The kid is a picky eater. She seems to gather nutrients from the air, like a whale straining plankton from the sea it is swimming through, rather than actually eating. Preferred foods fall in the Tan category - waffles, crackers, hummus, chicken fingers...but hey! Those we can work with!
Full disclaimer: the kid fully believes these are normal chicken nuggets, like the ones that come out of a bag from the grocery store or out of the drive thru at Chick Fil A, just look different because they are homemade. While I normally do not advocate lying to kids*, I will deny to my dying day that these are anything but chicken nuggets made with chicken, bread crumbs and cheese when she is in the room.
* She says after a day of packing away all the Xmas crap around the house and fully realizing that the Santa lie that we are deep inside is just a freaking ticking time bomb bound to explode at any moment. Frack.
ANYWAY. The kid LOVES these. Even Matt eats these. I have gotten kids who won't eat carbs (WHAT?) and kids that only eat carbs (LIKE ME!) to eat these. They are served arranged on a plate around a massive pile of ketchup - hey! another vegetable! - and downed by the half dozen.
These are great for improvising. You can easily make them with actual bread crumbs - the cheap premade seasoned ones from the store or your own homemade - if you prefer. You can actually use any type of crumby flour you have about - mix some almond meal and whole wheat flour, coarse ground chickpea flour, etc., etc. You can also add in some grated hard cheese if you feel like it. Use whatever veggies you have about, fresh or frozen. I tend toward ones that will resemble chicken when steamed and mashed - i.e. light brown-ish. If your kid or self doesn't mind green or red or orange, go to town on the varieties!
EQUIPMENT: This recipe uses a food processor or high powered mixer (such as a Vitamix). However, if you aren't making your own almond crumbs and don't mind a more chunky consistency, just a bowl and a potato masher will do fine.
recipe - Fish Nuggets
Makes about 30 nuggets
Crumbs
2 c. almonds
1 t. flax seeds
Toss into mixer or processor. Pulse until ground. You may need to use a spatula to scrape around the sides a few times to get everything a similar consistency. It doesn't need to be super fine, just crumby. If you plan on making these a few times or could use the crumbs in other recipes, just make a bunch and keep them in a sealed container. You can use more or less (or none) flax seeds, if you prefer. They do not grind well, but are small enough that they work fine in the coating.
Filling
6-8 oz. white fish fillets (I use frozen tilapia fillets, which are easy to always keep on hand)
10-12 oz. fresh or frozen vegetables (Some of my faves: cauliflower; mixed butternut squash & broccoli)
1 egg
seasoning
Vegetable Oil (for cooking - I like olive, but any bland version would do)
Cover a cookie tray with aluminum foil, drizzle some olive oil on it and spread so the foil is evenly coated. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Steam your fish over simmering water until well cooked and flaking. Pull the fish out of the steamer and set aside to cool and put the vegetables in the steamer. Let them cook until they can be easily pierced with a knife. Put the vegetables, fish and egg into your mixer or processor with some salt and pepper, and any other seasonings you might want - cumin, paprika & red pepper flakes for a Tex-Mex take; dried oregano, parsley & basil for Italian, etc. - and pulse until well mixed. It doesn't have to be super whipped, just until it all comes together. Dump into a bowl and let cool until you can handle it, if it isn't already. You can also just mash it together in a bowl with a potato masher or wooden spoon if you prefer. If it is too liquid to form into nuggets, toss some of your bread crumbs to absorb and make it nugget-able.
Put your crumbs in a wide, shallow bowl. With clean hands (reminder if you are cooking with kids to tell them to wash your hands, because you already knew that! Right? RIGHT?!), grab about a tablespoon or so of fish mix, shape into a vaguely nugget form, drop into crumbs, gently turn over and pile some more crumbs around the sides to make sure they are evenly covered. Gently shake off excess and place on your oiled foil covered sheet. Repeat with the rest of the nuggets. Leave some room around the nuggets on your pan, to allow the sides room to cook AND make it easier to flip.
Drizzle some more oil over the nuggets and put in the heated oven. Cook for about 12-15 minutes until browned, then flip and cook another 5-8 minutes until brown and crunchy. Serve for dinner with ketchup or fancier dips if you are feeling up it. Put any extra nuggets on a plate and toss in the freezer for a few hours or overnight until firm, then put in a freezer bag to store. Use within a month or so. To reheat, toss on a pan in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes until heated through, or on a pan on the stove, or the microwave...basically, heat through in some manner depending on what else you are already heating up.
Enjoy! Tell the kids they are eating chicken nuggets and let them chow down while knowing you are actually feeding them tons of veggies, nutrients, protein, healthy fats & lies.
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