cooking ala mel

Roasted Broccoli

February 6, 2011

Broccoli is probably my favorite vegetable. I love it steamed, smothered in some sort of sauce, cheese, roasted, sautéed…there really isn’t a way I don’t like it. Roasted broccoli is a perfect side dish, especially if you don’t like your vegetables steamed or boiled to the point where they have no flavor. This is definitely a dish full of flavor!

Topped with asiago with pan seared lemon tilapia and roasted potatoes

Roasted Broccoli
2 small heads broccoli, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (or thinly sliced)
about 2 T olive oil
chili pepper flakes, to taste
salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Chop the broccoli into bite sized pieces and toss with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and pepper flakes in a mixing bowl. Place mixture on a cookie sheet and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until broccoli is tender and slightly browned.

Italian Fries

February 6, 2011

This is another recipe that I adapted from Shutterbean. We’ve used it quite a few times for dinner! The crispiness from the seasonings and cheese is excellent – they’re so good dipped in ranch! It’s hard to stop eating these.

Fresh out of the oven..yum yum!

With roasted broccoli and a chicken & apple sausage with caramelized onions!

With roasted broccoli, stuffed mushroom and salmon with soy sauce.

Italian Fries

3 or 4 potatoes

4 T olive oil

1/2 T italian seasonings

1 cup parmesan/romano, grated

2 T parsley

salt, pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Slice potatoes into 1/3-inch thick french fry-style strips. Place them in cold, salted water so they don’t turn color while you work.

Drain potatoes and pat dry with paper towels. Toss the potatoes in the olive oil and spray pan with cooking spray. Spread out the potatoes on the baking sheet (overlapping is fine).

Sprinkle the italian seasonings over the potatoes and then the cheese. Bake until the potatoes are golden brown, for about 45-50 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve hot.

Pancakes

February 6, 2011

One of my favorite Saturday morning breakfasts is pancakes. My dad always made them for me and my sisters when we were little, and I always loved just eating them plain. Some mornings, he’d make chocolate chip pancakes, so it was extra special. Now, I make my own concoction of pancakes, and I throw in a lot of different things, depending on my mood.

With flax seeds (and a few with chocolate chips, too!)

With chocolate chips..

With raspberries..

With a cinnamon sugar swirl..

I always use the same basic recipe and then add my own bit of flair to the pancakes.

Homemade Pancakes
2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, well beaten
2 cups milk
honey or vanilla (almond extract, too) adds a nice flavorStir together dry ingredients. Add eggs, milk and oil. Stir until dry ingredients are moistened (batter may be lumpy).
Cook on preheated griddle until bubbles form and edges start to dry. Flip and cook until lightly browned.