Baked Cheesy Broccoli Fritters

I had a difficult time deciding what to label this recipe as. Can you call a food a fritter if it hasn't been fried? I say you can. These baked cheesy broccoli fritters are delicious and can be used in so many different ways. I love eating them on their own, dipped in marinara, over rice, over pasta, mixed in with veggies, and you get the picture.

These fritters come together easily with fresh broccoli florets, parmesan cheese, eggs, minced garlic, and breadcrumbs to hold it all together. Even better, they crisp up nicely when baked in the oven without all of the extra calories and fats from frying oil.

I like to make a big batch of these and spend the week eating them in all of their glorious fashions. As a kid who avoided all green foods for a majority of my life, this is a major endorsement. These are a permanent addition to my recipe book.

Ingredients 

2 bunches of fresh broccoli (or a 16ounce bag of frozen)

1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs (I prefer to use Italian)

3 large eggs

1 handful of shredded parmesan cheese

1tbsp minced garlic

2tsp salt

2tsp black pepper

1tbsp garlic powder

2tsp onion powder

Preheat your oven to 400°

If you are using fresh broccoli, rinse the broccoli well and remove the stems. Cut the broccoli into bite sized pieces. 

If you have a steamer, place the broccoli in and allow it to steam. If you are using frozen broccoli, prepare it according to the directions on the package and drain it well.

If you do not have a steamer, fill a large pan or pot with 1/4 cup of water and bring it to boil. When the water boils, place your broccoli in the pan, cover it with a lid and allow it to steam for 4 minutes.

If a microwave better suits your needs for steaming, WikiHow has a great article on how to steam broccoli without a steamer.

Set the broccoli aside and allow it to cool for a few minutes. After it has cooled, place the broccoli in a food processor or a blender in batches and chop until you have fine pieces.

In a large bowl, mix the chopped broccoli with the rest of the ingredients. As you mix the ingredients they should begin to hold in a dough-like consistency. If your mix isn't holding, add 1 more egg and 1/4 of breadcrumbs. You should be able to fold the mixture into a patty that holds its shape.

Create broccoli patties from the mixture and place them on a lightly greased non-stick pan. Arrange the patties on the pan 1"-2" apart until you have used all of the mixture. The thickness of the patties is left open to your preference. I like mine on the thin side because they crisp up better. If you are making thicker patties, add 2minutes baking time to each side.

Place your baking pans into the oven and allow them to cook for 30minutes, flipping the patties halfway through. Flipping the patties halfway through allows both sides to crisp up and bakes the fritters through evenly.

Place your baked cheesy broccoli fritters on a plate and enjoy. I love adding a light coating of marinara sauce to bring out the flavor of the Italian breadcrumbs. These fritters will last well in the fridge for 4-5 days. Freezing them is not recommended.

Skillet Lasagna

A classmate brought pasta for lunch the other day and my plans for turkey burgers flew right out the window. I had to have pasta. Not just any pasta; I wanted lasagna. But, as many of you cooking for one know, lasagna is a big dish for one person. A traditional lasagna can be time intensive and lead to a months worth of left overs that you have no desire to eat. 

Skillet lasagna was my salvation. I turn to this recipe again and again when I want all of those classic Italian flavors with half of the work. Easily prepared in one or two pots, skillet lasagna is the perfect dish to throw together on a busy weeknight.

Ingredients

1 bag of cheese raviolis (12-14 ounces)

1 bunch of fresh spinach (chopped)

1/2 lb. ground turkey

1 1/2 cups of marinara sauce

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup shredded cheese (Italian blend or mozzarella)

3 tbsp. tea seed oil (olive oil)

1 tsp. minced garlic

2 tsp. garlic powder (divided)

salt and pepper to taste

I prefer to start with sauteing the spinach. Usually I use olive oil to prepare my skillet, but I chose to use the Arette Tea Seed Oil that I received in my February Hatchery box. Tea seed oil is an extra virgin oil derived from tea seeds used mostly in the southern provinces of China for salad dressings, sauteing, and in stir-fry. I used the entire bottle (about 3 tbsp) to prepare my pan.

Put your burner on medium-heat and add the fresh spinach to the oil. As the spinach begins to cook down, add the minced garlic and garlic powder to the leaves and mix them well. Place the lid on the pan and allow the spinach to cook down. Make sure you stir the leaves occasionally. After 3-5 minutes, remove the spinach from the skillet and set it aside for later.

On a separate burner, place a pot of water to boil. Add a dash of salt to the water as it heats.

Place the skillet you cooked the spinach in back on the stove and add the ground turkey. Break up the turkey as you place it in the skillet and then use a wooden spoon or spatula to occasionally stir and flip the meat.  

As your turkey begins to brown, add a liberal dash of salt and pepper to the meat.

When the water begins to boil, add your raviolis to the pot and cook them according to the instructions on the package.

In a separate pot (or with the turkey) combine 1/2 cups of marinara sauce with 1 cup of chicken broth and place it on medium heat. If you combine the sauce with the ground turkey at this step, make sure you stir well.

When the ravioli has finished boiling, drain the excess water and return the ravioli to the skillet with the ground turkey. Next, add the spinach back to the skillet.

Add your chosen cheese to the skillet and stir all of the ingredients. After you've stirred everything together, top it with your sauce and stir again.

Turn down the head to low or simmer and allow the dish to cook for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. After 5 minutes, remove the skillet from the heat, serve in a bowl, and enjoy!

Personally, this serving size creates 4 medium sized meals. This dish stores well in the refrigerator for 48-72 hours. It also freezes well.

Loaded Potato Egg Rolls

This past Monday, a couple of my classmates and I decided to have a potluck dinner. I love getting together with classmates and having fun outside of school, but a potluck dinner is work. There are so many questions to ask yourself:

What do I bring?

Do I stick with a standard or try something new?

How much food do I need?

Can everyone else cook?

What will everyone like?

Food allergies?

The list goes on and on. I never know if I should go all out or pick up a bag of chips and call it a day. However, being in a program with 30 other people means we know each other pretty well, so I felt pretty comfortable in my decision to try out a new recipe. I also had the added advantage of knowing that the main dish was going to be BBQ Chicken. I browsed through a few cookbooks and scrolled through my Pinterest recipe page before deciding to try loaded potato egg rolls.

Ingredients:

4 cups of garlic mashed potatoes

10 sticks of Monterrey Jack string cheese

1 pack of egg roll wrappers - 20 sheets

(Egg roll wrappers are usually in the produce section)

Cooking spray or Olive Oil

There are many options for how to prepare your mashed potatoes for this recipe. I chose to used packaged mashed potatoes because of my schedule on Mondays. If you have the time and desire to make your own garlic mashed potatoes, I highly suggest The Pioneer Woman's recipe for Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes because they are heavenly. You will need about 4 cups of potatoes to fill your wrappers.

Preheat the oven to 425°F

Unwrap 10 sticks of string cheese and cut them in half. The cheese will melt and infuse with your potatoes while cooking and the half stick will minimize the leakage from the wrappers.

Lay down an egg roll wrapper on a dry surface and place 3 tablespoons of potatoes into the center of the wrapper. I prefer to orient the wrapper as a diamond to make the wrapping easier.

Place the half stick of cheese directly in the middle of the potatoes and then cover it up so that the cheese is hidden in the center. Try to ensure that the cheese is completely covered as this too will help to minimize leakage from the wrapper.

The back of your egg roll wrapper package should have a visual diagram for how to wrap an egg roll. I prefer to fold in two corner until they nearly meet in the center. I then begin rolling tightly from one side until just a small corner is sticking out from underneath the egg roll. At this point, apply a small dab of water to the corner and finish wrapping, pressing down firmly to ensure that it all sticks together.

Before baking, cover all of your egg rolls in a light layer of cooking spray or olive oil. This will help achieve a golden brown exterior. Place the egg rolls in the oven and cook them for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, rotate the egg rolls and place them back in the oven for another 5-8 minutes or until the outside has reached your preferred level of crisp.

These went over great at the potluck. Everyone said that it was a great delivery system for mashed potatoes and that they would be trying it out at their next dinner party. 

Cheesy Potatoes

Oh the weather outside if frightful

But the Netflix fire is so delightful

And since I’ve got no place to go

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

And snow it will. I moved to the South to avoid the reality of winter, but recently North Carolina has been looking a lot more like Philadelphia with its week of snow of ice.

Maybe it’s the Irish in me but when the winter weather rears its ugly head, I turn to the warmth of potatoes for comfort. Cheesy potatoes to be specific. My mom still laughs at how long it took me to figure out that Au Gratin meant cheese and I still feel a little bit of despair at how many years I missed out on this amazing combination of potatoes and cheese.

I usually make cheesy potatoes in a crock put using this recipe from the Sunshine Mom, but today I’m craving the crispy, almost burnt, top layer, which can only be achieved in the oven.

Ingredients Needed:

3 large russet potatoes

8oz shredded cheese (I used Monterrey Jack)

3 tbsp. butter

3 tbsp. flour

1-½ cups of milk

1 tsp. salt

Garlic salt to taste

Pepper to taste

The first step is to clean and peel your potatoes. Yes, I clean them even though I'm going to peel the skin off because now I don't have to be particular about getting 100% of the skin off. I used my knife to peel these potatoes, but if you have a potato peeler it will cut down on prep time.

Preheat your oven to 350°

Slice 'em up. If you're using a knife to slice your potatoes, pay close attention to maintaining an even thickness. I prefer my potatoes thin so I try to keep my slice around a 1/4" thick. I keep telling myself that I'm going to get around to replacing my mandolin slicer, but until that day comes a sharp knife will suffice.

The next step is the hardest one in my opinion. It's time to make the ever elusive roux. Place a medium to large sized pot on medium heat and melt the butter until it begins to bubble. When the butter bubbles add in the flour and salt and whisk continuously. Continue whisking the roux until it becomes a dark yellow/light brown color. When your roux begins to brown, add in the milk and cheese and stir. Allow the sauce the cook until the cheese in completely melted and begins to boil. You can move onto the next step, but keep an eye on your sauce and make sure to stir occasionally. 

In a deep casserole dish or baking pan, begin to layer the potatoes. Lay down one layer of potatoes and then add garlic salt and pepper to taste. You can choose to use sea salt in place of the garlic salt. Repeat layers until you've used all of your potatoes.

Now that your cheese sauce is finished and delicious, pour it over the potatoes, making sure to cover the dish evenly.

Place your potatoes in the oven and allow them to cook for 1 hour. As I mentioned, I prefer a nice crispy top to my potatoes, so I switch the oven to the broiler and cook the dish for another 3-5 minutes to get a nice burnt top.

Grab a spoon or a fork and enjoy. If you want to spice up your dish I recommend adding some Andouille Sausage to add a punch and a protein.

-The Garlic Graduate