Grilled Broccoli

 

This is one of my all time favorite recipes. And there's really not much to it. Literally all you have to do is make a simple balsamic vinaigrette. I do one part vinegar, two parts oil, some minced garlic, and sprinkles of salt and pepper. Make just enough dressing to cover all of the broccoli and then grill at a medium heat for about 10 minutes. This is a perfect side to almost any dish - and super healthy. A tip that makes all the difference, in order to have this hot with your meal, do this ten minutes right before you plan on eating because the broccoli tastes much better hot!

Strawberry Soy Milk

This ended up being absolutely delicious. I absolutely love strawberries and I'm so excited for summer when strawberries are plentiful and ripe. They are just the perfect fruit.

Strawberry Soy Milk

Adapted from The Pastry Affair

1 and 1/2 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen), sliced (I used fresh)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups soy milk

In a medium saucepan, boil the strawberries, sugar, water, and vanilla for 10-12 minutes, or until the strawberries release all their juices and the mixture is slightly thickened. 

Remove from heat and run the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Refrigerate the syrup until cool.

Stir together the syrup and milk (if too sweet, you could add 1/2 cup more milk to dilute the flavor) and serve in chilled glasses.

Eggplant Parm

So I did this without a recipe and just kind of whipped it together while my roommate Sara made chicken parm. We finally got to sit down and have a roomie dinner (with a veggie option of course).

1 eggplant
Olive oil
1 egg
Breadcrumbs
Parmesan cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Tomato Sauce

Basically all you need to do is peel an eggplant, cut it in long strips, dip the strips in the egg, dip them in the breadcrumbs, and fry them until tender in a pan (with the olive oil). Put the eggplant strips in a baking dish and layer with parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, and sauce. Repeat 3 times. Bake on 350 degrees for about 20 minutes until the cheese on top is slightly golden brown and its bubbling happily :)

Stuffed Mushrooms

I made these the other day on a whim because our database system at work was down so I was obviously looking up hundreds of delicious recipes and this one looked so yummy yet SUPER easy and fast (and I was right!) I saw this recipe first at: http://dineanddish.net/2011/03/a-baby-shower-recipe-special-stuffed-mushrooms/ and I was craving mushrooms and cream cheese and warm bubbly goodness. The other thing I just loved about these is that they were small enough to eat in two bites (even if they were a little messy). So here they are in all their charm:

Stuffed Mushrooms

• 16 ounce container whole fresh mushrooms (12-16 large mushrooms)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Clean mushrooms thoroughly under warm water.
2. Carefully break off stems. Chop stems extremely fine.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chopped mushroom stems to the skillet. Fry until soft, 2-3 minutes.
4. In a separate bowl, add cream cheese, Mozarella cheese, black pepper, onion powder and red pepper flakes. Add chopped garlic and chopped mushroom stems, stirring together until well blended.
5. Using a little spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of stuffing. Arrange the mushroom caps on prepared cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven or when you can see they are bubbling and the cheese is starting to turn a golden brown color. Serve warm.