Food Friday - It's Easy Eating Green!

from Tracey G.

I'll be honest - it's been one of those weeks, lol. Being out of town last weekend, and not home until Monday really threw me off. I was a day behind from the start! Tuesday felt like Monday and so forth. And before I knew it Kris was asking what we wanted to do  - I thought she had a fabulous idea, could I work with it? I of course said sure because I knew I could, with what, I'd no idea, but I knew something would come to me, lol. And then it struck me that since a veggie was the superstar in her recipe, I'd use one too - and try to stay with the same color. It gave me a parameter to work within as it seems like lately I've needed that sort of structure. All the things going on with Harry  have sapped my brain of its creative spark, lol. So, yes, I could do a veg and ok, it has to be green. I can work with that! I have some definite things to focus on, no real thought required - if it's a vegetable and green, it's perfect! :-D LOL

It wasn't too much after that I remembered a broccoli dish my mom used to make, wonderfully easy and really yummy. Another thing Kris and I share, broccoli is a favorite! This recipe I imagine is really kid-friendly since it involves a cheesy topping on the broccoli, lol. Not that it mattered to me, even as a kid, I loved broccoli and I really ate just about any and all vegetables. I still can't do okra, and I know I've mentioned that before, and I don't ever see that changing, lol. But that's ok - there's so many other vegetables to choose from, I'm sure I don't even miss it. ;-)

I really don't know where my mom ever got this recipe, I just remember her making it, I can't say I remember the first time even, just seems like it'd always been in her repertoire, lol. And it always struck me as odd that there's no salt and/or pepper involved, and yet once it's cooked it doesn't need it. I imagine the natural saltiness of the cheddar covers the salt base, lol. ;-)

The green superstar - broccoli. Frozen broccoli at that! That makes this a great any time of year side dish, since frozen broccoli is always good! And you can use either florets (as I did) or just the usual broccoli cuts, which I've also done a time or two.

The cheeses are simply shredded cheddar and cottage...

...mixed in a bowl with one egg and 3 tablespoons of flour. 

Cook the broccoli according to the package directions and place it in a 9x13 pan. For my batch, since I'm the only one it seems who likes broccoli, I downsized the recipe to work in an 7x11" pan, which amounted to: 1.5 packages broccoli, 1.5 cups cottage cheese, 1.5 cups shredded cheddar. I stuck with the whole egg and 3 tbsp flour as the recipe calls for though. ;-)

Once you have the cheese mixture ready and the broccoli in the pan, you spread the cheese mixture evenly over the top.

Then you bake it for about 20-30 minutes in a 350° F oven. For some reason my batch took longer to get to where I wanted it, so I would say past the 30 minute mark it's "to taste" once it's set. I like the edges of the cheese topping a bit browned and crispy, lol. ;-)

That's all there is to it. I let it stand for a bit when it comes out of the oven, then serve.

Here's the recipe:

Cheese Broccoli

3 packages frozen broccoli, cooked and drained (there is not any designation on what exact size package of broccoli to use, I just use the "basic" size sold in my grocery store, which I think ranges from 10-14 ounces, and the package sizes I used today were 14oz)

2 c cottage cheese

2 c shredded cheddar cheese

1 egg

3 tbsp flour.

Mix cheeses, flour and egg in a bowl. Put broccoli in a 9x13" pan. Spread cheese mixture evenly over the top of broccoli. Bake 20-30 minutes at 350° F.

from Kris B.

This week's recipe was a favorite of my oldest when she was little.  I am thankful that my kids have always been fairly healthy eaters so getting them to eat vegetables has never been a problem.  I haven't made "green hash browns" in a long time, but with the warm weather produce starting to make its way to the farmer's markets and grocery store it seemed a good thing to have this week.  Bring on the zucchini!

I originally started making these as a side dish, but when Offspring #1 became a vegetarian, we would eat them as a meal unto themselves, kind of like zucchini pancakes.  That is how Weber and I ate this batch.  LOL!  The kid that inspired "green hash browns" was working the night that I made them so didn't get to indulge with us.  Looking back, that was probably poor planning on my part.  I did have some extra zucchini and these are easy to make.  And, she is now a grown-up and can maker her own dinner:-)

"Green Hash Browns" require a few fresh items - zucchini, onion, garlic, eggs, and Parmesan cheese - and a a few basic pantry items - flour, salt, pepper, and olive oil.

The first step is to grate the zucchini.  I have "a thing" for my box grater, so I usually grate by hand, but if your "thing" is for your food processor, by all means grate away that way.

This next part is the most important step!  Once the zucchini is grated, place it in a colander.  Mix in the salt. 

 Place the colander over the sink and let the zucchini and salt mixture sit for about ten minutes. This releases the moisture in the zucchini.  After ten minutes, place the zucchini in cheese cloth or a tea towel and squeeze out as much liquid as you can.  When you do this, what looked like a massive amount of shredded zucchini suddenly looks like a whole lot less.  Removing the excess liquid will make the "hash browns" crisp when they cook.  

INGREDIENTS

5 medium zucchini, grated (You should end up with 2-2 1/2 cups of zucchini once the excess liquid has been squeezed out.)

1 tsp salt

1/2 Cup flour

2 lightly beaten eggs

1/2 grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 diced onion

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Black pepper to taste

Olive oil for cooking

Prepare the zucchini as directed above.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, eggs, cheese, onion, garlic, and seasoning.  Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet.  Drop the zucchini mixture by large spoonfuls into the hot oil.  Flatten into a patty using a spatula.  Cook until the bottom is golden brown and then flip the patty to cook the other side. Cooking time is 2-3 minutes on each side depending on the moisture levels of the mixture. 

Serve immediately.  A dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of green onion on the top make a tasty final touch for these "green hash browns."

Oh, and because I am fascinated with photographing whisks, I leave you with this.

At least it's a whisk in its natural habitat!

Also, don't forget to leave us a comment at the end of this post so that you will have a chance to win the gift basket that we are giving away.  I wish that I could tell you what's in it, but I can't.  Not because I am mean and like secrets, but because my daughter is meaan and likes secrets.  Just kidding!  If you have no idea what I am talking about, scroll back and read the most recent Tuesday in Texas post.  It should clear everything up for you!