Coconut Chicken Salad with Warm Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Recipe from Gina's Skinny Taste

Serves 3 (hmmm...3? But, a perfect serving size for two adults, one child, and one child who stares at food.)

6 (about 12 oz) chicken tenderloins (I used a breast & 1/2, and cut them into strips)
6 tbsp shredded coconut
1/4 cup panko crumbs
2 tbsp crushed cornflake crumbs
1/3 cup egg substitute or egg whites (I used egg whites from 2 eggs)
pinch salt
olive oil spray
6 cups mixed baby greens
3/4 cup shredded carrots
1 large tomato, sliced
1 small cucumber, sliced

Vinaigrette
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp dijon mustard

1. Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients; set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 375°.

3. Combine coconut flakes, panko, cornflake crumbs and salt in a bowl. Put egg whites or egg beaters in another bowl. Lightly season chicken with salt. Dip the chicken in the egg, then in the coconut crumb mixture.

4. Place chicken on a cookie sheet lined with parchment for easy cleanup. Lightly spray with olive oil spray and bake for 30 minutes turning halfway, or until chicken is cooked through.

5. Place 2 cups baby greens on each plate. Divide carrots, cucumber, tomato evenly between each plate. When chicken is ready slice on the diagonal and place on top of greens. Heat dressing in the microwave a few seconds and divide equally between each salad; a little over 1 tbsp each.

Served with: Nothing. I didn't think this would be filling, but I was wrong. Very filling!

Results: Um...YUM! Gina has made up for the recipes I tried yesterday. This was delicious and filling. A great dinner. And that dressing is so good (and easy!), I'll definitely make that for other salads. Steven stared at his food. Henry ate all of his chicken, then devoured Steven's. Chris loved it too. KEEPER!

Baked Buttermilk Chicken

Serves 4 (with some leftovers)

Cooking spray
4 chicken drumsticks, skins removed
4 chicken thighs, skins removed
2 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
4 cups cornflakes, finely crushed
3/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Transfer to a medium bowl. Pour buttermilk over chicken. Cover, and let marinate 1 hour in refrigerator.

2. Preheat oven to 400°. Cover a baking sheet with tin foil, and spray generously with cooking spray.

3. Toss cornflakes, Old Bay, thyme, basil, and cayenne in a large bowl. Remove 1 piece of chicken at a time from buttermilk, letting excess drip back into dowl, and dredge in cornflake mixture.

4. Transfer pieces to oiled baking sheet; lightly coat each one with cooking spray. Bake, turning pieces halfway through, until crisp and cooked through, about 40 minutes.

Served with green beans and roasted potatoes

Results: Henry ate...make that, devoured, two drumsticks all on his own. Steven wouldn't even pretend to look at the chicken. He did, however, love the roasted potatoes and requested seconds. I thought this was very good chicken, and easy to prepare, but it was messy to eat and between the hour to marinate and 40 minutes cooking time, it took awhile to be ready. The corn flake mixture was yummy, but most of it came off on the baking sheet when I turned the chicken. I'm definitely keeping this recipe!

Fishcakes & Cucumber Chips

Serves 4

1/3 cup crushed cornflakes
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tablespoons milk
¾ teaspoon dried dill weed
1 (14 ½ oz) can salmon, drained and skin and bones removed
¾ cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
tarter sauce

1. Stir together cornflake crumbs, eggs, milk, dill weed and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add salmon; mix well.
2. Pour Panko into a shallow dish.
3. Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet.
4. Shape salmon mixture into 4 large egg-shaped balls. Flatten each into ¾ inch thick oval. Pinch one end of each oval into tail shape for fish. Carefully dredge both sides of fish in Panko.
5. Place fish into skillet and cook 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown. Carefully turn over and continue to cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Place small drop tartar sauce on each fish for “eye”.

Served with cucumber chips (cucumber & basil salad for the adults)

Results: Fun to make and actually pretty tasty. I have never used canned salmon before and although it tasted fine, I’m not sure I would use it again. Removing the bones was a pain! I think you could substitute grilled salmon very easily. Henry ate about half of his, Steven ate about a third (but said he didn’t like it.)

Crunchy Parmesan Chicken

Serves 4

1 cup cornflakes, lightly crushed
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
3 large eggs, beaten
Four skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a shallow bowl, combine the cornflakes, parmesan and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Place the eggs in another shallow bowl. Coat each chicken breast with the cornflake mixture, then the egs, then again with the cornflake mixture; transfer to a wax-paper-lined baking sheet.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a clean baking sheet. Bake the chicken until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Served with egg noodles (with peas and parmesan cheese) and salad.

Results: I cut the chicken breast in half length-wise so they were very thin: quicker to cook and more kid-friendly. These were very good, and everyone ate everything on their plate!