It’s Time for Battle

Posted on November 30, 2010 by kissmybroccoli

I swear this month…this year even, has just flown right by me! I cannot believe that tomorrow is already December! Feels like just yesterday I was frolicking in the summer sun <-and yes, I do indeed “frolick”

Let it be known that I am in no way a fan of cold temperatures, snow, snow by-products: ice, sleet…etc, or bulky winter coats! So yeah, for the most part, I pretty much hate winter! I’m all about sunshine, flip-flops, and a nice tan…I really should move closer to the Equator! 😉 So, being on the cusp of the very month that will bring in the season I most abhor, I declare a war…against the cold!

My first meal of the day to prepare for battle:

Orange Cranberry Sauce Oat Bran

Finished off the leftover cranberry pomegranate sauce with this one. Just 1/3 cup of oat bran mixed with 1 cup of water and cooked for a quick couple of minutes on the stove. Topped with some fresh orange zest. So warm and so delicious!

Next, I packed up my grub for work: A slice of whole wheat banana bread in my pretty green WasteNot Sak (etsy.com), turkey soup (to be WARMED at work), a salad of spinach, cucumber, dried crans, pecans, and goat cheese with this amazing cranberry balsamic dressing, a honeycrisp apple (my all time favorite!), and an Archer Farms Dark Chocolate Cherry bar I picked up at Target.

Work Eats

When I got out of work, it was fah-reezing! Weatherman said it will get as low as 20 degrees tonight. But I was determined to stay strong AND warm…time for dinner!

Open-faced Turkey Apple Cheddar Melt

I found this cheese at SAMs club a couple of weeks ago. A cheddar cheese stuffed with dried apple bits and cinnamon?…uh, heck yeah!

Apple Harvest Cheddar Cheese with Cinnamon

First, I sliced two rounds off a Vidalia onion and sauteed them in a dry skillet until tender and browned. Then I took a slice of leftover sourdough and layered sliced turkey and cheese on top. Place under low broil for about 5 minutes…and voila!

Warm Cheezy Goodness!

Served with a side of chopped fresh spinach with cranberry balsamic dressing (love that stuff!).

Guess my eyes were bigger than my stomach!

So, sooooo yummy! The pairing of the sweet onions and mildly sharp apple-infused cheddar was the perfect combo! I wanted to finish it all, but I just couldn’t, but I certainly have no problem heating this back up for dinner tomorrow, that’s for sure! Ha! Take THAT cold weather!

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Soup’s Up!

Posted on November 29, 2010 by kissmybroccoli

Hope everyone had a great Monday! It’s been a cold and rainy day here. Definitely a sure fire way to make Monday even more fun! 😉

I’m working my late shift at the hospital this week, 9:00-7:30. Totally rocks that I get to sleep in, but most nights when I get home all I wanna do is just veg until bedtime. Tonite, I needed something for dinner that was quick, easy, and WARM!

After thinking about turkey soup for over half my shift, I decided on a combination of ingredients that would make the biggest dent in incorporate more of the Thanksgiving leftovers. I had plenty of veggies left-over from the veggie tray and for some strange reason I made 3 cups of rice for the KERF’s amazing dressing when I knew I’d only need 1. Guess I snapped into cafeteria lady mode! <-sadly, this is an actual problem I have when I get into “cooking mode”…I.just.can’t.stop!

Anyway, back to the soup!

Creamy Turkey and Wild Rice Vegetable Soup:
1 1/4 cup low sodium organic chicken broth
1/4 cup water
7 scallions, green and white parts, sliced (you could use about 1/4 a yellow onion, but I needed to use these up!)
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets, chopped
1 cup cooked turkey, diced into cubes
2 cups cooked wild rice
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp celery seed
salt & pepper to taste

1 Tbsp butter
1 heaping Tbsp AP flour
1/2 cup half & half

Combine broth, water, and veggies in a medium sauce pan over med-high heat. Bring to a boil and let cook for 5 minutes, until veggies are brighter in color and tender. Reduce heat to medium and add turkey and rice.

While the soup heats through, you will make the roux (this is what thickens the soup and makes it creamy). Place 1 tablespoon of butter in a separate saucepan and melt over medium heat. Once melted, add in your heaping tablespoon of flour and whisk until combined and mixture starts to pull from the sides of the pan. Remove from heat and add in the half & half. Whisk like crazy until smooth and return to heat to thicken a little. Once thickened (doesn’t take but a couple of minutes), add your roux to the soup pot and stir to combine. Adjust seasonings to taste. Enjoy!

I used to think unless it came out of a can, the only way to make soup was in the crockpot which takes planning and lots-o-time, but this super simple and fresh recipe was complete in about 20 minutes and so warm and delicious! Better than any canned soup I’ve ever had and just what I needed to end a cold, rainy Monday!

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Don’t Fear the Leftovers!

Posted on November 28, 2010 by kissmybroccoli

Since this was my first time hosting a holiday meal, I now know what it’s like to have an overabundance of leftovers. But I ain’t skeered! Let the creative juices run! All of my meals today incorporated the leftovers from Friday nights feast.

If you know me at all, you have probably noticed that I kinda have a thing for oatmeal. Not the instant-hungry-again-in-1-hour-stuff, but the old-fashioned hearty “stick to your ribs” bowls as my mama would say! Ever since I started lurking around Ashley’s blog, I’ve been experimenting with my usual bowl so this morning I decided to go for the steel-cut variety. If you’ve never had steel-cut oats, they do take a little longer to cook, but it’s definitely worth the wait. Steel cut oats to me are nuttier and more filling than your standard rolled oats.

Cinnamon Raisin PB Banana Bread Oats

I topped a bowl of creamy banana-y goodness with a spoonful of PB&Co. Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter <- definitely a must try! And 1/2 a slice of leftover whole wheat banana bread and was in pure HEAVEN!

Peanut Butter Banana Bread Oats

By: Heather @ Kiss My Broccoli

Prep Time: 3-5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Keywords: stovetop breakfast steel-cut oats

Ingredients (Serves 1)

  • 1/4 cup steel cut oats
  • 2 Tbsp flax meal
  • 1/2 cup milk of choice
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 banana, sliced thin
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Toppings: peanut butter and crumbled banana bread (optional)

Instructions

1. Combine oats, flax, milk and water in a small pot over medium-low heat and cook for 3-5 minutes (it will thicken a little).
2. Add banana slices and whisk vigorously for about 30 seconds. This is the key to super creamy oats!
3. Add vanilla and cinnamon and continue cooking for 12-15 minutes until it reaches desired consistency.
4. Top with peanut butter and crumbled banana bread (if using).

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Lunch was a quesadilla using more leftovers! Turkey, green bean casserole, a little dressing and some good ol’ sweet taters and later topped with goat cheese:

Grilling it up!

The combo of the creamy mix of leftovers and the goat cheese with the crispy grilled tortilla…Mmm…mmm…mmm!

And then there was turkey sweet potato casserole! Green bean casserole topped with turkey and dressing topped with sweet potato/sunflower butter mash. I told you that the sweet potato casserole was a hit so needless to say I was rather sad after lunch when I realized that it was all gone. 🙁 But then I remembered that I had bought a few extra potatoes…you know, just in case!

I baked two sweet potatoes in the oven at 400 degrees for about an hour, removed the skin and mashed them up with 2 tablespoons of sunflower butter, about 1/4 cup honey, 1 egg, and a good splash of half and half. And don’t knock the sunflower butter/potato combo till you try it! It will change your life!…well, not really, but it will give you a super creamy sweet potato! 😉

Leftovers turned Casserole

And on the side a spinach salad topped with leftover cranberry pomegranate “dressing”!

No boring turkey sandwiches for me! Though I’m thinking some turkey soup might be in order for tomorrow! Hope everyone has a great rest of the night! I’m gonna try NOT to sneak in the kitchen for some pie…course it would be all in the name of using up the leftovers, right?? 😉

Posted in Breakfast, Entree, Holiday | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments