Broccoli Challenge: Roasted Butternut Squash and Broccoli

For the third week of my Broccoli Challenge, I am embracing the change of seasons with a roasted vegetable dish. It’s hearty and healthy and can also offer a lot of flexibility. Throw in whatever root vegetables you have on hand – parsnips, sweet potatoes or carrots.

1 butternut squash
2 broccoli crowns
1 yellow onion
3 garlic cloves
1 lemon
1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. pine nuts, toasted
2 tbs. olive oil
2 parsley sprigs
S&P

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Cut into 1 inch pieces. Cut broccoli florets at stem. Cut onion into quarters and then in half again. The goal is to have the veggies approximately the same size pieces for even cooking time. Crush garlic cloves and combine with vegetables in roasting pan. Drizzle olive oil and juice from one half lemon on veggies. Mix until veggies are well coated. Salt and pepper as desired. Cover pan with foil and roast for 20 minutes.

During cooking time, finely chop parsley and combine in small bowl with cheese and toasted nuts. Add juice from remaining half lemon and stir. Set aside.

Remove foil from roasting pan, stir, and continue roasting uncovered for another 20 min or until veggies are tender to the fork. Remove from oven. Discard garlic cloves and transfer to serving dish. Top vegetables with nut and cheese mixture. Serve hot and enjoy!

There is still one more week to join the Challenge – click here for more info. In case you missed them, click here and here for the previous Broccoli Challenge posts. See you again next Wednesday for another Broccoli Challenge report.

Also, check out the colorful brown bag lunch with broccoli at Healthy Eating Starts at Home.

Broccoli Challenge: Artichoke and Broccoli Dip

It is the second week of my self-declared Broccoli Challenge. Now that football season is here, I was inspired to make a game day dip. It’s actually similar to a spinach and artichoke dip but with broccoli instead. It provides a healthier option for game day eats. Here’s hoping that your team wins!

Artichoke and Broccoli Dip

8 oz. low-fat cream cheese
8 oz. low-fat sour cream
1 c. marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1 medium broccoli crown
2 cloves garlic
S&P

Directions: Start by taking cream cheese out of the fridge and let sit for 15 minutes prior to using. Cut and steam cook broccoli florets. Remove from heat and chill in refrigerator (this step can be done ahead of time). Crush 2 cloves of garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes in small saucepan with cooking spray. Let cool. Mix together cream cheese and sour cream until well blended. This step can be done by hand or using an electric mixer. Stir in garlic. Finely chop the drained artichoke hearts and cooked broccoli. Mix into cream mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with bread or fresh cut veggies for dipping.

You still have time to join the Challenge – click here for info. See you again next Wednesday for another Broccoli Challenge report.

Since we are talking broccoli, head on over to Gluten Free Food for a step by step recipe for Tricolour Salad. And don’t miss the tip for making carrot flowers.

Just in case you missed it last week, check out Healthy Eating Starts at Home for a healthy, homemade Chinese Beef and Broccoli recipe.

A Saucy Affair

Last night, I rubbed shoulders with the foodie community at A Saucy Affair – a foodie fundraiser benefiting the 9Health Fair. We circled the room, sampling bites from various restaurants to the smoky tunes of Hazel Miller singing in the background.

During this sauce battle, patrons cast votes for their favorite sauces. The overall dish certainly contributes to votes cast as well. Participants included: Cru Wine Bar, CY Steak, Gourmet Kitchen Catering, Espresso Affair, Helliemae's Salt Caramels, Loews Denver Hotel, Mezcal, Rialto Cafe, Texas de Brazil , The Avenue Grill , The Denver Cupcake Truck, The Lobby, Wynkoop Brewing Company and Zink.

The focus of this particular foodie event is perfect for me because I do love my sauces. I’m pretty into overly sauced food. Dry food is boring. And well, it’s dry. Each year, food trends seem to emerge and set the tone of the evening – last year, duck was the popular ingredient (see post) and the year before that, it was all about BBQ sandwiches.

This year seemed to have more of a range in the culinary creations – although a few restaurants featured chimichurri sauces. And while it is always a fun evening, many of sauces this year were mind in flavor compared to those of previous years. But, that is not to say I didn’t have favorites. My personal palate pleasers were Texas de Brazil, Wynkoop, Gourmet Kitchen and Helliemae’s Salt Caramels.

Speaking of Helliemae, the unnamed winner and recipient of my voting chip was Helliemae’s Salt Caramels for their Salted Caramel Banana Pudding. As for the ‘official’ winners, the Judge’s Choice pick was The Lobby for their Short Rib with Poblano Sauce. My commentary upon winner announcement: The judges panel is comprised of Denver personalities rather than foodies. The patrons did better in casting their votes as is usually the case. The People’s Choice winner went to Texas De Brazil for their Flank Steak and Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Chimichurri Sauce.

Farwell, sauce battle. See you again next year.

Exciting News!

Have you been waiting to hear about my big news from the Best night ever? Well, wait no more… I am excited to reveal that I've got a foodie’s dream coming my way!

In June, Dan and I attended Taste of the Nation – a foodie fundraiser benefiting Share Our Strength. That night, we bid on and won a brunch with local chefs – cooked in our home! Insert image of me with a huge smile on my face, buzzing excitement and the embarrassing moves from my happy food dance.

This fabulous brunch courtesy of the culinary talents of:
Matt Selby, Vesta Dipping Grill
Paul C. Reilly, Encore on Colfax
Beau Simmons, Jonesy's EatBar
Keegan Gerhard, Dbar Desserts


Yes, Keegan is going to be cooking in my home! Well, actually my mom’s home because my kitchen is far too small for the talents of these 4 chefs. I need to start practicing my pretending-not-to-be-star-struck face. Yep, that’s me.

*Thanks to my family who had “reserved” a day without any information about the festivities I had planned. And an even bigger thank you to Dan for being my biggest supporter and co-conspirator.

Broccoli Challenge: Broccoli Berry Smoothie

Last week, I issued myself a Broccoli Challenge. I committed to cooking with broccoli in new ways. Simply cooking broccoli is not enough for me. I cook and eat broccoli all the time. I grew up eating it often and that good habit hasn’t changed. Luckily, my husband likes broccoli just as much and does not tire of it showing up on the menu several times a week. But, as I admitted, I’ve been in a broccoli rut – cooking it the same way repeatedly.

For this first week of the Broccoli Challenge, I decided to do something VERY different. I’m not trying to come up with the most amazing broccoli dish ever – I don’t want to limit my creative spirit in this way. So, when I told my husband my idea, his response was simply “No”. No elaboration. But I knew what he was thinking. This was a risky idea, likely to be a food fail. Nevertheless, I decided to proceed with my idea … this is, after all, the point of taking on a challenge, right? So, here it is…

Broccoli Berry Smoothie

1 broccoli crown, steamed
6 oz package raspberries
1 peach
1 banana
1 c. fat-free vanilla yogurt
1/2 c. pomegranate juice
2 cups ice

Cut and steam cook broccoli florets. Remove from heat and chill in refrigerator (this step can be done ahead of time). Cut peach and banana into medium sized pieces. In a blender, thoroughly blend all ingredients. Pour into glasses and serve cold. Serves 4.

I must say, I’m pleasantly surprised with my first broccoli challenge pursuit. And moms take note because I discovered a sneaky way to ‘hide’ a vegetable in the smoothie. Hopefully, this can be useful for those with veggie resistant kids. I can also share that Dan enjoyed a {small} glass himself.

Also, since there are only 2 of us in our house, we had smoothie leftovers. I mixed up the leftover drink the next day and it was even better – fruitier and no detection of broccoli. Not bad for my first broccoli-out-of-the-box pursuit.

Join the Broccoli Challenge! Find info and instructions here.

And stop by Healthy Eating Starts at Home for a healthy, homemade Chinese Beef and Broccoli recipe.

Blue Cheese Pretzels

One of my favorite memories from childhood was the “snack plate” my mom made for us each afternoon when we got home from school. Appropriately named, these plates hosted a variety of snacks – a bunch of grapes, scoop of Chex Mix and oftentimes, the results of an afternoon of cooking with her friend. From her cooking sessions, I remember the pretzels they frequently made – soft pretzels. My siblings and I loved those original pretzels.

My mom later pursued her passion for cooking and went to culinary school - further developing in herself, and in her daughters, a love for cooking and sharing food with others. As she adopted new skills and techniques in the kitchen, she passed along her learning to us. The results were a fine tuned version of former recipes. Our palettes matured and evolved.

So, in thinking about the early version pretzels snacks of my childhood, I am sharing one of my mom’s pretzel recipes that is a family favorite today.

Blue Cheese Pretzels
1 lb. pretzel twists
1/2 c. Maytag blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 c. butter
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Pour pretzel twists into large bowl. Using hands or a knife, break blue cheese into small crumbles. Melt butter in small saucepan and stir in garlic powder when melted. Pour butter mixture over pretzels. Add cheese crumbles and mix thoroughly. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring once. Remove from oven, stir immediately and let cool. *Use whole wheat pretzels for a healthier twist to your Blue Cheese Pretzel twists. Enjoy!

This post is part of the Weekly Writer’s Workshop over at Mama Kat's blog.