It’s no secret that I sometimes scheme to find ways to get the veggies down. Last week I made a cauliflower mousse out of cauliflower puree and eggs. I barely could tell there was cauliflower in there at all…my kind of vegetable dish! Tonight, I decided to see how deftly I could slide broccoli under the taste bud radar and I’m happy to say, I DID IT! Even Chef Bill, who borderline dislikes broccoli couldn’t stop eating this – what an endorsement!

And it was easy. All that’s required is a bag of frozen broccoli, a log of chevre, olive oil, preserved Meyer lemons (or lemon juice) and a food processor. That’s it for a carb-free dinner or delicious vegetable side dish. Because the chevre and broccoli emulsify together during the baking process, this doesn’t have as much of a sharp tang as, say, chevre would right out of the fridge. Here’s to dining on cruciferous veggies…with pleasure:

Broccoli-Chevre Bake

(Makes a large casserole dish, because I like to freeze individual servings. Recipe can easily be halved)

Preheat oven to 325

1 two-pound bag of broccoli florets, thawed

1 11-ounce log of chevre (goat cheese)

Extra virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons preserved Meyer lemon or 2 Tablespoons lemon juice

* Optional: whip 2 or 3 eggs into the mixture for a fluffier texture and more protein. I’ve tried both ways and prefer the casserole without eggs because it lends a more intense, cheesy flavor.

In a food processor, blend some of the florets with a few sliced medallions of chevre in batches.

As food processor is running, drizzle enough olive oil into the mixture to emulsify it. Consistency should be a thick paste, not liquidy.

Place pureed mixture in a mixing bowl and continue to puree the rest of it in batches until completed. Spray a covered casserole dish with cooking spray and spoon broccoli-chevre mixture into the casserole. Bake 15 minutes covered, and 15 minutes uncovered. If casserole feels dry when served, drizzle a bit more olive oil on top.

The fluffier version, with eggs

And the more dense, intensely flavored version, without eggs

I guess you could say it’s a little more work, when I have a pizza craving, to shred the Manchego instead of using rubbery, pre-shredded mozz from a bag.  And it does take a little time and planning to have a bag of those amazing corn tortillas in the refrigerator, the ones who mimic flour tortillas to perfection.  And sure, it took an hour or so of my time (start to finish) to complete a hefty batch of spicy olive tapenade.  But so what?

Enjoying a gooey, oozing piece of pizza…Yes!

Feeling bloated and lethargic a few hours later…No!

The decent of despair and frustration when the jeans eventually get too tight…I think we all know the answer to that one.

My brief point today is, as I’ve said all along, there’s no magic wand in the form of an herbal formula, exercise gadget, or cellulite remover that’s going to keep off the 185 pounds that I shed through clean eating and DDPYOGA.

This is the Holy Grail of the formerly fat that I searched for and finally found:  What it takes is me agreeing to live in awareness of my feelings and emotions coupled with a little garden variety daily management of myself. I do what it takes to have clean food around, make exercise a part of my life like doing the dishes (how’d you to ignore that little task for a few weeks?), and go about living my life.  Today, this amazing pizza was part of it.  Hope you try and enjoy:

Catalonian Pizza

I just made the name up, because the toppings are so Spanish. This pizza was inspired (literally) by what I had available in the fridge plus a craving.  It’s quick and fabulous.

2 small corn tortillas (soft)

About a half-cup of olive tapenade (from a specialty store, or homemade)

A hunk of Manchego cheese (a sheep cheese very similar to cheddar)

Toast tortillas in a toaster over for about five minutes, until they’re just crispy but not brown. Remove from oven and leave on the baking tray.  Slather each one with three tablespoons or so of tapenade.  There should be a generous amount on each tortilla.  The next part is personal preference/hunger level.  Shred enough cheese to make a nice covering on each tortilla.

Place back in toaster oven and toast on medium heat until cheese bubbles.