An Alternative to Chicken Nuggets

I'm trying this recipe for lunch today. I'll let you know how it goes!

Turkey Tenderloins with Maple-Mustard Sauce

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons plus 1/2 cup whole-grain mustard, divided

1 pound turkey tenderloins, center tendons removed, cut into finger-sized strips

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1. Set oven rack at lowest level and preheat oven to 450°F. Whisk together buttermilk and 2 teaspoons mustard in a large bowl. Add turkey and toss to coat. Combine cornmeal, flour, cumin, thyme and salt in another large bowl. Roll the turkey strips in the cornmeal mixture. 2. Brush oil on a rimmed baking sheet, and place in the oven for 5 minutes. Transfer the turkey strips using tongs onto the hot baking sheet and return it to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the undersides of the strips are golden brown. Turn the strips over and bake until the turkey is golden brown on the outside and no longer pink in the center, 8 to 10 minutes longer.3. Combine maple syrup and the remaining 1/2 cup mustard in a small bowl. Serve the sauce alongside the hot turkeynuggets.

From Eating Well Magazine

• This is the first recipe I'm posting on the blog that I haven't tried before. The concept is a good one, an alternative to chicken nuggets for the family. Picky children will definitely enjoy how crispy the coating is on the turkey nuggets.
• I didn't have buttermilk on hand, so I used fat free milk. I don't know why this happened, but the coating came off the nuggets very easily when I took them off the pan. Could this be because I coated them with milk rather than buttermilk? Hmm, I'm not sure. Someone who tried this recipe on the Eating Well website suggested putting the turkey into the fridge for 20 minutes (after coating with cornmeal) before putting them in the oven.
• The recipe for the dipping sauce was simple and great. I will definitely use stoneground mustard mixed with organic maple syrup as a marinade for chicken in the future.
• Overall, I wasn't wow-ed by this recipe. But, it wasn't that bad, either. A little heavy for lunch, though. Make it for your kids for dinner. I think they'll like it a lot.