Gluten Free Coconut Breaded Vegetables

Baked Coconut Breaded Swiss Chard Stems

Wondering what to do with those leftover Swiss chard stems after you've stripped their leaves?  How about some crispy, coconut-y baked bites of healthy goodness?

These tasty little snacks make for a great appy, side dish, or munchable.  They're also a great way to use up Swiss chard stems and get the most bang for your budget-friendly buck! 


Chard stems are totally edible and contain a lot of the nutritional value of the leaves.  Hubby and I drink blender green juice every day and go through about a bunch of Swiss chard every week.  As a result, we also end up with a bunch worth of stems.

In the next week or two I plan to share a post with some more suggestions for using up those Swiss chard stems, but for now, this little snack is a great way to showcase those pretty stems. I used to wonder if you could make baked coconut breaded vegetables the same way as shrimp, and it turns out you can! 

This recipe is super easy, although a bit time-consuming, but it's definitely worth it!

Ingredients:

1 bunch of Swiss chard stems, leaves removed

1/4 c starch (i.e. tapioca, corn starch, potato starch)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 egg

1 c. coconut flakes (unsweetened or sweetened.  If using unsweetened, you may want to mix 1 Tbsp honey in with the egg, or brown sugar in with the coconut)
  - if your coconut flakes are large, you might want to whirl them in a coffee grinder or food processor to make them smaller. 

Directions:

1. Prepare your stems by washing and patting them dry with a towel.  Remove the leaves, using a knife to slice off any leftover bits.  You can save these, too, to chop up finely and toss into soups or stir fries. 

2. If your stems are particularly wide, or curled, slice in half lengthwise

3. Slice into chunks about 1.5" long

4. Using three separate bowls, place the starch, salt and cinnamon in one bowl. 

In the next bowl, scramble the egg.

The coconut goes in the last bowl.  Arrange your dipping station!

5. Working in batch of 4 or 5, dredge the stems in the starch bowl, coating them.  Then dip in the egg, then drop in the coconut bowl and scoop coconut flakes over them.  

Arrange on a baking sheet sprayed with oil. 

Preheat oven to 400F.  Bake stems for about 10-12 minutes, turning the stems half-way through.  When the coconut is browned and slightly crispy on both sides, and the egg appears cooked through, they're ready!  

You could serve these with some kind of dipping sauce, but they're great as is!  

Do you use YOUR chard stems?  If so, what do you do?

 OAS Info: This recipe is free of the most common allergens I have seen on any oral allergy syndrome chart.  

This post was shared on the following great link-ups: Musings of a Housewife, My Meatless Mondays, Monday Mania, Make Your Own!, Gluten Free Monday, Natural Living Monday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Allergy Free Wednesday, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Eat Make Grow, Simple Lives Thursdays, Full Plate Thursday, Farm Girl Blog Fest, Fresh Bites Friday, Gluten Free Fridays,