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It’s been a crazy two days. My kids are restless and can’t stay focused. It’s hot out and rainy. They’re trapped in the house instead of being able to go out and play.
They have been running amok. In my house. Specifically, they’ve been chasing each other in a loop through my living room, dining room and kitchen while squealing like only elementary kids can. They won’t even sit still to watch Nat Geo on Netflix, which is my normal fall-back that’s assured to get them to stay put. The beloved special on crocodiles that DS asks to watch daily isn’t working. Nope, not happening. Fifteen minutes into the program, they’re doing laps through my workspace at the top of their lungs. Again.
Today is normally my kitchen day, the day I spend baking, doing cooking projects and the like. I also needed to clean out my fridge. I’ve got vanilla pudding and yogurt going, two different things in the oven and I’m juggling a third.
They’re crazy. They’ve pushed me into crazy. For lunch today I decided to pull out all of the stops I could come up with.
A while back I saw this post and made a mental note that it was a green food, planning to pull it out of my back pocket when it was needed. Today was such a day.
I dug leftovers out of the fridge, made some changes and here is my version. I called it Crocodile Nuggets and I served it with ranch dressing. It looks like despite making such a big batch, there won’t be much left to go into the freezer. They’re slurping down the nuggets as we speak. Maybe after lunch, I’ll try to get them to sit still for that Nat Geo episode on crocodiles again.
I processed all of the ingredients in the food processor until ground finely, then I measured them. I used a mixture of leftover veggies and chicken, so this is a great way to re-invent leftovers to make for happy kids. If your kids aren’t into broccoli, use different veggies and name it after a different animal of the correct color. You could probably sneak in some veggies they don’t like, too, if you shred it really fine.
Recipe: Crocodile Nuggets
Summary: Kid-friendly nuggets containing chicken and veggies.
Ingredients
- 3 cups finely shredded, raw or cooked vegetables (I used a mixture of broccoli, carrot, cabbage and cauliflower)
- 4 cups finely ground, cooked chicken or turkey
- 4 cups breadcrumbs
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, optional
- 6 eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp garlic granules or powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbs nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat and set aside.
- Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix until well combined. Add some extra breadcrumbs if the mixture is too wet, or add an extra egg if the mixture is too dry to stick together.
- Shape the mixture into patties. I used a 2-ounce cookie scoop to make it quick and uniform. Place on the cookie sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes per side or until lightly browned.
- Serve with ranch dressing.
Variations
If you are egg-free, try using another binder, such as leftover mashed potatoes.
I imagine these will freeze well. I’ll be stashing the extras for another crazy afternoon. If you try it out, I’d love to hear what veggies you used and what your kids think.
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Man, this sounds delicious!
How did you shred the vegetables? Food processor?
I popped them into the food processor and pulsed them until they were finely ground.
Thank you 🙂 Excited to try these!
I can’t find nutritional yeast… is there any substitute for it?
Grated Parmesan is a substitute in terms of flavor, but not nutrition.
I just made these for my 1 and 3 year old. They LOVED them!! Thanks for the recipe! I used organic peas, carrots, and spinach for the veggies. I didn’t use onion powder or nutritional yeast (only because I didn’t have any, but really wanted to try the recipe today) and they still came out great! Thanks!!
What would you use for breadcrumbs if you’re gluten free? Could I grind GF oat groats or buckwheat in my grain mill possibly?
Thanks so much for this recipe. I haven’t ever made it properly but they are a great way to get extra veggies into the kids. I was able to trick my processed-food-loving nephews into eating nuggets with cauliflower. (hah!) One is texture sensitive so the breadcrumbs were too rough on his tongue. I will have to try it as directed and see if that flies under his radar.
I have been using uncooked chicken after I pulse the veggies up and don’t need eggs in the filling. Then I drop chicken balls in breadcrumbs. Smoosh to make a nugget or swish in an egg wash and coat in more crumbs. Fry or Bake at 400 about 15 minutes.
For gluten-free or grain-free people, we often use grated parmesan cheese (the kind from a can) instead of breadcrumbs for various recipes. Not sure where that fits in with traditional foods, but it does give the right texture/consistency.