Archives for June 2020

Vegetarian Chicken Nuggets with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

June 24, 2020 by Heidi Clark 2 Comments

I have become one of “those people.” You know what I mean. The people you ask what something tastes like, and they respond, “Well, it tastes like chicken!” Hmmph. I know you might be a bit skeptical at this point. And I don’t blame you! But, friends, this recipe does taste like that fast-food favorite! And, bonus points(!) these delicious Vegetarian Chicken Nuggets with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce are high in fiber, meatless, and healthy!! Their meaty texture comes from a combination of high-fiber quinoa, eggs, and cheddar cheese! So get out of the drive-thru and into the kitchen!

a vegetarian chicken nugget being dipped into a small white ramekin of honey mustard sauce a stack of nuggets rest next to the ramekin on a small wooden tray resting on a white linen towel in the background is a stack of small white plates with more nuggets

I’ve been making this recipe for several years now. And, I had every intention of naming them “cheddar herb quinoa cakes”! But, every time I ate them, I kept saying to Jeff, “these taste like chicken nuggets, only better!” I was a strict vegetarian for 23 years. And while I now enjoy a little bit of meat, our diet is 90% vegetarian. In recent times meat has become a bit scarce. Not to mention pricy! The great thing about meatless dishes is your grocery dollars go a lot further! We all love saving money, right?! Now we can enjoy a recipe with that hearty, meaty texture without blowing the budget! Plus, you won’t feel weighed down as we do after a greasy fast food meal!

overhead view of a small white speckled bowl filled with cooked quinoa with a small wooden spoon dipped into the quinoa the bowl rests on a small black round cooling rack with a white linen towel draped around the right side of the rack

This is where Vegetarian Chicken Nuggets start!

Right here with a bowl of yummy cooked quinoa! Did you know quinoa is actually a seed? It comes from the Chenopodium plant, which is a member of the spinach, chard, and beet family. I love the chewy texture it has, yet it’s light and fluffy at the same time! And it’s incredibly versatile! We enjoy it mixed into our morning bowl of oatmeal, as a salad for lunch, and of course, in this yummy recipe, I’m sharing with you today! I buy a giant bag of quinoa at our local Costco for a little over ten bucks. It’s a bargain! One thing to note about quinoa, there’s one little thing that you must do before cooking it! Put the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse it with cold water for a solid minute or two. Quinoa contains a phytochemical call saponin. Rinsing the quinoa removes the saponin, which will leave the quinoa with a bitter flavor if not removed. Long story short: rinse, rinse, rinse!!

overhead view of a small black cast iron skillet resting on a white linen towel the skillet is filled with vegetarian chicken nuggets standing upright with the sides of the nuggets in view in the corner is a hint of a white plate with a small white ramekin filled sauce a small wooden spoon rests on the edge of the ramekin

Let’s walk through the recipe!

To make Vegetarian Chicken Nuggets with Honey Mustard Sauce Dipping Sauce:

Make the Honey Mustard Sauce. Refrigerate until serving time.
Rinse the quinoa.
Cook the quinoa. You’ll know it’s done when it’s tender, and you can see the little curlicue tendrils pop out—{See the cooked quinoa photo above for reference}.
Cool the quinoa to room temperature. You can speed up the cooling by spreading the quinoa in an even layer on a cookie sheet and placing it on a wire rack.
While the quinoa cooks, assemble the remaining nugget ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
When the quinoa is cool, add it to the nugget mixture.
Cook the nuggets!
Dip the hot nuggets in the homemade Honey Mustard Sauce and enjoy!

close up view of a stack of four vegetarian chicken nuggets resting on a small white plate with a sprig of thyme on top the plate sits on a white linen towel in the background is a small wooden tray filled with vegetarian chicken nuggets with a small white ramekin with a small wooden spoon resting on the edge

If you know someone who would enjoy this recipe, please, forward it to them! And, don’t forget! You can subscribe to receive recipes every time I post a new one! Just go to the subscribe box at the bottom of the page and enter your first name and email, push Subscribe! Voila!! You’re signed up! I promise you I will never sell your email address! You can also follow me on Pinterest and Bloglovin’!

Here’s a few more recipes from Yums & Kisses that you’ll love!

The Best Homemade Onion Dip! Honestly, it is! With the 4th of July coming up, you’ll want to make a batch of this to have on hand! There’s nothing better with potato chips than this dip! Plus, you’ll save a trip to the grocery store since you probably already have the ingredients for this recipe!
Going on a bike ride this weekend? These No-Bake Peanut Butter Energy Bars are sturdy enough to take on-the-go! Peanut butter, honey, oats, coconut, millet, ground flax seeds, chocolate chips, and more will keep you fueled up for a full day of activity!
If you’re lounging poolside this weekend, a cold pitcher filled with fruity and floral Watermelon Elderflower Sangria is always a good idea! Watermelon and strawberries turn this refresher a gorgeous rose color! Serve some of these along with it!
And, because cake and ice cream is never a bad idea! Make my German Chocolate Ice Cream Cake! A cake so rich and fudgy it’s borderline a brownie topped with a thick layer of chocolate ganache, store-bought vanilla ice cream, and coconut-pecan frosting!

Have a fantastic weekend, friends! Stay safe! Stay healthy! I’ll see you here next week!

Love,

Heidi

Vegetarian Chicken Nuggets with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Author: Heidi Clark~ Yums & Kisses
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 44 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 18 1x
Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Description

Vegetarian Chicken Nuggets with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce! A healthy non-fried version of a fast-food favorite! High-fiber quinoa combines with cheddar, herbs, and eggs to create a meaty texture! Terrific for lunch, dinner, and snacks! A not-too-sweet homemade honey mustard dipping sauce takes this dish over-the-top!

Scale

Ingredients

For the Nuggets:

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa

1 cup water

4 large eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon sea salt

black pepper, to taste

3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese

1/3 cup minced chives

1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

For the Dipping Sauce:

1 Tablespoon honey

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup full-fat mayonnaise

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1/8 tsp sea salt

dash of cayenne pepper

Instructions

For the Dipping Sauce:

Whisk all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.

To Cook the Quinoa:

Place the raw quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer. Rinse with cold water for 1-2 minutes. Don’t skip the rinsing process, or the quinoa will have a bitter taste!
Drain the quinoa thoroughly and place in a medium-sized saucepan with the water.
Bring to a low boil, uncovered, over medium-high heat. Once the quinoa is at a low boil, lower the temperature to simmer for 15 minutes gently. When the quinoa is fully cooked, it will be tender, and you’ll see little tendrils pop out of the quinoa.
Remove the pan from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes to allow the quinoa to absorb any remaining water in the pan entirely.
Cool completely and proceed with the rest of the recipe. To quickly cool the quinoa, you can spread it in an even layer on a cookie sheet.

To Assemble the Nuggets:

Place the cooked and cooled quinoa in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to thoroughly combine.

Heat a large non-stick pan or electric griddle over medium heat.
Scoop the quinoa mixture with a small ice cream scoop that portions 2 Tablespoon servings.
Pack each scoop tightly with the mixture. This helps the nuggets retain their shape during the cooking process.
Place each scoop on the hot pan. Let each nugget cook for a minute or so and then use a small spatula to flatten the top of each portion to form a small patty.
Cook 4-6 minutes per side. The nuggets will be golden brown, and if you press the top, it will spring back and feel firm when they are fully cooked.
Remove the nuggets from the pan and serve immediately with the dipping sauce. If using a non-stick pan, you’ll cook the nuggets in batches. Keep the cooked nuggets warm until serving time by placing them on a wire cooling rack over a cookie sheet. Place in a 200° oven while cooking the remaining nuggets.

Notes

Add a bit more lemon juice or water to the nugget mixture before scooping if it seems dry. The mixture should be moist, so when you scoop, it holds its shape on the griddle and doesn’t fall apart.

Category: Dinner
Method: Griddle
Cuisine: American

Keywords: vegetarian chicken nuggets, honey mustard sauce, quinoa, quinoa patties, meat free nuggets

Triple Lemon Ice Cream

June 17, 2020 by Heidi Clark 1 Comment

Have you seen lemon ice cream in the grocery store? Sure, there’s lemon sherbet and lemon sorbet, but ice cream? Nope! For the sake of the best lemon ice cream recipe you will ever make, I churned batch after batch of sweet and tangy Triple Lemon Ice Cream! I promise you, one bite and you’ll lose your mind!

a hand holding up two scoops of triple lemon ice cream on a sugar cone

So, we have a birthday in our house this week! I won’t tell you how many years young Jeff will be. Let’s just say he’s not so young! Ha! When I asked the birthday boy what he wanted for his birthday dessert, I totally expected him to choose one of his favorites. Such as:

His Aunt Jess’s Banana Split Ice Box Cake
Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Lemon Meringue Pie

But no! He didn’t choose any of them! Without hesitation, he said, “Triple Lemon Ice Cream.” Cue the record scratch! I mean, I’ve been churning out batch after batch of this frozen lemony goodness for weeks! One would think he would be tired of it! Friends, that is a testimonial to how delicious this ice cream is!

a close up of a scooped out portion of Triple Lemon Ice Cream the lemon filling from the lemon squares stripe the ice cream along with visible nuggets of the crust from the cookie bars that are folded into the ice cream

What makes it Triple Lemon Ice Cream?

We start by infusing granulated sugar with lemony goodness! Trust me! This step is so simple! You’ll be doing this for all your lemon desserts! Put sugar in a bowl with the zest of a couple of lemons and beat with a handheld mixer or stand mixer for a few minutes. The grit of the sugar breaks down the zest and releases its aromatic oils. It’s a simple way to add major lemon flavor into the sugar!
Punch up the lemon flavor even more with pure lemon extract!
Last but not least, we mix in bite-size nuggets of leftover Sweet & Salty Lemon Squares! They add a lemon pie quality to the ice cream! The filling creates tangy stripes of flavor! The caramelly bits of sweet and salty crust add chewy bits of texture!

a parchment lined metal loaf pan filled with ice cream a metal scoop is digging into it and a scoop is being dragged forward two sugar cones rest next to the pan in the background is a white paper doily lined small glass cake pedestal with a stack of white plates several small dessert spoons and a stack of sugar cones to the right is a small white bowl filled with whole lemons and a white linen towel

If you haven’t made the Sweet & Salty Lemon Squares yet, let me say they are worth making just for this recipe!

a trio of small white ramekins filled with a scoop of ice cream a lemon wheel sits under the bowl or next to each one with a small metal dessert spoon a few sugar cones a bowl filled with lemons a vintage wooden handle ice cream scoop and a white linen towel surround the dishes

If you love ice cream here are more recipes to try!

Blueberry & Oatmeal Creme Pie Ice Cream~ This is still one of my favorite recipes to date. Jammy bits of juicy blueberries swirled through a vanilla/almond ice cream studded with bits of chopped oatmeal cream pies. With the Fourth of July coming up, this will be a great recipe to print or pin to your Pinterest boards!
Funfetti & Thin Mint Cookie Ice Cream~ Confetti sprinkles and refreshing bits of chocolate/mint cookies! Need I say more? Growing up, my Mom would hide the Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies. I could have all the Samoas and Tagalongs I wanted, but the Thin Mints? Uh-Uh! Hands off! Now that I’m an adult, I stash several extra boxes in the pantry each Spring. Mine! All Mine!! This recipe was a delicious way to stuff a few more into my diet!
German Chocolate Ice Cream Cake~ If you are a fan of cake and ice cream, this one is for you! The recipe starts with a homemade chocolate cake that is so rich and fudgy it’s borderline a brownie! Add a layer of rich chocolate ganache, store-bought vanilla ice cream, and German Chocolate frosting complete this show-stopping Summer dessert! This is one of my most saved recipes on Pinterest!

overhead view of a parchment lined metal loaf pan filled with Triple Lemon Ice Cream the top is dotted with a few lemon wheel segments two empty sugar cones rest next to the pan on a white marble counter in the top left corner is a white paper doily lined round glass plate with several small dessert spoons and a stack of sugar contes in the top right corner is a small white bowl filled with lemon to the right of the pan filled with ice cream a vintage wooden handled ice cream scoop rests upside down on a white linen towel

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