Category: Broccoli

This dish was invented at the restaurant Le Cirque in New York City in the 70s. I think of it mostly as a disappointing restaurant dish vegetarian's are relegated to order. It can, however, be delicious and is a good template as it accommodates many different vegetables. There are many variations, some with cream or cream sauce, some without. Here's my cook-with-what-you-have version, employing a quick bechamel (white sauce) to enjoy spring through fall.  ... Read more »

Serves 4-6   ... Read more »

This dish is similar to a number of dishes on this site, however, I think of it as more of a side though you could serve it over rice for a main dish.   Quantities and proportions are very flexible. Use more or less curry paste, use green versus red (red is all I had when I made this), change up the vegetables. Double the recipe and use a whole can of coconut milk to serve 3-4. ... Read more »

This sauce is good on most any vegetable but here it enriches simply blanched collard raab and purple sprouting broccoli. ... Read more »

Couscous steams in 10 minutes, is a lovely absorbent base for bright dressings and can be tossed with most anything. It's a good thing to have on hand when you're short on time.  ... Read more »

I am lucky to live a block from a local pizza shop that sells their fresh pizza dough. This pizza materialized one night when I had very little time and it was a winner. I used purple sprouting broccoli which is becoming more readily available. It is similar to broccolini in that the stems are tender and a prominent part of the vegetable. You can use broccoli raab here as well or regular old broccoli.... Read more »

Making homemade red curry paste will mean an extra trip to the store (which I usually avoid) but it’s worth it. The paste recipe below makes enough for about 3 meals (for 4-6 each) for my family’s spice-level. If you like mild-medium you may get more meals out of it. It keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 weeks. You can change the mix of vegetables to suit your taste/what you have on hand. You can use either leftover chicken from a roasted or poached chicken or add raw chicken to the curry.... Read more »

This is just a template to assemble a delicious bowl of food. The sauce makes everything taste good. Cook a pot of grains and then let people customize their bowls to suit their taste.... Read more »

While I have several similar dishes on this site (Sesame Peanut Noodles with Peas and Noodles with Ginger Scallion Sauce, Tofu and Mint for example), this combination really works well AND is a good template--different noodles, different sauce, different veg. To make this sauce I add peanut butter and water to some of the marinade for the tofu. It streamlines things a bit and gives the dish variety without too extra much effort.  ... Read more »

Whole grains (rye, barley, farro, spelt, wheat, etc. ) take about an hour to cook (if not soaked ahead of time) but the are versatile, flavorful, and nutritious, not to mention a very affordable staple. 2 cups of dry whole grains will yield about 4 1/2 cups cooked grains that can be used in salads, soups or for breakfast with fruit, nuts and a little honey.   In this recipe you steam the vegetables with the already cooked grains.  ... Read more »

The only thing you need to have thought of in advance is to have made more rice than you needed for an earlier meal so that you have leftover rice ready, whether in the fridge or freezer. It matter little whether you use white or brown rice, short or long grain. I always make more rice than I need at any given time and then freeze the rest for the fried-rice-nights. Or make it in the morning and leave it sitting out all day and then you’ll have nicely dried out rice for the fried rice that evening.   Variations You can use most any vegetable you have on hand such as, broccoli, celery, Brussels sprouts, daikon, bell pepper, radish, and/or water chestnuts. Watery vegetables, like zucchini and tomatoes, are less well suited. Use a handful of radishes, chopped or a few salad turnips, chopped, in place of the carrots. If you don't have turnip tops, use beet greens, bok choi or any leafy green, you have. Snap or snow peas are great instead of shelling peas. Add any leftover meat you'd like or dice a couple slices of bacon or half a chicken breast and cook with the vegetables before adding rice. Add toasted peanuts or cashews for crunch and heft. Delicious herbs to add, in place of or with, cilantro are mint or basil ... Read more »

There's so much flavor in this broccoli. You can skip the lentils and just serve it as is or toss it with pasta or rice or whatever you might have. You can also skip the anchovies for a vegan dish. ... Read more »

Quick, delicious, adaptable. Use cauliflower or sweet potatoes or winter squash or even just potatoes and onions. Add what I call "cheesy" toast--any bread toasted, buttered and topped with cheese of choice and broiled until bubbly--and call it dinner. ... Read more »

You cook everything in one pot, drain, add a bit of cheese and olive oil and you have a steamy, good dish in 15 minutes or less.   Variations:  Use cauliflower, green beans, peas, asparagus, and/or carrots instead of broccoli Salad turnips and their leaves (if attached) or a few mustard green leaves or spinach is a nice variation Add some white beans for protein  ... Read more »

I cook more grains--rice, quinoa, bulgur, barley--than I need in the moment because leftover grains are so handy. These bulgur patties are quick to assemble, easy to adapt and so tasty. ... Read more »

This is hardly a recipe but it's such a tasty combination and template for a quick dinner. Use cauliflower, roasted squash or greens or pretty much any vegetable you have. Skip the meat if you don't have it or use other leftover meats.... Read more »

This dish is loosely inspired by Kumi Rao of Ruchikala. Kumi cooks spectacular Indian Fusion food. I was MC'ing a cooking demo she did of a classic Indian vegetable dish that inspired this, much simplified version. You can substitute most any vegetable here, just make sure to cut it quite small and avoid watery vegetables like summer squash or tomatoes. Cauliflower would be wonderful here. Chopping the vegetables small and cooking over fairly high heat to brown the vegetables is what sets this dish apart.  My son proclaimed this the best broccoli he's ever had. . . he does love Indian spices/food . . . You could make a meal of this by serving it over rice or lentils and topping it with some yogurt or an egg. ... Read more »

You can vary the vegetables in this to suit what you have on hand. This comes together quite quickly. If you start cooking the rice the minute you come in the door you can be eating dinner 25 minutes later. I used some leftover cooked chicken in this version and potatoes instead of turnips. Firm tofu is a great addition as well.... Read more »

--adapted from Heidi Swanson's 101cookbooks.com    Kormas refer to curry-like dishes that have yogurt or cream (or coconut milk) stirred into them towards the end of cooking. There are hundreds of variations, with or without meat. This is a simple vegetable-based version that you can easily make on a weeknight.  This one gets some heft from either tofu or chickpeas. You might be tempted to skip the toasted almonds or not be a fan of nuts in savory food, but don't if you can help it. Even just a few add a lot to the finished dish.   Variations You can vary the vegetables as you see fit. Green beans, sweet peppers, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, leafy greens, turnips, parsnips, are all delicious. Add meat of your choice if you like, or stick with tofu/chickpeas ... Read more »

This is a nice variation to plain roasted vegetables. One of my favorite things to do with these, once roasted and a bit cooled is to toss them with lots of parsley and/or arugula or escarole. Then add a bit more lemon juice and olive oil and make a big salad out of it. Quantities are approximations. Use however many vegetables you want in whatever ratio you want.   You could also serve these on top of a bed of sautéed chard or kale.... Read more »