Baked Broccoli Tots

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Lipton. The opinions and text are all mine.

Growing up in the south we long for the lazy hot days of Summer, long sits on the porch and a cold glass of sweet tea in our hands. There is nothing like the smell of a freshly opened box of tea bags. The aroma hits your nose, and it immediately starts a chain reaction in my senses. I can still remember the exact old tattered pot my nanny used for nothing but tea. It was stained brown from years of use, but I swear it was the best tea ever made. Making tea, having tea its a way of life and we incorporate it into everything, I mean ever aspect that we can. 

Being that I am southern, I have tried many different brands of tea throughout the years, and the brand I use today and keep coming back to is Lipton. There is something about the combination of teas, and the drying process they use for their leaves that just creates an unctuous flavor that isn’t present in other brands I have tried over the years. I know that each time I buy Lipton Tea I am going to get good consistent quality, and the flavor I have loved all of these years. When I am making that tea, and the Lipton aroma hits the air, I am immediately transported back to my Nanny’s kitchen and I am a little girl again. It’s amazing how smells, foods we eat can do that to you. 

I don’t think that there’s a meal that we didn’t pair with Lipton sweet tea. In my opinion there is no meal that doesn’t taste ten times better with glass of ice cold sweet tea. Over the years I have tried tea many different ways, added lemons or lemonade, muddled berries and poured perfectly brewed sweet tea over it. I would have to say that my favorite way to enjoy my sweet tea, is at a summer bbq. There’s just something about the way the grilled food taste with aroma of the tea. It’s pure heaven. 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8zUHaIv2OwPdjg0Zi1JU1J0NW8

I am always trying to sneak veggies into my family anyway I can. You can pretty much bet that if its a burger, casserole, or anything that I can hide veggies, I am going to do it. But, what I like to do is to take a family favorite and completely turn it on its head into something that is veggie filled and that we will enjoy. One of those recipes that I recently did this with is veggie tater tots. Now we love tater tots in our family, and they are the perfect pairing with grilled chicken, and an ice cold glass of sweet tea, but this time I didn’t want to use any potato and I wanted them to come from green veggie sources and not poured from a bag. I didn’t know if i would be successful but I was going to try at least. 

I really feel like summer time is the time to try new things, to put fun twists on foods that are classics and re-invent a meal into a new classic. I was recently researching some ideas and came across Lipton Bright Bites. Lipton has dedicated a whole section of their website to creative twist on summer meals. Its the perfect place to get inspiration to pair with my sweet Lipton iced tea that is sure to be on my table every evening. They have ways to jazz up corn on the cob, burgers, even steak and pizza. All of these recipes pair perfectly with Lipton Sweet iced tea.

Check out the Stir Fry Burgers

Caesar Salad Pizza

Coffee Rubbed Grilled Ribeyes

Corn-on-the-cob 5 ways

These are just a few of the recipe twist that are sure to get you started on reinventing some of your summer classics! Let’s get inspired!

Here is how I made my Bright Bite:

2 cups of frozen broccoli diced finely

2/3 cup of bread crumbs

1/2 cup of cheddar cheese

1/4 cup of onion diced finely

1/4 cup of parsley 

salt and pepper to taste

1 large egg

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and stir to completely combine. Form into tater tot shapes, mixture should make 20-24 tots depending on size. Place on baking sheet on parchment paper and place in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Enjoy with an ice cold glass of Lipton Sweet Iced Tea!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Lipton. The opinions and text are all mine.