Chicken and Mozzarella Bite Kabobs

Eating things off a skewer is always fun.  So, mozzarella sticks and chicken on a skewer is double the fun and double the deliciousness.  These baked tasty bites make great treats for the family or for a crowd (this recipe can be easily multiplied).

I recommend taking the time to pre-toast the Panko crumbs to obtain a golden brown finish as the cheese and chicken require a short baking period.  If you don’t have the time, skip the skewering and serve with skewers on the side and dig in!

Chicken and Mozzarella Stick Bite Kabobs

4 mozzarella cheese sticks, cut into fifths

1/4 pound boneless chicken breast (slightly more is okay)

3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup flour

3/4 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 1/2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg

1 tbsp. milk

1/8 tsp. salt

a pinch of pepper

20 skewers

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Beat egg and milk to make an egg wash.  Set aside.  Place flour in a small bowl.  Set aside. 

Spread Panko crumbs evenly on a cookie sheet.  Bake until crumbs are golden brown, about 3 minutes.  Stir halfway if Panko begins to brown unevenly.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Place in a small bowl and stir in Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese.

Working in batches of 4 or 5 pieces at a time, roll mozzarella in flour, shake off excess, dip into egg wash, and roll in Panko mixture.  Place on a plate.  Continue to coat all of the cheese.   Freeze for 1 hour to prevent oozing during baking.

Meanwhile, cut chicken into 20 small bite size pieces (about 1 inch thick each).  Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.  Use the same dredging process as for the mozzarella, dipping in flour, then egg, then Panko.  Place on a greased cookie sheet.  Can be chilled while waiting for the cheese.  Do not freeze.

Remove mozzarella from freezer after one hour.  Place on a greased cookie sheet.  Spray top of cheese with cooking spray.  Spray top of chicken with cooking spray.  Bake both in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for about 8 minutes.  The chicken is done when it becomes white inside; do not over bake.

To serve, work quickly to place one chicken and one mozzarella bite on each skewer.  Serve with marinara sauce.  Makes 20 skewers.

To double the recipe, use these measurements:

8 mozzarella cheese sticks, cut into fifths

1/2 pound boneless chicken breast (slightly more is okay)

1 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

2 tbsp. milk

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

40 skewers

Mini Pork Aracini, Asian Style

Aracini is an Italian fried rice ball often stuffed with cheese, with or without meat.  I have put my own little twist and created an Asian version, filled with pork meatballs and no cheese.   To keep it on the lighter side, they are baked, not fried.  

Aborio rice is commonly used to make aracini, but I find that regular white grain rice works well.  All it needs is a little bit of manipulation to bring out the starch to help with binding.  My technique is revealed in below.

I decided to make mini aracini mainly because it is easier for little children to handle and eat.  I have made 2" - 2.5" inch wide ones in the past that turned out really nice.  Just a word of caution, since there is no cheese to bind the rice layer, it might have a tendency to break apart when bitten into if the layer is too thick.  Don't go too thick on the rice.

We enjoy the aracinis as is, but if you must have sauce, a tasty ginger dipping sauce recipe is included below.   Since the ginger sauce might be a little on the exotic side for a lot of children, the sweeter duck sauce is a good alternative.  The little ones I feed prefer the aracini without  sauce.

Mini Pork Aracini, Asian Style

8 oz. ground pork

1/3 cup minced button mushrooms

1 tbsp. flaxseed meal

1/4 cup chopped scallion

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. minced ginger

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. salt 

2 tsp. soy sauce

1 cup uncooked rice

2 cups water

2 eggs

1cup panko crumbs

Boil water in a heavy bottom small saucepan.  Add rice and lower heat to medium low.  Give rice a stir for about 10 seconds.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Turn off heat and allow rice to sit for 5 minutes.  To bring out the starchiness, use a rubber spatula to stir rice and gently press  as you stir until it becomes sticky, should take about 1 minute.  Spread on a cookie sheet to cool.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Add panko crumbs and bake for 3-4 minutes until panko turns light brown.   Remove from oven and stir crumbs around using a spatula.  Set aside.

For the pork filling, place first nine ingredients in a medium bowl.  Add one egg, slightly beaten.  Thoroughly combine all ingredients. 

Slightly beat the second egg and add to cooled rice.  Thoroughly blend.  Scoop about a rounded tablespoon of rice into your palm and form a ball.  Hollow out the ball using a finger to create a well.  To prevent sticking, wet hands with water before handling rice.  Fill well with about 1 teaspoon of the pork filling.  Pack the rice around the pork filling.  Set aside.  Repeat steps for the remainder rice balls.

Roll each aracini in panko crumbs.  Place on a greased cookie sheet.  Coat aracinis with a generous layer of cooking spray.  Bake in a preheated 375 degrees oven for 25 minutes or until pork is  no longer pink when cut into. Makes about 24, approx. 1.5” to 1.75” arancinis.

Ginger Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

2 tsp. grated ginger

1 tsp. sesame oil

2 tbsp. finely chopped scallion, greens only

1 tbsp. super fine sugar

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and stir well until sugar is well incorporated.  Allow to rest 15 – 20 minutes before serving.

Shaped Pork Egg Rolls

These egg rolls are unique in that they are not formed into rolls, but cut into shapes. If you want a child to try a food, cutting it into shapes perks their curiosity.  These are best eaten, hot and crispy, straight out of the oven.  And yes! the wontons are baked and are just as delicious as fried ones.         
   

As always, feel free to toss in a tablespoon or so of flaxseed meal for added nutrition.

The egg rolls will fly off the plate—you won’t be able to make them fast enough! What's great about this recipe is that it could easily be doubled, tripled, quatrupled...you get the idea.  

Shaped Pork Egg Rolls

1/2 lb. ground pork

3/4 cup finely chopped cabbage

1 cup finely chopped bean sprouts

2 tbsp. finely chopped scallion

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. soy sauce

1/4 tsp. ginger powder

1 egg, beaten and divided

1 package wonton wrappers (about 48 count)

cooking spray

  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  

Place first nine ingredients into a medium mixing bowl.  Add half of the beaten egg into the bowl and thoroughly combine.  Reserve the remaining egg.  To assemble egg roll, brush a wonton with the reserved egg and place a teaspoon of the pork filling in the center.  Cover with a second wonton.  Make a tight seal by pressing down on the wonton around the filling and pressing out air bubbles.  Use a biscuit or cookie cutter to cut shapes.  Place on a cookie sheet with egg roll bottom-site-up.  Repeat until all wontons are used.  

Coat the top of egg rolls with a layer of cooking spray.  Turn over, cooking-spray-side-down and  repeat spray. 

Bake on middle rack for 10 minutes.  Move cookie sheet to top rack and bake for an additional 3 minutes or until the top turns golden brown.  Makes about 2 dozen egg rolls.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.  My family’s favorite  recipe is below. It is an adaptation of a recipe my husband found in The New York Times years ago. 

Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham)

1 tsp. chili garlic sauce (adjust to suit your preferred level of heat)

1 clove garlic, minced  

3 tbsp. sugar

2/3 cup warm water

1 tbsp. lime juice

1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

5 tbsp. fish sauce

Combine all ingredients, stirring to dissolve sugar.  Allow to sit for about 10 minutes before serving.      

Dinner Cupcake

Here is a fun way to serve barbecue chicken and mashed potato—in the form of a cupcake.  It not only looks pretty, but also allows me to hide vegetables; in this version I tossed in mushrooms and onion.  There is an array of vegetables that would work well…broccoli, cauliflower, corn, and spinach to name a few.  It’s a great way to use leftovers!

My group of little kids love this presentation. 

Dinner Cupcake

1 cup finely diced mushrooms (I like button or baby bellas)

1/2 cup finely diced onion

1 1/2 cup finely diced cooked chicken

about 2 cups mashed potato

1/3 cup honey barbecue sauce

1 heaping teaspoon flour

1/8 tsp. salt 

dash of pepper

olive oil

water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Preheat a medium size skillet on medium heat.  Coat bottom of skillet with olive oil.  Add mushrooms, onion, salt and pepper.  Cook until tender, about 8 - 10 minutes adding a splash of water if the content sticks to skillet.  Reduce heat to medium low.  Sprinkle flour over mixture, stir for about 1 minute.  Add barbecue sauce and water.  Stir to combine.   Blend in chicken and remove from heat.

Place six paper muffin cups on a small cookie sheet (filled cupcakes will be hard to remove if placed in muffin tins).   Distribute filling equally among each cup.  Handle gently to help muffin cups retain their shape.  Scoop mashed potato into a plastic bag, twist the opening closed, and cut a half inch opening off the tip of one corner.   Squeeze about 1/3 cup of potato through the half inch opening in a swirling motion over the chicken filling in each cupcake.  Bake 8 – 10 minutes. 

Baked Coconut Chicken Tenders

I love coconut, but I know many little kids who do.  The only other person in my household who liked coconut was my daughter, but somehow she has grown out of favor with it over the years.  However, the entire family does like to eat coconut shrimp and coconut chicken.  In my attempt to also share my love of coconut with the daycare children, I came up with my version of coconut chicken for them.  

The one thing that I discovered about kids and chicken is if it looks like nuggets or chicken strips, but appears a little odd, many of the children will be reluctant to even try them.  There will be THE LOOK, the one that clearly says, “Ewww! I’m not going to eat THAT!”  My strategy is to make the chicken look as much as possible like the ubiquitous nuggets and strips in order to entice them to try it.

My secret to achieving this is to alter the look of the coconut.  Shredded coconut usually gives the chicken a bristly look, one that children would not associate with nuggets.  To remedy this, I fine-chop the coconut in the food processor, resolving the bristly appearance.

To provide additional goodness, I added flaxseed for fiber, lignans (antioxidants) and Omega-3s and almonds for healthy fats, vitamin E, potassium and magnesium.  Why not, right?  Just make sure that no one has nut allergies before serving.

These baked tenders actually look as if they were fried.  My secret is to toast the coconut and panko crumbs first to give the tenders an absolutely delicious golden brown finish without frying and without drying out the chicken.  The result, baked coconut chicken that looks good enough for all kids, big and small, to enjoy!

I tested this recipe a couple of times with my group of one, two and three year olds.  Although some of the kids embraced it, others were not impressed.  Even with the mildly favorable results with the youngest of children, I decided to post this recipe because it was a hit with the older kids and adults and actually won over non-coconut lovers.

 

Baked Coconut Chicken Tenders

2 lbs. chicken tenters (about 14 pcs)

1 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut

2/3 cup panko crumbs

1/3 cup slivered almonds

2 tbsp. flaxseed meal

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 eggs + 2 tbsp. water

Pinch of salt and pepper
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Bake coconut and panko separately on greased cookie sheets.  Panko crumbs will take about 4 minutes to become golden brown and the coconut about 5 minutes.  Keep a close eye as they will brown quickly.  Remove from oven and allow to cool. 

Place coconut and almonds in food processor and grind until crumbly.

Combine coconut, panko, and almonds on a plate.  On another plate, combine flour, flaxseed meal, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.  Beat eggs and water, a pinch of salt and pepper to make an egg wash in a third plate.

 toasted coconut

coconut and panko crumb mixture

To assemble chicken, dip each piece first in the flour mixture, then egg mixture, then coconut mixture.  Placed on a greased cookie sheet.  Generously spray the top of the tenderloins with cooking spray.  Bake for about 20 minutes, turning over after 12 minutes.  Smaller pieces of tenderloin might be done around 20 minutes while the larger pieces might require a couple of additional minutes.  To test for doneness, make a small slit in the thickest part of the chicken; it should no longer be pink.

Serve with heated apricot preserve, sweet and sour sauce, or a sauce of your choosing.

Slow Cooker Honey Ribs

I have used this recipe from HMICHAUD at allrecipes.com for years.  It is delicious.  I made a couple of minor adjustments to the recipe to suit my taste.  Those who don’t care for barbeque sauce really like this dish because it doesn't have a BBQ taste, and even better, the kids love it.  It is sweet, savory and tender.  I usually serve it with rice, but it also goes well with mashed potato, couscous, or polenta.

Slow Cooker Honey Spare Ribs

1 (10.5 oz.) can beef broth

3 tbsp. honey mustard

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup honey barbeque sauce

1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp. soy sauce

1/4 cup maple syrup

3 lbs. pork spareribs

Combine all wet ingredients in a bowl.  Slice ribs apart and place in slow cooker.  Pour sauce over pork.  Cook on high for 5 hours or until the meat falls off the bones.   Stir the meat halfway through cooking, if possible, so that the top layer of meat is on the bottom.  Use a spoon to strain off top layer of fat before serving.  Serve with mashed potato, rice polenta, or couscous.

The pork is fall-off-the-bone tender, so watch out for small fragments of bones.  To avoid dealing with them, use boneless pork ribs.  When making this substitution, cooking time might need to be slightly reduced.

Okay, the plated picture at the top of this post is my “pretty picture” to capture your attention, but when I present the dish to the children, it looks like the below.  The pork is shredded and meat juice mixed into the rice.  Yum!

Party Unfried Mini Corn Dogs

I wanted to use the most healthy “hot dog” available to me, so for my first attempt, I used meat sticks for toddlers, the kind that comes in a glass jar in the baby food section.  Unfortunately… let’s just say that I didn’t bother to ask for taste testers for my first trial.  It was a flop!  I then opted to use turkey hot dogs which are less caloric than their counterpart.  I’m please to say that my taste testers approved of this option.

                                                                                                                
I am eager to share this recipe with you.  However, I will continue to work on it to create a no sugar version as this one uses regular sugar. I will update this post once that is accomplished. 
                                              
Note:  After a little bit of experimenting, I found that 1 1/2 tsp. of Stevia is a good substitution for the sugar in this recipe.  If you want to increase the Stevia, I suggest doing it in 1/4 tsp. increments as a little bit of it goes a long way.

Party Unfried Mini Corn Dogs

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup corn flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

3 tbsp. sugar

3 tbsp. golden flaxseed (optional)

1 egg

7 tbsp. milk 

8 to 10 turkey hot dogs (cut into thirds)

olive oil

Mix together the first six ingredients.  Beat in egg and milk until batter has the consistency of thick pancake.  Add additional milk, 1 tsp. at a time of batter is too thick.

Heat a medium non-stick skillet on medium heat.  Add enough oil to lightly coat bottom of skillet.  Work in small batches to allow time to flip corn dogs while cooking (no more than 6 at a time).  Dip hot dogs into batter to completely coat, using fingers for best results.  Place in skillet.  Turn each hot dog a quarter turn once the bottom has firmed up, in about 30 seconds.  Repeat this step for the other three sides to shape the corn dogs.  Allow each side to brown for an additional minute per side.

Turn over a quarter turn when bottom firms up in about 30 seconds.

Dogs shaped.  Continue to brown, then stand on end to brown ends.

Stand dogs on ends to brown.  This should only take about 15 seconds per end.  Insert popsicle sticks before plating.

Crumbly Crusted Chicken Pot Pie

I find that, with children, the same food presented two different ways can lead to two different results.  Preschoolers are more apt to dig into a bowl of food rather than a slice of pie.  For that reason, I serve all of my pies bowl style.  The crust is crumbled into the filling and makes it even yummier. In this recipe, sweet potato adds extra nutritional value to the dish and can be used in addition to or in lieu of the white ones. 

When baking the pie crust, a few small pieces may be cut out using mini cookie cutters or fondant molds and can be added as decorative finish as seen in the picture below.  The tiny cutouts need about 6 minutes of baking, turning over after 4 minutes.

Crumbly Crusted Chicken Pot Pie

2 Refrigerator pie shells

2 15-oz can low sodium chicken broth, divided

12 oz. boneless chicken breast, cut to 1/4 inch dice

1 large clove garlic, minced

3/4 cup carrots, diced to 1/4 inch cubes

1 1/4 cup sweet potato, diced to 1/4 inch cubes OR

3/4 cup each of sweet and regular potato, diced to 1/4 inch cubes   

1/2 cup finely diced onion

2/3 cup frozen or canned peas

2 tsp. (2 packs) sodium free chicken bouillon

1/8 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. ground oregano

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 tbsp. golden flaxseed
1/2 tsp. soy sauce

2 tsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. cornstarch

Preheat oven.  Unroll pie shells on a cookie sheet and bake according to package instructions.   Remove and cool on rack.  Reserve 1/2 cup of chicken broth in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat a large pot on medium, add oil.  Stir in onion, minced garlic, sweet potato, and carrots.  Cover and allow to sweat for 5 minutes, stirring twice.  Increase heat to medium high and add white potato (if using), chicken bouillon, thyme, oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper, flaxseed, soy sauce, and the unreserved broth.  Loosely cover and allow to come to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Stir in chicken and peas.  Increase heat to medium high and allow come to a boil.  Whisk together cornstarch and reserved chicken broth and stir into pot until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  When ready to serve, crumble a handful of crust and stir into pie filling.

Chicken and Navy Bean Nuggets

These look and taste like ordinary nuggets you would find in the frozen food section, only much healthier.  The navy beans provide fiber and additional protein.  This is a must try!  It's kid tested and approved!

Chicken and Navy Bean Nuggets

Chicken Filling:

24 oz. chicken breast
1 cup canned navy beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 tsp. garlic powder 

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Crumb Coating:

1 cup bread crumbs

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Egg Wash:

3 eggs + 2 tbsp. water, beaten or
1/2 cup egg substitute

Olive oil for browning

Combine bread crumbs and seasonings in a bowl, set aside. Pour egg wash in separate bowl, set aside.

Cube chicken.  Place chicken, beans and spices in food processor.  Puree until well blended and smooth.  Mixture will be sticky.  Grease hands and shape chicken mixture into ½ inch thick and 1½ inch wide patties.  Dip each in egg wash, then in bread crumbs mixture. 

Preheat a skillet on medium heat.  Add enough olive oil to coat bottom of pan.  Cook chicken patties until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side.  Add more oil if needed to prevent crust from burning.  Serve with a favorite dipping sauce.  Keeps well frozen.  Makes about 24 nuggets.