Broccoli and Cheese Casserole

This is such a hearty dish that I suggest, if you have children and they don't want to eat their veggies, make this dish for them and I guarantee they will scrape their plate clean.  This is a recipe I took from one of my vegetarian cookbooks and change it a little bit to my taste.  This is a family favorite at my home.

Photo by Laura

Ingredients:

• Four boxes of frozen broccoli florets, 10 oz each, coarsely chopped and thawed
• 1/3 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 cups fat free milk
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup Kraft extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup Kraft Italian five cheeses, shredded
• 2 tablespoons of roasted pimientos, diced
• Kosher sea salt and pepper to taste
• Canola cooking spray
• Panko 

Photo by Laura

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 400 degrees.
2. Spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, level with a knife.  Place flour and  dry mustard in a large sauce pan over medium heat.  Gradually add milk, broth and whisk until blended.  Cook until thick, about 8 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat, add cheeses and Dijon mustard, stir until cheeses are melted.  Add roasted pimiento peppers and broccoli tossing to coat.  
3. Coat a baking dish with the canola cooking spray and spoon in the broccoli and cheese mixture.
4. Mix together the Panko and Cheeses and sprinkle evenly over the mixture.  Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the mixture.
5. Bake until bubbly about 20 minutes, depending on your oven.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving. 

Photo by Laura

All I can say is YUM!  My friends were really impressed with this delicious dish.  Please do make this at home.  Share your thoughts.  

Buon Appetito! 

Fresh Pizza Dough

We all love pizza, at least in my home, we do.  I make the pizza from scratch, like almost everything I do in the kitchen.  A few years ago I found this amazing pizza dough recipe and want to share it with my readers.

Fresh Pizza Dough - this recipe makes 3 12-inch pizza pies-

Ingredients:

• 11/2 cups of warm water (115F)
• 11/2 tablespoons of sugar ( I use splenda, therefore I use  only 1 tablespoon)
• 11/2 envelopes of dry yeast
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 21/2 teaspoons salt
• 41/2 cups of flour (I use half all purpose flower and half of whole wheat flour) 

Preparation:

1. Combine 11/2 cups of warm water and sugar in a medium bowl and sprinkle yeast over.  Let stand until mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes; add oil and salt.
2. Mound 41/2 cups of flour on work surface (you could use a large bowl or the food processor). Make a well in the center and poor yeast mixture into well, kneading until dough forms. Continue to knead until dough is smooth and elastic, sprinkling with more flower by tablespoonfuls, if dough is very sticky, for about 8 minutes.
3. Oil a large bowl. Add dough and turn to coat.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then towel.  Let rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.  Punch dough down; knead gently until smooth. 
4. Shape into 3 balls.

The result:  Two amazing pizza pies.

One I made the top with vegetables and
the other one was a white pizza with onions.
Both absolutely delicious

I still have a couple of balls in the freezer.  I am not sure what to top them with, although I have a pretty good idea.

I hope you enjoy this recipe because there is nothing more delicious than a homemade pizza.








Buon appetito!

Arugula Egg-Avocado with Mozzarella cheese Salad

Very fast, easy, healthy and delicious lunch I ate today.

If you are in the mood for something lite, then this salad will fit the bill.

Ingredients

• Arugula
• 1 egg
• 1/2 avocado
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Balsamic Vinager
• Salt and Pepper 

Preparation

1. Boil the egg. Meanwhile make a paste with the avocado and mix it with the egg, once ready and set it aside. 
2. Make a balsamic vinaigrette.
3. In a plate arrange the arugula,  top with the egg-avocado paste, mozzarella cheese and drizzle the balsamic vinaigrette.

Simple, delicious and fresh.

Buon Appetito!