Summer Broccoli Salad

Hello Dear Followers,

This week we wanted something light and healthy and so when we were looking for potential dishes to make, we stumbled upon this delicious broccoli salad which is made with fresh red onions and smoked Tamari almonds.

It had just the right kick and it was both tangy and savory. The recipe is by LoveandLemons.com.

Here is the Recipe:

• 1 pound broccoli crowns
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons mayo
• 1½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
• ⅓ cup diced red onions
• ⅓ cup dried cranberries

Smoky tamari almonds

• ½ cup almonds
• ½ cup pepitas
• 1 tablespoon tamari
• ½ teaspoon maple syrup
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, more to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Chop the broccoli florets into ½-inch pieces and any remaining stems into ¼-inch dice. Peel any woody or course parts from the stem first.
3. In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, mayo, apple cider vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, garlic, and salt. Add the broccoli, onions, and cranberries and toss to coat.
4. Place the almonds and pepitas on the baking sheet, toss with the tamari, maple syrup, and smoked paprika and spread into a thin layer. Bake 10 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes (they’ll get crispier as they sit).
5. Toss the almonds and pepitas into the salad, reserving a few to sprinkle on top. Season to taste and serve.

Note: Chop the florets into roughly ½-inch pieces. Dice the stem into smaller ¼-inch pieces.

Tip: Any leftover almonds make for a great healthy snack to bring on-the-go!

Until next week! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook!

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Tuscan Chopped Salad with Homemade Croutons and Breaded Feta with a Honey Glaze

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The Ultimate Stuffed Baked Potato and Tina’s Meatloaf

Hello Dear Followers,

We took a hiatus last week, but we’re back today with some delicious comfort food that will not only leave you feeling full but satisfied with your dinner.

As you can see in the title above we made “Tina’s meatloaf.” Tina is Daniela’s mother and this meatloaf is her recipe. Now like many Italian mothers, there isn’t exact measurements for the meatloaf, because Italians measure with their hearts when it comes to good cooking.

The ultimate stuffed baked potato was just as equally filling and comes from Food Network’s Tyler Florence. This was such an awesome dish that we were thinking of making it twice this week!

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Here are the two recipes:

Tina’s Meatloaf:

Ingredients:

Ground Beef (or meatloaf mix) whichever you prefer.

Lipton’s onion package (the one you can make french onion dip with)

Breadcrumbs

Parmesan cheese

Ketchup

Salt

Pepper

Parsley

Eggs (if you are making two meatloafs by chance, use two eggs instead of one, we made two so we used two eggs in our mix.) Oh! And separate the egg from the yolk.

Milk

Bacon (for the top of the meatloaf)

Instructions:

Mix all of the ingredients together and get ready to get your hands dirty. If you happen to notice it is too dry, add more milk or too soggy, add more bread crumbs.

We added bacon on top of the meatloaf, which is not what Daniela’s mother normally does, but it added just the right amount of extra flavor needed for the dish.

Shape it into a loaf and put it in a pan with a little oil. Bake at about 350-400 degrees. It should be in the oven no more than an hour.

The Ultimate Stuffed Baked Potato

Ingredients:

4-6 medium sized potatoes

Extra-virgin olive oil

Salt

1/2 stick of butter

1/4 cup of all-purpose flour

1/2 cup of milk

About two cups, plus more for topping of shredded white cheddar

2 heads of broccoli, florets, blanched in salty water

1/2 pound of bacon, medium dice, cooked until crisp.

2 tablespoons of chives chopped

Freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

Preheat the oven at 400 degrees

Begin by baking the potatoes, as this will take the longest. Place potatoes onto the baking sheet. Pierce with a fork, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Place into preheated oven and bake for about an hour.

While they are baking, prepare the stuffing. Make a mornay sauce by combining the butter and flour over medium heat and then whisking in the milk. Fold in about two cups of cheese and stir until melted. Once melted, remove from heat and fold in the cooked broccoli florets, crispy bacon bits, chopped chives and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

When the potatoes are done make a cut across the top and squeeze it from the bottom so a small pouch opens and the bottom is squared off. Spoon the filling over the top of the potato, sprinkle with cheese, season with pepper, to taste, and then top in the oven for two more minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

Recipe by Food Network

We hope you find these dishes as delectable as we did.

Until next week!