Cashew & Coconut Crusted Chicken

Today was a beautiful day here. We ran lots of errands this afternoon. I have wanted to go to Trader Joe's for a while now to get a couple bags of their raw cashew meal to use as breading for chicken. Cashews are a little milder and sweeter than almonds. It is priced very reasonably at $4.99 for a 1-pound bag. We also stopped at Penzey's Spices and Costco and a number of other stops...it felt like we were all over the place today. While out today, I picked up some butternut squash to roast for dinner. I bought it already peeled, seeded and cut into large chunks that I cut into smaller cubes. I don't eat it very often, but I absolutely love it roasted with a bit of oil, salt and pepper. I decided to "break my cashew meal in" by using it to bread the package of chicken cutlets I had in the fridge. I had 7 nice sized cutlets. I combined the cashew meal with some very finely shredded unsweetened coconut, a bit of salt, cayenne and a bit of sweetener. I wanted to complement the natural sweetness of the cashews with a little bit of sweetener and thought it would go well with the coconut, too...and I wanted a little contrast, so I added a bit of cayenne and sea salt. It turned out good with a delicate backdrop flavor of coconut. I also cooked the chicken in coconut oil which enhanced the subtle coconut flavor. Hubby liked it a lot. The butternut squash is so simple to make, just cube or dice, toss with a little oil to lightly coat and season with salt and pepper, then roast at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, depending on how large your cubes are. I toss and stir it around half way through cooking. The key to caramelizing it a bit is to make sure you roast it in a single layer and allow it to brown slightly before tossing or stirring. I steamed some fresh thin green beans (haricots verts) for 3 minutes and then completed cooking in a bit of butter in a skillet, tossing with tongs and seasoning with salt and pepper. Preparing them this way maintains their beautiful bright green color and the tender crisp texture I like. We had an absolutely delicious meal that was made using all simple single ingredient foods...basically meat and veggies with a bit of nut and coconut to embellish it a little. It was a simple and quick meal to put together but tastes like it took much longer. I posted the super simple recipe for the chicken below. Enjoy!

Cashew & Coconut Crusted Chicken

Ingredients:

1 cup raw cashew meal
1/4 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4-1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Few grinds of black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons Swerve Sweetener (or other granular type sweetener, like erythritol)
Paprika (for dusting on top)
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons water or milk
2 tablespoons coconut oil
6-7 chicken cutlets

Directions:

In a shallow bowl or plate, combine cashew meal, coconut, salt, pepper cayenne and sweetener. In a separate shallow bowl, beat egg with water or milk; season with salt and pepper, if desired. Dip chicken in egg wash, allowing excess to drip off. Dredge in crumb mixture, lightly coating both sides.

Heat coconut oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Cook chicken until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel lined platter and repeat until all chicken is cooked. Lightly dust cutlets with paprika, if desired.