Kid's Cooking Academy and Baked Fish Sticks with Roasted Red Pepper Tartar Sauce

Recently, Foodbuzz and Frigidaire joined forces and are donating $50 to Save the Children for each kid-friendly food post!  All I have to do is post about kid friendly food and mention them!  How could I not!?


Frigidaire started a Kid's Cooking Academy, which you can find at their website:  Make Time for Change.  Anyone can join Make Time for Change and get how-to videos, recipes, and tips all designed to involve kids in the kitchen.


What a great idea!  I grew up experimenting and learning techniques in the kitchen and loved the creativity and immediate outcome/benefit cooking provided me.  I believe teaching young children to cook will foster a life long relationship bound to reduce food costs and promote good health.  

My kid-friendly post transforms the "Frozen Fish Stick" into a healthy option for lunch or dinner.  Plus, your kids are going to love coating the fish in flour, egg, and then breadcrumbs.  It's certainly going to make your kitchen a mess, but it's also a fun and safe activity!  I think this recipe has enough zest to make both the adults and the kids happy, healthy, and full. 

Assemble your ingredients and cut the fish ahead of time.  Then make the tartar sauce while your kids coat the fish in flour, egg white, and then breadcrumbs.  Show them one or two sticks and bam, you got yourself a sous chef.


A word of advice:  Use one hand for the dry ingredients and one hand for the wet ingredients.  This helps avoid big clumps of gooeyness sticking to each and everyone of your fingers.

Coat the bottom of the baking dish with a good amount of olive oil (maybe 2 Tbsp).  Then prior to baking sprinkle additional olive oil (1 - 2 Tbsp) on top.

A fun and colorful twist on Tartar Sauce!  Any healthy!  Part low fat mayo and part low fat sour cream.

I have decided this delicious little pickle, cornichons, needs to migrate it's way into more of my dishes!

Bake until golden brown and crispy!

Serve with a side of herb salad greens tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.  

Baked Fish Stick with Roasted Red Pepper Tartar Sauce

Serves 4

Fish Stick Ingredients:

1 lb Tilapia cut into approximately 3/4" by 3" long pieces 

1 Cup Flour

2 tsp Herbs De Provence

2 tsp Paprika

3 Egg Whites 

1 Cup Panko Breadcrumbs

1 Cup regular Plain Breadcrumbs

3/4 Cup Grated Parmesan

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Tartar Sauce Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Low Fat Mayo

1/2 Cup Low Fat Sour Cream

1/2 Roasted Red Pepper

1/2 Cup Cornichons chopped finely 

1 Tbsp Juice from the Cornichons Jar

1 Tbsp Chopped Dill

Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice from 1/2 Lemon

Salt

Pepper

Fish Stick Directions:

Preheat oven to 450˚F.  Mix flour with 1 tsp Herbs De Provence, 1 tsp Paprika, Salt, and Pepper in one bowl.  Beat egg whites with a fork until frothy in another bowl.  Mix both types of breadcrumbs, parmesan, 1 tsp Herbs De Provence, 1 tsp Paprika, Salt, and Pepper in last bowl.  Dip pieces of fish in flour, then egg whites, then breadcrumbs.  Press to adhere.  Place in a well oil baking dish.  Repeat.  Note: Repeating this procedure is perfect for your kids!  Have them use one hand for the dry ingredients and one hand for the wet ingredients.  Sprinkle with additional oil right before baking.  Bake for about 12 - 15 minutes until golden brown.

Tartar Sauce Directions:

Place mayo, sour cream, red pepper, lemon juice, and pickle juice in a processor and blend until smooth. Remove and place in serving dish.  Mix in chopped cornichons and dill.  Season to taste with Salt and Pepper.

Serving Directions:

Serve with a fresh simply salad, lemon wedges, and tartar sauce.