Seriously, So Good: Simple Recipes for a Balanced Life (A Cookbook)

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To the Broccolinis

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, none of this would be possible without my incredible community, the Broccolinis. You all have given me the rare opportunity to have hundreds of thousands of cheerleaders that got me through the rejection, late nights, and countless hours of dishes. The thought of this book in your hands has truly gotten me through the hardest moments, and I cannot even begin to express my gratitude for this amazing community. You mean the world to me!

Mom: You have always been so confident in me and given me the courage to be something great. You have taught me so much about cooking from a young age, but more importantly, you have taught me the importance of enjoying what I make. You instilled in me that cooking and creating delicious food means memories, quality time with friends and family, and a connection to the ones we love, whether they’re with us or watching down. You have inspired so many recipes in this book, many of which we developed in the kitchen together, and I feel so incredibly lucky to have those memories in this book forever.

Dad: Your never-ending support and tough love have given me the confidence and thick skin I needed to get through making this book. I could not have asked for better parents, and I feel endlessly grateful to be your daughter. Your love, guidance, and, of course, grilling tips have made this book possible, and I hope you know how much I love and appreciate you always being there for me.

Amanda, my best friend and sister: You have been my biggest fan since literally day one. I am so lucky to have a built-in best friend who will always be there cheering me on, along with my forever honest taste testers Kinsley and Charlie. From testing out recipes to always giving me an honest opinion, you have played such an important role in the creation of this book, and I am so incredibly grateful for you.

Corey, my sweet boyfriend: We fell in love in the midst of developing this book, and you immediately did everything you could do to support me, from doing countless hours of dishes without one complaint and helping me be patient and present throughout this whole process, to even helping me brush my teeth without having to get out of bed during my longest of days. You have been the most selfless and caring partner, and I am so grateful for you and your love.

My one-in-a-million best friends: Where would I be without you all?! My sounding board, my recipe testers, my hype girls, my everything! To Cassandra, Tori, Katie, Brooke, Andrea, Rio, Karina, Shannon, Janne, Ashley, Aubrianna, Maari, Christina, Emily, Ria, Gina, Teal, Shane, Suzee, Hanna, and Valerie, thank you for being there for me from the start and listening to me talk about this book for years. We are the luckiest to have one another.

My Instagram friends–made-real friends: Alex Snodgrass, thank you for being my mentor and gearing me up for this wild process. To Olivia, Tayla, Tori, Katie, Cameron, Rachael, Lea, Hanna, Victoria, and Ella, just to name a few, you have been the best role models and support system a girl could ask for. Thank you for always inspiring me.

Ali Wald, my manager at DBA: Thank you for helping make my dream a reality. You have been my right-hand woman throughout this entire journey, and I am so thankful to have such an incredibly hard worker on my team. This is just the beginning!

Andrea Barzvi, my literary agent at Empire Literary: I am so lucky to have such an incredible advocate for this book. You have gone above and beyond to make this book a success and having you behind me every step of the way has meant the world to me. Thank you for believing in me and putting your force behind my vision.

Lauren Deen: I think we both know this book would not be what it is without you. Not only did you make and test every single recipe in this book (!!!), you truly understood my vision and embodied my voice and personality throughout the whole book. You showed me what it takes to be a cookbook author, and whether I was ready for it or not, I am so thankful you were there for me throughout it all. I’m still in awe about how much work we accomplished together. We deserve endless Texas Sheet Cake for eternity.

Alanna Hale, my incredibly talented photographer: Not only did you take my exact vision and make it come to life, you made it so fun every step of the way! Without you, I would be doing my terrible fake smile in every photo instead of genuinely cracking up about something wild that you said. I am endlessly grateful for you and will never be able to listen to 2 Phones without thinking of you.

Laura Kinsey, my food stylist: You are such a one-of-a-kind human, and I am already looking forward to working with you again just so we can spend more time together. I still cannot believe you made every single recipe in this book look (and taste) so beautiful while staying true to my down-to-earth style. And thank you to your wonderful assistant, Danielle, who was beyond a joy to work with as well. You both are so incredible!

Jaclyn Kershek, my prop stylist: Thank you for sliding into my DMs at the perfect time and asking if you could be my prop stylist. I am so honored to have your brilliant touch throughout this book. I will say I didn’t really know what your job entailed at that time, but boy was I surprised at how your expertise shaped the way this book looks and feels. Thank you for giving this book your all.

Justin Schwartz, my editor at Simon & Schuster: Thank you for believing in me as a first-time author and giving me the freedom to create something I am so proud of. Having an editor whose passion for food rivals my own is such an honor. In addition, a huge thank-you to the entire team at Simon Element, including Elizabeth Breeden and Jessica Preeg, who have done a magnificent job of promoting this book.

Mia Johnson, book designer: Thank you for embodying my vision and creating such a visually stunning book. I have always had an idea of what my first cookbook would look like, and you did a dazzling job at bringing it to life.

Izzy: Thank you for helping me bring this book to life. You were there straight from the very beginning with designing the book proposal, to being there for me in every capacity during the photo shoot. You were such a light, and I will never forget you always making everyone laugh. I know you’re looking down and are so proud of what we accomplished together. I feel so lucky to have some of your one-of-a-kind energy encapsulated in this book forever.

I am endlessly grateful for everyone who helped me with this book! I feel like I could go on forever naming each individual person who was a part of this journey. I could not have done it without you all so thank you for being a part of this wild journey. We did it!!

INTRODUCTION

I don’t want to just give you a book full of recipes.

I want to show you just how fun cooking can be.

I learned how to cook from anyone who would teach me—family, friends, and people whose cooking made me come back for seconds. None of them were trained chefs but that didn’t matter. They excited and inspired me just the same, helped give me the freedom and confidence to try things in the kitchen, and helped me build up my culinary game. But back in 2017, when I became Brocc and first started posting my recipes to Instagram and my blog, I have to admit I felt like a bit of an imposter for a while because I never went to culinary school—and had never even watched a cooking video on YouTube if I’m being honest. I was convinced that my lack of training was my biggest weakness. It took me a long time to realize that was actually my greatest strength. I’m not trying to follow someone else’s rules, always cooking with another person’s voice in my head. Because it’s just me out here! And that’s why I think my cooking is accessible, simple, and achievable. I don’t use fancy techniques or rely on ingredients you’ve never heard of. It’s just me and my likes, dislikes, and instincts. Easy to follow and simple to make. Just turn to one of my recipes and jump in. It’ll be fun, I promise.

Cooking can be relaxing and really satisfying and it’s so important for your quality of life. But first, we have to lose the expectations and pressure. I don’t want you to stress about cooking dinner, or cooking for other people, or any of it. So let’s keep it that way. My goal with this book is to help you find the joy in cooking, for any occasion, with simple, seriously good food.

Most of the recipes in this book take less than an hour to prepare, and there’s a whole chapter of recipes that take thirty minutes or less. Dishes made up of things you probably already have in your fridge or pantry… or should. (And if you don’t, I’ve got lists to help you get organized and not overwhelmed.) Dips, sauces, dressings, and marinades that are delicious on a million other things. Apps, soups, mains, sides, desserts, and cocktails of course. Plus, each recipe is filled with helpful info, tips, shortcuts, and swaps—easy ways to modify the dish for both your personal taste, diet, or food sensitivities. And also, hopefully, to get you excited to get in the kitchen. It’s all there, in these one hundred recipes. The only thing left for you to do is give it a try. I’m here for you.

My hope is that these dishes, drinks, and treats will bring you comfort and help you connect and hang out with friends.

A Little Something About Me

While my passport says Carissa, I’ll also answer to Brocc. No, I’m not obsessed with broccoli, though it’s a damn good veg. I earned the nickname Brocc Your Body from my friends because I love to cook and to move. I’m a California native who grew up at the beach surrounded by a close family. I studied kinesiology with an emphasis on fitness, health, and nutrition at San Diego State University. Though passionate about my studies, after graduating I struggled to find a great job in my field, working in real estate full-time and grabbing a side hustle as a server at night to help support myself. Neither job was what you would call fulfilling for me personally. I felt fairly stuck, especially on the creative front. The one thing I really looked forward to were my weekly Girls’ Night dinner parties with my friends, a place where I could channel my creativity and energy.

I loved cooking for our GN hangouts, and the dishes I created were such a hit that my friends would always ask me for the recipes. Instead of texting them, I started to post them to my personal Instagram and then decided the food from Girls’ Night deserved its very own page. So along with my nickname, my friends thought it would be hilarious to name the page Brocc Your Body after Justin Timberlake’s Rock Your Body, and I started posting away to the new Brocc IG as a hobby. To my surprise, Brocc soon exploded into an Instagram and social media success, allowing me to leave my real estate job and waitressing gig behind and concentrate on Brocc as a full-time career in food and wellness. While at first I posted mostly about food and friends, I soon tackled more serious subjects and began sharing everything from my struggles with anxiety and panic disorder to a major breakup, to my dating life, to learning to love myself, and just the ins and outs of my everyday life. There’s really nothing that’s off-limits over here, and it will always stay that way!

What started as a space for my friends took off and became an amazing full-time job with a fantastic online community of hundreds of thousands of incredible people. So yes, I’ll happily answer to Brocc, especially when it comes to questions from my beloved followers, whom I call my Broccolinis.

I’m so excited to share all that I’ve learned over the last six years while I spent my days (and my nights) cooking, blogging, posting, DMing, and connecting with my audience. I love the idea of having it all in a book that you can hold in your hand. A book on your shelf that you can turn to again and again for ideas, leafing through for inspiration and solutions that feed you. My hope is that these dishes, drinks, and treats will bring you comfort and help you connect and hang out with friends. And do it in any way that suits you—a relaxing low-key meal, a fancy dinner meant to impress, or anything in between—but mostly to reduce your stress and improve your life.

My goal is to inspire you to cook something almost daily (but I totally get it if that isn’t your thing—I’ll settle for once a week) and to have this book be your kitchen confidante and companion. I also hope these pages will give you a taste of the SoCal life I love so much—from my affordable homemade take on the fabulous salad found at La Scala (aka my Famous Beverly Hills Chopped Salad

) to the feasts I throw around my backyard firepit, and even my sister Amanda’s favorite cocktail, a Blackberry Mexican Mule

.

Finding Balance

I believe in a healthy ratio of eating foods that nourish our bodies and foods that feed our souls. It’s the way I intuitively eat every single day, but how did I get here? What works for me is my approach, which is this: All foods have a place in a healthy diet.

I don’t follow or promote a specific diet—that’s not what this book is about. It reflects my basic philosophy to remove the anxiety around food and to feel good about what I’m cooking and eating, making smart choices without depriving myself of delicious carbs or a splash of cream here and there. Tuning in to my body and paying close attention to how I feel after I eat have given me the freedom and flexibility to eat whatever I want, whenever I want. I know that eating lots of whole foods, like vegetables and lean proteins, gives me energy to keep up with my active lifestyle and makes me feel amazing, which is why I have mastered the art of making healthy food taste incredible. During the week I try to eat to feel my best—heavier on the veggies and those lean proteins—and on the weekends (or whenever the occasion calls for it) is when I’m more likely to be cooking up richer, more decadent dishes and stirring up cocktails with my friends.

You may notice that none of these recipes are geared toward any specific lifestyle or diet. They’re not Whole30, keto, or all gluten-free, etc. Those diets are great if they work for you. Many of the recipes in the book will work for those diets or are adaptable to be gluten-free and dairy-free, which I share in the headnotes, along with any adjustments needed to make them just as delicious. I’m here to help.

So, when I have a busy week and I need to be on my A game, I’m cooking from the Feel Good Food chapter, like Turmeric Ginger Grain Bowls with Lemon-Tahini Sauce

. When I’m finished with that busy week and I’m ready for the weekend, I’m getting cozy with a cheesy carb-heavy meal like Prosciutto and Parmesan Tagliatelle

, because it feeds my soul and makes me so happy. When Sunday rolls around and I’m craving fast food, you can bet I am making a Fried Chicken Sandwich with Special Sauce

, because it hits all the flavors I love but it’s not deep-fried, so I know I’ll be feeling great to start off my week on Monday. It’s all about paying close attention to what your body is telling you.

Maybe gluten gives you a headache, or maybe pasta gives you tons of fuel… I can’t tell you how food is going to make you feel because we are all unique, including the way our individual bodies process food. That’s what makes life so fun! So instead of trying to fit into your high school jeans by cutting out carbs, let’s toss the jeans and start boiling some water to make pasta, because life is about celebrating our changing bodies throughout our lifetime and enjoying our favorite foods along the way. Health isn’t just about being able to run a marathon or eating clean, it’s about living your life to the fullest. For me, that involves vegetables and cheese.

ABOUT THIS BOOK

I want you to have everything you need to make your cooking experience seamless, so I’ve included it up front in the book. Everything in this section leads you to the items every well-stocked kitchen needs, and I’ll show you examples that are kind on both your counter space and your wallet.

It starts with the Grocery Run

. These are foolproof tips for stocking your kitchen, a map to my forever shopping list, and a strategy for stocking your fridge, pantry, and freezer with items that you will use over and over. I’m not giving you recipes that rely on random spices or exotic, overpriced, or hard-to-find items that will collect dust in the graveyard section at the back of your pantry. These are things you’ll use so often that you’ll have them on auto-replenish!

Then there’s the Kitchen Essentials

section, which will help you get your gear on—and finally organize those cluttered kitchen drawers. A properly outfitted kitchen makes your life easier and gets you back to your guests quicker, so no bulky one-use gadgets allowed! I’ve come up with a tightly edited list of must-have items that will help you slice and dice your way through these recipes with ease.

I’ve also got you covered with some Quick Tips

, a collection of suggestions—I hate rules, but I promise if you follow them you’ll be off to the best start on this kitchen adventure. Think of it as the quick-start guide you consult when you get your new phone. Oh, and to pull it all together I threw in a playlist, because what’s cooking without a soundtrack? Scan the QR code below, or search Seriously, So Good on Spotify to listen.

About the Recipes

These recipes are the real deal. I’m sharing what I actually eat and cook every day. It’s what’s truly happening, what my day is all about, not invented for Instagram. Sometimes it’s craveable, quick, and clever, like Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Burst Cherry Tomatoes and Pesto

that’s ready in under thirty minutes. Sometimes it’s a dish