aloha chicken strips

Okay, okay. So I'm not sure I agree with the whole hide-the-veggies-in-everything-so-the-kids-won't-notice idea. My mom just made us eat our vegetables and told us not to ask what was in stuff...and I think we turned out pretty ok. :) Also, I am now more educated on the whole eating-healthy thing than I would have been had she kept our nutrition a secret from us.
That being said, however, I do like getting to add yummy vegetable-y things in, or use them to substitute for also-yummy-but-not-quite-so-healthy things in recipes. And...sometimes I just like to do weird things and then watch people's faces as I tell them what they're eating. Hehe...
But even though I duly warned all partakers of this meal, this dish was a huge success! The original recipe said to pan-fry the chicken strips, and to put the pieces of chicken onto skewers. All fine and good, I'm sure, but not only did we have no skewers, but...well, I like the idea of baking things better than frying them. I'm weird. But that, I think, was already understood.
We froze some of the leftovers...so we'll see how well they turn out after having been in the freezer for a couple of weeks! :)
This served...three hungry men and one...not so hungry me...with probably enough leftovers to feed a couple of more very hungry men, or several people my size. :)


1 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1 cup sweet potato puree*
1/2 cup pineapple puree
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast or chicken tenders, rinsed dried, and cut into fingers
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons all-purpose or whole-wheat flour
cooking spray

In a bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with the flaxseed meal. Set aside
In a second wide, shallow bowl (pie pan works really well) combined the sweet potato and pineapple purees, soy sauce, egg white, and mix with a fork; set next to the breadcrumbs
In a third bowl, mix the salt and flour
Pat dry each of the chicken "fingers" with a paper towel, then dip in flour, then in egg-white mixture, and then roll it in the breadcrumbs.
Bake at 375 degrees fahrenheit in two greased 13x9" pans for 15 minutes, then flip each and cook for another 15 minutes.

*for the sweet potato puree, wash the sweet potatoes, prick with a fork, and bake (whole, unpeeled) at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 to 60 minutes, or cut them into quarters and steam for 40 to 45 minutes. Scoop the flesh out of the peel, and puree. It's really not as weird as it sounds. Just let it cool off before you put it in with the egg whites. :)