Garlicky Chinese Broccoli

Broccoli can be so boring sometimes.  

I actually love broccoli, but in my house it's always the same.  

Dependable. Trustworthy. 

But sometimes you gotta let your hair down, broccoli! 

This could be served as a Chinese side dish- the perfect accompaniment to stir-fry. 

It's Quick. Easy. Healthy.  

With limited ingredients. 

Lots of flavor but not drowned in sauce.  It's just a bit spicy from the sambal oelek, but not too spicy for everyone to enjoy.  

A little education for you:

Sambal Oelek can be found in the Asian aisle of the supermarket. It's a red chili paste that is used in Asian cooking (a staple in Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia).  'Oelek' means ground, and this really is just a variety of ground chilies with not much else added.  Because it's not heavily spiced with additional ingredients, it will add heat to any dish without imposing on the flavor of the dish.   

A couple similar chili sauces/pastes: 

Sriacha-

Sriacha is more of a condiment or dipping sauce.  It's spicy, and I love adding it to chili, wing sauce, pizza, and eggs. It is spiced with vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt, and has a distinctive taste. 

Spicy Garlic Sauce-

Similar to Sriacha in flavor, this is a deliciously garlicky sauce that carries a bit more substance than sriacha.  It has a fuller flavor, if you will. 

You can use spicy garlic sauce for this recipe, just eliminate a clove of garlic (and remember not to try to kiss your significant other after eating! ;)  

I stepped away and overcooked my broccoli a couple minutes, I will admit. It was more a broccoli mush.  

Okay broccoli.. I let your hair down and you go bananas. Jeez.

Served my mush with Asian-spiced short ribs and rice noodles.

Garlicky Chinese Broccoli

1 large head of broccoli

1 tsp sambal oelek

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp olive oil plus extra for cooking

1 tsp minced fresh ginger

4 cloves thinly sliced garlic

1/4 cup of water, chicken stock, or veg stock (I used water)

Cut stem off and cut broccoli into bite sized pieces, rinse, and place in large mixing bowl.  Add the sambal oelek, sugar, and olive oil and use your hands to combine- make sure you evenly distribute that sambal oelek!

Heat a large saucepan over medium high heat.  Once hot, add the broccoli.  Saute for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the ginger and garlic and stir to combine.  Saute another 2 minutes, until fragrant.

Add 1/4 cup of water and cover with a lid. Reduce heat and let broccoli steam about 2 minutes.  Remove broccoli with a slotted spoon when broccoli is tender but still firm.  

Little Party Bites

Oh look at these cute little bites!  

I made these to ease the Boyfriend's growling stomach while I prepared some 3-4 hour dinner.  If I had any friends here in CO I would prepare them as an appetizer, they'd be perfect to have out for parties.  

The herbed cream cheese gives these bites a savory note, the prosciutto adds a nice flavor from the fat and salt, and the cherry jam gives it a touch of sweetness to round it out.  

And they were so easy to prepare, the most time going into assembling them in a pretty fashion.  

I'll be honest, most of them I just smushed together.  Hey it was just me and the Boyfriend, you know?! What do you want from me?  

Little Party Bites

1 8 oz block cream cheese, at room temperature

3 tbsp minced fresh rosemary

1 tbsp minced fresh mint

1 tsp lemon juice

4 oz thin-sliced prosciutto, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch ribbons

Cherry preserves 

1 box wheat thins (or Gluten Free crackers)

Use a mixer to whip the cream cheese with the rosemary, mint, and lemon juice (or alternatively, mix well by hand)

To assemble, spread a bit of cherry preserves on the wheat thin.  Twirl the prosciutto ribbon loosely and place in a half circle on the cracker.  Place a dollop of herbed cream cheese in remaining empty space behind prosciutto.  Garnish with more rosemary, mint, or a spring of parsley. 

Quick Kielbasa Sautee

Here's a quick weeknight dinner for you.

I prepared this on a night when my fridge and cupboards were almost bare, and there was nothing to eat in the house.  Except for kielbasa, zucchini, frozen corn, and rice.

So there you have it.  How this dinner was created.

I really liked the corn/red onion/ zucchini combination, but you could easily substitute whatever you have on hand.  Peppers and/or peas would work. You could add tomatoes if you like.  I've even added pineapple in similar dishes. 

You could also substitute whatever sausage you have on hand, though I do love the kielbasa flavor for a change. 

This is one of my favorite quick weeknight dinners. Limited ingredients, limited time. 

But pretty delicious!

Quick Kielbasa Sautee

13 oz beef polish kielbasa, sliced into 1/2 inch slices
2 cups frozen corn
3 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup beef stock (preferably homemade of course, or low-sodium)
Jasmine rice

Heat a few drizzles of extra virgin olive oil in a skillet over med-high heat. Once hot, add the kielbasa and cook undisturbed for about 5-8 minutes or until kielbasa starts to blacken slightly.  Give a stir, and let cook another few minutes undisturbed.  Continue cooking until kielbasa has a nice blackened exterior- this gives it a really nice sweet, slightly crispy flavor.

Remove kielbasa and set aside.  In same skillet over med high heat, add red onion. Sautee for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions start to look soft and golden.  Add the zucchini, corn, and garlic.  Sautee another 5 minutes.  Zucchini will start to soften.  Add the beef stock and kielbasa and cook another couple minutes until most of stock is absorbed and zucchini is softened. 

Spoon over jasmine rice.