I'll be honest. I want your email address. I promise not to do anything weird with it! I'll even send you a copy of my e-book
Saturated Fat *IS* Healthy!
Food Renegade
challenging politically correct nutrition
by Kristen Michaelis CNC 59 Comments | Affiliate Disclosure
Broccoli bites double as a crowd-pleasing appetizer or a kid-friendly lunch. Really, they’re quite clever. Who doesn’t love broccoli surrounded by melted cheese? Broccoli bites serve up both broccoli and cheese, but packaged as a finger food! Paired with a maple-dijon dipping sauce, they quickly become a favorite.
Inspired by the popularity of a similar appetizer served at Bennigan’s restaurants, I wanted to adapt it to be 1)actually healthy, and 2)easy. The Bennigan’s version contains bacon and onions and is served up fried in nasty vegetable oil. While I’d normally be all over adding bacon and onions to just about anything, I also wanted to keep this simple so that I could throw it together quickly.
So, this recipe for Broccoli Bites was born.
Broccoli Bites Recipe
(adapted from Stacey Snacks)
Broccoli Bites: The Players
- 1 lb broccoli, chopped
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (where to buy cheese from grass-fed cows)
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded (where to buy cheese from grass-fed cows)
- 3 eggs (why from from pastured hens?)
- 1 cup almond flour (where to buy almond flour)
- 1 tsp. oregano
- salt & pepper to taste (where to buy real sea salt)
Broccoli Bites: The How-To
Preheat oven to 375F. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
Use your hands to roll the mixture into 1 inch, bite-sized balls. Place balls on lightly greased parchment paper.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until brown. Serve with the Maple-Dijon Dipping Sauce.
Maple-Dijon Dipping Sauce
Maple-Dijon Dipping Sauce: The Players
- 6 tbsp sour cream
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise (where to buy soy-free mayonnaise)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (where to find organic, grade-B maple syrup)
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- salt to taste (where to buy real sea salt)
Maple-Dijon Dipping Sauce: The How-To
Simply stir all ingredients together and serve! YUMMILICIOUS!
For more delicious recipes similar to this one (low-carb, high-fat), I highly recommend the Wicked Good Ketogenic Diet Cookbook.
Learn all about how to eat to force your body to burn fat. This book is jam packed with 156 delicious fat-shredding recipes that will help you burn fat like crazy. Even stubborn belly and thigh fat won’t stand a chance because your body will have NO CHOICE but to burn that fat for fuel!
At the moment, the printed version of this cookbook is 100% free to Food Renegade readers. You just cover shipping & handling.
(photo by staceysnacks)
About the Author
Kristen Michaelis CNC has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2008. Founder and CEO of Food Renegade, she's a passionate advocate for REAL FOOD -- food that's sustainable, organic, local, and traditionally-prepared according to the wisdom of our ancestors. She earned a Bachelor of Arts (summa cum laude) from Dallas Baptist University in Philosophy and Biblical Studies, then began her post-graduate journey as a researcher in the fields of health and nutrition. While she adores hats & happy skirts, nothing inspires her quite like geeking out over nutrition & sustainable agriculture. Nutrition educator & author of the go-to book on nutrition for fertility, she's also a rebel with a cause who enjoys playing in the rain, a good bottle of Caol Isla scotch, curling up with a page-turning book, sunbathing on her hammock, and parenting her three children as they grow into young adults.
« Fight Back Friday February 24th
Judge Sides With Monsanto, Ridicules Organic Farmers »
Comments
Katy Costa via Facebook says
Gonna try these tonight I think!
Reply
Katy Costa — Wondeful. Let me know if you enjoy them!
Reply
Katy Costa via Facebook says
I will!!
Reply
Jennifer McCuller Gray via Facebook says
Can’t wait to try these. My kids would LOVE this!!!
Reply
Amaria George Parker via Facebook says
Looks great! I love the idea of finger-food-izing veggies!
Reply
Beth says
Heavens….I am envisioning all KINDS of adaptations to this! Cauliflower! Well drained cooked spinach! I can hardly wait to race home and make some!
Reply
KristenM says
I know! Bacon and onions do really well in it, and different kinds of cheese make for interesting takes on it as well. I’ve even stirred in some sun dried tomatoes!
Reply
This looks great. Broccoli + fat is a great combination. We just posted (our first blog post) a recipe for poutine with fried broccoli! http://foodsmithsgeneralstore.com/blog/with-apologies-to-quebec
Reply
Carolina says
Can I sub coconut flour???
See AlsoCranberry Walnut Bread Recipe - Thistlewood FarmCassava Flour Buttermilk Biscuits Easy to Cook RecipeEasy Gluten Free French Crepes RecipeRecipe: Apple & Cinnamon Whole Grain Breakfast StrataReply
KristenM says
Yes, but not in the same quantities. Coconut flour absorbs a lot of liquid, so you’d want to use a lot less of it. I’d start experimenting with 1/4c. instead of a full cup and transition from there.
Also, you’ll probably need to add more eggs if you use coconut flour.
Reply
Carolina says
Yes!! Success!! Thanks for tips on getting the flour and eggs right. I used 1/3 C. coconut flour and 6 eggs. Plus I think I had closer to a pound and a half of broccoli. These were the surprise hit at dinner time with my hubs and 4 and 2 year olds!! Thank you!
Reply
KristenM says
Good to know! Thanks for sharing.
Reply
Wow, looks so tasty, looking forward to trying this!
Reply
Katie says
I’m dying to make this. However, I’m allergic to almonds. What other type of flour would you recommend?
Reply
KristenM says
You could use any kind of sprouted grain flour. They’d have a slightly different texture, but would be basically the same.
Reply
Suzanne says
They sound wonderful. How are they at room temperature. Sounds like they would be a nice lunch box treat to take on my traveling job.
Reply
KristenM says
I like them warm, but not hot. Room temperature is okay, just not as awesome. 🙂
Reply
These look yummy, I’m going to try these later this week.
Reply
Joe says
Well, after watching my 4 1/2 year old look like I served him Drano tonight when I put two pieces of broccoli on his plate, this looks like a good bridge for him as I try to work more veggies into his diet.
Thanks for sharing!
Reply
KristenM says
You’re welcome. Hope he enjoys it!
Reply
Gayle says
Sounds awesome! Stupid question: Do I cook the broccoli first or not? I’m guessing not, but I’d hate to ruin them! Gonna try this asap with sprouted wheat flour. My kids actually love broccoli, so they might love these too. Thanks!
Reply
Fran says
Did you end up making these; and did you cook the broccoli first? I was questioning that as well.
Reply
Mel says
So happy to have stumbled upon this website. thank you so much.
Reply
Stephani says
Ok, so I thought what a wonderful way for me to get my fat % up and still get a vegie! LOL…I didn’t have almond flour so used coconut flour. Dry and odd and I don’t know…didn’t turn out well…they look so good in the picture!
Also, any chance someone knows the calories/fat/carb dietary info on them???
Thanks!
PS, my husband liked them oddly enough!!! LOL
Reply
KristenM says
Did you do what I suggested to Carolina above for adapting the recipe to use coconut flour? Because coconut flour is so dry, you need to radically reduce the amount of flour used AND increase your eggs.
Stephani says
nope! LOL…I didn’t see this til today rats!
So I didn’t use as much flour..but still used 3/4 cup…and next time will use more eggs! I also noted that in the Stacy site, she used Mozzarella…so that is why the picts look different. Any particular reason you chose cheddar instead???
I’m new to all this eat more fat idea…really good with the eat whole food, the way it was created and get away from all the grains and processed food! I’m so happy to have found this site!Reply
Going to try these broccoli bites tonight. Thanks for the recipe, it sounds great and I’ll let you know how the family likes it.
Reply
City Share says
Wow, those sound great. We have been avoiding grain and needing some new inspiration. These are just what we were looking for. Thanks.
Reply
Jennifer Gray says
Just made these and WOW! They are great! I really like the maple Dijon sauce. It would be excellent on chicken!
Reply
Againstthegrain says
Mmmmm! Just made these tonight for my husband and I. I think even broccoli haters will like them; they also would be good to serve to lacto-ovo vegetarians, as they are rather “meaty” in texture. My husband said these were very much like falafel, but much, much better. The sauce pairing was perfect, too.
I probably didn’t chop the broccoli quite fine enough on this first attempt, so next time I’ll cut the stems and florets coarsely, then pulse them in the food processor. And for those wondering, no, the broccoli isn’t cooked first. Rolling the semi-crumbly/sticky mixture into balls didn’t work well for me, but gently squeezing them into ball shapes worked fine as long as I placed them very gently on the baking pan. Next time I might use a cookie dough scoop to make sure they are more uniformly sized. They can be spaced rather close together, too – almost touching. I baked them in a large convection toaster oven and they fit perfectly on a 12″ square baking pan.
I’m also thinking this mixture would be very good pressed into a buttered casserole or loaf pan.
Reply
These look divine! We are gluten free and also allergic to tree nuts. What would you recommend replacing the almond flour with? Can I use brown rice flour? Thanks!
Reply
Nicole says
I left the flour completely. I used quinoa flour. It was tasty. Hopefully this helps.
Reply
JennyBakes says
I made these tonight and they were very good! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Reply
Kelly says
Could these be made in advance, frozen, and then baked just prior to serving? If not, maybe made & baked and then frozen? Looking for crative and fun ways to have a healthy lunch, but don’t always feel like doing much work mid day. TIA!
Reply
Patti says
Mine tasted great, but fell apart, suggestions?
Reply
Marlene says
Mine fell apart also, even after another egg.
Reply
-joshua! says
We’re drowning in Broccoli from our CSA…
Came here to see what I could find.
Looks like a winner!Reply
Claudia S. says
If you were here in front of me I would kiss you! Thank you for this recipe! Before they shut down, my husband and I loved the broccoli bites from Bennigans. I’ll surprise him with this recipe this week. He’ll be so happy.
Reply
Joy says
We have a nut allergy in our family, is there a substitute for almond flour for this recipe?
Reply
Joy says
Oh I see a comment above with the suggestion of coconut flour and more eggs. Thanks!
Reply
Babette Cade via Facebook says
What is it about broccoli and cheese?
Reply
Heather Powers….it made me think of you!
Reply
Mary Light via Facebook says
I simply must do this. this also sounds like it would be good as sort of a casserole instead of bites, layered in a pan.
Reply
Maritza Nasseri Acosta via Facebook says
Karla Sofia Yon
Reply
Faith Epp via Facebook says
I like it roasted with EVOO salt/pepper and garlic powder.
Reply
Shana Miner Ladin via Facebook says
Just made this. It was great!
Reply
Laura Harmasch via Facebook says
I love these. I add a little bacon too.
Reply
Sandy Lethin via Facebook says
Diana, this looks yummy for Super Bowl. 🙂
Reply
lexee says
making these tonight for a get together… how many does one batch make? thanks! 🙂
Reply
lexee says
oh and can you use frozen (thawed) broccoli instead if fresh?
Reply
Jill Ferrell says
Do these freeze well?
Reply
Denise says
YUMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!! It only took me 2 days to eat all of these (okay, so I shared 2 with my daughter), they are so good and so addicting. Thank you for this and all your other great recipes. We have just eliminated a lot of foods in our house, and these recipes are making my life so much easier.
Reply
Anonymous says
Parmesan cheese in this recipe is not sold on the website. Where can we find the raw Parmesan cheese?
ThanksReply
Trish Dugas Courtney Terrell
Reply
Stu Dowell great idea!
Reply
What can i substitute for almond flour? (Nut allergy)
Reply
Look great, but with maple??
Reply
Blackeyed peas with ham hocks and bacon is everyone’s favorite.
Reply
Laura says
Thanks for posting, made them yesterday, trying them later today but they do look good.
Reply
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.