Broccoli-Chicken Braid, round 2

I decided to get creative tonight and make a Broccoli-Chicken Braid into single serving pastries. I used:

1 tube of Pillsbury "Big & Buttery" crescent rolls
1 cup chopped broccoli
2 Morningstar chikn patties
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mayo
less than one egg white
maybe a tablespoon of slivered almonds
I didn't have any dill or red peppers, but I don't like those much anyway so I was fine with that.

First I separated the crescent rolls and laid them on a cookie sheet. I mixed everything up and divided it into more-or-less even dollops at the big end of each crescent roll. I folded up the corners, brushed with egg whites, and sprinkled with almonds. They baked for 20 minutes at 375.

Success!

Next time, I would do it with more broccoli, less chikn, less mayo, and a shorter cooking time - maybe 15-18 minutes. The extra-large crescent rolls definitely helped.

Zucchini Crab Cakes

I have two versions of this, one is Bettie's and one is my mom's. Both are basically zucchini shaped into a platform for transporting Old Bay to your mouth. Here are the ingredient lists exactly as written.

Grandma's ingredients:
2 eggs
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 T mayo
2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
flour
vegetable oil

Mom's ingredients:
2 1/2 cups zucchini (grated, salted & squeezed)
1 egg
2 T melted butter
1 1/8 c dry bread crumbs
1/4 c minced onion
2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
flour
vegetable oil

Combine everything except flour and oil. Form into 6 patties. Coat with flour and fry in oil.
Formed patties can be frozen before cooking.

Taco Bake

1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 c shredded lettuce
1 1/2 c chopped tomatoes
1 3/4 all-purpose flour
1 package quick-rise or dry yeast
1 T sugar
2 t finely chopped onion
3/4 t salt
1/3 c warm water (120-130F)
2 T oil
1/2 c crushed corn chips
 Mexican Beans (replaces 1 lb taco-seasoned ground beef)

Preheat oven to 375F. In medium bowl, combine 1 cup flour, yeast, sugar, onion, and salt. Mix well. Add warm water and oil. Mix by hand until almost smooth. Stir in corn chips and enough remaining flour to make a stiff batter. Spread in well-greased 10-inch pie dish, forming a ridge around the edge. Cover, let rise in a warm place 10 minutes for quick-rise yeast or 20 minutes for active dry yeast. Spread beans over dough. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until edges of dough are crisp and light golden brown. Sprinkle with cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. Serve immediately.

Vegan Sloppy Joes

1/2 lb firm tofu
1 T oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped (optional)
1/4 t garlic powder or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 t salt
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t basil
1 c tomato sauce
2 or 3 English muffins


Mash tofu to crumbly, drain if needed. Sauté onion, pepper, and garlic in oil for 2-3 minutes. Add tofu, salt, and herbs and stir for a few minutes until most of the moisture from the tofu has evaporated. Add tomato sauce, mix and simmer on medium low until veggies are tender, stirring occasionally. Split and toast English muffins, cover each slice with Sloppy Joe. Optional: top with mozzarella or parmesan and broil to toast cheese.

Broccoli-Chicken Braid

A recipe from from a Pampered Chef catalog that converted to vegetarian quite nicely. It was our main dish for Thanksgiving yesterday.

img via: taste of home

3 Morningstar Farms soy chik patties, cooked and chopped
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 t dried dill weed
2 8-oz. packages refrigerated crescent rolls
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 T slivered almonds

In a large bowl, combine: chik patties, broccoli, bell pepper, cheese, garlic, mayonnaise, and dill weed. Open the crescent rolls but do not separate. Arrange the dough on a cookie sheet and press to seal the perforations. You will end up with one large rectangle of crescent dough. Every 1.5" on the long sides, make a cut going 3" in from each edge. Spread the filling evenly over the center of the dough. To braid, bring each strip to center, giving it a half-turn. Tuck ends together and brush dough with egg whites. Sprinkle with almond slivers. Bake for 25-28 minutes at 375 degrees.

Sunburgers

Sunburgers are one of these hippie foods that my parents have had around forever but we don't make much anymore, with soy products being much easier to find and cook. There's a fair amount of prep time involved to chop all the veggies and form the patties, but I remember them being pretty good, so make it if you have the time sometime.

1/2 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 T finely chopped onion
1 T finely chopped parsley
1 T finely chopped green pepper
1 egg, beaten
1 T oil
1/4 cup V8 juice
1 cup ground sunflower seeds
2 T wheat germ
1/2 t salt
1/2 t basil

Combine all ingredients. Divide and shape dough into patties (6-8). Arrange patties on a greased cookie sheet or baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes on each side.

Makes 8. Aprox 125 calories, 11 grams fat each.