Tasty Recipes for Vegetables You’ll Want to Devour
Are you pining for more vegetables now that the weather is warming? We have a great recipe for you today that you can adapt for broccoli, carrots and more!
On Easter Sunday, I ate at a local restaurant that I really enjoy, Miel. This was one of the first farm-to-table restaurants before the term becameΒ as ubiquitous as it is today. While there, I saw this Edible Kitchen card and picked it up to find a recipe by Mielβs chef, Andrew Coins, for seared broccoli. (Edible is a local food magazine that is available throughout the United States, including 17 Southern cities). As we were cooking ribs later that day, and Iβm far more about the sides than the ribs themselves, I decided I needed to try it. Friends, this is a recipe youβll want to keep. I know it looks a little complicated, but itβs actually not hard, and youβll see that even though I messed part of it up, it still resulted in a delicious outcome!
This seared broccoli recipe actually calls for four different recipes, but because of this, we ended up with sauces and spreads that we used all week long. The total prep time was under 30 minutes (although I feared it would be far longer, it actually was not). And, I had no idea before preparing this that it would actually make my incredibly chaotic week easier. Thatβs what I call a perfect recipe: it fulfills its main purpose and keeps helping you out days later.
For this seared broccoli recipe, youβre going to make a vinaigrette, a cilantro-spinach purΓ©e (itβs almost like pesto without the garlicΒ and cheese), whipped almond butter (I completely messed this up to delicious results) and then you also sear the broccoli. Youβll want some sharp cheddar cheese to garnish the top. A quick stop by Kroger providedΒ everything I needed.
Charred Spring Onion Vinaigrette
IngredientsΒ Β
- 1 bunch spring onions β charred and and sliced thin
- 2 Calabrian chilis I had trouble finding these, so I used a pinch of red pepper flakes
- 3 garlic cloves sliced thin
- 1 shallot sliced thin
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil I like the California Olive Ranch olive oil available at Kroger
- 3 tablespoons chives
- Salt & pepper to taste
InstructionsΒ
- Place all ingredients in a bowl. Stir well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill.
Nutrition
Cilantro PurΓ©e
IngredientsΒ Β
- 2 bunches of cilantro
- 2 cups of packed spinach I just used on entire clam shell container of Simple Truth Organic Spinach, which was about 2 very packed cups
- 1 cup olive oil
- Salt
InstructionsΒ
- Blanch cilantro and spinach in boiling water for 5 seconds and place in ice water. Cool, squeeze out excess water. Place in blender and add slowly add oil and salt at the end.
Nutrition
Whipped Almond Butter
IngredientsΒ Β
- 1 cup almonds toasted (just put in a hot skillet and move the almonds around until they are aromatic)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Salt
InstructionsΒ
- Chef Coins says, "Place the roasted almonds and honey in a blender and blend. Add the cayenne and cinnamon. While blending on medium setting, slowly add the cream until the almond puree turns light and fluffy."
Notes
Nutrition
Seared Broccoli
IngredientsΒ Β
- 1 head broccoli cut down the middle lengthwise
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Salt & pepper
- Whipped Almond Butter
- Charred Spring Onion Vinaigrette
- Cilantro PurΓ©e
- Sharp cheddar cheese
InstructionsΒ
- Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and then add broccoli and turn the heat down to medium. As it cooks, season with salt and pepper. Cook the broccoli until the bottom is golden brown or darker. Turn the broccoli over and sear it again until golden brown to darker.
- Assemble like this: spread 1/4 cup almond butter across the plate and add the broccoli on top. Drizzle with cilantro puree and then vinaigrette. Garnish with shaved sharp cheddar.
Notes
Nutrition
Iβm a big fan of roasting heirloom carrots. Itβs simple as you just chop them up (after scrubbing them clean; you donβt have to peel them) and place them on a large baking sheet covered with foil. Add some olive oil and salt and place in a preheated 425 degree oven for about 40 minutes (I start checking on them about 35 minutes in and sometimes they take up to 50 minutes β¦ it depends on how many you are roasting and how thinly β or thickly β you have sliced the carrots). If you use this same prep for the carrot β whipped butter on the plate, roasted carrots on top, cilantro puree and vinaigrette drizzled across the top β you have another delicious side or even a vegetarian meal.
I hope you read all my added notes on how we used each of these separate recipes on their own, as well is with the seared broccoli, all week long. The weather is warmer and the vegetables are delicious! Enjoy!
Here are a few more vegetable recipes you may want to try:
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Enjoy your cooking and remember that we have hundreds more recipes in our SB Recipe section!
Liza Graves
As CEO of StyleBlueprint, Liza also regularly writes for SB. Most of her writing is now found in the recipe archives as cooking is her stress relief!