Lunchtime!

Today is GRRRRRRREAT! Nothing to do but sit around, watch tv, play with Christmas toys, and cook....love it! And so, for lunch we had "Chicky Nuggets" (that's what my little one calls them, and I find it too cute for words), Garlic Potato "Chips" and Baby Spinach, Strawberry and Pea Salad. I love taking a deep fried comfort food favorite like chicken nuggets and french fries and finding a healthier alternative. Here are the recipes...

“Chicky Nuggets!”

I use frozen chicken breasts and defrost them when I want to use them, they are super moist and they keep a long time.

2 large frozen chicken breasts defrosted and cut into chunks

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup buttermilk pancake mix

½ cup crushed Rice Chex

½ cup crushed Wheat Chex

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Pepper

1 tsp Chili Powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Pat the chicken chunks dry.

Put the heavy cream in a shallow bowl, the flour, salt, pepper and chili powder in another shallow bowl, and the crushed cereal in another.

Dip the chicken chunks in the cream, then the flour mixture, then the cereal, and place on a baking sheet.

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and chicken cooked through.

Bump up oven temperature to 500 degrees for the last 5 minutes to crisp up the crust.

Let cool slightly and serve with Honey Mustard Dressing.

Honey Mustard Dressing

1 tablespoon fresh raw local honey

1 tablespoon Yellow Mustard

1 ½ tablespoons Mayonnaise

½ teaspoon dried Oregano

Dash of Salt

Dash of Pepper

Mix all ingredients together until well blended.

Garlic Potato “Chips”

These “chips” are a bit of a cross between a French fry and a potato chip.

2 Small-Medium Potatoes

Water

¾ tablespoon Extra virgin Olive Oil

½ tablespoon Minced Garlic

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Salt

Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice the potatoes into thin round slices (you can leave the skin on or off for this (I like to leave it on). Place the slices in a bowl and cover with water, let soak approximately 20 minutes to pull out the starch in the potatoes (otherwise they will not crisp up).

Once they have soaked pat them dry and place on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and distribute the minced garlic evenly over the potatoes, toss all of this with the salt and pepper, then drizzle with the vinegar.

Bake for 30-45 minutes until lightly browned.

Baby Spinach, Strawberry, and Pea Salad

Baby Spinach

Sliced Strawberries

Frozen Peas, Defrosted

Feta Cheese

Lemon Juice

Poppyseed Dressing

Layer the spinach, strawberries, peas, and feta, drizzle with lemon juice and poppyseed dressing.