Mrs. Thayer's Famous Croquettes

Mrs. Thayer, is me, yes... But in this case, it's my mother in law, and I am going to share my "healthy" spin on her famous Croquettes.  You can use chicken or turkey, or a chicken substitute. I will be honest, this is not a go to meal, if you're looking for a fast dinner. It takes some time to assemble, but overall the recipe is still pretty easy.  The original recipe calls for the croquettes to be fried, I opted to bake them (like this week's Wellness Wednesday tip), and you can make them vegetarian or vegan if you would like.  My entire family enjoyed them, I hope you do too!

Mrs. Thayers' Croquettes
Makes 10-12 balls, serves 4

Ingredients
3 tbsp Butter (non-dairy butter substitute if you would like)
1/4 cup flour (g-free or whole wheat works well too)
1/2 cup milk (skim or unflavored almond/rice/soy milk)
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth (or veggie broth for my vegan friends)
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp celery, finely chopped
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper
Dash of paprika, nutmeg, poultry seasoning
1 1/2 cup finely chopped, cooked chicken or turkey (chicken substitute for my vegan friends)
3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs (i mixed panko & whole wheat, you can use g-free crumbs too)
1 egg (egg substitute)
2 tbsp water
Cooking spray (I used olive oil mister)
-if you want to fry, use canola oil

Directions
Preheat oven 425.
Melt butter in medium saucepan. Blend in flour. Add milk and broth to mixture. Cook and stir until mixture thickens and bubbles.  Add parsley, lemon juice, onion, celery, salt, pepper, and seasonings.  Let mixture cool. Then stir in meat, chill throughly.
With wet hands, shape mixture into 10-12 balls.  In 2 dishes, place breadcrumbs in one, and beat egg & water in the other (season egg mixture).  Roll each ball in breadcrumbs, then in egg mixture, then back in breadcrumbs.  Place on a non-stick baking sheet, sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake for 10-15 minutes, until crispy. If you want to fry, fry for 2-3 min, and drain on a paper towel.

I served ours with steamed green beans, and the kids had homemade Mac & cheese, blueberries, and strawberries.  Sorry, kids plates are the only pictures I took... Totally forgot to snap the adult plates.