Baked Brown Rice Broccoli Cheddar Bites

So my son has discovered carbs.  He loves all thing pasta, crackers, and rice.  He loves them SO much that he will sometimes forget everything else on his plate and sweetly say "MOMMA I MORE RICE! PEEEAAAASEE!"  So in my ongoing mission to try to get him to eat his veggies, I started googling ways incorporate greens into his carbo-licious tastes.  Lo and behold, I discovered Rice Balls- aka Arincini.
This recipe makes scrumptious cheesy bites loaded with healthy broccoli,  encased in brown rice, and rolled in yummy crunchy bread crumbs!  The best is that he now can PICK UP his own rice and eat it, instead of me having to find tiny grains of rice all over everything!

Ingredients

1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon powdered garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups steamed broccoli
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Mix Panko, oregano, basil, garlic, and salt on a plate

2. Steam broccoli until fork tender

3. Place steamed broccoli, 1 egg, and chopped garlic in food processor.  Blend until smooth

4. Combine broccoli mixture, brown rice, and shredded cheddar cheese into a bowl.

Mix until well incorporated

5. Take spoonfuls of rice/broccoli mixture and form balls.  Roll into Panko mixture, and place on greased baking sheet

6. Cook at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Finish on  broil for 2-3 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden brown.

And there you have it.  Brown Rice and Broccoli that you can pick up and pop in your mouth! YUM!

Freeze the left overs and reheat in toaster oven or oven.  

Kale Parmesan Quinoa Patties

With all the buzz about Gluten allergies, Quinoa has had quite a spotlight lately-and for good reason too!  Quinoa is actually a seed, not a grain, and it is gluten free.  Quinoa is cholesterol free, high in protein, and is a great source of iron, fiber, and magnesium.  When you add in dark leafy kale, onion, and a little Parmesan cheese, these patties become a super nutritious and tasty item you can be proud to serve your family!

Ingredients

2 Cups low sodium chicken stock

1 cup Quinoa

2 large handfuls of Kale 

½ yellow or white onion, diced

4 eggs

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs (or substitute gluten free breadcrumbs to make completely GF)

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese

Directions

In a saucepan, bring 2 cups chicken stock to a boil.  Stir in 1 cup Quinoa- (I use Ancient Harvest since its already pre-washed and ready to go)
Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and let cook until quinoa is light and fluffy. (You will see the “kernel” edge of the quinoa turn opaque) Let cool

Roughly chop kale and dice half an onion and sauté until softened. Let cool.

In large bowl, combine cooled quinoa, cooled Kale/ onion mixture and all other ingredients. Mix together until well combined

Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan on medium high heat.
Form palm size patties and place in skillet

Cook for about 5 minutes on each side, or until patties are browned

Will make 12-14 delicious patties to serve all week!

*Source http://vegetarian.about.com/od/healthnutrition/qt/Quinoa-Nutrition-Facts.htm

Spinach Potato Pancakes

I obsess over how I can get dark leafy greens into my son's little belly.  I put spinach into everything I can possibly think of- eggs, pasta, rice, etc.  When I saw a recipe for a potato pancake, I thought PERFECT!!  I am gonna lace those bad boys with that magic leafy green veggie and make the most delicious little hashbrown patties ever!  I have to  tell you- these are SO easy and so yummy!  I make them once a week, and everyone loves them!


Ingredients

1/2 a medium white onion, diced

1/ 2 bag of Simply Potatoes shredded hashbrown potatoes- I like the O'brien flavor or the Garlic and Herb flavor

1 box frozen organic spinach- (I use organic as spinach is one of the "dirty dozen")

¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese

¼ panko bread crumbs

2 eggs

½ teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Dice onion 

2. Squeeze out any excess liquid from the spinach- using a thick paper towel helps

3. Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix together

4. Make palm sizes patties and place on greased cookie sheet

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 min, or until slightly browned
For some extra deliciousness, sprinkle a little more parmesan cheese on top of each patty, then broil on low for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly browned.

Let cool, store in fridge

Will make 12-14 patties to serve all week!

Turkey Burgers

Ground turkey is a fantastic source of lean protein, but can often be dry and taste like cardboard (and I hate the taste of cardboard, let alone my toddler). However, these Turkey burgers are full of delicious flavor and laced with some leafy greens for an extra added nutritious bonus! Your whole family will gobble them up! (no pun intended Lol)


Ingredients

1 lb Gound Turkey
1 Egg
1/4 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
1 Tablespoon Chopped Garlic
1/4 Cup Diced Onion
1/4 cup shredded parmesan
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon died oregano
Large Handful of Arugula or Kale or Spinach, Chopped



Directions

Dice onion and Chop Arugula

Mix all ingredients into bowl until well combined

Put about a tablespoon of oil in pan at a medium high heat.  Form into palm sized patties and place into heated pan.  

Cook for about 4-5 minutes, until browned on one side and then flip. Cook for a few more minutes until patties are cooked all the way through.

Cut into small pieces for your little one, or put into yummy toasted burger buns for the whole family!  These patties also freeze well, so you can make them ahead of time and just pop them into the microwave to serve later!

Baked Panko Parmesan Crusted Chicken Fingers

This is a great way do the ever popular chicken tenders in a healthy way! They turn out crispy and delicious, and you can make a bunch and freeze left overs so you have a great quick meal to heat up later.   

Ingredients

1 Package Chicken Tenderloins

1 large egg

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

1 tblspn dried basil

1 tblspn dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup shredded parmasean

½ tsp salt

Directions

Beat egg in bowl  and set aside

Mix dry ingredients together on a plate until well combined

Dip chicken tenders into egg, letting excess drip off a bit

Place chicken strips in panko/parmesan mixture, coating both sides well.

Place on greased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees about 20 min or until golden brown. Finish by putting under low broil for 1-2 min.