Every time one of my children gets a shiny, new orthodontic device installed, along with the instructions come the directives of what foods to avoid: “Carrots only if shredded, apples sliced thin, nothing chewy or sticky,” they tell us. It’s all to avoid bending, breaking or dislodging delicate (and very expensive) pieces of equipment.
In honor of Dental Health Month, here are a couple of tasty, ortho-approved recipes that the whole family will appreciate. My thanks to Pamela Waterman for giving me permission to reprint her recipes and photo here from The Braces Cookbook: Recipes You and Your Orthodontist Will Love by Pamela and Brenda Waterman and The Braces Cookbook 2: Comfort Food with a Gourmet Touch by Pamela Waterman and Amee Hoge.
Parmesan Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless chicken breasts (depending on the size, this could be 2 to 4 halves)
- 2 egg whites
- 2 tablespoons water
- ¾ to 1 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
- 1 Tablespoon dried minced onion
- ¾ to 1 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk or stir together the egg whites and water.
In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
By hand or with a fork, dip each chicken strip into the egg-white mixture, and then roll it in the bread-crumb mixture until evenly coated. You can do about 10 at a time.
Oil or grease a 9” x 13” pan. Lay the strips side by side in the pan and bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 20 minutes; turn the tenders over and bake 10 more minutes or until fork-tender.
Serves 4 to 6 people.
Ingredients
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Using cocoa powder instead of melted baking chocolate is one of the secrets to baking soft cookies (another is using shortening instead of margarine or butter). If you’re looking for a change from brownies, this is a great melt-in-your-mouth alternative.In a large bowl, combine shortening, sugar, water, and vanilla, using an electric mixer and beating until smooth. Add eggs and mix until blended. Mix flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder slowly into shortening mixture, using low then medium speed.
Drop by tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 9 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes about three dozen. Store in a covered container to keep the softness.
Everyone Around the Table 
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