New Series: Clean Eating Swap Outs

One thing I've been thinking about is recreating favorite "convenience" foods for my family. So, here is the first post in my new series:Clean Eating Swap Outs

First up: Fish Sticks

My son loves fish sticks, and weaning my family away from the packaged convenience foods I'd grown accustomed to has been...slow. My son is definitely missing the fish sticks.

Factory produced:

Processed fish sticks are made from minced bits of fish, stuck together with starches, fillers, and artifical flavorings that actually mask the natural taste of the fish. They are normally sprayed with oil to achieve that nice golden brown in your oven. 




And home made:

Make a double batch of these, and freeze one batch so you have them ready for a quick weeknight meal.

Fish Stick Recipe

Courtesy of America's Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2010

Ingredients:

• 1/5 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup all-purpose almond or whole grain flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3 tbsp natural / organic mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 24 oz cod, skinless, 1 to 1/2 inches thick

Steps:

• Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Coat the baking sheet with vegetable oil spray and set aside.
• Mix the breadcrumbs with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and parsley. Set aside.
• Place 1/4 cup of the flour in a shallow dish. In a second shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, mayonnaise, paprika, cayenne, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until combined, then whisk in the remaining 5 tablespoons flour until smooth. Spread the bread-crumb mixture in a third shallow dish.
• Pat the cod fillets dry with paper towels and season with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Dredge the cod in the flour and shake off the excess. Coat the cod with the egg mixture, allowing the excess to drip off. Coat all sides of the cod with a thick layer of the bread-crumb mixture, pressing to help the crumbs adhere. Lay the cod on the baking sheet.
• Bake the cod until the thickest part registers 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 18-25 minutes. Using a thin spatula, transfer the cod to individual plates. Serve with lemon wedges.