continue to the recipe… about Crushing on Catherine McCord of Weelicious and Stuffed Pizza Rolls

Chicken Divan Macaroni and Cheese and a Friday Faves Academy Award Round-Up

It’s been a bit of a pasta week around here, so let’s end it with a favorite.

I was asked a to contribute to Wisconsin Cheese’s 30 Days 30 Ways with Macaroni and Cheese, and oh man am I glad that I did. Mainly because I was introduced to this trove of recipes created by some amazing food bloggers. And I got to dress up some tasty elbow macaroni.

I gussied up large elbow macaroni with creamy fontina and a little salty parm to mix up a classic casserole in our family, Chicken Divan—or as some call Broccoli and Chicken—to create my Smudge’s new favorite Chicken Divan Macaroni and Cheese.

continue to the recipe… about Chicken Divan Macaroni and Cheese and a Friday Faves Academy Award Round-Up