broccoli pizza + broccoli cheddar soup

It's such a wonderful feeling when your body craves a healthy food. Of course my cravings for sweet and salty snacks are more prominent and often hard to ignore, but every once in a while I crave something that's actually good for me. This weekend I had the biggest craving for broccoli - odd, but I went with it. Here are two broccoli recipes from my kitchen.

one

Here's what you'll need...

1 store bought pizza dough

1 small head of broccoli (about 1 cup when chopped)

6-8 kalamata olives chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon white truffle oil 

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella 

1/2 cup fontina cheese 

Here's what to do...

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll out pizza dough onto pizza stone or baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and add minced garlic. Bake dough for 10 minutes or until slightly browned. 

Meanwhile, cook broccoli in microwave for 60 seconds (just enough to soften the broccoli). 

Remove dough from oven and top with cheeses, broccoli, and olives. Drizzle white truffle oil over pizza and sprinkle pepper over pizza. Bake for 10 additional minutes or until cheese is bubbly and crust is nicely browned. 

two

Here's what you'll need...

4 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 medium onion, chopped

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups half and half

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

2-3 cups of fresh broccoli, chopped 

1/2 cup carrot, shredded

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

8 oz grated sharp white cheddar

salt and pepper

Here's what to do...

In large pot, saute onion in 1 tablespoon of butter. Once onion is transparent, set aside. 

Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium high heat (about 4-5 minutes). Stir constantly and add half and half and chicken stock. Simmer for 15 minutes. 

Add in the broccoli, carrots, and onion. Cook over low heat for 20 minutes. 

Add in salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat. Use immersion blender/blender to puree soup (leave some chunks of broccoli). 

Return to heat and add cheese. Stir in nutmeg and serve. 

Maybe next time I have a craving for broccoli I should just eat the broccoli...

but what's the fun in that!?