I remember a trip my husband and I took to Santa Fe probably 20 some years ago. One of the nights there we ate dinner at a restaurant where I had some type of a vegetable cake or patty, served with a sauce or salsa on top. I think they were broccoli, but I don't remember what type of sauce they had. I was suprised at the time how good they were.

So for this week's ingredient, broccoli, I decided to try to recreate some type of a cake. I actually made these for Christmas Eve dinner. It was just me and my husband, and I was wanting to use ingredients we had in the house, and I also wanted something healthy.

While these were good, I would change some things next time I make them. The only cornmeal I had was medium-grind. I would use a fine-grind next time. I think I would also try them with all of the flour being white next time, to see what difference that makes. You can also use whatever vegetables you have around. I happended to have about 1/4 cup of mushrooms stems leftover from making stuffed mushrooms, and I chopped those and added them to the broccoli.

Broccoli Cakes with Tomato Salsa 2-4 servings

Tomato Salsa
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Cilantro or Parsley, optional
Juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
dash tabasco sauce
Pinch sugar (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Brocolli Cakes
1 cup finely chopped broccoli
1/4 cup finely chopped mushrooms (or any other vegetable you choose), optional
1 teaspoon chili paste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 egg + 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour (I used half white and half wheat)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Grated cheese, about 1/4-1/2 cup (I used an Irish sharp cheddar, but you could use any hard cheese)
2 teaspoon baking soda
juice 1/2 lemon
1 cup milk

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the broccoli, mushrooms, and garlic and cook over med heat, stirring, until tender. Place in large bowl to cool.
2. To the bowl with the broccoli, add eggs, cornmeal, flour, salt, and cheese. Mix well.
3. In a small bowl, combine the milk, lemon juice, and baking soda.
4. Add the milk mixture to the broccoli mixture and stir well.
5. Form into 4-6 patties and cook in a large non-stick skillet (which you've either sprayed with Pam or drizzled a little oil into) and cook over medium heat until first side is browned. Flip, turn heat to med-low, and continue to cook on second side until cakes are browned and cooked through.
6. Top with the tomato salsa and serve.