Guest Post: Broccoli Rolls

Last week I posted that I needed some help from guest posters. I've been really bogged down with stuff. Nothing major, just stuff. Well, almost as soon as I posted it, I received a message from Kim at Our Daily Green.

I've been following Kim for quiet awhile now. She writes very thoughtfully about our environment and the impact we have on it. While I tend to write more about crafting now than the green initiative, that is still a subject that means a lot to me. In fact, it's part of why I craft. Besides, just having the crafty bug, I feel like it's important that we are able to rely on ourselves and not big box companies to provide for us. But, I could jump on that soap box any day.

Kim thinks about every way we impact our environment and that includes eating green too. She has graciously given me permission to post her recipe for Broccoli Rolls. It sounds absolutely delicious and I can't wait to try it out. And I love that it also works as a freezer meal!

Oh, and don't forget to notice her tip about shredded cheese. I had no idea!

When Ginger posted looking for guest authors on her blog, I jumped at the chance. My respect for her as a blogger goes back a few years when we first met on a networking site for green bloggers and began to follow and comment on each other's blogs.

I love to cook from scratch and use food from my garden. With school going back around the country, I wanted to share an easy healthy lunch recipe that is sure to please even the pickiest eaters.

Broccoli Rolls

I start with my simple pizza dough recipe. The key to success with yeast bread is twofold. 1. measure the water temperature so the yeast activates and 2. use bread flour. This dough is easy to work with, does not require rising time, is ready to use within 5 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 packet of quick rise yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons if you buy it in the jar)
1 cup of water, 105-115 degrees
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 TBL. oil
2 1/2 cup bread flour

Dissolve the yeast in the water. Add the sugar, salt and oil in the same cup. Pour it into the flour and begin to knead. I have a dough hook on my mixer, so I do it that way, but it's also satisfying to knead by hand. When the dough is well mixed and kneaded, let it rest for 5 minutes.

While the dough is resting, prepare your filling. I fill these rolls with any ingredients I have on hand, but this week, our broccoli was abundant, so that was the filling. I chopped a head of broccoli finely and mixed it with 6 oz. of shredded mozzarella cheese. I always shred my cheese from a block because pre-shredded cheese is more expensive as well as being coated with cellulose (which is like sawdust) to prevent the cheese from sticking.

Divide the rested dough into 5 equal pieces and roll each piece into about a 6x9 rectangle. Spread the filling over the dough and then roll up, pinching the ends to seal the roll. Place seam side down on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for about 15-20 minutes until the outside is golden brown.

I usually make a double or triple batch and freeze the extras. I've made these rolls with pepperoni, spinach and feta, pesto, sun dried tomatoes, anything that you'd normally put in a sandwich. They are great for lunchboxes.

I'd like to thank Ginger for sharing her lovely blog space with me.

My own blog is Our Daily Green, where I post simple ways to incorporate green living into your everyday life. I have product reviews as well as guest articles from around the world. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter. We'd love to see you and join the discussion.