Birthday Dinner, Part Two: Broccoli Casserole Recipe

Vi knows that I'm an at-least-two-vegetable-side-dish kind of woman so naturally, she chose a veggie side dish to go along with the main course. And a cheese pizza dinner wouldn't be complete without -- what else? -- broccoli casserole. I originally got this recipe from Amy Spar who maybe definitely got it from Cooking Light, circa February 2007.  Either way, I've changed it up a little bit.

All good casseroles have something crunchy on top.

8 c. (~2 lbs) broccoli florets

1/3 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. dry mustard

1/4 t. black pepper

1 1/2 c. milk (warm)

3/4-1 c. vegetable broth (warm)

1 c. grated cheddar cheese

1/2 c. grated parmesan, divided

12 garlic melba toast rounds (I'm sure you could also used bread crumbs but the original called for these and Vi really likes it this way.)

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Cook broccoli in boiling water for 2 minutes - crisp! Drain.
3. Place flour, salt, and dry mustard in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add the milk and broth and whisk until blended. Cook for approximately 8 minutes or until thick.  Whisk constantly.
4. Remove from heat. Add cheddar and half of parmesan. Stir until melted.
5. Add broccoli. Toss to coat.
6. Put the broccoli mixture into a greased 13x9 inch baking pan.
7. Use the food processor to crush the melba rounds (pulse about 10 times) and add the remaining cheese. Sprinkle evenly over the casserole.
8. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand a few minutes before serving.

Suzanne's Popcorn Cauliflower

I first had this at Suzanne's house for book group during summer 2010 and immediately became obsessed with it. Since then, I've made it probably ten times, tweaking the spices to suit whatever I'm having for dinner that night. A couple of things: 1. Don't be scared off by garlic powder and onion powder. There's a time and place for everything and here, it works. 2. I usually double this recipe. If not, you run the risk of eating all of the crispy pieces off of the cookies sheet and will barely have enough for dinner. It's that delicious.

Preheat oven to 450.

1 large head of cauliflower, in smallish florets

Combine in a large bowl:  

1/4-1/2 tsp tumeric

1/2 tsp paprika (try Spanish paprika, too)

2 tbsp sugar (honey works, too)

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

~6 tbsp olive oil, or less but enough to generously coat the cauliflower

1. Toss the cauliflower with the spice mixture. The florets should be covered and looking a bit like caramel popcorn in color.
2. Lay cauliflower on a baking sheet that has been covered in parchment paper.
3. Bake at 450 for 30 minutes, or until the florets are soft. Don't be afraid to let them get a bit more cooked and even a bit black on the edges of some pieces.

Puerto Rican Beans

It's a cold and nasty day in Chicago.  A perfect day to have a big pot of something on the stove...


From a recipe for "Sunday Beans" in the NYT mag that started with slab bacon, I veggie-ized this with the good counsel of Alex, the most awesome Puerto Greekanish cook you could ever meet, and the results garnered this compliment: "You would make any Puerto Rican abuela proud!" They are that delish.


The original recipe called for canned beans, but I subsequently made with dried beans with great results.

2 T olive oil
1 T annato seeds
1 med onion, peeled and diced
4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 med red pepper, seeded and diced
2 large carrots, scrubbed and diced
2 T ground cumin
1 T ground coriander
juice of one large orange, plus enough pineapple juice to equal 1.5 cups total juice
2 T tomato paste
2 14-oz cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 14-oz cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
optional: dash of liquid smoke for bacon-ness without the bacon
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in large pot. Sautee the annato seeds until the oil turns a deep red. Remove the seeds and add the vegetables. Cook until they have softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the cumin and coriander and stir for about 2 minutes. Add the juice and tomato paste. Raise the heat until it reaches a simmer then lower the heat and reduce the liquid to 1/2 its volume. Add the beans, liquid smoke (if desired) and enough water to simmer, if necessary. Simmer for at LEAST 30 minutes, preferably for a couple of hours. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with rice.

Terrible picture but those are the beans at 9 o'clock.