Recipes!

We tried a couple of new things over here the last 2 nights. They all turned out really good, so of course I'll be nice and share.

Broccoli and Kale Soup:

Thanks to Lacy for modifying and sharing this recipe! And only 2 weight watchers point per cup!

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 10 baby carrots, chopped
• 4 cups fresh broccoli, including stems, chopped
• 2 cups kale, chopped
• 2 cups low-sodium, fat free chicken broth
• 3 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions:

Heat oil in medium pot, (I actually just used my large skillet). Saute garlic, onion and celery for 3-4 minutes. Onions should be soft. (I could have sworn I bought a bulb of garlic, but couldn't find it anywhere. Luckily I had my Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic to substitute).

Add the carrots, broccoli, and kale, followed by the broth and almond milk.

Season with salt and pepper and stir. Bring to boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Allow soup to cool slightly then pour into a blender. (I have a hand held kitchen aid blender so I just used that). Blend until smooth. If eating right away, return soup to pot and heat gently until ready to serve.

I made this the night before, so I let my soup cool completely, blended it in the container I was storing it in, covered it, and stuck it in the fridge. Easy peasy.


Next time I make it, I might just mash it with my potato masher and leave it kind of chunky.



Stuffed Zuchinni:

Here is the original recipe I found on pinterest.  Let me tell you. It would have been to die for with bacon. But  I was whipping this up last minute, and just used things I had on hand. So no bacon. But it was still yummy.

Here is what I used (again just because I wanted to use things I had in the refrigerator).

• 2 zucchinis cut length wise
• 1 dollop light sour cream
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 TB onion, finely chopped
• 2 TB red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 C sharp cheddar, grated 
• 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• Dash of curry

2 weight watchers points per boat for my variation.

Preheat your oven to 400.

In a small skillet, saute your onion and bell pepper in the olive oil. About 4 minutes.

Scoop the insides of the zucchini out on your cutting board and chop it up.

EDIT: I already got some feedback on these that theirs turned out watery.  Mine did have a little "juice" in the them, but not much.  To avoid this, you might try squeezing the scooped out zucchini with paper towels to get out some of the moisture. I'm assuming it was from that.  It may just be the sour cream though.

Put zucchini, onion and bell pepper in a small mixing bowl.  Add sour cream, cheddar, salt, pepper and curry. Mix well.

Scoop back into your zucchini boats.

Bake for 20 minutes, then put under the broiler until tops are deep golden brown.



Asparagus:
 
I've made this several times and absolutely love it. Prosciutto is a very lean ham. Lots of flavor like bacon, but mucho healthier. However, no prosciutto on hand, so I just went with the vinaigrette part.

Snap your asparagus. Hold each end and bend until it breaks.  Each piece will break in a different place; basically where the chewy stuff ends and the crisp stuff begins. I let my girls do that. They had a blast.

Wrap in foil, and bake along side whatever else you may be cooking (for me it was the stuffed zucchini). The 20 minutes was perfect.

 

While those are cooking, mix together 1 TB balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp dijon mustard and a pink of garlic salt. (much smaller amount than the linked recipe. Perfect for just me and the hubs).

Brush the vinaigrette on the asparagus before serving.


Salmon:

Nothing special here, other than, DO NOT OVER COOK! It should be light pink, not white, and should fall apart in chunks, not be flaky.  I dust the top of mine with salt and pepper and then cover with parmasan cheese.

Bake covered in foil for 10-12 minutes, then pop this in the broiler for 1 minute until the top is crispy.