Tag Archives: panko

Zucchini and Squash Gratin

22 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by in Easy, Entertaining, Side Dish, Vegetarian

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Zucchini and Squash Gratin

I didn’t grow up eating very many “gratins.” There were certain things that just weren’t in our usual repertoire, and there is nothing wrong with that – my mother knew what worked for her very particular children, and we stuck with it.

Spiralized Zucchini and Squash

Oh how times change. Now, I eat just about everything, and I now live close enough to my mom where we can try things that never really existed in our recipe box before. I still had the last of the zucchini and squash from our garden, and was ready to make a comforting, fall side dish. Continue reading →

Crispy. Fried. Goat Cheese.

04 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by in Appetizers, Entertaining, Events, Salad, Side Dish

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Goat Cheese is already so good on it’s own…I never thought it could possibly get better.

goat cheese

But it does.

goat cheese

In fried Cheese form.

goat cheese

It really tastes amazing on a salad (like this kale salad), and this way you can categorize your meal as “healthy.” But I won’t judge you if you choose to just eat these by themselves…with a big glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Or eat these for breakfast. I don’t care. Just make them. But please, don’t burn yourself while dropping the goat cheese discs in the hot olive oil, I pretty much burnt off my fingerprint since I got a little too excited. The things we learn while making delicious meals.

goat cheese

Recipe
Crispy Fried Goat Cheese

adapted from The Hungry Mouse

  • 16 oz. goat cheese log
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 2 tsp. dried parsley
  • 1 tsp. dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp. granulated garlic or garlic salt
  • 1/2 tsp. crushed black pepper
  • pinch of kosher salt
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup of flour (I used whole wheat flour)
  • olive oil

Yields about 8 pieces of fried goat cheese, depending on how thick you cut the cheese.

Directions

  1. Chill goat cheese in freezer for 15 minutes or until firm enough to slice without crumbling.
  2. While your cheese is chilling, put the panko in a medium-sized bowl. Add the parsley, thyme, garlic, pepper, and kosher salt. Stir to combine well.
  3. Crack the eggs in a bowl. Beat to scramble them. Line a sheet pan or plate with wax or parchment paper. Put the flour on a plate or in a shallow bowl. Now your dredging station is ready: panko mixture, flour, and eggs.
  4. Slice & bread the cheese. Grab your cheese out of the freezer. Slice it into 1/4 – 1/2-inch pieces. Use a sharp knife. Wipe the knife off with a warm, wet paper towel in between cuts. Your slice may crumble a little. If it does, just squish it into a rough round shape and keep going.
  5. Put the cheese in the flour. Flip it gently to coat on both sides.
  6. Drop the floured cheese into the beaten egg. Flip it gently to coat with egg on both sides.
  7. Lastly, put it into the seasoned panko breadcrumbs. Flip it to coat on both sides.
  8. Put it on your lined pan or plate.
  9. Repeat with the rest of the cheese. You could do this maybe an hour ahead of time and keep them in the fridge.
  10. Fry the cheese. Put a little olive oil in a nonstick pan. Use just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Set it on the stove over high heat. When the oil shimmers, you’re ready to fry.
  11. Grab one of your slices of breaded goat cheese. Set the cheese down gently in the hot oil. It should start to bubble around the edges immediately. Repeat with the rest of the cheese. Depending on the size of your pan and how many pieces you’re frying, you might need to fry in batches so you don’t crowd the pan. Do not crowd the pan…give the cheese room to fry!
  12. Keep an eye on your cheese…it cooks fast. When the cheese is brown on the bottom (this will happen very quickly), flip it over carefully with a spatula.
  13. When it’s brown on the second side, remove the cheese from the pan, and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. If you’re fying a lot of cheese, keep them warm in a 150 F oven.
  14. Serve and enjoy!

Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

16 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by in Bloggerific, Burgers, Grilling, Healthy, Main Dish, Uncategorized

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Let’s talk about these sweet potato burgers. When I first saw these online, I became SOOOO excited, and made them as soon as I could.

And I was super disappointed as soon as I ate mine. People kept telling me they were great and asking why I hated them so much.

And then I realized…

It was just one of those days where I really wanted a burger. A big, juicy, MEATY burger. The sweet/veggie thing wasn’t cutting it for me that day. Once I realized this, I concluded that these burgers are actually quite delicious.

If you are vegetarian, definitely try these! But for me, I think I prefer sweet potato fries with beefy burgers.

Recipe
Sweet Potato Burgers
Adapted from Healthy Happy Life

Ingredients:

  • 2 cans garbanzo beans, drained
  • 5 medium sweet potatoes, peeled/baked/mashed (about 2 cups)
  • 2 tsp maple or agave syrup
  • 1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/4 cup wheat flour
  • plentiful Panko crumbs
  • olive oil for pan
  • For burgers: avocado, hummus, English Muffins, arugula, olive oil, pepper

Peel sweet potatoes, cut into cubes/chunks, and then bake or microwave until softened. Pour drained beans into mixing bowl.

Mash beans and potato together. Mash in lemon-pepper seasoning, flour and agave. Your mixture will be quite soft and moist but you should be able to form a patty. Add more flour or a scoop of breadcrumbs to thicken the mixture if needed. If you want, add an egg or egg whites to the mixture to help form the patty.

Freeze patties to firm them up. Preheat your grill to medium. Once the patties are firm, grill ’em up until they are nice and browned.

Transfer cooked patties to plate. Cool for a few minutes. Serve on toasted bun with hummus, avocado and spinach. Makes 7-8 large patties.

*Note – you can make these in a pan with a little bit of olive oil, but I didn’t like them as much that way, they seemed a little more greasy. You can keep the patties in the freezer for a week or two and they will still grill up great.

Crunchy Coconut Chicken Fingers

13 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by in Chicken, Easy, Healthy, Main Dish, Weeknight Meals

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A good take on homemade chicken fingers…a nice play on coconut shrimp, if you will.

I used Pineapple Salsa from Costco that paired with these really well. Sweet Chili Sauce would also go great with the finished product.

Recipe

Crunchy Coconut Chicken Fingers

From The Deen Bros Take It Lighter

Ingredients:

1/2 cups flaked sweetened coconut, chopped
1/2 cup plain panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 pound chicken tenders, about 8 tenders
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites (I used whole eggs)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
Combine the coconut, breadcrumbs, flour, brown sugar, and curry powder on a piece of wax paper. Sprinkle the tenders with the salt. Beat the egg whites in a large bowl until frothy; add the chicken tenders and toss to coat. Lift the chicken from the egg whites one at a time, and coat with the coconut mixture, pressing so the coating adheres. Place the chicken in a single layer on the baking sheet. Spray both sides of the chicken with nonstick spray. Bake until lightly golden and crisp, about 15 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking time.