I always liked cooking with broccoli, steamed, raw or pureed into a soup. Broccoli is very healthy and I love its subtle sweet flavor. This time I wanted to mix it up and roast it in the oven which keeps the broccoli crisp and tender. This makes for a great alternative to the old steamed broccoli. Actually, this was the first time I’ve ever made roasted broccoli and it became an instant hit, even for my husband!
Chickpea Kale Salad – Flavored with Lemon and Garlic
Chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, are wonderful beans to use in many different recipes. Throughout Europe, Asia and the Middle East, chickpeas are used in soups and stews or pureed into bean dips. Growing up, I ate them sweet as part of certain Filipino desserts. I also like to incorporate chickpeas into cold salads with fresh chopped greens. This chickpea kale salad is a healthy salad, high in protein and super refreshing and flavorful, you’ll want to eat it everyday!
Mushrooms on Toast – A Delicious Snack in 15 Minutes
If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I’m all about cooking quick, rustic dishes using whatever I have in my kitchen with only a handful of ingredients. This dish is so easy and delicious, it’s a simple pleasure of mine and I like to make it for myself as a quick lunch or a savory snack for two. I could seriously eat this everyday!
Creamy Lentil Soup Topped with Chorizo Sausage
This recipe is an adaptation from Laura Calder and one of my absolute favorite lentil soups to make. Even though the main ingredient is lentils, I think the chorizo is the real star. The flavor combination of the creamy lentils and crisp smokey chorizo go together perfectly. The bright orange chorizo oil makes a fantastic looking garnish and compliments the creamy lentil flavor.
Spiced Carrots with Cumin and Fresh Ginger
This simple carrot dish is adapted from a recipe by Eric Ripert. He uses baby carrots with the greens attached. I think they’re beautiful and make for a pretty presentation, but use what’s accessible to you. My carrots were large so I halved and quartered them. For a nice kick, I grated in some fresh ginger which will balance out the sweetness of the carrots. This is one of my favorite vegetable appetizers because it’s so flavorful and goes well with many entrees.
Creamy Mashed Sweet Potatoes – A Speedy Thanksgiving Side Dish
This is one of the easiest mashed sweet potatoes recipes to make. I quickly whipped it up as I was roasting my herb turkey thighs recipe. Besides the sweet potato, all you need is milk, salt and pepper. To finish it off, top the mash with homemade herbed garlic butter or some turkey gravy to make for a fantastic Thanksgiving side dish.
Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms with Prosciutto and Sage
This recipe is adapted from Kath Eats. Stuffed mushrooms will make a perfect appetizer for Thanksgiving (along with my carrot and sweet potato fries and butternut squash soup). They’re full of flavor and come in a perfect little package. You can easily double or triple this recipe depending on how many guests you have.