Grilled Steamed Mediterranean Vegetables

These have to be some of the easiest veggies to make during the summer!  Toss your favorite veggies into tinfoil and grill. 

No, seriously, it is that easy. 

Grilled Steamed Mediterranean Vegetables – Adapted from a newspaper clipping

Ingredients

• 4 C fresh or frozen broccoli, cauliflower and carrot mix
• dash or two of oregano
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• splash of balsamic vinegar
• Ice cube (if fresh veggies are used)

Directions

Lightly grease the tinfoil.  Then, place 4 C frozen veggies into the center of the tinfoil.  If you use fresh veggies, than add 2 ice cubes to the veggies. 

Sprinkle with oregano, salt and pepper. 

Wrap up the veggies in the tinfoil. 

Place on the grill over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, then turn the package.  Continue grilling for 5-7 more minutes, or until tender. 

Open the tinfoil package and splash with balsamic vinegar. 

Serve warm. 

Enjoy!

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Crockpot Breakfast Egg Casserole

While on vacation, I decided to try a new breakfast recipe. 

Feeding 10 adults, all very hungry in the morning, and trying a new recipe?! 

I know. 

I’m a bit crazy. 

But, I knew the basis of the recipe came from a trusted source: Tiffany of Eat at Home.  I found her slow-cooker breakfast casserole recipe and thought I could easily modify it for our dietary needs. 

So, the night before I prepped the breakfast and the first family up with a baby popped the crockpot in and turned it on to high for 4 hours. 

When the rest of us woke up, breakfast was ready. 

And, it was delicious. 

Crockpot Breakfast Egg Casserole – Adapted from Eat At Home
Serves about 10-12. 

Ingredients

• 50-60-oz of shredded potatoes/hashbrowns
• 12 eggs
• 1 C milk
• 16 oz. frozen broccoli
• 2-3 medium bell peppers
• 1 medium sweet onion
• 4 oz. shredded Colby Jack cheese
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

Begin by slicing the bell peppers into thin strips.  Slice the onion into rings and then in half.  Saute the peppers and onions in a bit of olive oil until crisp tender.  Better yet, plan to use leftovers (that’s what we did on our vacation; I tossed in the leftover fajita fixings).  You can easily use peppers, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, asparagus, tomatoes, etc! 

Lightly grease a 6 quart crockpot with olive oil spray.  Place 1 package (about 30 oz) of shredded potatoes in the bottom of the crockpot.  We used a brand of frozen shredded potatoes that contained only potatoes!!  You could also make up your own hashbrowns for this dish.    

Layer half of the broccoli and veggies over the top. 

Top with half of the remaining potatoes.  Then, layer the remaining veggies over the top.  Top off the crockpot with the remaining potatoes. 

Cover and refrigerate overnight. 

Remove from the fridge and place inside the crockpot. Meanwhile, beat 12 eggs together and season with salt & pepper.  Add in 1 C milk and stir well. 

Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes. 

Top with shredded cheese. 

Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. 

Serve warm. 

**Note: you can prepare the whole thing the night before, and cook on low all night long for 8 hours. 

Enjoy!

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Broccoli & Squash Sauté

This simple side dish combines some of our favorite veggies in new ways.  It’s amazing how refreshing a new side-dish combination can be! 

Served warm or chilled, this side dish was a hit at our house. 

Broccoli & Squash Sauté – Inspired by Multiply Delicious

Ingredients

• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 medium summer squash
• 2 C broccoli
• 1 tsp. minced onion
• pinch of minced garlic
• 3 roma tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes)
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• pinch of salt & pepper
• dash of paprika

Directions

Begin by dicing the veggies.  I quartered the zucchini and summer squash, along with the tomatoes.  Set aside. 

Next, place 2 C broccoli (fresh or frozen) into a skillet with 2-4 T water.  Cook for 5 minutes until crisp tender.  Remove broccoli from the pan to a cutting board and allow it to cool.  Drain any excess water. 

Lightly spray the bottom of your skillet with olive oil.  Toss in the zucchini, summer squash and tomatoes.  Sauté for 5 minutes until tomatoes and squash are soft. 

Dice up the broccoli and toss that back into the skillet. 

Season with oregano, minced onion and garlic, salt, pepper and paprika. 

Serve warm. 

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Roasted Vegetable Summer Salad

For my grandparent’s 65th Wedding Anniversary all the grandkids brought side dishes.  I decided it was high time to create a new pasta salad. 

I roasted up a whole bunch of veggies because, let’s face it, roasted veggies taste amazing.  And, I can actually eat them when they are roasted. 

Then, I tossed them in some pasta cooked in chicken broth, marinated with some olive oil, garlic, onion, and herbs. 

The result was a delicious salad – perfect served hot or cold. 

Roasted Vegetable Summer Salad

Ingredients

• 2 C chicken broth
• 2 1/2 C small shaped pasta
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. minced onion
• 4 C water
• 1 C chopped broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
• 2 C baby carrots
• 2 medium red bell peppers
• 1 medium zucchini
• 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms
• 4-6 oz. cherry tomatoes (optional)
• 1 can (~15 oz) Great White Northern Beans, rinsed & drained
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1 tsp. oregano
• Olive oil

Directions

Place 2 1/2 C small pasta (we used rings, but small shells would work well too) in a large stockpot.  Add 2 C chicken broth (should be enough to nearly cover the pasta; if not, top off with water).  Sprinkle in up to 1/2 tsp. minced garlic and 1 tsp. minced onion.  Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.  Once the pasta has absorbed most of the liquid (about 3 minutes of boiling), add in the 4 C of water and continue cooking according to package directions.  Drain. 

Meanwhile, chop up your veggies.  Chop the bell peppers into 1-inch pieces, zucchini into quarters, and mushrooms into quarters.  Halve the cherry tomatoes, if using (I highly recommend doing so!).  Note – it the carrots are thick “baby carrots”, slice them in half lengthwise. 

Arrange the veggies on a large cookie sheet lined with a piece of foil coated lightly in olive oil.  Spritz with additional olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper, basil and oregano. 

Roast at 450 for 30-45 minutes until crisp tender and nicely roasted.  Stir occasionally during this time and, if you are using frozen broccoli, you may need to remove the broccoli sooner than the other veggies. 

When pasta is ready and veggies are done, stir them together.  Mist lightly with olive oil to maintain moistness.  Season with additional salt, pepper, basil, & oregano.

Stir in white beans and garnish with dried parsley, if desired. 

Serve warm or chilled. 

This makes a great stand-alone salad, but would also be delicious with chicken either in the salad or along side it.  Grilled chicken would be even better!  Enjoy!

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Loaded Baked Potato Dip w/ Potato Dippers!

March in my life used to be synonymous with the start of the synchronized swimming season and I honestly never cared about basketball. 

Then, I met and married Frog Prince. 

As our pastor stated this weekend – marriage is 10% compatibility, 90% work.  Part of that 90% work for me was learning to enjoy basketball. 

I believe that was largely helped by living in Green & White territory for 5 years while a grad student at Michigan State University. 

Now, March rolls around and I know what’s coming.  We’re rooting for the Spartans and the Syracuse Orange from here until the end. 

Necessity during March Madness? Good food, of course!  Last year it was Pizza Dip. 

This year, loaded baked potato dip with potato dippers!  Perfect addition to any game. 

Loaded Baked Potato Dip with Potato Dippers – Adapted from BHG

Ingredients

• 6 oz. Neufchatel cream cheese
• 1 heaping cup diced broccoli florets
• 2 T cooked, crumbled bacon
• 1/2 C finely chopped spinach
• 1 T minced onion
• 1/2 C extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 T salsa, if desired
• 6-8 Russet potatoes, washed & unpeeled
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• Olive oil spray

Directions

Cube up the cream cheese and place that into a small crockpot. 

Add in 1 C (heaping) diced, steamed broccoli florets. 

Sprinkle in 1 T minced onion, 1/2 C finely chopped spinach (we used frozen), 2 T crumbled cooked bacon and stir well. 

If desired add in 2 T salsa. 

Turn on the crockpot to low/medium and heat for 1 hour until cream cheese is melted, stirring occasionally. 

Stir in cheddar cheese.  Then, reduce the heat to low or “keep warm”; your cheese dip is ready. 

About 40 minutes before you are ready to enjoy your appetizers, use a mandolin slicer (watch those fingers!) and thinly slice the potatoes lengthwise into thin slices. 

Place the potatoes onto a cookie sheet covered in tinfoil (trust me, they will come off much better on the tinfoil than just the cookie sheet).  Spray the tinfoil with olive oil and then layer the potatoes over the top, watching to make sure there are not overlapping potatoes. 

Spray with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 

Bake at 450 degrees for 25-35 minutes until potatoes are lightly browned and crunchy. 

Use the potatoes as a dipper for the loaded baked potato dip! 

Go Green! 

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Crockpot Chicken Broccoli and Brown Rice

This meal is quite delicious and a fun way to use up leftover chicken.  The leftovers were even better the next day!  It was a treat to warm up lunch.   

This recipe uses diced chicken breast meat from the whole chicken cooked earlier in the week, and couples that with cheesy rice and broccoli. 

Crockpot Chicken Broccoli and Brown Rice – Adapted from Myra

Ingredients

• 2 C brown rice
• 4 C chicken broth
• 4 T minced onion
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 4 C frozen or fresh broccoli florets, chopped
• 1 C cubed, cooked leftover chicken
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 C Greek Yogurt
• 1 1/2 - 2 C extra sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

Pour 2 C long-grain brown rice (not minute rice!) into a lightly greased crockpot and add in 4 C chicken broth.  Stir in minced onion and garlic. 

Add in cubed, cooked chicken (we used about 1 leftover chicken breast for this).  Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours.  Note: If you use fresh broccoli, you can add it right away, layering it on top of the rice. 

Then, add in 4 C frozen chopped broccoli.  Cover and continue cooking the rice and veggies for an additional 1 hour.

Stir in 1 C Greek Yogurt and 1 C extra sharp cheddar cheese. 

Top the rice with an additional 1/2 - 1 C cheese.  Cover, allowing the cheese to melt. 

Serve warm. 

Enjoy!

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Roasted Vegetable Mac & Cheese

The roasted vegetables in this dinner take an already delicious mac & cheese and make it over the top. 

I mean, these veggies look delicious, don’t they? 

Couple that with whole wheat pasta & cheese…

Trust me. 

Try this one – you’ll be glad you did. 

Roasted Vegetable Mac & Cheese – Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

Ingredients

• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium zucchini, quartered
• 3 C broccoli florets
• 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, quartered
• 1 medium sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, cut into wedges
• 1 medium Roma tomato {optional}
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 (12-oz) can evaporated milk
• 2 tsp. corn starch
• salt & pepper, to taste
• pinch of paprika
• 8 oz. whole wheat pasta shells
• 6 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
• Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Directions

Begin by placing the prepared veggies in a large bowl.  Toss with olive oil & salt and pepper. 

Place the veggies on a cookie sheet covered with tinfoil.

Roast the veggies at 425-450 degrees for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Meanwhile, boil the pasta according to package directions. 

Then, in a small saucepan, combine the evaporated milk with 2 tsp. corn starch.  Whisk together.  Then, place the pan on the heat and warm the mixture to a slow boil, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens.  Add in the paprika.  Then, remove from the heat. 

Stir in the 6 oz shredded cheddar cheese. Allow the heat from the sauce to melt the cheese – do not use the burner to melt the cheese or it will curdle. 

Pour the cheese sauce over the drained pasta. 

Stir well.  Mmmm…..

When you veggies are ready, use a large slotted spoon to transfer them to your pasta. 

Stir well. 

Serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top for garnish. 

Enjoy!

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