Every December, a group of neighborhood ladies
gather for a Christmas lunch at a local restaurant, a cozy, family-owned
Italian place. I love their Chicken Parmesan and that's what I ordered for
lunch when we were there last Wednesday. It wasn’t until my food was delivered
that I realized that, instead of ordering the sandwich, I ordered the dinner.
So, not only did I get a big piece of Chicken Parmesan, but I also got a
sizable salad, and an even more sizable side dish of broccoli. I ended up
bringing half of the salad and all of the broccoli home with me. The salad I
enjoyed the next day with a sandwich, the broccoli I turned into wonderful
little cheesy broccoli bites that work equally well as an appetizer or
vegetarian meal.
The idea struck me as I was paying my bill, looking at that big pile of broccoli that I was carefully dumping into one of those polystyrene containers. It just sounded so appealing to have broccoli, a couple of cheeses, hint of nutmeg, and some sort of filler, all rolled together and baked in the oven. As it turned out, I was right! These are delicious. They are also easy to make. I put everything together earlier in the day, and kept it in the fridge until I was ready to roll them into balls. I enjoyed them for dinner with a glass of wine. It probably wasn't the most balanced meal, but it sure was a tasty one.
If you have any difficulties at all getting members of your family to eat vegetables, this would be a very easy way to get them to do just that.
The idea struck me as I was paying my bill, looking at that big pile of broccoli that I was carefully dumping into one of those polystyrene containers. It just sounded so appealing to have broccoli, a couple of cheeses, hint of nutmeg, and some sort of filler, all rolled together and baked in the oven. As it turned out, I was right! These are delicious. They are also easy to make. I put everything together earlier in the day, and kept it in the fridge until I was ready to roll them into balls. I enjoyed them for dinner with a glass of wine. It probably wasn't the most balanced meal, but it sure was a tasty one.
If you have any difficulties at all getting members of your family to eat vegetables, this would be a very easy way to get them to do just that.
Cheesy Broccoli Bites
(A Doggy Bag Dinner Recipe)
1 cup
(packed) cooked broccoli, rough chopped
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 egg
½ cup
grated Parmesan
1/3 cup shredded
mozzarella
1 shallot,
minced
1 clove garlic, minced
Pinch of
freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 hefty tablespoon mayonnaise
Olive oil
spray
Preheat
oven to 375°F.
Blend all
of the ingredients together (except olive oil spray) until well combined. Using
a cookie scoop, scoop up quantities of the mixture and press them into tight
balls. Place them onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, spray with the olive oil
spray, and bake for 22-25 minutes. Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce.
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