Creamed broccoli
A little garlic, cream, and parmesan transform ho hum frozen broccoli to a delicious side dish that even my 5-year-old, hot-dogs-for-breakfast kid will eat.
I don’t actually feed my kid hotdogs for breakfast, but he WISHES that I would. I’m pretty sure he’s cried about it at least once this week.
How are you all feeling about your kids’ nutrition during quarantine? I know I’ve been eating like a maniac for a few reasons. First, I’m nursing, so I need at least 10,000 calories a day, right? Second, we can’t go anywhere or do anything, so we’ve definitely been using food as recreation, pleasure, and fun; all of the things we used to get outside of our house and with people besides one another. Third, I’m awake so many more hours per day with a newborn that I have more time to graze in a fatigued stupor.
All of this has set a really bad example for my kid. He wants to eat only comfort, pleasure foods and I’m too tired to fight it a lot of the time. Also, he’s kind of a jerk when he’s hungry, which I’m pretty sure is genetic. This broccoli has been helpful because I feel good about him eating something green and he feels good about eating something with cream and cheese.
I’m really trying not to sweat the eating too much. I think we’re all feeling like some degree of failure if the number of “It’s okay to______ or not to _______during quarantine” think pieces I’ve seen is any indication. It’s hard to do anything all the time. Like I always say, too much of a good thing is still too much. Family time is great, but no one gets a break from each other. I like being a homebody, but what I wouldn’t give for a playdate so my kid could destroy someone else’s house for a change.
If eating a fourth cookie means I can laugh at the AWFUL haircut my husband gave M and not cry with rage because he looks like Eleven from Stranger Things, so be it.
A couple of notes:
This recipe is barely adapted from one I found on epicurious. Some commenters didn’t love it, but extra Parmesan and garlic really help, I think.
This is a little soupier than other “creamed” things like spinach or corn. A lot of recipes call for a roux, which I opted against because I wanted this recipe to be fast and also, AP flour is about as scarce here as toilet paper or hope. What? Too dark??
I kind of like the soupyness because we all have enough homemade bread to last until the next pandemic, right? So we need something to sop up with all those carbs. This is also nice tossed with some noodles or zoodles or the like.
I use frozen broccoli for this recipe because I feel like that might be more accessible currently, but you can definitely use fresh broccoli.
If you don’t have a shallot, sub in some really finely minced onion or just another clove of smashed garlic.
When I say “well-smashed” I really want you to give the garlic a good squish with the side of your knife. Get aggressive. You want each clove to be in several pieces.
Creamed broccoli
1 bag frozen broccoli or 1 large head of raw broccoli (about 4 cups of florets and stems)
1 Tbsp butter
4 large garlic cloves, smashed well
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Yield: About 3-4 cups of broccoli
Time: 15 minutes, all active
In a large bowl, microwave the frozen broccoli until completely defrosted, about 4 minutes. Drain and place the broccoli on a paper towel while making the sauce.
If using fresh broccoli, bring a large pot of water to a boil and drop in the florets. Cook for 3-4 minutes and drain. Set on a paper towel to dry while making the sauce.
In a medium pot, melt butter over a medium flame. Add the garlic and shallots and cook until fragrant, about one minute, reducing the heat if the shallot or garlic start to burn.
Add the cream and allow it to bubble. If it isn’t coming to a boil, increase the heat slightly. Similarly, if the cream is scalding or bubbling too fast, reduce the heat slightly. You want the cream to bubble pretty vigorously and it’s okay if it bubbles up and seems to expand, but we don’t want browning or burning.
Keep a close watch and stir occasionally until the cream has reduced and thickened so that when you scrape the bottom of the pot, the liquid doesn’t immediately re-cover the metal, about 4-5 minutes.
Add the parmesan and stir until melted, about 30 seconds.
Carefully taste the sauce (don’t burn your mouth!) and season with salt and pepper.
Add the broccoli and cook, stirring, until the sauce has covered the broccoli to your liking. The broccoli will release some water and thin out the sauce.
Mushroom pasta
I know we’re all eating canned goods from here on out, so maybe bookmark this one as a spring-y, post-virus meal for when the world feels real again? Or, if you impulse bought mushrooms during your panic shop, use them now!
I don’t want to hear more about this freaking virus: Take me to the recipe!
I haven’t posted much in recent weeks because, and I know I’m not alone here, I’ve been in a deep, dark pit of worry about Coronavirus. While healthy kids are at much lower risk for developing symptoms, I’m 38 weeks pregnant and about to bring a newborn into this mess. Like, any day now. Newborns are not kids. This also means, I have to go to a HOSPITAL in a few days, just about the last place I want to be.
Oh, and we’re self-quarantining for as long as possible because we need a grandparent to come watch M when I go into labor and all of them have between two and seven of the risk factors that make this a much more serious illness. Can you imagine if we infected one of them because we were carriers and didn’t know?
And, in the event that one of us gets sick, I don’t know what that means for delivery. If M or Ethan are sick and a grandparent can’t come, do I have to give birth alone? Do I have to stay in the hospital and away from M for longer? Will I be separated from my newborn if it’s me that develops symptoms?
Everything feels so scary and overwhelming and unknown. I don’t generally think of myself as someone with strong “mama bear” instincts, but this crisis has awakened a desperate need to protect my family.
So, anyway, you probably just want to hear about food, yes? This pasta is really good. It’s also fast and easy and full of flavor. The preschooler didn’t love it, though he did have a few bites. I think he’ll learn to like it. He has no choice because it’s so good, I’m not going to stop making it!
A couple of notes:
- Feel free to swap in dried thyme for fresh if you don’t have any.
-The vinegar gives the pasta a little tang and acid, but if you don’t like it or LOVE IT and want more of it, feel free to skip or add more. I also like a little sprinkle of vinegar splashed on at the end.
-I add the cheese at the end as a garnish, but fee free to add up to a cup of cheese while the pasta is still hot and mixing it in with the melting butter to make a thicker sauce.
-Julia would be APPALLED by how much I crowd the mushrooms when I make this dish. I can’t help it. I have no sense of volume when it comes to mushrooms and the appropriate pan in which to cook them. I find that it doesn’t really matter. They cook down significantly, so as long as you’re okay with rescuing a few escaped shrooms at the start of cooking while you give things a mix, eventually, they’ll all fit in the pan just fine.
Mushroom pasta
Yield: 5-6 adult servings
Time: 25 minutes, mostly active
14 oz-1 lb whole wheat pasta, cooked until al dente
4 Tbsp butter, divided
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
1 leek, halved and thinly sliced
1 lb mixed mushrooms, sliced
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme (3-4 stems), or ½ tsp dried
½ Tbsp red wine vinegar (or more to taste)
Salt/ pepper to taste
Nutty cheese, such as Parmesan, Gruyere, Romano, or Gouda
Cook pasta in well-salted water.
In a large skillet, melt 2 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and leeks and let cook for 5 minutes until translucent and soft., stirring frequently to avoid browning.
Add the mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms start to cook down and release some of their juices. If they haven’t cooked enough at the 5-minute mark, keep going until there’s a fair amount of liquid in the pan.
Add the garlic and let cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant.
Add the vinegar and let cook until evaporated, about 1 more minute.
Season the mushroom mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
Drain the pasta, but don’t go crazy- a little water will help keep the pasta loose. Add the noodles to the mushroom mixture along with the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter. Stir well and turn off the heat. Taste again for seasoning and serve immediately.
Almond and coconut baked doughnuts
A healthier baked doughnut that features whole grains, lower sugar, and my favorite flavor combination: Almond and coconut. YES, PLEASE.
I have bad news and good news: I was diagnosed last week with gestational diabetes. Luckily, I’m in my third trimester and don’t have much longer to go, so what’s a few weeks of monitoring my blood sugar and trying to eat really healthy foods?
I did eat half of one of these doughnuts and it didn’t send my blood sugar soaring (thanks whole grains, coconut sugar, and healthy fats!), so that was another piece of good news. Obviously, if you have diabetes of any kind, you know what works best for your body or are working with your doctor to figure that out, so not everyone will be able to say the same. But I was glad to know that at lease some treats aren’t off the table.
What has made this so hard isn’t the dietary restrictions or even the blood sugar monitoring.
What’s hardest is the added layer of scrutiny over my body when pregnancy already casts a harsh, glaring spotlight. Every routine thing you eat, drink, use on your skin, or take for a headache feels so consequential. And anyone who’s had disordered eating in the past can tell you that it takes a lot of work to STOP feeling like these minor choices are so meaningful.
Ugh. It just feel like I’ve lost myself a little more with this diagnosis. I resigned myself 8 months ago to making all of the changes you have to make when pregnant for the greater, temporary good and I wish it didn’t feel like ever day meant cutting out one more thing that brings me joy.
And now i’ll stop complaining. There are real problems in the world.
But! Lack of a delicious, healthier doughnut option doesn’t have to be one of them!
A couple of notes:
We’re aiming for a batter that is thicker than pancake batter, but thinner than cookie dough. Depending on how much liquid you get from your banana and egg, you may want to add more flour. Start with an extra Tbsp and keep adding until you’re happy with the density.
These doughnuts are okay without the topping, but the extra sugar, almonds, and coconut really take them to a new place. I really don’t recommend skipping them.
The brown sugar and coconut oil topping makes a pretty dense mixture and a lot of the topping will fall off. BUT, it’s delicious. If you’d like something a bit smoother and more glaze-like, you can swap in 6 Tbsp powdered sugar, enough water to make a thin glaze (start with ½ tsp and add slowly), and a few drops of almond extract.
Almond coconut doughnuts
Yield: 10-12 doughnuts
Time: about 35 minutes, mostly active
½ large, very ripe banana, thoroughly smooshed
½ cup milk (any type will do!)
3 Tbsp full-fat yogurt (Greek or otherwise)
1 large egg
¾ cup coconut sugar
½ tsp almond extract
3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1¼ + 1/4 (if needed) cups Whole Wheat pastry flour (regular whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour work too, but the texture is slightly denser)
1¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cardamom
Topping:
3 Tbsp coconut oil
3 Tbsp brown sugar
½ cup toasted coconut slivers
½ cup toasted almond slivers
½ tsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375.
Grease your doughnuts pans with coconut or other neural oil and set aside
In a large bowl, smush the banana as much as possible. Add the rest of the wet ingredients except the coconut oil and whisk together.
Add 1¼ cups flour, baking powder, salt, shredded coconut, cinnamon, and cardamom. Mix well.
Add the coconut oil and mix well. If the mixture is too runny (if it looks like pancake batter), add the remaining ¼ cup of flour 1 Tbsp at a time and mix again.
Fill each doughnut tin about 2/3 full.
Cook both pans (if using 2 doughnut pans) in the same oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the doughnuts just spring back when poked lightly with a finger. Rotate and pans after 5 minutes to ensure even baking.
Let cool.
In a separate small bowl, combine the coconut oil (that should still be rather liquid) with the brown sugar and cinnamon and mix. If the mixture seems too liquid and not spreadable, chill it in the refrigerator until slightly more set.
On a baking sheet, combine the coconut flakes and the sliced almonds and let brown in the cooling oven, abut 6 minutes or until you begin to smell the nuts.
Spread a small amount of the sugar and coconut oil mixture on each doughnut and sprinkle the toasted nuts and coconut over the top, pressing lightly to get them to stick.