School Lunch: Healthier Chicken Nuggets

Ali and I are taking a look at school lunch and some tips for packing a decent lunch and dealing with the "competitive" foods offered at school. If your school menus look like the ones I deal with, there's a whole lot of nuggets in the mix.

Ali deals with a far more picky eater than I do, and if you are having serious food battles, you should check out her post. As for the school lunch wars around here, it's mostly a fight to keep the ground we've gained toward raising a healthier eater and not losing our hard won turf to the lure of the school cafeteria with nuggets and pizza for main courses. Chips and Cheetos, chocolate milk and even ice cream as USDA-acceptable sides.

Here's a healthier, homemade version from our book:

Golden Crisp Chicken Nuggets

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 pounds)

2 tbs. plain whole milk yogurt

1 egg, beaten

1 cup breadcrumbs (you can use Italian-seasoned for flavor)

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp. dried Italian herb blend or Pizza Seasoning (Penzeys.com)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the chicken into nugget size pieces.

Mix the egg and yogurt together in a shallow dish. Place another shallow dish next to it with the breadcrumbs, panko, grated cheese, herbs and seasoning. Keep one hand for the "wet" hand and one for the "dry." Mix the chicken in the egg-yogurt mix, then using the "wet" hand, move pieces to the breading mix. Use your dry hand to sprinkle the crumbs over the top and turn to coat each piece well.

Repeat, placing the battered nuggets on a baking sheet. If you have ever crossed up your wet and dry hands, you'll know it — your fingers will be well coated!

Bake the nuggets on a cookie sheet for about 25 minutes, or until the internal temperature at the center of your thickest nugget is 180 degrees. Don't over bake.

So, why plain yogurt? Some of the best, real fried chicken starts with a soak in buttermilk to give the chicken that bit of tangy goodness. Yogurt has a similar flavor, but a thicker texture that will help this baked version hold onto the crumb mixture. The panko is a light and crisp breading, it gives the nugget that great crunch that you normally don't get with baked versions.

Wicked Good Pumpkin Soup

Given that pumpkins are synonymous here with fall leaves and cooler weather, it's hard to remember that there are a lot of Asian dishes that include pumpkin, and several ingredients that are seasonal that grow in a second herb harvest for the fall. It's a shorter season, but that one last burst of herbs and greens is a nice gift before winter sets in.

This soup combines the garlic harvest, cilantro, lemongrass and of course, pumpkin.

Asian-style Pumpkin Soup

1 bunch lemongrass, thinly sliced root part 1-inch, or you can find it in a jar at the store

1 bunch green onions, whites and 1-inch of greens sliced

2 cloves garlic

1.5 tbs. grated ginger

1 tbs. olive oil

1 tbs. key lime, or lime juice

3.5 cups pumpkin puree (made mine fresh, or use 2 cans)

1 15 oz. can coconut milk

2 cups chicken stock

2 tbs. sugar

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. ground galangal (penzeys.com or ground ginger)

salt and pepper to taste

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

Heat the oil, add the ginger, garlic, lemongrass, green onions and sweat for 15 minutes. Add the lime juice, chicken stock, pumpkin and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes, adding the red pepper flakes and galangal. Swirl in the coconut milk and sugar, bring back to a simmer. Use a stick blender to completely puree the soup until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm, garnish with the cilantro. Sriracha hot sauce also makes a nice garnish.

If you like a more traditional pumpkin or squash soup, this French Heirloom Pumpkin Soup is a nice version. Not sure which type of pumpkin to use? Here are a few tips on edible pumpkins. Finally, if you like curry better, here's a Curried Pumpkin Soup.

Be safe trick or treating tonight!

Bleu Cheese and Roasted Fall Fruit Salad, or Why I will NEVER be Martha Stewart

I've mentioned it before, but I do work full time. When I say full, I mean 50 hours a week full, and none of that includes time for cooking and blog posts. I drink lots of coffee. I take vacation to clean my house. Somehow it all works out.

Until I hit a tipping point. Like, say, a 60 hour week. And a full weekend. With company for dinner. In fact, one of the few things I can count on in life is if I have a full weekend planned, work will go nuts. We do have folks over for dinner quite often even so. I like company. I like a full table. I'm just a lousy hostess sometimes. Okay, most of the time.

I hit a new low. After a long week, I got up at 6:30 am to run a 5k with the kid, off to her soccer game, farmers market, then we cleaned house and cooked dinner, had company over. I did the dishes between dinner and dessert, ate, and made everyone coffee. When I took the kid upstairs for bed before rejoining the adults ... the soft music, lying down, dark room, sleepy child snuggled up ...

Yeah, I fell asleep for an hour with a table full of guests.

At least the salad was good. Maybe even good enough to put up with the hostess.

Bleu Cheese Crostini and Roasted Fall Fruit Salad

2 anjou or bosc pears, sliced into eighths

1.5 cups red grapes, sliced in halves

2 tbs. olive oil

Eight slices of baguette

6 oz. Gorgonzola dolce, or mellow bleu cheese

1.5 cups Tokay or Muscat wine

1 small lemon, juice only

1/4 cup honey

1 tbs. walnut oil

3 cups arugula, or arugula and mixed greens

2 tbs. black walnut pieces

salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Toss the sliced fruit with the olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Divide the bleu cheese among the slices of baguette and place on another baking sheet. The bread tray should go closest to the top of the oven. Roast for about 15-20 minutes until everything is just a bit golden brown.

Put the wine, honey and lemon juice in a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Allow to simmer for about 20 minutes until it is thick and syrupy enough to coat the back of a spoon.

For assembly, toss the greens with the walnut oil and divide among four plates. Top with the roasted fruit, placing and even amount of pears and grapes on each salad. Salt and pepper to taste. Add two slices of the bleu cheese crostini. Drizzle the wine syrup over the top and sprinkle on the black walnuts.

Don't fall asleep.

Fall Harvest Salad

I love fall. I know, those leaves turning means I have to put on a jacket and socks, which I hate. But it's hard not to enjoy the leaves and the cool days. Fresh apples and pears. My annual pumpkin worship rituals.

After a day of pumpkin patch exploring and soccer games, we were just insane enough to have company for dinner in an already overbooked day. Fortunately we had the most gracious of guests — folks that wanted only soup and salad. Brought wine and gifts, AND send you a thank you card the next day. For soup and salad.

Granted it was a good salad.

Fall Harvest Salad

3 cups greens, mixed arugula and spinach.

1 apple, sliced

1 pear, sliced

2 clementine oranges, sectioned

1 pomegranate, seeded (yes, in advance)

Pumpkin seeds, 4 tbs.

White stilton with lemon peel, 2 oz.

Dressing:

1/2 cup lemon olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

3 tbs. honey

1/4 cup white balsamic

Salt and pepper to taste

This serves 4 adults and one kid along with a cup of soup for a light fall meal. If you cannot find the Stilton with lemon peel, just use plain white stilton and zest the lemon used in the dressing over the top of the salad.

Other favorite salads for this season:

Orange, Fennel and Pomegranate Salad

Red Wine Poached Pear Salad