Everything but the Bagel Chicken Wings

So if you know me at all, you've heard me sing the praises of Trader Joe's "Everything but the Bagel" seasoning.  It's basically all the toppings of an everything bagel minus the carb-laden bagel itself.  I love it on hard boiled eggs and avocado.  It automatically gives my ho-hum sometimes boring breakfasts some oomph.

So when I was scrolling through Instagram and came across these Everything but the Bagel Chicken Wings, I got so excited.  I showed them to my hubby who was totally on board for me to try making these!

It took a while, I'll admit, for me to get my head around the whole "coat your chicken wings in mayo" -- I know people use mayo to crisp things up, like grilled cheese and oven "fried" chicken -- but my disdain for mayo made me hesitant to be the one to actually coat the wings in mayo.  Thanks to a handy spatula, I was able to overcome my fear -- and I'm glad I did!  These wings are crispy and tasty and delicious!  I served them with buffalo sauce for dipping (pictured) and Tessemae's creamy Caesar dressing (I much prefer the Caesar over their ranch, but ranch would also work nicely!).

Everything but the Bagel Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

2 pounds chicken wings

2 Tbsp Whole30-compliant mayonnaise

2 Tbsp dijon mustard

1 Tbsp olive oil

4-5 Tbsp Everything but the Bagel seasoning*

Tessemae's Ceasar, Ranch, and/or Buffalo sauce, for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F degrees F.

Place an oven safe baking/cooking rack on top of a baking sheet lined with foil.

Mix mayonnaise, mustard, and oil in a large bowl.

Add chicken wings.

Use hands to evenly coat wings with mayonnaise mixture (frankly, a rubber spatula works perfectly well).

Toss or roll wings in Everything but the Bagel seasoning.

Place wings on the rack, evenly spaced.

Sprinkle any additional Everything but the Bagel seasoning over wings if desired.

Bake 40 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Note: depending on the size of the wings, baking time may vary.  Make sure that chicken is cooked through.

* No Trader Joe's near you?  You can make your own Everything but the Bagel seasoning, also courtesy of The Whole Kitchen Sink.

Combine:

2 Tbsp dried minced garlic

1 Tbsp black sesame seeds

1 Tbsp white sesame seeds

1 Tbsp dried minced onion

1/2 Tbsp poppy seeds

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Snickerdoodle cashew coffee

I love coffee.  Like love, love, love it!  I'm not "addicted," I don't crave it, but I really like it.  I can go days without it, and while I'll be yawning in my patient's faces throughout the afternoon, I don't get headaches, and even recently switched to half-caf Americanos without any ill effects.  But I do LOVE the taste.  So yummy!

So when I came across this recipe for Snickerdoodle Cashew Coffee, I decided I had to try it.  I already put cinnamon and cashew milk in my coffee, so I figured it wasn't a huge change from my normal drink, but something told me I had to try it.  And since I'm not a pumpkin spice latte girl (I know, I know, what is wrong with me?!), I figured this might be a nice seasonal drink for me to try.  It did NOT disappoint!

And...I had all the ingredients on hand (I used salted cashew butter since that is what I had.  Shhh!).  I literally made this 10 minutes after I found the recipe!  I did doctor it up a little, though - no collagen peptides and skipped the cardamom, since it's not a spice that I particularly like.  I'm also pretty sure you could make this "pumpkin spice"-ified by adding pumpkin pie spice or subbing it for the cinnamon.  I'll leave that to you PSL girls (and guys) out there!

Snickerdoodle Cashew Coffee
Adapted from the Real Food Dietitians (click the link for the original recipe)
Serves 2, or one super huge caffeine fiend

Ingredients:

24 oz strongly brewed coffee (I made mine half-caf)
1 Tbsp coconut oil
2 Tbsp unsweetened, unsalted creamy cashew butter (I used salted).  Mine needed a little more for desired creaminess.
1/2 - 1 tsp ground cinnamon, or more to taste

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender (I used my immersion blender) and blend on high speed until frothy.
Pour into mugs and sprinkle with additional cinnamon, if desired.

Some of my favorite Whole30 finds (Part 2)

I love Whole30 because I spend my time and energy preparing and eating whole, delicious foods without fillers.  I also find myself cooking even more than I usually do because that way I know what’s going in my food.  But sometimes I feel the need to simplify my life a little, and purchase something that’s been made by someone else.  

Cashew Butter.

I bought it years ago, before Whole30, and was decidedly unimpressed.  It had no taste or flavor.  It was $8.99 down the drain (thanks, Whole Foods!).  But then at work recently, someone had salted cashew butter.  I thought I'd hate it, but figured it was worth a try since it was a nice Whole30 compliant nut butter (the ingredients are cashews and salt).  Frankly, my mind was blown!

Dang Lightly Salted Coconut Chips (Unsweetened).

I bought these while on my first Whole30, and frankly I'm not sure why I haven't bought them since.  They're crispy, slightly salty, and have a little natural sweetness from the coconut.  No sugar added.  Just salt and coconut.  I'll be honest with you, I eat these straight from the bag.  They'd also be good as a topper for smoothies, salads, or soups!

Rind Snacks.

I mentioned these in a recent post, but figured I'd mention them again here.  I bought these online on a whim to try.  Something about dried kiwi sounded interesting.  I was a little perturbed by the rind on some of the dried fruits (kiwis, oranges, pineapples) but not the others (apples, persimmon, peaches).  I have to say that (although I've only tried 2 of the three varieties), the kiwis were surprisingly my favorite.  I love the tanginess of the kiwi with the crunch of the seeds.  I can't explain it entirely.  But I do recommend these.  They come in three varieties: kiwi, orchard (peach, persimmon, apple), and tropical (kiwi, pineapple, orange).

Everything but the Bagel Seasoning.

A Trader Joe's exclusive (I'll have a homemade version posted soon).  I LOVE it on my hard boiled egg whites or on top of avocado.  I'm sure it would be great on a baked potato with ghee or even on some proteins.  Gives a punch of flavor without any added sugar and very few calories!