This is a crazy time of year! Thanksgiving was as late in the month as it could ever be, cutting down the time between Thanksgiving & Christmas to about 4 weeks. It’s just barely enough time to get ready for Christmas. Thanks to pre-Thanksgiving sales and online shopping (a big time saver) I’ve got a jump on Christmas. The local cut-your-own tree farms opened the day after Thanksgiving, so that is crossed off the To-Do list, also. The tree won’t be decorated until the kids are home for winter break, but at least it is in the house and the Christmas preparations are well started!
The decorating, wrapping and baking will take up a lot of time in the next 4 weeks. Those are the aspects of Christmas that I love to do, so it’s not a chore for me. But finding something to make for dinner after a long day of getting-ready-for-Christmas stuff is difficult! At this time of year, meals tend to be quicker to make to save time and lighter in fare to ward off all the unwanted holiday weight that comes with the season!
Corn & Broccoli Calzones (adapted from Eating Well Magazine)
Active Time: 30 Minutes Total Time: 45 Minutes Yield: 6 calzones
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli florets, about 10 ounces
- 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels, about 14 ounces
- 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 2/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 20 ounces pizza dough
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- pizza sauce for dipping
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 475°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Cook the fresh or frozen broccoli florets in the microwave on high for about 2 minutes, until just barely tender. Chop the broccoli in pieces, about the size of the corn. Combine the broccoli, corn, mozzarella, ricotta, scallions, basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Set aside.
I love being able to throw all the ingredients together into just one bowl!
On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Place a generous 3/4 cup of filling on half of each circle, leaving a 1-inch border of dough. Fold the top half of the dough over the filling. Press the edges together and crimp them with a fork to seal. Make several small slits in the top of each calzone to vent steam then brush each of them with oil. Transfer the calzones to the prepared baking sheet.
The filling goes onto half the circle of dough to allow fold over room.
Bake the calzones, until browned on top, about 15 minutes.
The calzones are done when they have a nice brown color to them.
Let them cool slightly before serving. Heat up some pizza sauce to go with the calzones.
A little pizza sauce completes the meal!
Another good quick meal and Meatless Monday hit! ~Linda
Corn & Broccoli Calzones (adapted from Eating Well Magazine)
Active Time: 30 Minutes Total Time: 45 Minutes Yield: 6 calzones
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli florets, about 10 ounces
- 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels, about 14 ounces
- 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 2/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 20 ounces pizza dough
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- pizza sauce for dipping
DIRECTIONS
Preheat to 475°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Cook the fresh or frozen broccoli florets in the microwave on high for about 2 minutes, until just barely tender. Chop the broccoli in pieces, about the size of the corn. Combine the broccoli, corn, mozzarella, ricotta, scallions, basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Set aside.
On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Place a generous 3/4 cup filling on half of each circle, leaving a 1-inch border of dough. Fold the top half of the dough over the filling. Press the edges together and crimp them with a fork to seal. Make several small slits in the top of each calzone to vent steam then brush each with oil. Transfer the calzones to the prepared baking sheet.
Bake the calzones, until browned on top, about 15 minutes. Let them cool slightly before serving. Heat up some pizza sauce to go with the calzones.