One of my favorite vegetables is Broccoli. It is tasty, versatile , has so many vitamins and it is a great cancer fighter. Broccoli pasta is one of those quick and nutritious dishes that leaves you wanting seconds. Here’s a quick and tasty recipe for when you are in a hurry:

Ingredients

1/2 pound dry pasta

1 Tablespoon Oil

1 Tablespoon salt

1/2 pound clean broccoli

1 garlic head

1/2 pound of grated mozarella cheese

Olive Oil

Preparation

Cook broccoli in a pan with plenty of water, salt and oil.

Sautee the garlic with the olive oil

Use the water where you cook the broccoli to boil the pasta

Remove the garlic and the broccoli and mix with the pasta

Serve it in a pasta plate and drizzle olive oil on top and add the cheese

Mondays can be a drag. After a weekend of rest and fun coming back to work and to the daily routine is hard. That’s why I like to offer easy and nutritious recipes that you can whip up in less than 15 minutes.

Ingredients

1 cup sliced celery

1 can of tomato soup concentrate

1/2 ounce of margarine

7 ounces whole milk or cream

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Parsley for garnish

Preparation

Mix concentrated tomato with the same amount of water.

Sauté the sliced celery in the butter, add the soup mixed with the water and bring gently to a boil

Incorporate the cream (or milk) and the Worcestershire sauce into the mix and keep heating it up making sure it keeps boiling
Serve in cups or soup dishes with fresh chopped parsley on top

Mojito is a Cuban drink that has become very popular in the US. Once you have your first Mojito you realize why. The word mojito comes from the Spanish word mojo which is a sauce that contains lime in it.

A Mojito is extremely easy to prepare. I do not have exact measurements so I will just tell you how I make it

1 to 1 1/2 ounces of Rum

Club Soda

3 Mint Leaves

3 Tbsp Sugar

3 Tbsp Fresh Lime Juice

I n a tall thin glass, crush part of the mint with a fork to coat the inside. Make sure you coat the inside real well so that the mint flavor will stick to the glass. Add the sugar and lime juice and stir thoroughly. Top with ice. Add rum and mix. Top off with *chilled* club soda. Add a lime slice and the remaining mint, and serve

This great tasting soup is so easy to make that it will only take you 10 minutes to complete.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
1 sage leaf
2 (15-ounce) cans cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 cloves garlic, cut in 1/2
1/2 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 slices french bread
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Preparation

Place a medium pot over medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil, and shallot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softened. Add the sage and beans and stir to combine. Add the stock and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the garlic and simmer until the garlic is softened, about 10 minutes. Pour the soup into a large bowl. Carefully ladle 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Be careful to hold the top of the blender tightly, as hot liquids expand when they are blended. Pour the blended soup back into the soup pan. Puree the remaining soup. Once all the soup is blended and back in the soup pan, add the cream and the pepper Keep warm, covered, over very low heat.Place a grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle the slices of bread with extra-virgin olive oil. Grill the bread until warm and golden grill marks appear, about 3 minutes a side. Serve the soup in bowls with the grilled bread alongside.

Source: The Food Network

There’s nothing better than a bowl of Hot Chili on a cold night. Here’s one of my faves recipes:

Ingredients

• 12 oz tomato paste
• 16 oz tomato sauce
• 3 24oz cans red kidney beans (drained)
• 6 Tablespoons garlic powder
• 3 Tablespoons onion powder
• 2 Tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 Tablespoons parsley
• 2 Teaspoons oregano
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon chipotle powder
• 1 Teaspoon habanero chile powder
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 whole red habaneros (deveined, deseeded and chopped)
• 6 jalapeňnos (deveined, deseeded and chopped)
• 2 New Mexican chiles (deveined, deseeded and chopped)
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 6 oz beer (1/2 can)

Preparation

Sautée the onion in a small amount of olive oil in a large pot until translucent. Bring to a simmer the tomato paste, tomato sauce, kidney beans, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili powder, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper, chipotle powder, habanero powder, habaneros, jalapeňos, and new mexican chiles. while this is simmering, brown the beef in a large skillet. Drain the meat, and season with salt and pepper. Add beef to sauce along with beer. Cook for 30 minutes. Serve with grated cheddar cheese and chopped onions.

This is one of my favorites dishes. It is easy to make and very very yummy.

For the filling you will need:

8 slices bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled (1/2 cup)

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese (4 oz)

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

4 large eggs

2 cups whipping cream or half-and-half

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

To make the pastry:

1 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening

2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

Preparation

In medium bowl, mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans Side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).

Gather pastry into a ball. Shape into flattened round on lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry more flaky. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.

Heat oven to 425°F. With floured rolling pin, roll pastry into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch quiche dish or glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in quiche dish. Unfold and ease into dish, pressing firmly against bottom and side. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of pie plate. Fold and roll pastry under, even with plate; flute as desired.

Carefully line pastry with a double thickness of foil, gently pressing foil to bottom and side of pastry. Let foil extend over edge to prevent excessive browning. Bake 10 minutes. Carefully remove foil and bake 2 to 4 minutes longer or until pastry just begins to brown and has become set. If crust bubbles, gently push bubbles down with back of spoon.

Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Sprinkle bacon, cheese and onion in pie crust. In medium bowl, beat eggs slightly; beat in remaining filling ingredients. Pour into quiche dish.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Garnish at the top with chives and any type of green leaves