Full of toasted sesame flavor, tangy, and crisp-tender, sweet and savory pickled broccoli is unexpectedly wonderful. Much like bread and butter pickles in taste, these brined, thinly sliced broccoli stems are great on salads, sandwiches, and cheese boards.

Pickled Broccoli

Can you pickle broccoli? Oh, absolutely!

I know a lot of folks don’t know what to do with broccoli stems and they often get tossed into the garbage or compost, but I’m here to tell you that you need to pickle them! They bring so much oomph and pizzazz to your food day.

And they’re budget friendly, too. You can have your Oven Roasted Broccoli one night for dinner and pickle up the stems for later use in salads or snacking. Future you will be grateful – I can guarantee it!

Pickled Broccoli Stems

These quick pickled stems only require the following ingredients:

• broccoli stems
• sugar
• rice wine vinegar
• lime juice
• sesame oil
• garlic

Read more

Rich and garlicky, you’ll have trouble believing this creamy cauliflower potato soup is made without a drop of cream or milk! I loved this soup from the very first bite.

Cauliflower Potato Soup

When I made Creamy Cauliflower Sauce for the first time, and the second, third, fourth and fifth times, it almost begged to be used in a soup. (Truthfully, I ate it on it’s own as a soup a time or two.)

It was natural, then, that I’d dedicate a batch of it to the higher calling of being a hearty soup! Don’t think of this as a substitute for traditional baked potato soup, though; this soup is every bit as tasty as its heavier dairy-filled friend.

Cauliflower Potato Soup

While it stands nobly on its own, if you are looking for a lightened-up version of our much-loved Baked Potato Soup, this does the trick!

I’ve served the soup in its simple, pristine, un-garnished form a couple of times and we’ve enjoyed it that way as a nice side dish.

Most of the time when I make it, though, I pile the toppings on, because I couldn’t resist defeating the whole dairy-free meat-free aspect of this meal. We are clearly omnivores! (Besides, food with toppings is just plain more inviting!)

Read more

Favorite Easy Vegetable Stir Fry

Craving a tasty and healthy meal but don’t have a lot of time? Look no further! Learn how to whip up a delicious vegetable stir fry in under 30 minutes with this easy and flavorful recipe.

I lived on stir fry in college.

Didn’t we all?

And actually, why was that? To be honest, we didn’t eat a lot of stir fry growing up and I have never lived or experienced anything to do with Asia outside of a restaurant here and there, and even then, it wasn’t even stir fry I ordered!

With our oldest off to college for her very first semester I’ve found myself reflecting on my young adult years a lot and at times even being a little envious of the time of life she is stepping into. It’s the best, hardest, strangest few years and I wouldn’t trade them or my stir fry for anything.

Now that I’m a little more grown up I’ve taken the veggies and sauce, and even a side of my FAMOUS Teriyaki Chicken Quesadilla (also a college must have) and raised the bar a little. It’s still easy, still quick, but now it’s even more flavorful!

What is Stir Fry?

Stir fry is a Chinese cooking technique where you stir-fry small bites of meat and/or vegetables in a wok or skillet over high heat with a little bit of oil. It usually include a light sauce of some kind for added flavor.

What Do You Need for Vegetable Stir Fry?

Grab your grocery cart and head to the produce section for this recipe! We are grabbing almost one of every vegetable there (ok, not really, but I love veggies so the more the merrier!). Here is what you will need:

• Peanut Oil: vegetable oil is a great alternative
• Vegetables: Red Bell Pepper, Yellow Bell Pepper, Sugar Snap Peas, Carrots, Zucchini, Mushrooms, Broccoli and Baby Corn
• Sauce: Low Sodium Soy Sauce, Garlic, Fresh Ginger (1/2 teaspoon ground), Brown Sugar, Toasted Sesame Oil, Chicken Broth and Cornabys EZ Gel (see notes for cornstarch)
• Garnishes: Green Onions and Sesame Seeds

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Steps for Making Stir Fry Vegetables

Stir fry is one of those meals that I fall back on when I need to get dinner on the table in a hurry. It takes less than 30 minutes to get this veggie-packed recipe on the table. Here are the basic steps:

1. Sauté: Start by heating oil in a cast iron skillet (or wok) and then add all the vegetables that need a little longer to cook. Sauté the vegetables until they start browning.
2. Add: Toss in the remaining vegetables and sauté a little longer until everything is tender.
3. Sauce: Whisk all of the ingredients for the stir fry sauce together in a small bowl then pour it over the vegetables. Let the vegetables simmer until the sauce thickens.
4. Garni