Fake Ginger

broccoli

Broccoli Salad

Broccoli Salad – my favorite summer side dish! Fresh broccoli, red onion, raisins, bacon, and sunflower seeds in a sweet and tangy dressing.

Broccoli Salad - my favorite summer side dish! Fresh broccoli, red onion, raisins, bacon, and sunflower seeds in a sweet and tangy dressing.

Originally posted April 4, 2010. Updated  June 12, 2020.

Broccoli salad is my alltime favorite summer side dish. I love the classic version I’m sharing today and I love my lightened up Cranberry Almond Broccoli Salad.

Even the broccoli haters in my life love this salad. There are so many different textures and flavors and it all gets tossed with a cole slaw-ish dressing. It’s the perfect side for all your summer burgers and hot dogs and barbecue everything. 

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Asian-Glazed Sheet Pan Salmon and Broccoli

Asian-Glazed Sheet-Pan Salmon and Broccoli – easy 30 minute weeknight dinner. Salmon with a sweet and spicy glazed with roasted broccoli – all cooked on the same pan!

Asian-Glazed Sheet-Pan Salmon and Broccoli - easy 30 minute weeknight dinner. Salmon with a sweet and spicy glazed with roasted broccoli - all cooked on the same pan!

Hi guys! 

I’ve been obsessed with salmon for probably a year now and every few days I grill up a few blackened salmon fillets because I can’t go more than a day without salmon. 

But, you guys, I’ve made this Asian-Glazed Sheet-Pan Salmon and Broccoli instead of my usual blackened salmon for the last 2 weeks and it’s officially my new favorite. The glaze is sweet and spicy and perfect on the salmon and the whole recipe is done in just 30 minutes – plus 30 minutes hands off time for marinating. 

I also want to talk a little about one of my new favorite cookbooks!

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Pasta with Broccoli Walnut Pesto

Pasta with Broccoli Walnut Pesto – delicious meatless dinner recipe. Homemade broccoli pesto is ready in minutes! The broccoli lover in your life is going to love this one!

My kids are obsessed with broccoli.

Have we talked about that?

All 3 of them would happily eat an entire pan of roasted broccoli for dinner every night if I let them.

I literally can’t keep broccoli in the house. I buy bags and bags of the pre-cut kind and it seems to just disappear.

There’s absolutely nothing about broccoli that appeals to me unless it’s covered with mayo and tossed with dried cranberries so I don’t get it.

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Broccoli Cheddar Soup

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Broccoli Cheddar Soup – easy kid-friendly soup! A creamy soup with broccoli, carrots, and cheddar cheese!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup - easy kid-friendly soup! A creamy soup with broccoli, carrots, and cheddar cheese!

Okay guys, dinner time.

Does the whole family sit down at the table?

Does everyone do their own thing?

I’ll admit, I’m terrible at dinner time these days. I’m a stickler for the kids at the table all together, but more often than not, I’m in the kitchen working on the dishes or doing a 2nd batch of biscuits or whatever needs to be done. I’m close enough to hear their conversation but not actually participating, you know?

Then they want to watch videos on their tablets so no one’s actually talking to anyone anyway.

And I’m feeling like it’s time to get rid of that mealtime boredom and bring some fun to the table.

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Cranberry Almond Broccoli Salad

Cranberry Almond Broccoli Salad – a lightened up version of the classic! Broccoli, crumbled bacon, almonds, red onion, and dried cranberries in a creamy, tangy dressing. Perfect side dish for a summer party or a holiday dinner!

Cranberry Almond Broccoli Salad - a lightened up version of the classic! Broccoli, crumbled bacon, almonds, red onion, and dried cranberries in a creamy, tangy dressing. Perfect side dish for a summer party or a holiday dinner!

Heeeey guys, happy Monday! Fresh week! I feel like we all need a fresh start, huh?

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK?! I cannot. How did this happen?

I haven’t planned a thing! I have a turkey in my freezer though so I know that’s happening, at least. And I’ll make the dressing that my family always makes because that’s my favorite.

And I’m sure there will be pie. There’s always pie.

Another thing I also always make is broccoli salad. But first, that bowl!

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Bacon Tortellini Bake

Bacon Tortellini Bake – delicious 30 minute meal! Cheese tortellini, bacon, and broccoli in a creamy cheese sauce! A favorite of kids and adults!

Bacon Tortellini Bake - delicious 30 minute meal! Cheese tortellini, bacon, and broccoli in a creamy cheese sauce! A favorite of kids and adults!

I made pasta for dinner last night!

Bacon Tortellini Bake to be exact.

It’s been a really long time since all 3 of my kids licked their plates clean.

No one complained about the broccoli. No one complained that they don’t like pasta “made with water”. No one said that they don’t like bacon today but maybe they will tomorrow.

I thought it was really tasty too and I went into thinking it was be too alfredo-y for me because if there’s one thing I hate in this world, it’s alfredo sauce.

I would like to tell you that I skipped dinner last night to accommodate all the Red Velvet Oreos I’ve been eating but the reality is that I grabbed a tortellini each time I walked past the casserole dish. And umm… I walked past it a lot.

This was a super simple, 30 minute meal that I will be making over and over again.

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Orange Beef and Broccoli

I cooked with flank steak for the first time a couple months ago and since then I have become obsessed with it. It’s easy, delicious, and so versatile!

I suppose this Orange Beef and Broccoli is a take-off of Chinese food but this is so much tastier than any orange dish I’ve had from a Chinese place. The sauce is exploding with orange flavor without the goopyness that take-out orange sauce has. It coats the beef and broccoli perfectly!

This had been on my “Make When the Husband Leaves” list but I am officially transferring it to the “Make When the Husband Comes Home” list! I absolutely adored it and had no problem eating it for lunch 3 days in a row.

One year ago: Caramel-Filled Brownies

Print
Orange Beef and Broccoli
adapted from Pinch of Yum
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • juice of 1 orange
  • 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup orange marmalade
  • 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ¼ - ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • 1 pound flank steak very thinly sliced
  • 1 head broccoli washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk the orange juice, orange zest, soy sauce, orange marmalade, rice wine vinegar, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and cornstarch until the cornstarch has dissolved. Set aside.
  2. Boil or steam the broccoli for just a few minutes, until tender crisp.
  3. Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the flank steak and stir-fry it until the pieces of nice and browned.
  4. Give the sauce one more stir and add it to the pan with the steak; stir until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in broccoli. Serve over rice.

Roasted Garlic and White Cheddar Pasta

I’m kind of obsessed with quick, easy pasta dishes right now. This pasta seems fancy because it has wine it in but as long as you already have some chicken cooked, you’ll only need 2 pans and about 30 minutes to make it.

The pasta seems decadent but it actually has no cream in it – just wine and broth. I recommend that you search out a great cheese to use. I used the Cabot stuff and wish I had used either a sharper white cheddar or a stronger kind of cheese.

To make the garlic paste, take a few bulbs of garlic (I used 3 small ones) and chop off the tops, exposing each clove. Rub some olive oil on each clove and then wrap in aluminum foil. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.  Once they cool a little, squeeze the bulbs and the cloves will pop right out. Mash to make a paste.

Print
Roasted Garlic and White Cheddar Pasta
Ingredients
  • 1 pound ziti
  • 3 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 cup roasted garlic paste
  • 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
  • 1 large head of broccoli cut into florets (about 2 cup)
  • 2 cups cooked chicken cubed or shredded
  • 3 ounce aged reserve white cheddar grated about 1 1/2 cup
  • 4 – 6 thin strips of parmesan cheese optional
  • salt and ground pepper
Instructions
  1. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in large pot and cook ziti according to box directions to only al dente and set aside.
  2. At the same time, lightly steam broccoli florets on to of pan in steamer and set aside.
  3. Meanwhile, melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. When just coming to foaming, add garlic paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add flour and whisk until beginning to turn golden. Add vermouth and cook until evaporated. Stir broth into pan and simmer sauce until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add cheddar and stir constantly while returning to a boil. Fold in ziti cook for one minute additional and remove from heat. Add broccoli and chicken and fold until sauce covers uniformly.
  4. Plate and top with one or two strips of parmesan (optional) and serve.