Broccoli and Mushroom Roll-ups

Any buttery flaky pastry gets infinitely better with a creamy filling in the center - be it something sweet like nutella, pastry cream; or savory like spinach & ricotta cheese. With pre-made pastry dough, delicious appetizer roll-ups can be whipped up in a snap! This time I used broccoli and mushrooms for the filling, and gave it a creamy component by mixing in some cream cheese. While broccoli and mushrooms are some of my favorite ingredients, you can follow the same steps with any other vegetables of your choice, ensuring that you’ve cooked out most of the moisture so it won’t leave the pastry soggy.

Ingredients: (Makes 8 pieces)

1 cup chopped broccoli florets

4 oz chopped mushrooms (~1.5 cups)

½ small onion - chopped

2 cloves of garlic - minced

1 tsp oil

Salt, black pepper to taste

2 oz cream cheese - can use low fat

1 tube of Crescent rolls (8 pieces) - can use reduced fat

Filling:

Heat oil over medium-high, add onions and garlic and saute for a minute. Add mushrooms and reduce them to about half, stirring occasionally. Add broccoli, season with salt & pepper, and saute for another minute. Turn the heat to low, add cream cheese and mix well. Take the pan off the heat once completely combined.

Assembly:

Preheat oven to 375 F (or as per package directions for the pastry).

Roll out the Crescent dough and gently tear apart each triangle. Add about a Tbsp of the filling at the wide edge and roll towards the other end. Press down on the seam to seal it.

Place the roll-ups on a greased baking sheet (or lined with parchment paper), and bake in preheated oven for ~12-15 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm.

~Gayatri

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Spinach Pie Roll-Ups

Several months ago, Gayatri and I cooked up one of our elaborate multi-course dinners. This one had a Mediterranean flair, with eggplant fanned and stuffed with a savory tomato-feta sauce, and baklava ice cream for dessert. For an appetizer, we put our own spin on the traditional spanakopita and served these delightful mini-spinach pies. Using pre-made dough, prep and assembly were super easy - and eating them was even easier! This is a delicious, appropriately hued dish to accompany any shamrock-related shenanigans today - happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Ingredients: (makes 16 mini pies)

~1 cup chopped spinach (fresh, or frozen that has been thawed and drained)

~1 cup ricotta cheese

~¼ cup feta cheese

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 TBSP chopped onion (fresh or dried)

ground pepper, paprika to taste

2 cans crescent rolls

salt to taste (optional)

cooking oil

Heat oven to 375°F.

In a pan over medium heat, sauté spinach, garlic, and onion in a little oil until the onions are soft. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the ricotta and feta cheeses, stirring to break down any lumps until the mixture is smooth. Season with ground black pepper and paprika to taste. Remove from heat and let it cool 5-10 minutes.

While the spinach-cheese mixture is cooling, roll out the crescent roll dough and separate each wedge. Spoon about 1-2 tablespoons of spinach mixture onto the wide end of each wedge, then roll it up starting with the wide edge and pinch the end shut.

 

Arrange on a baking sheet, leaving at least an inch of space (they will puff up a little bit). Bake at 375°F for 10-12 minutes until the edges have a nice golden-brown color. Serve warm and enjoy!

~Karla

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Happy St. Patrick's Day! Here's a gratifyingly green snack to kick off your festivities!http://cooksofcakeandkindness.blogspot.com/2016/03/spinach-pie-roll-ups.html

Posted by The Cooks of Cake and Kindness on Thursday, March 17, 2016