If you ever visit The Netherlands, I highly recommend checking out one of their snack bars. Snack bars are kind of like the Dutch version of a classic American drive-through restaurants, except without the waitresses on roller skates. And you don’t drive through; most all snack bars are eat-in. Instead of chili dogs and root beer floats, you’ll find frikandel special, bitterballen, bami ballen, kroketten, and so much more.

Basically you walk up to the counter, look into the freezer case (similar to an ice cream display case, but with savory treats instead of sweet!), pick what you want, and the helpful person behind the counter will put it in the fryer for you while you go have a seat. No, folks, snack bars are not about health food. Make sure you get an order of frietjes (fries) with mayonnaise and curry ketchup to go with your other goodies!

One of the other great Dutch snack food items are saucijzenbroodjes, or sausage rolls. These are seasoned meat (usually ground beef, despite the name sausage…) wrapped in flaky puff pastry and baked to delicious, golden perfection. They make a perfect after school snack or lunch on the go! The great thing about these sausage rolls is that they are SO easy to make at home and put in the freezer…even the kids can get involved!! Have them help mix up the meat mixture, roll it into fat logs, and put it on the pastry. Then, have them help put the egg wash on.

Tips for Making Saucijzenbroodjes:

-Feel free to make the puff pastry from scratch if you want. Or, take the easy way out, and buy the packaged stuff at the store. It’s just as good, I promise!

-A leaner ground beef is going to be less greasy and there will be less of a risk of your pastry getting a little soggy.

-Saucijzenbroodjes are traditionally larger than mine are. If you would like a bigger one, just make two less cuts in the pastry to make longer rolls.

-To freeze: bake as directed, let cool, then flash freeze and put into baggies. When you want one, just take it out and stick it in the oven for about 20 minutes until heated through.

-Serve these bad boys with your favorite mustard. I recommend a good German style.

How to Make Saucijzenbroodjes:

Take your packaged puff pastry out of the freezer and lay it on the counter to defrost slightly. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, spices and seasonings, egg, and breadcrumbs. Mix thoroughly (hands are the best tools here). Set aside.

Lay the the puff pastry out flat in “landscape orientation”. In other words, so the rectangles long sides are on the top and bottom. Make a cut horizontally down the middle. Make another cut down the center vertically, then cut those two vertical sections in half again, so there is a total of 8 pieces of puff pastry.

At this point, I like to go ahead and lay the pieces of puff pastry on the baking sheet spaced evenly apart. Take the meat mixture and roll into 8 evenly sized log shapes, laying each towards the top of each piece of pastry but giving yourself at least an inch of room at the top. The ends of the log should very slightly be over the edge of the puff pastry as they will shrink slightly with baking.

Beat an egg in a bowl, and with a pastry brush or your finger, put some egg wash on the top space left on the puff pastry. Then fold the rest of the pastry over the meat, matching the edges as well as you can and sealing tightly with a fork. It’s fine if they aren’t perfect! Paint each roll with egg wash, then bake for about 20 minutes, or until they are a deep golden brown. Let cool slightly and serve with mustard for dipping!

This post was sponsored by The Glass Barn, Indiana’s Corn and Soybean Growers, but all thoughts and opinions are my own…ya dig?

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Saucijzenbroodjes - Dutch Sausage Rolls

Dutch Sausage Rolls, or Saucijzenbroodjes, are a classic Dutch snack food that is easy to make at home with some store-bought puff pastry!

Course Appetizer, lunch, Snack

Cuisine Dutch

Keyword Pigs in Blanket, Puff Pastry, Sausage Rolls

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Author Meagan - The Crossroads Cook

Ingredients

• 1 Sheet Puff Pastry
• 1 lb Ground Beef Or 50/50 beef/pork blend
• 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp Gehakt Seasoning Optional
• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg 1/2 tsp if not using gehakt seasoning
• 1 tsp Parsley Dried or Fresh
• 2 Eggs, divided
• 2 Tbsp Bread Crumbs

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Set out puff pastry to thaw/warm slightly.
• In a large bowl, combine the ground meat, 1 egg, bread crumbs, and spices. Using either your hands or a spoon, mix until everything is combined. Set aside.
• Lay puff pastry sheet out flat. Using a knife, cut pastry sheet horizontally across the middle, then make three evenly spaced vertical cuts, so that the pastry is divided into 8 evenly sized rectangles.
• Divide the meat mixture evenly between the 8 puff pastry rectangles. Roll meat portions into log shapes that are the same length as the puff pastry portion. Place the meat about 1/2 inch from the top of each puff pastry rectangle.
• Beat 1 egg in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush or your finger, paint the puff pastry above the meat with the egg wash to act as a glue. Then, take the bottom of each puff pastry rectangle and fold it tightly over the meat. Seal the edge by pressing with a fork.
• Paint each sausage roll with the egg wash.
• Bake sausage rolls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for 20 minutes, or until deep golden brown.
• These can be eaten right way, or can be allowed to cool. They also freeze well! Serve with mustard of your choice.

The post Saucijzenbroodjes – Dutch Sausage Rolls appeared first on The Crossroads Cook.

Some days you just need something crisp and fresh to eat, you know what I mean? Summer has definitely moved in and made itself right at home here in Indiana, and the last few days have been HOT. To be honest, the heat usually doesn’t bother me. In fact, I absolutely love warm weather. I live for the sun and am one of those that covers up with a warm blanket anytime I sit on the couch, no matter if its 30 degrees or 80 degrees outside. You’ve heard of hangry? Well, I get cangry; if I’m cold, chances are I’m not in a good mood.

JW is the exact opposite of me. He lives for cool, crisp temperatures, loves sleeping in a freezing cold bedroom (I’ll never understand it), and complains about it being too hot out when the mercury hits 70 degrees. He’s a walking furnace. I’m always freezing. What can I say? It works. Or, at least it does until I go into the bedroom in the dead of winter and have to shut the windows because he’s opened them. Ask me then and I won’t be so sure it’s working. (I kid, of course!! …kind of…)

Since we both spend most of our time outdoors or in a barn, summertime means lots of meals that require little effort and heating up of the kitchen. It also means lots of big salads. These Chicken Fajita Salads are the perfect answer. Loaded with tasty veggies, full of protein to fill us up, and easily to customize to everyone’s taste, they make a perfect summer (or any time of year that you’re craving a little fresh in your life) dinner option! Plus, the Cilantro Lime Ranch is super easy and goes wonderfully on basically anything!

I always go ahead and get the ranch mixed up first because I find that it’s better if it has a little time to sit in the fridge and thicken/let the flavors meld a little. Simply mix together Greek yogurt, mayo, milk, lime juice, onion powder, garlic powder, dried parsley, dried chives, salt, pepper, a little dried dill, and some cilantro. You can buy fresh cilantro and chop it finely, but I just love those little cups of “lightly dried” herbs you can find next to the fresh herbs at your grocery store. They last a lot longer and the chopping is already done for you!

Next, saute some bell peppers and onions in a little olive oil on the stove. Season with salt and cumin, and let them cook until they’ve softened and the onions have gone pretty translucent. In the meantime, prep your chicken breasts. I love to buy the thin sliced breasts and pound them down a little more between a couple of sheets of plastic wrap…the thinner the better in my book. If I can’t fine the pre-packaged thin sliced ones, I just buy regular chicken breasts and butterfly them, them pound them out a little. Season both sides with salt and some Lawry’s Lemon Pepper. Yep, I said lemon pepper! Combine some butter and olive oil in a non-stick skillet, and brown the chicken on both sides. Since they’re thin, they’ll only take a few minutes one either side. I love cooking big batches of this chicken and using it for lunches–wraps and salads–through the week!

While everything is cooking, build your salad. I love to mix lettuces (usually hearts of romaine for some crunch and spring mix for the health factor). Then I use diced green onions, cherry tomatoes, shredded cheese (pick your poison here…I usually go for Colby Jack, but Pepper Jack would be awesome if you like some heat), and avocado. Use what ever veggies float your boat. Corn, cucumbers, black beans…go to town. For JW, I always put some crunched up tortilla chips on his. If you wanted to make this a vegetarian-friendly meal, you could easily substitute black beans for the chicken. Then. put a tasty helping of the peppers and onions on, as well as some of the chicken that’s been sliced. Drizzle on some of that creamy ranch dressing, and you’re done!

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Chicken Fajita Salad with Homemade Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing

Get fresh with this deliciously easy and healthy Chicken Fajita Salad with Homemade Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing!

Course Main

Cuisine American, Mexican

Keyword Fresh, Healthy, quick meals, Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• 4 Thin Sliced Chicken Breasts
• 2 tsp Lemon Pepper Approx.
• 1/2 Large Onion, Sliced
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper, Sliced
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, Sliced
• 2 tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Bags Prepared Lettuce (Such as Romaine and Spring Mix)
• 1 Avocado, Diced More to Taste
• Cherry Tomatoes, Halved
• Shredded Cheese
• Salt and Pepper

Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing

• 3/4 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
• 3/4 Cup Mayonnaise
• 1/3 Cup Milk
• 2 Tbsp Lime Juice
• 2 Tbsp Cilantro, Diced
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 1/2 tsp Dried Parsley
• 1/2 tsp Dried Chives
• 1/2 tsp Dried Dill
• 1 tsp Salt (Kosher)

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients for the dressing and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• In a medium non-stick skillet, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and diced bell peppers, seasoning with some salt, pepper, and the ground cumin. Allow to saute until the onions turn translucent and the peppers soften.
• While the peppers and onions are cooking, season both sides of the chicken with the lemon pepper and some salt. If desired, you can place each chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound thinner before you season it. Once the chicken is seasoned, brown it on both sides in a non-stick skillet in a little olive oil and butter (optional) until the chicken is cooked through. Depending on the thickness of the chicken, this will take about 4 minutes per side.
• Build your salads. Place your preffered lettuce on a plate or in a bowl, and top with diced avocado, tomatoes, shredded cheese, and any other topping you desire. Place the sauteed peppers and onions on top, then the cooked, sliced chicken, and top with the dressing.

Notes

If you would prefer a vegetarian version, substitute black beans for the chicken.

Grilled corn and crispy tortilla strips are also delicious additions! 

The post Chicken Fajita Salad appeared first on The Crossroads Cook.