roasted broccoli with garlic.

First of all, I've been super lazy about posting lazy. However, school started recently and for several weeks I was spending lots of time preparing for my students. I was preparing food also; I just wasn't posting it on here. However, I have lots of good recipes to share now.

Anyways, this is another delicious recipe from A Couple Cooks. I love a simple recipe like this one for roasted broccoli with garlic. It's not hard to make, it goes with almost anything, and it's delicious.

the recipe

Serves 4-6 as a side

3 heads broccoli

8 cloves garlic

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

olive oil

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.

2. Wash and dry the broccoli. Cut each garlic clove into quarters. Cut the broccoli into large florets.

3. Arrange the broccoli and garlic on a baking sheet and toss with a bit of olive oil. Add kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

4. Roast the broccoli for about 20 minutes, until the tips are just browned.

5. In a bowl, add 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

substitutions

Just regular salt instead of kosher salt. I feel like I should maybe get some of this kosher salt. It keeps popping up in recipes.

great with

I believe I've had this as a side for veggie burgers, pizza and pasta, amongst other things. This will go with pretty much anything.

the review

When I was a little girl, maybe six years old, when asked I would say that my favorite food was garlic. I still love garlic, so needless to say I enjoyed this recipe very much. It's easy to make, it's delicious and of course it's good for you too. I have found that, in general, I do not need to roast the broccoli for 20 minutes, as the recipe suggests. Honestly, mine's closer to about 12 minutes probably. Anyways, this is a highly recommended recipe. Easy to make and very delicious.

lemon garlic spaghetti.

I'm still continually searching for new and wonderful pasta recipes. I found this one online. It's from a blog called i nom things, which I think is hilarious. Anyways, let's move on to the recipe. It's simple and delicious.


the recipe
serves 2
4 oz dry spaghetti
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 lemon
2 tbsp pine nuts
5-6 basil leaves, chiffonaded


1. Start your garlic oil. Pour in olive oil and chopped up garlic into a small frying pan and let it cook over low heat, until the garlic starts to brown on edges. Immediately remove from heat and reserve. While that's starting, boil pasta.
2. Chiffonade basil leaves, then take the leaves, cheese and pine nuts and add to a large bowl with the garlic and garlic oil. Squeeze in lemon juice. Add the pasta and toss until combined. Crack black pepper to taste.


substitutions
Not much. I used pasta instead of spaghetti...big deal, I know. I also just used bottled lemon juice instead of an actual squeezed lemon. And I couldn't find pine nuts at the grocery store, so no pine nuts. SAD FACE.


great with
As usual, pasta stands well on its own, but I almost always have my pasta dishes with a salad.


the review
I love pasta, but when a pasta dish is really heavy, my stomach feels like it's going to explode. So with that said, I have some good news: this is not one of those pasta dishes. This is light and summery and delicious. Very yum. I wouldn't have ever thought to put lemon on pasta, so I'm really glad that this recipe came up in my search. 


Can I also just say that it's so nice to have a recipe that is actually made for only two servings? It's so nice. Trust me. Since I'm only cooking for one person, I either end up with a ton of leftovers, or I have to cut the recipe in half, and that involves me doing math, which is a bad thing. So this was nice and simple--both the food, and the recipe.

garlic, chick-pea and spinach soup.

Supposedly, it's spring. Therefore, soup would be considered somewhat anti-seasonal. However, I'm not entirely convinced that it's spring, considering that it's still been very cold in good old Cleveland, Ohio. So warm up a little bit with one of my new favorite soups, once again from The Best-Ever Vegetarian Cookbook. 

the recipe

serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

5 cups vegetable stock

12 oz potatoes, peeled and finely chopped

15 oz can chick-peas, drained

1 tbsp cornflour

2/3 cup double cream

2 tbsp light tahini

7 oz spinach, shredded

cayenne pepper

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the garlic and onion for 5 minutes, or until they are softened and golden brown

2. Stir in the cumin and coriander and cook for a further minute.

3. Pour in the stock and add the chopped potatoes to the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chick-peas and simmer for a further 5 minutes, or until the potatoes and chick-peas are just tender.

4. Blend together and cornflour, cream, tahini and plenty of seasoning. Stir into the soup with the spinach. Bring to a boil, stirring, and simmer for a further 2 minutes. Season with cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Service immediately, sprinkled with a little cayenne pepper.

substitutions

I use regular white flour for the cornflour, and have also substituted milk for the double cream. All works the same. I also want to point out that I usually cut this recipe in half, as it makes quite a bit, and I'm usually only cooking for myself. 

great with

This stands really well on its own. I usually like dipping something into my soup, so I'll usually toast some whole-grain bread and add some butter and garlic powder onto it. If I'm having it leftover for lunch the next day, I'll pack it up with a handful of Wheat Thins.

the review

This is a delicious and filling soup that I absolutely love. I've never cooked with cumin or coriander before this recipe, and now, I really love both of them. This soup has an excellent flavor and several healthy ingredients to feel good about eating. I made this several times in the winter months, including for some dinner guests, and everyone enjoyed it. Soup has turned into one of my very favorite things to make, and this particular soup has become a stand-out.