Healthy Veggie Nuggets

Nuggets. A favourite for kids, right? I remember chomping down on many fast food chicken nuggets in my childhood, and my family very rarely went to McDonalds.

We’ve all heard the tales of kids whose entire diet seems to consist of chicken nuggets and chips with sugary ketchup. Perhaps some of us have even experienced it ourselves. We all know it’s not healthy. But kids can be pretty resistant to change…

Enter, the veggie nugget. Now I’m not going to lie – they don’t taste just like chicken nuggets. They won’t convince a child they are the same as they are used to. But, with a bit of time and effort, they can become a new favourite all the same. It’s a simple way to take a small step in the right direction. Same shape and name as they are used to, but packed with far more flavour and nutrients.

The main way to make these a more likely popular food in the house? Get the kids involved in making them. They are easy and fun to make, so it shouldn’t be too hard to do together. Just make sure you prep the ingredients beforehand to make things easier on yourself!

Four types of veggies wrapped up in a familiar nugget package. And they taste really yummy! That’s what I call a kid-friendly recipe. 🙂

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Healthy Veggie Nuggets

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

4 types of vegetables nicely packaged up in nugget form. Perfect for getting kids to try new vegetables, and easy, quick & cheap to make, too!

Course: Lunch, Side, Side Dish, Sides, Snack, Snacks, Vegetarian

Servings: 30 small nuggets

Author: Raising Sugar Free Kids

Ingredients

• 2 large (3 smaller) sweet potatoes, cut into 2cm (3/4") cubes (no need to peel unless you want to)
• 200 g (1 1/2 cups) frozen broccoli florets, defrosted
• 100 g (1 cup) frozen peas, defrosted
• 100 g (2 cups) frozen or fresh shredded cabbage or kale
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp sugar free Cajun spice mix*
• 50 g (1/3 cup) wholemeal flour (or plain/all-purpose or ground almonds)
• 2 medium eggs, beaten
• 4 thick slices of bread, blitzed to crumbs (2 cups) - you could also use ground oats (gluten free if needed)

Instructions

1. Roast or steam the sweet potato cubes until soft. To roast, toss in 1 tbsp olive oil and roast at 220C/425F/gas 7 for about 15 mins. I like to steam in the microwave on High for just 5 mins, which makes things quicker. Blitz to a puree in a food processor. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6 if not hot already.

2. Steam the broccoli in a steamer or the microwave for a few mins until soft, then add to the food processor with the peas, cabbage and seasoning. Blitz until well combined and virtually smooth. Scoop tablespoons of the mixture and roll first in flour, then eggs, and finally breadcrumbs or ground oats (or ground almonds for low carb). Place on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 20-30 mins, until golden, hot and cooked through.

3. Serve hot or cold (as a snack) with sugar free ketchup or a healthy dip. Also great with fries (chips) or sweet potato fries and steamed greens, or alongside cooked quinoa tossed with lemon juice and plenty of fresh herbs.