Broccoli with Creamy Parmesan Sauce

1 pound broccoli
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat and it was fine)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of ground white pepper
pinch of ground nutmeg

1.  Trim broccoli stalks, steam until tender, 5-7 minutes
2. Meanwhile, whisk flour and 1/4 cup milk in a small bowl until smooth.  Heat the remaining 3/4 cup milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat until steaming.  Whisk in the flour mixture; cook, whisking, until thickened, 2 to 4 minutes.  Remove from the heat; add cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Drizzle over the broccoli.  Serve warm.

Veggie Cobbler

FOR THE FILLING:

1 large baking potato, peeled and cut into a 3/4-inch dice

1-1/2 cups of peeled and thinly sliced carrots

1-1/2 cups frozen peas

1-1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup broccoli florets

1/2 cup frozen corn kernels

1/2 cup diced butternut squash

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced

3 tablespoons flour

2-1/2 vegetable bouillon cubes dissolved in 1-1/4 cups hot water

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon thyme

1/3 cup grated Parmesan

 

FOR THE TOPPING:

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup milk

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

Instructions

Heat the oven to 400º. Place the potato, carrots, peas, broccoli, corn, and squash in a medium-size pot and fill it with enough water to cover the vegetables plus one inch. Lightly salt the water, bring it to a boil, then allow the vegetables to continue boiling for 4 minutes. Drain and rinse the vegetables with cold water and set them aside.

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven. Add the onion and mushrooms and sauté them, stirring often, until they're soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook the mixture, stirring nonstop, another 30 seconds. Add the vegetable broth, milk, salt, pepper, thyme, and celery seed and continue to stir until the sauce thickens, about 4 minutes.

 

Add the vegetables to the sauce and stir well. Add more salt and pepper, if desired, then stir in the Parmesan and bring the filling to a simmer. Thin it with water if its consistency is thicker than potato soup. Transfer the filling to a casserole dish.

 

Make the corn bread topping. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the milk, egg, and oil and stir until evenly blended. Spread the batter over the filling. Bake the cobbler until the top is golden brown and the sides are bubbly, about 25 minutes. Allow it to cool slightly before serving.

 

Serves 8.

Vegetable Pizza

2 (10 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp dill weed
1 tsp minced onion
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped cauliflower
1/2 cup chopped broccoli
1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2) Unroll crescent roll dough on a small baking sheet. Arrange into a single layer to serve as a crust. Bake in the preheated oven 10 minutes, or until puffed and lightly browned.
3) In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, mayonnaise, dill weed, onion and garlic.
4) Spread the cream cheese mixture over the crescent roll dough crust. Layer with cauliflower, broccoli, and green peppers. Top with cheddar cheese. Chill in the refrigerator until serving.

Eggs Benedict Squares

4 whole English muffins, split in half

2 cups grated cheddar cheese, divided

3 cups cooked and chopped broccoli or asparagus

1 cup chopped ham

1/2 cup chopped red pepper

8 eggs

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon dry mustard

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 recipe Hollandaise Sauce click here

Place muffin halves in a greased 9x13 -inch baking dish. Sprinkle halves with 1 cup cheddar cheese, the cooked broccoli or asparagus, chopped ham, and red pepper. Beat eggs in a medium bowl; stir in milk, dry mustard, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture over muffins. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven. Top with remaining cheese. Bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with Hollandaise Sauce.

Makes 8 servings

Festive Chicken Crescent Wreath

2 tubes (10 oz each) ready-to-bake crescent rolls

2 cups grated pepper jack cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup diced fresh broccoli

1 diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup diced green onions

1 can (10 oz) white chicken, drained

preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Unroll crescent rolls and arrange on a 15-inch-round pizza pan, with wide edges of dough triangles about 2 inches in from outside edge of pan and pointed edges hanging off the pan. Wide edges of dough triangles should overlap about 2 inches. Mix remaining ingredients and spoon onto top of wide edges of dough circle, all the way around the circle. Bring pointed edges of dough up and fold over the chicken mixture and tuck into inside of the circle. Some filling will be showing between each section of dough. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Makes 6 - 8 servings