Veggie Snack Bites

I'm sure you all are getting ready for the upcoming Holidays. I'm looking forward to some downtime so I can relax for a bit with family.... Things have been rather hectic lately so I haven't had time to blog hop or post as much but wanted to squeeze in this recipe... These are great when you are entertaining because they don't need any advance preparation, can be baked (not fried) so it's easy to make large quantities, a crowd pleaser and a great way to get kids to eat their veggies....

VEGGIE SNACK BITES/BALLS

Ingredients:Celery - 2 to 3 stalks, chopped finely
Carrots - 2, medium, peeled & chopped
Bell pepper (Red/Green) - 1 small, chopped finely
Frozen corn kernels - 1/4 to 1/3 cup
Peas - about half cup
Bread Crumbs - 2 to 3 cups (I had an old loaf of bread that i ground into crumbs
Pepper jack cheese - about 1 cup, shredded (keep abt half cup extra to help bind)
Walnuts (or Almonds) - 1/3 cup, chopped into small pieeces
Dried Italian herbs - 1 tsp
Red Chilli flakes - 1 to 2 tsp
Garlic powder - 1 tsp (or use a few cloves of chopped garlic)
Ground black pepper - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves / Parsley - 1/4 cup, chopped
Salt - to taste
Olive oil - 2 tbsp

Method:1) Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and add the finely chopped celery, carrots, bell peppers and saute for about 2 to 3 minutes before adding the frozen corn and peas.

2) Add some salt (go easy because we are adding cheese later), garlic powder, dried herbs, pepper and red chilli flakes and cook the veggies until crisp tender.

3) Switch off the stove, stir in the bread crumbs, cheese, walnuts (or almonds) & coriander leaves. The cheese will now melt and combine with the bread crumbs and that will help bind the veggies together.

4) Preheat oven to 400F, line a baking sheet with foil and spray/spread with some oil. Make small balls of the veggie mixture (adjust the cheese/bread crumbs amount to help them hold their shape) and arrange on the baking sheet.

5) Spray with a bit more oil and bake for about 20 minutes, turning them over once in between & cook till golden brown.

6) After removing from the oven, I fried them for a bit in a wide pan with a tbsp of oil until evenly crisp on all sides - this step is optional though.

Serve with ketchup or Maggi hot and sweet sauce. The next day, I made a sandwich with the leftovers and was extremely pleased with that combination too.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year ahead.