Polenta with Roasted Broccoli & Coconut Bacon

 

Have you tried coconut bacon? Cause you should. No, I won't try to convince you that it's exactly like bacon, but whether you eat meat or not, I think you'll love it. We've been putting it on lots of things, but I think this is my new favorite way to use it (aside from eating it by itself!). My second favorite thing to put it on is potato soup.

 

 

Tuesday was National Wine Day. Did you know? So of course we had to celebrate. :-)

 

This meal came together in about 40 minutes, most of which was time spent letting the polenta cook & the broccoli roast. A perfect weeknight meal for a winter night, it was warming & comforting. We paired it with a green salad to add some extra veggies.

 

I hope you try it! We'll definitely be having it again soon.

 

 

 

Polenta with Roasted Broccoli & Coconut Bacon

Serves 4-6

 

6 c water

1½ c polenta

1½ tsp sea salt (divided)

3 small heads of broccoli

2 c large unsweetened flaked coconut (I used this: Bob's Red Mill Flaked Coconut Unsweetened)

1½ T Braggs liquid aminos (or soy sauce, coconut aminos, or tamari)

1 T honey (or maple syrup to make this vegan)

½ T liquid smoke

½ tsp smoked paprika

 

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray and set aside.

 

Bring 6 cups of water and 1 teaspoon sea salt to a boil in a large pot on the stovetop. Make sure the pot is deep enough that when you cook the polenta, it doesn't bubble over.

 

While the water is coming to a boil, chop the broccoli stems & florets into small pieces. Spread pieces onto one of the prepared baking sheets, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt, and   place in hot oven to roast.

 

Once the water comes to a boil, add the polenta slowly, stirring to combine it with the water. It should get thick pretty quickly, at which point you can let it cook, just stirring it periodically to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Keep the heat at about medium to allow it to simmer for 30 minutes.

 

In a medium bowl, combine the Braggs liquid aminos, honey, liquid smoke, and smoked paprika. Add the coconut flakes to the mixture and stir to coat. Spread coconut evenly on the remaining prepared baking sheet. Place in oven with the broccoli and bake for 5 minutes. Stir, return to oven, and bake another 5 minutes before stirring again. (Don't forget to stir the polenta once in awhile!)

 

The second time you take out the coconut to stir it, also stir the broccoli to promote even roasting. Return both the coconut and broccoli to the oven. Set a timer for the broccoli for 10 minutes, at which point it should be done. Watch the coconut closely, checking it every 2-3 minutes, until it is browned & feels slightly crispy. Once the coconut is done, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool, at which time it will continue to crisp to a nice crunchy texture.

 

Once the polenta and broccoli are also done, put a few spoonfuls of polenta on a plate. Top with roasted broccoli and a handful of coconut bacon. Enjoy!

 

NOTE: Coconut bacon can be made in advance. Store it in a sealed container so that it stays crunchy.

 

 

 

Coconut bacon recipe adapted from Eating Bird Food

 

Broccoli & Chickpea Stir-Fry

I know stirfry is pretty normal. It's quick, easy, & adaptable to what you have in the fridge. This particular version is a standard for us, & it's gluten free! While we do eat a lot of gluten free meals, by nature, it is a challenge to make sure that nothing has gluten in it. There are a lot of unsuspecting products (like soy sauce) that have wheat in them. I've been using Bragg Liquid Aminos for awhile now anyway, but when I was going through our cupboards, I found an old bottle of soy sauce that has gluten in it.

 I've been doing a gluten free diet experiment to see how my body reacts, if at all. So far, I don't notice much difference, but we will see when I re-introduce it. In case you're wondering, I'm doing this experiment for health reasons, as I hope to work on healing my thyroid.

One of the easiest dishes to prepare gluten free is a stirfry. They are usually served with rice anyway, so as long as none of the other ingredients have gluten in them, you're in the clear without even realizing its gluten free at all!

So as a quick, gluten free meal, we had some delicious stir-fry over the weekend! I'm in love with rice noodles. I love how they soak up the flavors from the sauce & are soft in texture, a great contrast to the crunch of the veggies. The chickpeas add a different texture, too, plus some staying power to the dish.

Bup likes a zillion noodles with his. :-)

I hope you'll try this! It's filling, nourishing, & most importantly, delicious!

Broccoli & Chickpea Stirfry over Rice Noodles

Serves 4

Gluten Free, Vegan option

1 onion, sliced

1 bell pepper, chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

1 carrot, chopped into rounds

5 button mushrooms, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 head broccoli, cut into florets & stems peeled, sliced & chopped

1 1/2 c chickpeas (14 oz. can)

1/2 c Bragg Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce, gluten free if necessary)

2 T rice vinegar

1 T organic ketchup

1 T lime juice

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. honey (or agave syrup for vegan option)

1 8 oz. package brown rice noodles (I used Annie Chun's Maifun Gluten Free Brown Rice Noodles)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil in preparation for cooking the rice noodles. While it comes to a boil, prepare stirfry as follows.

In a large non-stick pan or wok, cook onion until softened over medium heat (about 4 minutes). Add bell pepper, jalapenos, carrot, mushrooms, and broccoli stems. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes. While veggies are cooking, prepare sauce by whisking together Braggs, rice vinegar, ketchup, lime juice, salt, ginger, and honey. Pour sauce into the wok, then add broccoli florets and chickpeas. Stir to combine, then cook for 5 minutes or until broccoli is lightly steamed and mixture is heated through.

Prepare rice noodles according to package directions. Divide noodles into four bowls and top each with 1/4 of the stirfry. Serve immediately.

Gnocchi with Roasted Broccoli & Garlic Vinaigrette

This is one of our favorite meals! We first had it last fall, and then I mentioned it briefly in December. At some point, we also made it for my parents, who loved it, too.

The original inspiration came from a newspaper clipping of a recipe for Roasted Broccoli. It was meant to be a side dish, but I thought it sounded like a great way to serve pasta.

I made a few changes (as usual!) & paired it with a bag of frozen gnocchi, making it a quick & flavorful dinner. It's filling but not heavy, which I think is often the problem with gnocchi. Most times, it's topped with a creamy sauce & the pasta itself is already so creamy that it really weighs you down.

The bright flavors of the red wine vinegar, the creamy gnocchi, & the earthy walnuts really come together well. It's a melt in your mouth flavor burst! :-)

I hope you try it out!

Gnocchi with Roasted Broccoli & Garlic Vinaigrette
Serves 2-4

4 T red wine vinegar
1 T lemon juice
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, mashed into puree or microplaned
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. salt
1 large or 2 small heads broccoli, chopped
1/3 c walnuts, chopped
1 bag frozen gnocchi
2 oz. parmesan cheese, freshly grated + more for serving

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread broccoli pieces on a large baking pan sprayed with cooking spray and roast for 20 minutes. Stir and return to oven for 20 minutes. Stir again, add walnuts, and roast another 5 minutes.

In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil and prepare gnocchi according to package directions.

Mix together vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, both peppers, and salt. Set aside until broccoli and gnocchi are finished cooking.

Toss together roasted broccoli and walnuts, cooked gnocchi, and dressing in a large bowl. Top with cheese and stir briefly to combine. Sprinkle with additional cheese if desired. Serve immediately.

Mac 'n Cheeze Vegetable Casserole

On Saturday at market, they had broccoli on sale, 3 head for $5. So far, I've used 1 head; it was large enough for us to have steamed as part of our rice bowls on Saturday night, added to this casserole, & eated for lunch on Monday. I have 2 heads left. I think tonight we'll have broccoli soup. Maybe tomorrow night we can roast it. Good thing I love broccoli!

This dish is a lighter take on macaroni & cheese. While it is admittedly less creamy, you can always double the sauce recipe to get more of a traditional casserole. The flavors are delicious & it has the added benefit of being very healthy. We love this pumpkin cheeze sauce & I was so excited to have it for the first time this fall! I discovered it from Angela's blog last fall & we had it many times, but then we moved on from pumpkins & sort of forgot about it until now.

Even if you're skeptical of this, just try it. I think you'll love it! It tastes decadent, even though it's full of healthy ingredients. The pasta to vegetable ratio is perfect for me (about even). If you prefer more veggies or more pasta, just tweak it to your liking. It's easy to mix up this dish.

Enjoy!

Mac 'n Cheeze Vegetable Casserole

Sauce inspired by OhSheGlows.com

Serves 6

1 box whole wheat elbow macaroni

1 large onion, sliced

2 bell peppers, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 small zucchini, chopped

1 small head of broccoli, chopped

1 T organic butter

1 1/2 c unsweetened original almond milk

1 T cornstarch

3/4 tsp. garlic powder

8 T nutritional yeast

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. dried ground mustard

1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4-1/2 c panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9"x13" baking pan with cooking spray. Prepare pasta as indicated on the box. While the water boils & the past cooks, prepare remaining ingredients.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook onions until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add peppers, jalapeno, & garlic. Cook for another 4 minutes, then add zucchini & broccoli. Cook just until tender.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add milk & cornstarch, whisking until smooth. Stir in garlic powder, nutritional yeast, Dijon mustard, dried ground mustard, and pumpkin. Combine, then add salt & pepper, adjusting to taste.

Once everything is ready, combine pasta, vegetables, and sauce. Stir until noodles are all coated with sauce. Pour into the prepared baking pan. Top with panko bread crumbs. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until heated through and the top is browned.

NOTE:

Alternately, you can skip the baking step and serve as a stove top mac n' cheeze. I like the baking step because the flavors have more time to meld & the top gets crunchy, but for a quicker meal, it's still tasty pre-baking!



Grilled Spicy Tofu & Balsamic Grilled Leeks with Broccoli

Remember last week when I told you I'd have a recipe for wild leeks?

Maybe you didn't find a wilderness that supplies them yet...for you, I'm offering grilled tofu. Both recipes are quick, flavorful & easy.

Weekends are a great time for grilling! Get out & enjoy the spring weather. We have plans to go to a family/church softball game on Friday night, then get some gardening & cooking done on Saturday. It's a big day, too - Cinco de Mayo & the Kentucky Derby! Maybe we'll have burritos & mint juleps to celebrate. :-)

I hope everyone has a wonderful & relaxing weekend!

For those of you with an aversion to tofu, try it this way. Grilled tofu is crispy on the outside, soft on the inside & very flavorful after you let it marinate. I love how distinctly the grill marks show up. We ate ours dipped in a merlot sauce, but I think bbq sauce, ketchup or A1 would also be delicious.

 

Grilled Spicy Tofu

Adapted from Edible Perspective

Serves 2-4

1 package firm or extra firm tofu

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 T pure maple syrup

2 T rice vinegar

1 tsp. liquid smoke

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Remove tofu block from package and rinse. Lay block on it's side and slice into 10 pieces, about 1/4"-1/2" thick. Lay the slices flat between two towels and place a heavy object, such as a cutting board + books, on top, pressing for at least 30 minutes. If pressing overnight*, place in fridge and put the contents of your fridge on top of the board.

Whisk remaining ingredients together in a large shallow dish. Lay tofu slices flat in marinade. Flip to cover, then let soak for 15 minutes. Flip again, marinating another 15 minutes. Most, if not all, of the marinade should have absorbed into the tofu at this point. Preheat grill to 500F & coat grill rack with oil to prevent sticking.

Lay tofu in a single layer on hot grill and close lid. Allow to cook for 5 minutes, then open lid and flip the tofu. If it sticks, let it cook a few minutes longer before turning. Once flipped, close lid and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from grill and serve hot!

*We enjoy tofu the most when we give it plenty of time to press. Some recipes recommend 30 minutes, which will be fine if you're short on time. If you happen to plan ahead, however, give it the extra pressing time.

Balsamic Grilled Leeks with Broccoli

Serves 2

2 c cleaned wild leeks (substitute onion chunks if you don't have access to leeks)

1 c broccoli, florets & stems*

3 T balsamic vinegar

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

salt & pepper to taste

Preheat grill to 500F. In a small bowl or jar, mix vinegar, oil, garlic powder, salt & pepper. Place leeks and broccoli in a grill basket and drizzle with balsamic mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Serve hot!

These veggies can be cooked alongside the Grilled Spicy Tofu. Just stir when you open the lid for the tofu.

*If the stems are very thick & tough, peel before eating. We like to use as much of the broccoli as possible, and grilling/roasting are great ways to cook the stems.