Garlic Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower

I’ll admit right up front: I don’t like vegetables.  Oh, I’ve always liked them if they were in something, like soups or casseroles, but a serving of plain vegetables on the plate by themselves?  Forget it.  However, vegetables are so healthy that I was determined to find a way to prepare them tastily.

When I first found a recipe for roasted vegetables, I thought, why not try it?  I wasn’t optimistic that I would like them, but I was willing to give it a try.  After I made my first batch of roasted broccoli, I was shocked!  I loved it!  I had never loved any vegetable before, but this recipe turned broccoli from a mushy green tree to be choked down into a crispy morsel to be savored.  And the recipe is so easy and quick to make, it’s almost unbelievable that the vegetables can taste this good!

The following is a very basic recipe for roasted broccoli and cauliflower.  You can roast other vegetables too, of course – I have also tried asparagus, beets, carrots, and potatoes, all with fantastic results.  However, broccoli and cauliflower are still my favorite roasted vegetables, and are thus the focus of this post.  This method of preparing vegetables is perfect for kids and those who don’t usually like vegetables, as the flavor changes so much that it is hardly recognizable as being the same plant.  Enjoy this simple, healthy, frugal, and most of all delicious recipe!

Garlic Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower

You will need:

• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• Large bowl
• Baking sheet

(Click here for the printable PDF version of this recipe!)

First of all, gather your ingredients and preheat the oven to 400°.  Move a rack in the oven to the topmost shelf in the oven.

Place the broccoli and cauliflower in a large bowl, then drizzle the olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder over the veggies.  Toss well so that the vegetables get totally coated with the oil and spices.

Place the broccoli and cauliflower on the baking sheet in a single layer, separating the vegetables from each other as best you can.

Place the baking sheet on the top rack of the oven, and bake for 8 minutes.  Take the pan out of the oven and flip the veggies to the other side, then place back in and cook for an additional 8 minutes or until the veggies are crispy and browned.

Serve right away!  The roasted veggies taste best right out of the oven, and will get soft and cold if they are out of the oven too long.

Enjoy this delicious way to eat vegetables that everyone is guaranteed to like!  If you try this recipe, let me know in the comments below!

Creamy Chicken Vegetable Casserole

I don’t know about you, but I love grocery shopping.  I know, I know, most people hate it and look upon it as just another annoying chore they have to get done.  However, I love picking out ingredients for foods that will soon be on the menu, looking around for the best prices, and feeling the satisfaction of loading up the refrigerator with my prizes when I get home.

Therefore, I’m sure you’ll understand that I get excited when I see awesome sales at my local grocery store – especially if the sale saves a significant amount of money, is for a product I use fairly often, and will keep for quite a while on the shelf.  As it so happens, this is exactly what happened last time I went shopping!  Campbell’s soups were on sale, and I stocked up on “Healthy Request” cream of chicken, mushroom, celery, and a few others.

As you have probably already guessed, then, today’s recipe features soup as one of the main ingredients!  This rich tasting chicken vegetable casserole is what my mom would refer to as “comfort food,” perfect for any night you’re in the mood for a simple, homey dish to enjoy.  It’s loaded with veggies and low-fat ingredients, making it quite healthy, but all the ingredients are so inexpensive and it tastes so delicious that you’d never know!

Creamy Chicken Vegetable Casserole 

You will need:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, halved (or 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 8 pieces total)
• 1 can low-fat or “Healthy Request” cream of celery soup
• 1 can low-fat or “Healthy Request” cream of mushroom soup
• ½ cup skim milk
• 3 cups frozen mixed vegetables
• 2 cups frozen broccoli
• 1 cup frozen lima beans
• 1 tsp. poultry seasoning
• 4 oz. reduced fat cheddar cheese, grated
• 3 liter (or slightly larger) baking dish

(Click here for the printable PDF version of this recipe!)

Assemble your ingredients, and preheat the oven to 350°.

Place all the frozen vegetables in a large microwavable bowl, and microwave for 2-3 minutes to thaw them.  (Although I used mixed vegetables, broccoli, and lima beans, you can use whatever kind of frozen vegetables you have on hand – just make sure that they add up to 6 cups veggies in total.)

Dump the cans of soup, milk, and poultry seasoning in with the vegetables, and mix all the ingredients together well.

Pour into the baking dish, and add the chicken pieces.

Push the chicken pieces down into the veggie mixture, covering completely.

Cover the dish, and bake for 1 hour (or until the chicken pieces no longer look at all pink when they’re cut into).

After an hour, take the dish out of the oven and top with the grated cheese.  Bake an additional 10-12 minutes uncovered, until the cheese is melted and just starting to get brown.

Serve up the casserole, giving each person 1 piece of chicken along with a heaping serving of vegetables.

This recipe makes 8 generous portions, and works quite well as leftovers too.  Enjoy this luscious dish that is guaranteed to satisfy!