Broccoli Madness Naked Casserole (V)

Cooking skills focus: Sauteeing, baking, balancing flavors

Ingredients:

2 T cooking oil

1 onion, sliced thinly

½ head garlic, cloves peeled & sliced thickly

5 broccoli crowns, quartered and sliced ½” thick

4 Yukon gold potatoes, cut into medium dice (1/2” on a side)

5 carrots, cut into half moons ¼” thick

4 T olive oil

½ C water

Salt & pepper TT (lots)

1 T besar spice blend

2 lemons, juiced

½ bu parsley, chopped fine

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Heat a large sauté pan over high heat, then add the 2 T cooking oil. Add the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the garlic and cook 3-4 minutes more. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the onions and garlic with all the remaining ingredients except the lemon juice and parsley. Season with salt, pepper and besar spice blend. Transfer to a baking dish, add the water, cover and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

4. Top with the lemon juice and parsley and serve.

Note: You can get besar spice blend in Seattle at World Spice Merchants.

Togarashi Naked Casserole (vegan)

From the September Pike Market Community Kitchen at the Pike Market Senior Center

Cooking skills focus: Knife skills, sauteeing, baking

Ingredients:
2 T cooking oil
1 # crimini mushrooms, quartered
1 yellow onion, cut in half and sliced 1/4" thick
1  head garlic, cloved peeled & sliced 1/4" thick
4 Yukon gold potatoes, diced 1/2" on a side
1 head cauliflower, cut about 3/4" on a side
1 bu broccoli rabe, bottom 1/4" trimmed and sliced 1/2" thick all the way up
2 T olive oil
salt & pepper TT (about 2 t salt and 1/2 t pepper)
1 T & 1 t togarashi shichimi (Japanese seven spice)
1 lemon, juiced

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Heat a large saute pan over medium-hgh heat. When you can see some wavy smoke lines coming from the pan, add the 2 T oil. Allow the oil to heat up for a few seconds, coating the pan, then add the mushrooms.
3. Brown the mushrooms for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the onion and garlic. Saute for 4-5 minutes more. Transfer to a very large bowl.
4. Add all of the remaining ingredients except the lemon juice. Toss gently until well-mixed. Transfer to a baking dish, cover and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the potatoes are done. Sprinkle with the lemon juice. Taste and add more seasoning if desired.

Doesn't that taste healthy and also delicious? Healthy doesn't have to taste like rabbit food, no no no. You can do this with any combination of vegetables; just make sure everything's seasoned and all the pieces are cut so they'll cook at around the same time.

Tuna & Broccoli Salad

(conforms to the elimination diet)

makes about 2 large salads

Ingredients:

1 bu. broccoli

1 t olive oil

pinch each of salt and pepper

¹/₃ C turkey stock

1 green bell pepper

One 3 oz. can of tuna (nice, imported tuna if you want)

1 t olive oil

1 lime, juiced

1 pinch each salt & black pepper

2 T white or black sesame seeds

Method:

Trim the bottom off the broccoli and peel the fibrous skin of the stalk. Slice the broccoli into ¼ inch planks.

Season the broccoli. Heat a large sauté pan, then add the first teaspoon of olive oil. Sear the broccoli over high heat in olive oil for a few minutes, then add the stock. Cook for one minute over high heat (stock should reduce a lot), move to a bowl and set aside.

Slice the bell pepper into strips and put in another large bowl. Add the broccoli.

Break the tuna into large chunks and add. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil; add salt, pepper and the sesame seeds. Toss lightly and serve or store.