Oven Fried Chicken Nuggies & Parmesan Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

This recipe for Oven Fried Chicken Nuggets I got from my friend Lauren who has her own awesome cooking blog and who has been an inspiration to me in the kitchen.  I made these quite some time ago and they were a huge hit. I made these before my oldest daughter (now 2 1/2 yrs old) was eating table food so this time the true test was if she would eat them.  Well, the verdict is in and she cleared her plate.

The only modifications I made was that I used panko breadcrumbs & agave nectar instead of honey since that is what we had in the pantry.  

With these delicious chicken nuggets, I was hankering for some delicious mashed potatoes!  The recipe that I used was from Cooking Light.  The potatoes were moist and very tasty.  Rather than microwaving the potatoes (because our microwave is quite possibly the first microwave ever made), I boiled them and then continued with the recipe.  

Oven Fried Chicken Nuggets

• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons balsamic or red wine vinegar -- I used balsamic
• 1 1/2 cups dried bread crumbs -- again, I used panko bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (I used cooking spray)
• 6 (4 to 6-ounce) fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halves

Preheat oven to 375°F.In shallow bowl, whisk together agave and vinegar. Pour bread crumbs into separated bowl. Set bowls aside. Spread oil over foil-lined baking pan large enough to hold all chicken pieces in one layer. Roll chicken pieces in agave/vinegar mixture, then in bread crumbs; place in pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cooked thoroughly.

Buttermilk-Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

• 1 1/3  pounds  baking potatoes
• 1/2  cup  fat-free milk
• 2  tablespoons  butter
• 1/3  cup  buttermilk
• 1/4  cup  (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

Peel potatoes and cut into 1 inch pieces and place in pot with enough water to cover the top of the potatoes.  Boil until potatoes are tender.  Drain potatoes, return to pot and mash with a potato masher.  Set aside.

Combine milk and butter in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave at HIGH 2 minutes or until butter melts. Add milk mixture to potatoes; mash with a potato masher to desired consistency. Stir in buttermilk and remaining ingredients.

Meatloaf & Baked Seasoned Fries

©Self Magazine

1/2 cup white wine
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup carrot, grated
1 lb ground turkey
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt & pepper
2 large egg whites
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup chicken broth
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Pour wine in medium skillet and cook onion, pepper, & carrot over low to medium heat for 15 minutes.  In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients & mix thoroughly, using hands.  Spoon in veggies & liquid from skillet.  Coat a loaf pan with spray and fill with mixture.  Bake 1 hour; let stand for five minutes before slicing.  Enjoy with baked or mashed sweet potatoes and a glass of wine!

I have been using this recipe for 4 years and both Dave and I still love it as much as the first day we tried it.  For the oatmeal, I usually use whatever packet we have in the house since it's about a 1/2 cup.  We've used maple brown sugar which gives it just a teensy hint of sweetness.  Especially in the fall and winter, this recipe gets cooked quite a bit.

We usually couple meatloaf with mashed potatoes - two perfect winter night comfort foods.  However I found this recipe for Baked Seasoned Fries.  Honestly, I wasn't holding out hope for these because we've made homemade fries before and have always been disappointed.  BUT these were absolutely perfect!  Crispy and tasty.. these were delicious.

Baked Seasoned Fries from Skinnytaste

• 2 medium potatoes, russet or yukon gold, washed and dried
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp herbs de provence (or use a combo of dried rosemary, thyme, marjoram)
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper
• fresh lime zest