Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower, Parmesan and Lemon

Happy New Year everyone!
I am starting the new year with a good long run, kirtan, yoga and meditation. So to continue my efforts with having a fresh mind, it would be good to have some good, healthy food in the system.

Over the holidays, I made roasted broccoli from a recipe I found on Food Network. It was so good, except that I had added a little too much salt.

Recently, I was at Trader Joe's, thinking about the same dish. Instead of buying stalks of broccoli, I decided to get a bag of cauliflower and broccoli. Well, I must say it turned out well.

Serving size: 2

Ingredients:
1 12 oz. Bag of Broccoli and Cauliflower Duet from Trader Joe's (pre-washed)
1/4 Lemon
1/2 Cup Parmesan Reggiano
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

Directions: 
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Add foil to the baking pan and add broccoli and cauliflower. Drizzle olive oil, season with salt and pepper.  Toss to coat evenly and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

Try to turn over the florets, they should be a little browned which is okay. This is what brings out the roasted flavor. Keep them close together, and add a layer of cheese and slide it back into the oven. The cheese should melt nicely, adding a crisp to the top of the florets, about 10 minutes.

Drizzle with lemon and transfer to a serving dish with a spoon or spatula.

Turkey Sausage and Broccoli with Quinoa Pasta

When I first heard about quinoa, I thought that it must be difficult to make. I've heard great things about it, like it contains essential amino acids, high in iron, gluten-free. So I was at a normal supermarket yesterday, and had decided to make my favorite pasta. When I was looking at the noodles, lo and behold, they had quinoa. The brand I used was "Ancient Quinoa Harvest", and the ingredients consist of organic corn flour, organic quinoa flour, dried organic spinach, dried organic beet and/or organic red bell pepper. The best part? Though slightly more than regular pasta, it was $2.50 for an 8oz. box. Uh... yeah. That's a keeper for me. This is a no nonsense, straight forward, healthy, and really tasty dish. It's definitely going to be a staple of mine. If it's not for you, then stick with pasta. It's still going to be tasty.

Ingredients:
1 8oz box quinoa-corn blend "Garden Pagodas" pasta (or replace with regular pasta such as fusilli)
1.25lbs sweet Italian-style turkey sausage, casings removed
2 stalks organic broccoli, cut into little pieces and stalks discarded
3 teaspoons dried and crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
2 large cloves garlic, diced
1 Tablespoon olive oil


Bring a little more than 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add broccoli, and let it boil for 3 minutes. Remove broccoli and put it in a large bowl of ice water, save the water in the pot. Bring it to a boil for the pasta and follow directions on the box.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once heated, add turkey sausage. Crush the sausage with a spoon until it is broken up and no longer red. About 12 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and stir. Drain broccoli, add to skillet and stir. Add pasta, stir and coat with juices. Stir in parmesan and serve immediately.

Okay, I also want to add how much I spent at Associated Supermarket in Fort Greene, Brooklyn
1 box 8oz quinoa-corn blend noodles - $2.50
1.25lbs sweet italian sausage - $4.50
2 stalks of broccoli - $2.99
Fresh parmasan -$2.99
Red pepper flakes - I bought this a couple of years ago
Garlic - I had from other dishes
Olive Oil - I had in my pantry
Total: $12.98 to make about 4 servings. Maybe a little more than 4. Yup. That works for me.