Two Simple Side Dishes: Oven Roasted Broccoli + Lemon Scented Paprika Asparagus + One Green Pasta Dish

Oven Roasted Broccoli

Recipe taken from here

I had never had oven roasted broccoli before... well I mean I am new to the whole eating broccoli. Until just a few months ago when I was willing to try broccoli I had always turned them down because they tasted like dirty feet to me. I'm not sure why, but now, I am hooked on broccoli, I could probably eat it at every meal, I'm serious, in an omelette for breakfast, in a quiche for lunch, in some risotto for dinner, with some dip as a snack, etc... the possibilities are endless. Having your broccoli roasted in the oven is just, it's wow. It makes the flavours that much richer, I have to admit a few of my small pieces because a little burnt (which I still ate because the crunch was awesome) but wow they had such a punch of flavour it was delicious. The ingredients for this were so simple but they made a really big impact on the dish. This was a great side dish and will definitely be made again as well as tried with different ingredients to see how it holds up being roasted! If you've never had broccoli roasted you definitely need to try this out!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 pounds broccoli crowns, cut into florets (about 8 cups)
• 4 1/2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Large pinch of dried crushed red pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss broccoli and 4 tablespoons oil in large bowl to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer to baking sheet. Roast 15 minutes. Stir remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil, garlic, and red pepper in small bowl. Drizzle garlic mixture over broccoli; toss to coat. Roast until broccoli is beginning to brown, about 8 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately.

Lemon Scented Paprika Asparagus

This is something I threw together as a snack for myself the other night. It's light, refreshing, a little tangy from the lemon zest, it has beautiful colour, plus it is so simple to make and takes less than five minutes. This is great as a snack because it leaves you feeling full, and if it doesn't it's low in calories, sodium and there's no fat or cholesterol so you don't have to feel guilty going back for more. Plus it's packed with potassium, fiber, folacin, thiamin, vitamin B6 plus more.

Ingredients:

• 1 package of asparagus
• Zest from lemon - as much as you'd like
• Paprika

Directions:

Gently snap your asparagus from the bottom, this will take off the woodiness of the asparagus. Wash your asparagus and place in a microwaveable dish. Add 2 tbsp of water and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes.

Zest your lemon and sprinkle with paprika. That's it, see how simple it is? And... how pretty is it? Imagine this sitting in the middle of your wooden table with a beautiful meal, ahhh!

Spicy Spinach Pasta With Garlic And Basil

Recipe taken from here

This was such a simple yet beautiful main dish. It was easy to make, it took less than fifteen minutes, and it was so full of flavour. It's packed with garlic, basil (oooh I love the smell and taste of basil) and cheese with just the right amount of kick from the crushed red pepper, or if you don't want it spicy you can always leave that out. This is so good, I used my spinach rice spaghetti noodles so that added a beautiful flavour plus colour too. This really was good, and it was healthy, plus the wine made it even more flavourful, yummmmmmy.

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces spinach linguine
• 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil, divided
• 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or water from cooking the pasta
• 1 1/2 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese, divided

Directions:

Cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to same pot.

While the pasta is cooking or after it has been cooked and drained, heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup basil, garlic, and crushed red pepper; stir 1 minute. Add wine (or pasta cooking water) and boil until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Add mixture from skillet, remaining 1/2 cup basil, and 3/4 cup cheese to pasta. Toss over medium heat until sauce coats pasta, adding reserved pasta liquid by 1/4 cupfuls if the pasta seems dry. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese.

Enjoy :)