Veggie Nugget Recipe Your Kids Will Eat!
I hated vegetables when I was a kid. I gagged at a fancy pants Christmas party one time when I ate a sandwich with cucumbers on it! I was only about six years old, but my mom had to rush me to the restroom, so I didn’t hurl all over the buffet! True story. I can fully sympathize with the lifestyle of a picky eater. It may be one reason my recipes have such down to earth flavors. Although I now eat most every kind of vegetable, except KALE, I still like food to have an amazing universal taste I think all pallets will enjoy, even picky ones. Enter my newest creation Veggie Nugget Recipe!
When developing this recipe I wanted to give the impression of a chicken nugget. I wanted the eater to feel satisfied with a flavor-packed morsel of goodness both for the tastes buds and the body! I played off the comfort food of falafel (fried chickpea appetizer) using chickpeas as my bready base. The combination of herbs and spices hides the vegetable flavors very well and leaves even the pickiest of eaters happy mind, body and taste buds!
Veggie Nugget Recipe
½ cup dry chickpeas, soaked 8 hours, then dried
10 – 15 gluten free Jilz Crackers
½ cup broccoli, lightly steamed
½ cup cauliflower, lightly steamed
1 1/2 cup raw cheddar cheese grated and divided 1 cup and ½ cup
2 eggs
¼ tsp garlic salt or garlic powder
¼ tsp dried basil
½ tsp dry tamarind
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat over to 375°. Line baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
For 8 hours soak dry chickpeas in 2 cups of water. Drain and allow to air dry for 1 hour or pat dry with a cloth.
Steam broccoli and cauliflower for 5 minutes. Remove and cool.
Place chickpeas in a food processor with Jilz Crackers, plus until finely ground. Place mixture in large mixing bowl and set aside.
Place cooled broccoli and cauliflower in food processor and plus until it is small bits that resemble crumbs. Do not over blend or it will be soupy. Add mixture to the chickpea/cracker mixture.
Add 2 eggs, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, garlic salt, basil, tamarind, salt, and pepper to mixture and blend well by stirring carefully.
Form 1 inch balls that are tightly packed. Place on baking sheet. Place 1 inch apart. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove and carefully flatten with a spatula. Cook 15 more minutes. Remove and add cheese topping to each one. Bake 10 more minutes or until cheese is browned.
Makes 24 veggie nuggets. Refrigerate up to 5 days covered. Freeze for 3 months in tightly sealed container. Reheat in oven or toaster oven. The microwave might make them mushy! Can be eaten at room temperature.
I love to dip them in hummus, catsup, homemade or cucumber sauce.
