Monday, May 17, 2010

Parmesan Broccoli – Just Say No to Velveeta!

I have to be honest here and say that I although I have never personally purchased Velveeta, I have been known to pound down a few hearty servings of nachos and cheese in my day.  It tastes good, sure – but it always makes me feel a little funny after I’ve eaten it. 

I understand that some of you probably grew up on Velveeta, but can I pleeeeeease try to convince you to not use it anymore if you still are? It’s so chock-full of chemicals and I promise you, once you start tweaking your favorite recipes with real cheese, you will never miss it! 

I’ve mentioned before that we eat Sunday lunch with all of my in-laws every week.  Well, when broccoli is being served, there is no question that it will be doused with butter and Velveeta.  They are wonderful, wonderful people; I just always joke with my DH that they have the “I’ll have a little corn with my butter” philosophy of veggies. :)

Anyway, onto the broccoli recipe – I am fully confident that you are going to love this!  

Here’s what you’ll need (there aren’t any measurements: just go with the flow!):

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Parmesan Broccoli

may 10 021

olive oil
minced/chopped garlic
broccoli (pre-steamed, but remove from heat about a minute too early)
chicken stock (you can get away without this; I’ll explain how)
parmesan cheese
salt
red pepper flakes (optional but it gives it a great kick)

1. Pour just enough olive oil into your pan that it is covered on the bottom. 

2. Add a big spoonful of garlic in the olive oil  and cook on medium until garlic has *just* started to turn golden, being careful not to burn. 

3. Add your pre-steamed broccoli and sauté for a minute or two, tossing with tongs to coat the broccoli with the oil and garlic.

4. Add a splash of chicken stock to loosen everything up, while still tossing and coating broccoli.  (It tastes better this way but can be omitted if you don’t have stock on hand.)

5.  Sprinkle liberally with parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper flakes, tossing to coat again.  Remove from heat and serve.

(Then, if you’re part Italian like me, you will probably want to douse with more cheese when it’s on your plate.  You can never have too much cheese!)

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This is really, really, reeeeeeaaaaaallly good.  DH and I both love our broccoli this way now (although we can still eat it just plain steamed – yum!).  Thankfully for me, Luke LOVES broccoli – I was serving him broccoli sprinkled with parmesan yesterday and he was screaming for more!  I gave the kid about 10 stalks’ worth in the baby grinder and then I had to cut him off – for all of our sakes!  lol

So enjoy this deliciously cheesy broccoli – and remember, just say NO to Velveeta! :)

For more clean recipes, click here. 

Linked to:
Tasty Tuesday @ Beauty and Bedlam
Tuesdays at the Table @ All the Small Stuff
Tempt my Tummy Tuesday @ Blessed With Grace

 

P.S. Is anyone else’s Feedburner all messed up?!  Mine keeps going from the 120s to 13 and back again, like every other day.  Is it just me?! 

15 comments:

  1. This sounds so yummy! I can't eat velveeta (not that I would want to :) so this recipe is perfect! Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Good for you! I don't know too many people who eat "clean", so it's great to know that you do. Eating velveeta is like swallowing poison! There's just too much processed food out there that people eat without really knowing what they are eating.

    Great recipe!

    Nancy

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  3. This sounds wonderful. And I hear ya about the Velveeta! :)

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  4. This sounds good--and I agree about using REAL cheese!

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  5. This sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe!

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  6. mmmm sounds so good. I have been just adding parm cheese to the broccoli. Jake loves it and it beats the ketchup he adds to everything :)

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  7. I jumped off the Velveeta bandwagon some time ago! This sounds wonderful!

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  8. mmmm that looks delicious!! love the idea of using REAL cheese instead of velveeta. you go girl!

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  9. I've never bought velveeta either. I kind of stay away from anything processed. But this broccoli looks great.

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  10. what a delicious recipe!!! i'm so with you on velveeta... i honestly don't know that i've ever tried it. i refuse to buy it and i don't like the imitation cheese type nachos. even though i've been known to buy anything that's on sale and i have a coupon for, i think i would actually skip the velveeta sale!

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  11. I never grew up eating it and so I don't use it. Now I'm glad I don't. Ewww. And speaking of cheese... it's in SO MANY dishes. My no dairy diet is challenging but not an inconvenience at all. Just a new appreciation for the hard working cows of the world. ;o)
    I love your blog Jessica! You are fun to read!

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  12. Ok, Ok, I will say NO one time just to try this. I love me some broccoli smothered in Velveeta. This may be a bit healtheir than my old way.

    Thanks for sharing!

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  13. Here's a great "Southern" recipe for you Jessica! hahaha. I hope you know that I am just kidding!

    http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/chocolate-cheese-fudge-recipe/index.html

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