Straight from Winter to Summer. 90 degree temps this weekend and I’m not mad about it! You know what else I’m not mad about? My Air Fryer Hearts of Palm “Motz” Sticks! The ultimate bar snack made over to give you all the flavor and feels in a heathier package!
I must say I do love my air fryer, despite having zero storage space for the big boy and the top of the fridge is where it lives. I actually feel like that might be the way I go. Climbing up the step letter to pull that thing down! Seriously considering Life Alert…😉! That or teaching my dog to dial 911! Any who, I do enjoy it. You can make healthier versions of your favorite deep-fried deliciousness! I didn’t even know I needed an air fryer until it just showed up on my doorstep. It was air fryer kismet! Some packaging error at Amazon was my fortune. So, since we were meant to be, I started playing around with it and I love it! I have done fried chicken, popcorn chicken, breaded mushrooms and now my Hearts of Palm “Motz” Sticks!
These really are satisfying. You don’t miss the actual cheese! Now, nothing against cheese, but we don’t always get along. So, I had bought hearts of palm for a salad and the first thing I thought of when I opened them up was, these would be a perfect substitute for the cheese in mozzarella sticks! I was right. They are lightly breaded and seasoned, and air fried to golden brown perfection! Plus, you feel like you are indulging, but you are really just getting your veggies in! Hearts of palm are a good source of fiber, essential vitamins and even contain protein! So, I mean, if you get stranded on a desert island just dig out the center of a palm tree and you’re good! 😊 Anyway, these are easier to make than digging out the center of a palm tree; just breaded, flash frozen and air fried. Then just dunk those babies in your favorite dip. I like marinara and spicy mayo, so good. But anything goes, so you dip to your heart’s content.
Breaded frozen “motz” ready for air frying deliciousness.
Dip it, Dip it real good!
Even looks like the real deal! Even better (for you) though!
It’s the weekend, the temps are heating up, you are about to ditch your sweatpants you lived in for the last year and half and emerge from your cocoon! Time to celebrate. Start with a little appeteaser before you head out to enjoy the day and carefully pull your air fryer down from the fridge and make my Hearts of Palm “Motz” Sticks! Make sure to pair with your favorite adult beverage of choice, fabulous with a spritzer of some kind, rose’, vodka, gin…whatever tickles your fancy and get ready for your hot (air fryer) girl summer!
Happy Weekending & Air Frying It!
Diane
- 3 cans whole hearts of palm
- Flour Dredge:
- ⅓ cup A.P. Flour
- ⅓ cup rice flour
- ¼ cup arrowroot flour (can sub tapioca starch or corn starch)
- ½ tsp. salt
- a few grinds of black pepper
- Wet Dredge:
- 2 eggs
- 1 to 2 tsp. hot sauce of choice (I used Truff)
- 1 to 2 tbsp. non-dairy milk of choice (can sub regular milk if not strictly dairy free)
- Breading:
- ½ cup Italian style bread crumbs
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 3 tbsp. rice flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. granulated garlic
- 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- ¼ tsp. cayenne
- a few grinds of black pepper
- Olive oil spray
- Sea salt for garnish
- Dipping Sauces:
- marinara
- spicy mayo
- ranch
- whatevs
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Drain the hearts of palm and place on plate with a paper towel and pat the hearts of palm dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Assembly Line:
- Set up three medium shallow bowls on work space. In the first bowl combine all of your dry dredge ingredients and whisk to combine.
- In the second bowl add your wet ingredients and whisk.
- In the third bowl add the breading ingredients and whisk to combine.
- Start your assembly line. Take the hearts of palm and first coat in the dry dredge, then the wet and then fully coat in the breading. Place the breaded hearts of palm on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat this process with all of the hearts of palm.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes to flash freeze. You can then air fry right away or store in a freezer bag for later use.
- Air fry the Hearts of Palm Sticks:
- Spray the interior of the air fryer basket with pure olive oil spray. Pre-heat the air fryer to 390 degrees.
- Pull out the hearts of palm from the freezer, as many as you would like to use. You can store the frozen hearts of palm in the freezer for up to 3 months. Spray liberally all sides of the hearts of palm. Place the hearts of palm sticks in the pre-heated air fryer basket. Do not overcrowd, they should not be touching. Heat for 15 minutes, shaking the basket every 5 to 7 minutes. Check at 15 minutes, should be golden brown, if not fully there, air fry for an additional 5 minutes.
- Pull out the cooked hearts of palms and place on your serving dish. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
- Heat the marinara in the microwave in 30 second intervals until heated through.
- Dip, dunk and devour!
Hi Diane! Just last night my husband and I were talking about what to serve for our dinner party next weekend. He mentioned that his brother just loves heart of palm, so I was in my mind thinking , “Hey maybe I could try to deep fry the heart of palm.” Then this morning I came across your recipe, and I was like “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe somebody fried heart of palm!” My question is this, when you hard freeze the heart of palm and use it a week later, does it always cook all of the way through in the air fryer in 15 minutes?
Hi! Yes it will cook through. They are really good and you don’t miss the dairy or the deep fry!