Sunday, 8 April 2018

15 Delicious Vegan Lunch Recipes that are Perfect for Meal Prep

Ambitious Kitchen
15 Delicious Vegan Lunch Recipes that are Perfect for Meal Prep

Cheers to Sunday, AK fam! Hope you’ve had a relaxing weekend, and that you did something for YOU. If not, squeeze in some good old *me* time today. I’m planning on organizing for the week ahead and meal-prepping some goooods like these 15 delicious vegan lunch recipes. Oh yeah, let’s get our veggie on people. [...]

The post 15 Delicious Vegan Lunch Recipes that are Perfect for Meal Prep appeared first on Ambitious Kitchen.

A Sweet Pea Chef
Salmon Fish Sticks
Salmon Fish Sticks

These salmon fish sticks are the best homemade fish sticks I’ve ever had and go great with the lemon dill greek yogurt dipping sauce! This easy recipe is paleo, gluten-free, clean, kid-approved, and so delicious!

Salmon Fish Sticks | These salmon fish sticks are the best homemade fish sticks I've ever had and go great with the lemon dill greek yogurt dipping sauce! | A Sweet Pea Chef

My kids love fish sticks.

So much so that they beg us to keep frozen fish sticks in the freezer on hand for them.

As much as I appreciate the convenience of having something easy they can all agree on and love, I always feel annoyed I’m serving them processed foods when I grab that bag out of the freezer.  While I look for the best quality fish sticks I can find at the store, there’s just something that doesn’t sit right with me.

I mean…if I wouldn’t eat them, why would I let my kids eat them, ya know?

So I got to thinking and I realized the following:

The kids love pre-packaged fish sticks Dustin and I don’t really care for pre-packed fish sticks The kids love salmon Dustin and I love salmon We all would probably love SALMON fish sticks!

I realized I should try making homemade salmon fish sticks so everyone would be happy.  Heck – we could even freeze them for an added convenience later! Perfect!

Filet of salmon laying flat on a sheet of parchment paper, ready to be divided into large slices for the salmon fish sticks. Fresh salmon filet cut into large strips to make the salmon fish sticks.

Are Salmon Fish Sticks Healthy?

First things first: Are fish sticks healthy?  As with most things, my usual response is that it depends.  Not all fish sticks are created equal by any means.   Many store-bought fish sticks are breaded in refined breadcrumbs and then deep-fried, making them woefully unhealthy.  That being said, eating fish in any regard is a great thing for your family, though the fish typically used in store-bought fish sticks is either cod or pollock which don’t contain quite the same omega-3 fats as — say — salmon.

For these salmon fish sticks, I made the following changes to make sure they packed a healthy punch:

Replaced breadcrumbs in the coating with chickpea flour and almond flour (this also makes them paleo and gluten-free!) Reduced the amount of salt Baked them instead of frying them Used nutrient rich salmon for more omega-3 fats

All in all, these homemade salmon fish sticks pack a lot of healthy fats and protein into a fish stick you can feel good about serving your kiddos and yourself.

Raw salmon, next to the different coatings to make the homemade fish sticks, including egg and garbanzo flour. Overhead shot of a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper with coated salmon fish sticks,

How to Make Salmon Fish Sticks

Instead of frying these salmon fish sticks, I chose to bake them so that we didn’t have to use any extra oil.  Guys, I learned it’s shockingly easy to make homemade fish sticks.

All you have to do is follow these super simple steps:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F Cut fish filet into strips Dip the fish sticks into the chickpea flour Dip the fish sticks into the egg Dip the fish sticks into the almond meal mixture Place the coated fish sticks onto the baking sheet Bake for 16-18 minutes, flipping halfway through

Making your own homemade salmon fish sticks not only allows you to control the ingredients, it’s also a great way to get the kids involved in making their food, too!

Close up of the baked salmon fish sticks on the rimmed baking sheet, The salmon fish sticks have been removed from the oven and are golden-brown. Hand stirring the greek yogurt and dill sauce for the homemade salmon fish sticks.

What’s The Best Sauce To Go With Fish Sticks?

Now, I should start out by noting I love tartar sauce.  There’s just something so satisfying about the combination of that mayo, vinegar, pickles, and spices.  And, while that would be a great option for these fish sticks, I have an EVEN BETTER fish stick dipping sauce to share with you for these babies.

I combined greek yogurt with lemon, dill, dijon mustard, and a few spices and the flavor combo was absolutely perfect for these salmon fish sticks.  Trust me when I say you won’t be able to stop eating these fish sticks and dipping sauce.  Yum!

If your kiddos still want some ketchup to go with their meal, I recommend this homemade ketchup recipe that doesn’t contain any refined sugars.

Close up horizontal image of the salmon fish sticks, next to the greek yogurt sauce and fresh lemon. Close up of a salmon fish stick which is being held by a hand and has been bitten into, exposing the outer coating and the tender, cooked salmon inside.

How To Store Homemade Fish Sticks

If, somehow, you manage not to devour all these salmon fish sticks after they’re cool enough to eat from the oven, here are the best ways to store them so you can enjoy them later.

How to Refrigerate Homemade Fish Sticks

To store extra fish sticks in the refrigerator, place the baked sticks into an airtight container in the fridge.  When you’re ready to reheat them, you can either heat in the microwave for 1 minute (which will make them not as crispy) or reheat in the oven at 400 degrees F. for 4-6 minutes, until heated through.  Fish sticks can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

How to Freeze Homemade Fish Sticks

To freeze your fish sticks, arrange the baked fish sticks on a baking sheet and place into the freezer for 1-2 hours to fully harden.  Then, gather the frozen fish sticks together and place them into a freezer-safe bag or container.  Frozen fish sticks can be stored up to one month.  To reheat frozen fish sticks, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F, lay the frozen sticks on a baking sheet, and heat for 10-12 minutes or until heated through.

Overhead view of the baked salmon fish sticks to show their texture and size.

What other pre-packaged foods do you feed your kids (or yourself!) that you’d rather have homemade?  Share in the comments below!

Salmon Fish Sticks

These salmon fish sticks are the best homemade fish sticks I’ve ever had and go great with the lemon dill greek yogurt dipping sauce! This easy recipe is paleo, gluten-free, clean, kid-approved, and so delicious!

For the Fish Sticks: 2 lbs. skinless salmon fillet 1/4 tsp. sea salt, (for coating) 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper, (for coating) For the Coating – Bowl 1: 1 cup almond meal 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1/2 tsp dried thyme 1/2 tsp. sea salt 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper For the Coating – Bowl 2: 2/3 cup chickpea flour ((AKA garbanzo bean flour)) 1/2 tsp. sea salt For the Coating – Bowl 3: 2 eggs, (beaten) For the Dipping Sauce: 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt 1 tbsp. dijon mustard 1 tsp. lemon juice 1/2 tsp. dill weed 1/4 tsp. sea salt 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

For the coating, you’ll need three bowls.  In one large bowl, combine the almond meal, garlic powder, and dried thyme.

In a second shallow bowl, add the chickpea flour.

In a third bowl, add the beaten eggs.

Make sure the skin has been removed from the fish.  Then, cut the fillet of salmon into 2-inch wide by 3-inch long slices to make the sticks.  

Season the salmon sticks with the sea salt and pepper.

Dredge each salmon piece in the chickpea flour to coat completely. Then, dip into the egg, followed by the almond meal mixture.  It is helpful to use one hand for the wet dipping and one hand for the dry dipping so your fingers don’t also get coated.

Place the salmon bites on the prepared baking sheet and bake 16-18 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through. Flip half-way through baking.

While the fish is baking, prepare the fish stick dipping sauce by combining all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stirring together.

Nutritional information does not include dipping sauce.

This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.

The post Salmon Fish Sticks appeared first on A Sweet Pea Chef.

Cookie and Kate
Healthy Blueberry Muffins

healthy blueberry muffins with honey

Would you look at those blueberry-studded beauties? These blueberry muffins are golden on top, moist and fluffy on the inside.

Best of all, they’re bursting with jammy blueberry flavor. These are my favorite homemade blueberry muffins, and it’s about time you met them.

blueberry muffin ingredients

These healthy blueberry muffins are easy to make, too. Forget those box mixes! You can make these wholesome muffins from scratch with basic grocery store ingredients. No special equipment required.

Continue to the recipe...

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