Ham and Broccoli Pockets

Ever since we had success with our pizza pockets, my mind has been swirling.  Breakfast pockets.  And, now -- ham and cheese pockets.

Whole wheat dough, a filling made with ham and green veggies, and a sauce with great flavor from extra sharp cheddar cheese made creamy from flour and milk!  

The original recipes uses a filling that combines mild cheddar cheese and butter.  I've found that you can eliminate the butter and still get a nice thick sauce.  And, if you use extra sharp cheddar cheese, the flavor is much greater and therefore you can use less cheese.  Just a little healthier... but every little bit helps, right?

Ham and Broccoli Pockets - Inspired by Good Life Eats
Makes 8-10 pockets

Dough
1 C really warm water
1 tsp. honey
1 T yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 T olive oil
1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
1 C white whole wheat flour

Filling
1 1/2 C diced ham
1 1/2 C broccoli florets, chopped
1 C peas
4 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 1/2 C milk*
1/8 C chicken broth
3 T flour
1/4 tsp. pepper


Prepare dough by dissolving the yeast in the warm water.  Allow this mixture to sit for ~1 minute.  Then, add in the honey, salt and olive oil.  Using your mixer, mix in the flour.  Knead about 5 minutes until smooth.  Allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes while you prepare the filling ingredients. 

Place the frozen veggies (or fresh -- I ended up using frozen) in a large bowl.  

Add the diced ham.  

Saute the veggies and ham together until warmed.  Then, set aside.  

Combine the chicken broth and flour in a measuring up.  Stir until flour and broth are smoothly mixed together.  

Add the broth and flour mixture to a saucepan.  Heat over medium heat, stirring until mixture just begins to thicken.  Then, add in the milk.  Season with pepper.  

Stir until mixture thickens.  Then, remove from the heat.  Add in the cheese.  

As the heat from the dish melts the cheese, you may need to add a bit more milk to increase the liquid nature of the sauce.  I ended up adding between 1/8-1/4 C.  

At this point, divide the dough into 8-10 pieces, and roll/press each out into a circle.  

Place ~1- 1 1/2 C filling on half of the dough circle.  

Using a pastry brush, lightly wet the outer edge of the dough.  Then fold the dough over the filling and use a fork to seal.  

Bake in a preheated oven at 400 for 10-12 minutes until pockets are lightly browned.  

Cool for 3-4 minutes before cutting and serving.  Filling will be hot!  

Linked to: Ingredient Spotlight, What's on Your Plate? Your Recipe, My Kitchen, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Mangia Monday, Hunk of Meat Monday  

Pizza Pockets

When Frog Prince and I were first married, I'd buy Hot Pockets for him for a quick, fast lunch.  However, we haven't had Hot Pockets in our freezer in 2+ years.  Every once and a while Frog Prince would crave one, so I added them to my list of things to make.

I'd always put them off, thinking they were much too time consuming to make.  But, I was wrong.  These went together really quickly.

I made a large batch thinking I'd stick some in the freezer, but they never made it that far.  Frog Prince and I enjoyed these for lunches and they were gone in a week.

Pizza Pockets
{makes 8, large pockets}

Dough
1 C really warm water
1 tsp. honey
1 T yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 T olive oil
1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
1 C white whole wheat flour


Filling
Turkey pepperoni (n=50)
8 oz. Tomato paste
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
Italian cheese (~1/8 C cheese/pocket)
Parmesan cheese (1 T cheese/pocket}

Prepare dough by dissolving the yeast in the warm water.  Allow this mixture to sit for ~1 minute.  Then, add in the honey, salt and olive oil.  Using your mixer, mix in the flour.  Knead about 5 minutes until smooth.  Allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes while you prepare the filling ingredients.

Mix together the tomato paste with the Italian seasonings until well blended.  Set aside.

 Shred cheese, if needed, and prepare the pepperoni.

When the dough is ready, lightly flour a work surface.  Divide the dough into 8 equal portions (or more, if you'd like smaller pizza pockets).

Roll out each section of dough into a small rectangle or circle.

Then, take the seasoned tomato paste and spread it on the pizza crust.

Top with pepperoni slices and cheese.

Using a pastry brush, or your finger, carefully spread a little water along the edge of the dough.  Then, fold the dough over the filling and seal it.

Press the edges with a fork.

Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Right before baking, moisten the tops with water and the sprinkle with additional Italian seasoning, if desired.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Serve with a dipping marinara (or leftover seasoned tomato paste) or plain.

Enjoy!



This post is linked to: Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Mangia Monday, Mouthwatering Monday

White Bean Italian Pizza

We love using beans in recipes where you wouldn't expect them. Our all-time favorite way to use white beans is in penne with broccoli and sausage, and we love black bean brownies!!

This time, I tried making a white sauce with the beans to use as a quasi-Alfredo sauce on pizza.

 The result was a garlic, creamy sauce that complimented the veggies wonderfully.

White Bean Italian Pizza - Finding Joy in My Kitchen

1 recipe, no-rise pizza crust
1/2 (14oz) can white beans (like Great White Northern), rinsed and drained
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 - 1 T milk
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 C fresh spinach, cleaned and trimmed
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
4 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
~1 1/2 C shredded cheeses (we used Havarti and cheddar)

Prepare pizza crust according to directions in the pizza crust recipe.

Combine the beans, garlic cloves and milk in a blender.

Puree until beans are smooth. Mix in 1 tsp. of Italian seasoning.

Spread the white bean sauce in a thin layer over prepared pizza crust.

Top with toppings. We used spinach, red pepper and mushrooms.

Top with cheese. We used cheddar and Havarti.

Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp. of Italian seasoning.  And, if desired, a twist of freshly ground sea salt and pepper.

Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and browned.

Enjoy the delicious garlic scent flooding your kitchen.

Slice and serve.

The crust recipe makes two pizza crusts, but the toppings for this recipe make one large pizza.  Adjust accordingly by either freezing the other pizza crust {directions here} or upping the toppings to make two pizzas.  

Made from Scratch Tuesday, Delicious Dishes, Take a Look Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Hearth and Soul, Full Plate Thursday, This Week's Cravings

Italian Sausage Stromboli

This stromboli recipe is amazing!  Maybe that's just because we love the ingredients -- Italian sausage, mushrooms, spinach, garlic and cheese.  That combo is just irresistible!  It's become a new favorite at our house.

Italian Sausage Stromboli - From Cook with Sara

1/2 recipe, no-rise whole wheat pizza dough*
1/2 lb. Ground Italian Turkey Sausage
8oz. spinach, fresh or frozen
4 garlic cloves, minced
8oz mushrooms, sliced
3/4 C mozzarella cheese
2 T Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. olive oil

Begin by preparing your crust using these directions.  Shape half of the dough into a circle pizza.

 

*I make the whole dough recipe, and wrap up the other crust in plastic wrap.  Then, I pop that crust into our freezer.  I love having extra dough in the freezer.

On days when we want pizza for dinner, or another stromboli, I remove the dough from the freezer in the morning and transfer it to the fridge.  When I come home to make dinner, the dough is all ready to go!  That really works for me; no extra time making dough.

While the dough is resting, brown the ground turkey in a pan over medium heat until done.  We ended up using round Chicken sausage because that's what we had.  If you have another filling - try it!  This recipe can be versatile.

Then, chop and prepare the veggies.

Add the mushrooms and garlic to the sausage and saute until just about done.

Toss in the spinach and cover, allowing the spinach to wilt.  Then, stir to cook to your liking.

Spread the warm filling into the center of the pizza crust.

Sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella cheese.  

To fold; tuck the two side ends up first.  Then, bring the halves of the pizza up and fold them over each other.

Slice three small slits in the top of the stromboli, brush with 1 tsp. olive oil and then sprinkle with 1-2 T Parmesan cheese.  

Then, get excited - because in 20 minutes, you'll have dinner!

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned.

Allow the stromboli to sit for a few minutes before cutting and serving.  

Serve with marinara sauce for dipping, or with a salad or a heaping pile of steamed veggies.

Enjoy!

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