Tip #3 for getting your kids to eat beans: Turn beans into something familiar, like chicken nuggets.
Did you happen to see the Jamie Oliver episode where he put a nasty chicken carcass into a blender and shaped it into chicken nuggets? The kids, knowing what was in it, still ate it! They ate it because it looked like chicken nuggets! Our falafel had the same idea, except with CHICK-peas, instead of a chicken carcass. lol, get it?? My kids didn’t know what was in it, but they loved these!
I started with this recipe from Allrecipes, omitting things I didn’t have. My final recipe was this:
Chick-en Nugget Falafel
- 1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
Mash into bowl. I use a pastry blender.
In a food processor, I put
- 1/2 onion
- Parsley (from my kitchen window…mmmm)
- 1 clove garlic
Blend the onion mix with the mashed beans:
Then in separate bowl combine:
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 dash pepper
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 TBL olive oil
Mix with bean dip, and slowly pour in 1 cup bread crumbs. Mix enough bread crumbs until your dough is not too sticky to shape.
Shape into chicken nuggets and either bake or fry. I “grilled” in a cast iron pan with a small amount of olive oil. Then I made that Origami Fry bag.
WE LOVED THESE!! Just so you know!
Still need Ideas to get your kids to eat their beans?
- Tip #1 Add pureed beans to baked goods
- Tip #2 Use beans as dip
- Tip #3 Chicken-En Nuggets
- Tip #4 Roast Them!
- Tip #5 Mixing in the beans
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45 Comments
Genius! I’m so trying this with my kiddos :-)
And, yes, I saw that on the Food Revolution and it made me feel a little helpless at the time, like how can a parent compete with a chicken nugget when the kids don’t even care it is full of garbage …. -But this idea you have with the chickpeas in the nugget shape? That is great! :-)
This is kind of like falafel. I looooooove falafel! Mine has a lot more cilantro and parsley in it, and the kids don’t particularly like it. I’m going to try making it your way for the kiddos!
If my kids eat these, I will kiss you.
I will absolutely be trying this ASAP!
Okay, I can’t wait to get home from our vacation to try all these. Those look so yummy!
my kids will love these! chickpeas are their favorite! can’t wait to try this recipe.
My kids are in nugget withdrawal now that we are eating better. It’s the perfect time to try these!
This is such a great idea! Definitely giving them a try.
Another great Amy creation! I haven’t been a big fan of falafel because it’s always deep fried greasy. I will love to try this version. Thanks!
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This is great! I did see that episode of Food Revolution when he put the carcass in the food processor and the kids preferred that over an actual piece of chicken. This is so clever!
Great idea. I do the same thing with slightly cooked cauliflower. Sometimes I add little bit of cheese into the mix.
I’m new here and I think I love you. I’ll be stopping by often to try out your recipes on my kids. Thanks!!
Oh my goodness those look great. Can’t wait to try them out!!
This sounds great! I’m going to switch it up with some gluten-free breadcrumbs and feed it to my vegetarian/celiac sister. It sounds better than the frozen stuff we buy!
Great Idea Lisa. I also saw a recipe that used mashed potatoes instead of bread crumbs.
Glad you came Abi and Darlene
Cauliflower would be a yummy!
thanks Mom :)
lol.. let me know Christy. :)
I remember that about you Cathy! That is why I posted it, because i knew even bean haters, sometimes like falafel.
It really was shocking to me (and to Jamie if you remember)
Love this idea…I’m gonna have to see if I can get them past Alex and Soph!
I made these for supper tonight. My kids LOVED them…I managed to save a few for their dad when he gets home from work. (I didn’t tell the kids what it was made from though – I have one sworn bean hater when she knows what is in it. She was my most vocal lover of these.) I didn’t have bread crumbs so I used blended oatmeal instead and they still worked great.
I’m so glad Shauna! I always get anxious about putting ideas out there and having every other child in American hate it! So thanks for easing my mind!
I made these last night & they were DELICIOUS! Do you think I could make a big batch & freeze them, and reheat them in the microwave as needed?
I have never tried it! But I think they would be just fine!?!?
[...] Posted on June 9, 2010 by allergyfree I came across this post the other day from Super Healthy Kids and knew I had to try it! My daughter loves chicken nuggets, [...]
I made this and it was AWESOME! It’s only me and my boyfriend in my apartment, so it also gave us leftovers. I think the next time I make it, I will add chopped broccoli to it. We were also thinking this would be a great appetizer to bring to a party. I’m trying to think of a good dip for it. I ate mine with spicy mustard the other day. So good!
My kids loved these – ate them all up. They were easy to make too. I scooped up the “dough” with a cooking scoop and then flattened them out a little. They reminded me of small patties and so I may make little veggie burgers next time by putting them on a small bun. We dipped the nuggets in the Panda Express Spicy Orange Sauce you can buy at COSTCO. Delicious.
Thanks Mary, I’ve been trying to think of something to dip!!
[...] Chicken Nuggets (Chick-pea nuggets) [...]
I am beyond thrilled to find this! Thank you for sharing it! I can’t wait to try it!
This looks really interesting! If you were going to bake them, what temperature would you use and for how long?
I haven’t tried that Veronica.. But I would start with 400 degrees, for about 15 minutes.
you’re killin’ me with these amazing recipes!
are you creating these on your own? and if so, write a cookbook! ;)
[...] Parsley is so versatile. It’s used often as a garnish, but is delicious on salads, stir fry’s, chicken, chicken, roasted vegetables, soups, and chickpea nuggets. [...]
I am about to bake CHICK-EN NUGGET FALAFEL and have no idea how long to bake them for.
Thanks for all the great recipes, I love your site.
Hi Serina,
We still haven’t tried baking them. We just cooked them on a hot griddle with a little cooking spray or coconut oil/ or olive oil. If you were to bake them, I would try 400 degrees, and 15 minutes or so, and keep checking them till they get brown.
Good luck! Thanks for reading my blog.
What a great idea. I cook twice a week for my grandchildren and I plan to add chick peas into the meatballs… great idea to add beans to as many foods as we can sneak them in. Thank you and all the moms who are taking the time to give their children a great gift of health !! Neda
we tried these both ways – pan grilled and in the oven. I put them in at 400 for at least 15 mins and they weren’t done – they were still soft and not at all brown. Obviously they needed more time, but I’m not sure how crispy brown they would’ve gotten anyway. I think I’ll still to the pan grilling method.
Hi! Thankfully we only don’t do fast food – chicken carcass is pretty gross! I’ve got these baking in the oven right now. Question: first I lightly browned them in oil and then put them in the oven. I just tested them and while I really like the flavor they are really soft, more like a pancake. Are they supposed to be that way or should they be crispy? I just discovered your site and can’t wait to see all your recipes!
Hi Sarah,
It’s been awhile since we’ve made these, but I’m pretty sure the outside was crispy, and the inside was soft. Maybe a little longer on the skillet browning time?
Even soft, I bet you’ll like them.
[...] and instead of forming into bread loaves, I just made little balls of dough. We also used the chick-en nugget recipe (vegetarian nuggets), and made hamburger patty shapes. Chickpea- Patties! They turned [...]
My kids ages 10, 10 and 13 devour these! I serve them on a bed of lettuce with chopped cucumber, tomatoes and a basic homemade cucumber dip (olive oil, vinegar, garlic, greek yogurt, shredded cucumber and dill) and everyone in the family loves ‘em!