Healthy Chicken Nuggets

Hi guys! So I have been really working on writing my story to get that posted up on this blog. That has kinda taken precedence this week over uploading recipes. I love to cook don’t get me wrong! But I want my blog to be a little more varied than just food after food after food. I want it to be a place of personal experiences, a little bit of foodie know-how and the recipes sprinkled about in abundance! Right now I think I’ve got the recipe side nailed down pretty well so I’m trying to set that aside and add a little variety, hence my lack of posting. The story is taking more time to write than I anticipated!

With that said here’s another food post. Oops. XD Just for the meantime while I try and finish my story at least! This is a quick easy recipe that is extremely flexible! If you have little kids who eat lots of frozen nuggets this is the perfect easy substitute! They taste very similar with waaayyyy less ingredients! And you can customize the flavor to your personal taste. Unfortunately these do not come in dino shapes…. Sad day…. But that’s the only let down!

Just to prove how flexible this chicken nugget recipe is I’m going to share 2 ways I’ve have successfully made them!

Oat flour Nugs:

1package (13oz appx.) chicken tenders

3tbs (46g) egg whites

2-3tbs unsweetened almond milk

Dash vanilla extract *optional

1/4c (30g) Oat flour

1tbs (7g) coconut flour

1tsp garlic powder

 Crispy Snack Nugs:

(Or nugs for short ;D)

1package (13oz appx.) chicken tenders

3tbs (46g) egg whites

2-3tbs unsweetened almond milk

1 portion (28g) crunchy snack of choice* (I used lesser evil brand Nacho super 4 snacks)

1tbs (4-5g) nutritional yeast

2tbs (10g) flour of choice* (I used kamut flour)

Seasoning of choice* (I used kernel seasonings nacho cheese)

 

Method for both recipes:

Chop tenders into small bite sized chunks and

Set aside.

In a separate bowl Mix together any wet ingredients and set aside.

In a second bowl mix together the “coating” or dry ingredients *(If using a snack or chip make sure they are finely crushed).

Dip the raw chicken bites first in egg mixture and then roll in seasoning mix.

 Place all nugs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprayed with spray oil to prevent sticking. Bake at 350 for 10min. then remove from oven and flip all nugs. Bake for 10-15 more minutes or until one cut in half is cooked through. Broil for 2min for extra crispiness. Done!

Makes 2-3 servings

(Photos only of Nacho snack nugs, sorry; I ate the oat flour ones to fast to photograph!!)

(Nutrition based on 2 servings)

Nutrition for 1 serving of Nacho nugs: 252cals 3.8g Fat, 13.4g Carb, 40.8g Protein

Nutrition for 1 serving of Oat flour Nugs: 300cals 4.8g Fat, 18g Carb, 46.2g Protein

Note: these servings are decently large and quite filling so don’t let the calories scare you away! You are getting a whopping serving of protein in with those cals!

**Recipe Notes:

Honestly all the flours in here can be substituted quite easily. Just remember that white flour will offer less nutrition than kamut, oat, coconut, or even just whole wheat! Also bear in mind that the flours I am using have the least “wheaty taste” out of many substitutes. These flours all offer mild slightly sweet tastes. Use what you have on hand and be conscious of nutritional and health choices. Basically don’t feed you gluten free kid flour coated nugs and don’t baste them in processed white flour either. That defeats the recipes purpose.

In the Nacho snack recipe you can substitute a serving of any favorite crunchy snack! I have seen people use quest protein chips, normal potato chips (obviously not the most health conscious choice) and many others! Pop chips would be delicious! Again use what you have on hand and be smart!

Seasonings: The Nutritional yeast adds a cheesy flavor and an extra boost of nutrients/protein but is not an essential ingredient. And flavorings are basically totally up to you. You want to drown it in garlic? Perfect. You have a delicious Tuscan herb rub? Fantastic! ;D

Oven Baked Falafels

If you follow my Instagram account ( strong_steady) you would know that I recently participated in the Eat Clean Showdown put on by Elliquark! It is an intagram contest similar to the show chopped, you even receive your very own “mystery box” to cook from! Needless to say I was head over heals excited! So excited in fact that I incorrectly read the deadline as 11PM instead of 11AM 😦 Therefore my final creation lost a huge chunk of points. *sighs* Not gonna lie I was pretty put out by this; I mean I practically shot myself in the foot on this one. However it wasn’t the end of the  world and in the end I had been privileged to be part of such an innovative and challenging experience! I had so much fun with the ingredients and even made 2 Full entries! The theme was “something Round” and being the stubborn artist I am I would not settle for anything unoriginal or conventional.

Being a Contestant I had to use rhubarb, quinoa, mint, black garlic and blueberry ellie quark in my Creation. Sounds like a recipe for disaster I know, but you would be surprise at how beautifully all the ingredients melded together! My first attempt at a recipe was oven baked falafels with a baked blueberry bleu cheese dip! The smoky black garlic, complemented by the sweet tang of blueberry with a hint of mint…. Ahhh baby it was good! I ended up not posting this as my entry because someone had posted falafels round 1 and I was NOT going to be a recipe-repeater! Haha I may have created double the work for myself but hey, I ended up with two new delicious recipes so who’s the real winner here??? 😉 Id say you and I. Here is the recipe for those mouth-watering falafels and unique dip! Stay tuned  for the second eat clean showdown creation later this week! ( And trust me on these flavors, I would never intentionally lead you astray :D)

Oven Baked Falafels

1cup (150g) drained and rinsed chickpeas

1/4c minced white onion

1/2c cooked quinoa

4 cloves garlic minced

1.5tbs fresh parsley minced

1.5tbs fresh cilantro minced

1tsp cumin

1tsp coriander

1.5tsp low sodium salt

1.5tsp baking powder

1.5tbs lemon juice

1.5tbs (23g) liquid egg whites

¼ cup (30g) kamut flour (or flour of choice)

In a food processor combine all ingredients except half the kamut flour (15g) and the quinoa. Pulse on and off, scraping the sides, until a thick smooth well combined paste is achieved.

Once the mixture has come together and the spices are evenly dispersed; pulse in the other half (15g) of the kamut flour until incorporated. Finally fold in the 1/2c quinoa until mixed throughout.

Roll the “dough” into 6-8 golf ball sized falafel balls and place each ball in the slots of a well-greased mini muffin tray (Note* you can also use a baking tray but I prefer a muffin tin to help maintain their round shape while baking)

Bake at 350deg for at 15min intervals, flipping the balls to insure even baking ( will take approximately 3-4 baking rounds; they are done when completely cooked through and holding their round shape)

Remove from oven and allow for the falafels to cool before dipping, sandwiching or just devouring in general because 3^rd degree mouth burns are no fun.

Nutrition for 1 falafel ball out of 8: 76 calories, .8g Fat, 14g Carb, 3.4g Protein

**Unique Dip Option!!**

Blueberry mint bleu cheese dip

1 bluberry elliquark (apprx. 150g) or blueberry yogurt of choice

1tbs (7g) coconut flour

1.5tbs (23g) egg whites

½ tsp baking powder

1.5tbs fresh mint minced

1tbs (14g) reduced fat bleu cheese crumbles

Method: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Transfer mixture to a small roughly 4×4 well greased baking ramekin. Bake in the oven for 25min at 350deg F. It is ready when the dip has risen like a soufflé.

Caramelized Rhubarb and blueberry topping

1/4c (30g) fresh blueberries

2 stalks rhubarb

2tsp coconut sugar ( or sugar of choice)

Method: In a pan sauté the rhubarb till soft; approximately 10-15min. Once the rhubarb has softened add in the blueberries, breaking them abpart, and allow the mixture to cooke for an additional 5-10min. Finally add in 2tsp coconut sugar and stir until the sugar is melted and incorporated. Remove from pan and pour onto baked bleu cheese dip.

I apologize but I did not calculate the dip precisely; Making a rough estimate the entire dip would be: 274 Calories, 24g protein, 34g Carb (with the Caramelized Rhubarb and blueberry topping) and 6g Fat providing you used low fat bleu cheese J

Deliciously Deceptive Appetizers

Deliciously Deceptive Appetizers

                Going out to eat is always a kind of obstacle course and the appetizers can be the biggest hurdle! Why are they so delicious but so unhealthy? Why must the world be so cruel to pack these beautiful little flavor bundles with thousands of calories? Not saying that indulging in these things every now in then is a bad thing at all; moderation is the best way to go in my opinion J .Personally, my favorite treat to indulge in is hot artichoke dip, lord have mercy SO GOOD! Most likely because its cream cheese and mayonnaise haha, awesome tasting combo but not very good for your heart or cholesterol levels.

                So in order to preserve our sanity and future health when attempting to evade these delicious temptations; I have created three amazing recipe adaptations on a couple classic appetizers:

Spanakopita- A traditional filo crusted cream cheese filled Greek fancy slimmed down without trimming any of the flavor

Vegetarian Italian roll-ups- a new take on the traditional roulade made from fat free vegetarian beef substitute ( or any lean ground beef/turkey) seasoned and stuffed with cheese, spinach and tomatoes

Vegetarian smoky molasses meat ball sliders- Vegetarian beef takes the stage once again to marinade in a smoky molasses sauce and be placed in pint sized portions on toasted buns

Enjoy, and make sure to trick your friends and family with deceptively healthy treats!

Spanakopita

9 miniature egg roll wrappers

1 portion (56g around 1/4c) cooked veggie ground beef or other lean ground meat

2tbs fat free cream cheese (33g)

1/4c fat free Greek yogurt (70g)

1/2tbs Hampton creek mayo (7g)

1tsp minced garlic

Dash salt

2 drops stevia

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Handful finely minced spinach

Kernel seasonings garlic parm. Seasoning

Mrs. Dash garlic herb seasoning

Italian seasonings (basil, oregano, rosemary)

 

Pre heat the oven to 350deg F. Combine all ingredients except the wrappers In a bowl and adjust seasonings to your liking. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Begin filling each wrapper with about 1tbs of filling, folding in half Rangoon style and using small amounts of water to seal them.

Brush each packet with egg whites and sprinkle with Italian seasonings.

Bake for 10min and broil for 1-2 to brown up the tops.

           

Finished! Omnomnomnom…

 

Macros for one:

41cal

5carb

2.6pro

.6f

Vegetarian Italian beef roulades

2 portions ground vegetarian sausage (I used go veggie brand)

Garlic pwd

Onion pwd

Dash Balsamic vinegar

Italian seasonings

Dash luquid smoke

1.5 oz lissanti almond cheese (or mozzarella)

1oz sundries tomatoes

Handful spinach

Method:

Season the ground veggie beef with the listed seasonings include the balsamic vinegar and smoke. Mix/mash until it is incorporated throughout. Once seasoned; spread the veggie meat onto a greased pan in about a 4inch by 6inch thin rectangle.

( I used my hands to mold the “meat” as it was the consistency of a dough)

Then proceed to layer spinach, dried tomatoes, and cheese on top. Now proceed to roll the veggie sausage log up and press into a permanent log. Place the pan in the oven and bake at 350deg for 10-12min.

   

I topped my bites with vegan pepperoni slices and more spinach! However I recommend fresh basil 🙂

(Note: you can probably substitute real meat buuuuttt I’ve never made that before so good luck if u choose too!😅👍)

Macros for 1/4 of roulade: 53 calories, 6 carb, .1 fat, 6.7 protein (*depending on veggie meat brand)

Smoky molasses meatball sliders

2 portions veggie ground beef(112g)(or other lean meat substance. Yeah I had a lot of this veggie beef stuff lol)

1tsp molasses

Dash liquid smoke

Shake BBQ salt free seasoning

Garlic pwd

Onion pwd

Pinch Cloves

Sliced peaches (as needed)

1tbs Stubbs BBQ sauce

1 slice toast

Tooth picks

Method: combine all the meatball ingredients In a small bowl until well mixed.

(sexy paper bowl I know right?)

Form 6 mini meat ball bites and brown the meatballs for 5-7 minutes in a greased skillet. Remove from skillet. Place peaches in the skillet and cook till browned. Proceed to assemble your mini sliders and top with BBQ sauce 🙌👌

Macros for meatballs(depends on veggie beef brand)

180cals

16p

0f

20c