by Michelle on May 15, 2013
I am thankful in so many ways for my delightful little boy and the fact that he is an excellent eater is no exception. This kid loves food, which makes my heart swell with pride. But despite the fact that he eats pretty much what we eat, I do find that it’s much easier to get him to choke down a vegetable if it’s “disguised” as something else. He’ll eat kale if it’s part of a pesto topped pizza (or pizz, as he calls it) or peas if they’re tossed in with pasta, but often times if I serve him a veggie straight up it either ends up on the floor or remains untouched on his plate. This has happened several times with broccoli (unless, of course, it’s on pizza).
I started thinking about ways I could get Charlie to eat broccoli and I had seen various mentions of making little fritters or nuggets out of it. Since he loves meatballs, the veggie kind included, I decided to concoct a version of broccoli “meatballs” using ingredients I had on hand. I am happy to say they were a success (for all members of the family). The only addition I might make would be to add a clove of fresh garlic. I left it out because I didn’t want the flavor to put Charlie off, but if adults are eating them, go for it. These are super easy to make and will freeze and reheat well. What more could you ask for in a toddler meal?
Broccoli Cheese “Meatballs”
Makes 12-13 “meatballs”
1 16 ounce bag of organic frozen broccoli florets (you can also use one head of fresh broccoli)
1 cup Italian style breadcrumb
1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup parmigiano, grated
3 eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Steam the broccoli until just cooked through. Let cool, then roughly chop. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Form into small balls and place on a baking sheet. Bakes 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.
This post is part of Food Network’s Sensational Sides series. For more ideas on how to cook with cheese, check out the blogs below:
Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Fresh Tomato Burrata Cheese Pesto Dip
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Roasted Asparagus With Balsamic Vinegar and Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese
Red or Green: Grilled Vegetable and Cheese Quesadillas
Feed Me Phoebe: Skillet Lasagna With Zucchini, Arugula and Fontina Cheese
Cooking With Elise: Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas
Weelicious: Cheesy Corn on the Cob
Domesticate Me: Seared Scallops With Spring Vegetables
Devour: Cheese-Filled Summer Side Dishes
The Heritage Cook: Creamy and Cheesy Potato Casserole (Gluten-Free)
Dishin & Dishes: Baked Squash Casserole
The Sensitive Epicure: Frico: Parmesan Cheese Crackers
Virtually Homemade: Easy Cheesy Enchilada (Gluten-Free)
FN Dish: Cheesy Spring Sides
by Michelle on May 8, 2013
First, apologies on falling off the blogging map for the last couple of weeks. I caught a nasty throat infection that had me down for the count—and then I needed to play catch up on all of the things I was supposed to be doing while I was lying on the couch. I’ve been keeping our meals simple of late—lots of greens, grilling etc.—and when I saw that the Food Network’s assignment for this week was a salad, I knew exactly what I would contribute.
Salad has always been one of my favorite side dishes (except for the first trimester of my pregnancy when I could barely look at lettuce) and part of the reason is because it really takes very little effort for a huge flavor pay off. One of my PR contacts sent me a couple of bottles of grapeseed oil to try and it’s become my new obsession for salad dressing. It’s light in taste and high in vitamins C and E—and it’s good for your skin, thanks to its high omega-6 content. I really love it, especially when paired with a really great aged balsamic vinegar.
In any case, grapeseed oil has become my new go to dressing, and this simple salad is always a crowd pleaser. I add everything by taste and this combination of ingredients is truly delicious. My dinner guests frequently ask me what I put in my salads, so here are my favorites. Try this at your next party, or even for dinner tonight, and tell me what you think.
Mixed Greens With Grapeseed Oil and Balsamic
One bunch or clamshell of mixed greens or baby lettuces
Roasted red peppers, sliced
Hearts of palm, sliced into round coins
Red onion, thinly sliced
Kalamata olives, chopped
Crumbled feta
Capers
Slivered almonds
Grapeseed oil
Aged balsamic vinegar
Combine all ingredients in a large salad bowl. Add oil and vinegar and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
This post is part of Food Network’s Sensational Sides series. For more delicious salad options, check out the blogs below:
Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Mexican Chopped Salad With Lime Cilantro Dressing
Feed Me Phoebe: Grilled Chicken Paillard With Chopped Nicoise Salad
Cooking With Elise: Garden Spring Rolls
The Cultural Dish: Arugula Salad With Beets and Goat Cheese
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Mixed Greens Salad With Shrimp and Oranges
Red or Green?: Spring Salad Greens With Spicy Chiocciole Pasta and Pine Nuts
The Sensitive Epicure: Green on Green Chopped Salad
Weelicious: Southwestern Salad
FN Dish: Vivacious Pasta Salad Sides
by Michelle on April 17, 2013
I love a good pesto and I rarely limit myself to just the basil variety, since basil is really best during the summer months. As readers of this blog know, I’ve made pesto out of many different kinds of greens. When I saw that this week’s Food Network challenge was to feature a no-cook recipe, pesto came to mind. And since we’ve been eating a lot of Swiss chard lately (how did I not know how good this stuff was until now???) I wanted to try making it into a pesto.
Now I used my pesto over pasta, which technically isn’t no-cook, but you could easily use this as a dip or a spread for crostini. Johnny often sops up any trace of pesto that’s left in the food processor with a piece of bread. I actually wrote down the ingredients as I was making this pesto (normally I just keep adding stuff in to taste) but use this as a basis. If you like your pesto with more garlic or lemon or salt, add away. I had some frozen basil in the fridge so I added that in too for extra flavor. Definitely make this recipe. It’s another way to get greens into your diet. Oh and it’s delicious!
Swiss Chard Pesto
1 bunch of Swiss chard, stemmed and chopped
Juice of one lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup Parmigiano, grated
2 garlic cloves
A handful of basil (frozen is fine)
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until desired consistency, adding more olive oil as necessary.
Note: I served my pesto with farfalle pasta, fresh mozzarella, chicken* and roasted red peppers
*More to come on this later
This post is part of Food Network’s Sensational Sides series. For more no-cook recipes, check out the blogs below:
Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Mixed Fish Poke Tower
Feed Me Phoebe: Smoked Tofu Summer Rolls
The Lemon Bowl: Asian Cabbage Slaw With Mint and Scallions
The Cultural Dish: Caprese Salad
Cooking With Elise: Good for You Guacamole
Dishin & Dishes: Chicken Salad With Dried Cherries and Walnuts
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Cilantro, Ginger and Garlic Dip
Red or Green?: Avocado and Three Chile Salsa
Weelicious: Avocado Honey Dip
Devour: No-Cook Kale Salad Recipes
Domesticate Me: Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower
The Sensitive Epicure: No-Cook Vietnamese Spring Rolls
FN Dish: Go Raw With Shaved Salads
