Thank you Sneaky Chef!!! Tonight's supper of Crunchy Chicken Tenders was a SUCCESS! In fact Wee-one was eating the breading instead of the chicken (well at first anyway). We also had potato wedges and peas. Now Wee-one usually loves potato wedges..tonight...NOT SO MUCH. I just can't believe how much he fluctuates in liking something :). Of course maybe he had his fill of potato's at daycare today when he ate Beef Stew. Yes he ate Beef Stew...I know I'm just as shocked as you are...LOL! Of course he would never eat that at home. I'm convinced our daycare lady has some sort of magic power or something :)! She's the best :)!
Ok so back to supper tonight. I whipped up the purees for this weeks menu this morning. I had the day off from work so bright and early this morning I was boiling sweet potatoes and carrots together. I've learned that making the purees ahead of time sure saves a lot of time and aggravation. The Sneaky Chef even encourages that. What can I say...I usually like to try it my way first and see how it goes. Yup she knows what she's talking about. MAKE THE PUREES AHEAD OF TIME :)!! The purees are all very simple. This mornings puree was called "Orange Puree" and its one of the most often used purees in her cookbook. It's used in A LOT of her recipes. I based my menu for the week on one puree. That makes it easier then making 3 of the purees for one meal each and freezing just a tiny bit that's left over.
Here's the recipe for the Orange Puree:
1 medium sweet potato/yam, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. water
Place the sweet potatoes and carrots in a medium sized pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes or until carrots are very tender. Careful-if the carrots aren't tender enough, they may leave telltale nuggets of vegetables in recipes, which will reveal their presence.
Drain the carrots and sweet potatoes and put them in the food processor (or blender) with 2 Tbsp. water. Puree on high until smooth-no pieces of vegetables showing. Stop occasionally to push the contents to the bottom. If necessary, use another tablespoon water to smooth out the puree, but the less water the better.
This recipe makes about 2 cups of puree; double it if you want to store more. Orange puree will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or you can freeze 1/4 cup portions in sealed plastic bags or small plastic container.
I also had to make the "Better Breading" for the Crunchy Chicken Tenders. I didn't do this until right before I started making the tenders because this breading recipe is SUPER easy. Here's the Better Breading Recipe:
Better Breading:
1 c. almonds, slivered and blanched (optional)...I didn't use these Hubs HATES most nuts in food
1 c. bread crumbs, preferably whole wheat
1 c. wheat germ, unsweetened
1 tsp. salt
Pulse the almonds in a food processor. Don't let the food processor run continually or you'll end up with nut butter. Pour the ground almonds into a plastic bag and then add the bread crumbs, wheat germ, and salt. Seal and refrigerate up to 2 weeks.
Again super easy to make and it tastes SUPER on the Crunchy Chicken Tenders. Ok I've teased you long enough. Here is the recipe for the Tenders. Again we all REALLY enjoyed these....can't even tell there is "healthy" stuff in them :)!
Crunchy Chicken Tenders:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken tenders (or boneless, skinless breasts, cut into strips)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. flour, ideally whole wheat
2 large eggs
1/4 to 1/2 c. Orange Puree (I used a 1/2 c.)
2 c. Better Breading (see recipe above)
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
Season chicken tenders with salt. Place flour in a shallow dish or on a plate. Beat eggs with Orange Puree in a shallow bowl and place next to the flour. In a third shallow dish or on a paper plate, combine the Better Breading with the Parmesan cheese.
Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour, shaking off excess, then the egg mixture, and then the Better Breading mixture. Press the breading evenly onto both sides of the chicken. Put on waxed or parchment paper and store in the refrigerator for cooking tomorrow or proceed to cook immediately.
Preheat over to 400 degrees. Place breaded tenders on a cookie sheet lightly coated with oil and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Turn chicken tenders over once with tongs, then return to over for another 10 to 12 minutes until cooked through.
All these recipes are courtesy of The Sneaky Chef to the Rescue by Missy Chase Lapine.
These chicken tenders do take a little time to prepare but THEY ARE SO WORTH IT!! Trust me...you won't mind the extra bit of prep time as you watch your toddler/child/husband, etc. snarf these down. Ok so my toddler didn't exactly "snarf" them down but you know what, he didn't turn up his nose at them and he tried them. I was just happy he tried them. And he did eat probably the equivalent of one chicken tender (which is pretty good for him).
Here is a bonus recipe for ya'...my potato wedge recipe. I pretty much just wing these each time I make them. They never disappoint :)!
Oven Baked Potato Wedges:
2 Tbsp. oil
4 medium potatoes, scrubbed really good
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
Preheat over to 425. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. In a gallon size bag or large bowl mix together the oil, garlic powder and pepper. Wash potato's, cut into wedges. You can decide on how thick you like them. Put the potatoes in the bag/bowl with the oil mixture. Seal bag and shake until potatoes are evenly coated (if using a bowl, just stir together until evenly coated).
Place potatoes on cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Flip the potatoes and bake another 20 to 25 minutes.
Overall this meal was DELICIOUS! I will be making all of these recipes again.
Well time to sign off for the night. Wee-one has decided the past two mornings that 4:45 a.m. is a wonderful time to wake up..ha! Hopefully tomorrow morning he'll sleep until at least 6:30 a.m. Time will tell. If you have any questions about the recipes, please let me know. More to come tomorrow...until then...Good night!
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