Orange Chicken

I was craving some Chinese food a few months ago and saw this recipe on Pinterest. I tweaked it a bit, to make it my own. I have made this twice and it never looks as pretty as the picture from where I got it, but it tastes fantastic! To go with the chicken, I cook some rice in my rice cooker. I substitute out some of the water with orange juice and I add some orange peel, too. I like to mix frozen peas into the rice, as well.

Picture found here.

Orange Chicken
INGREDIENTS:
2 cup chicken broth
1 cup orange juice
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup gluten free soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp orange peel
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water

For the chicken:
3 lbs boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cut into 1" chunks
1 1/2 c. cornstarch
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 c. vegetable oil

HOW TO PREPARE:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees, lightly spray two 9x13 inch glass pans, set aside.

In a medium size mixing bowl (or a 4 c. measuring cup), whisk together the chicken broth, orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, orange zest, ginger, and black pepper, set aside.

Place the cubes of chicken into a bowl with the whisked eggs, toss the chicken (taking care to let the egg drip off it) into a large ziplock bag full of the cornstarch. Zip and shake until evenly coated.

Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven. Working in batches (3-4), add the chicken and fry until golden brown and cooked through, about 1-2 minutes, then transfer to a paper towel lined plate.

Add the fried chicken to the prepared 9x13 pans. Whisk together a slurry of 2 tbsp. of cornstarch and 2 tbsp. of water, add to the sauce and then pour over the chicken. Place in the oven and bake uncovered for 50 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so. Remove and serve immediately.

NOTES
-This dish is best baked to help develop the flavor of the sauce, to thicken it and to make the chicken nice and tender. If you're in a time crunch, you can fry the chicken and heat the sauce (with the cornstarch and water) in a small saucepan until thick, then pour over the chicken and eat immediately.

Chicken Briyani

This was the most tricky recipe I have attempted thus far. One reason is because the original recipe, found here, was most likely written by a native Indian and they left out certain instructions and ingredient amounts, so I had to just wing it and hope that the recipe would turn out. And it was delicious! My children all had seconds AND thirds. We will definitely be making this again. So here is what I did in making this recipe.

My photo. Oh, and this makes great leftovers, too.

Chicken Briyani

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 8

1 cup plain yogurt (I used greek plain yogurt)

1 cup mint leaves, stems removed

1 cup cilantro leaves, stems removed

2 pounds boneless chicken, cut in small pieces

4 tablespoon garlic paste

1/2 tsp ground ginger

2 tablespoons garam masala powder

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4 cups basmati white rice

2 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)*

1 large onion, minced

1/2 tsp turmeric

2 teaspoon chili powder

2 tablespoon ground coriander seed

2 tablespoon garam masala

1 cup coconut milk

6 cups chicken broth

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Equipment

Electric skillet with lid

Food processor

HOW TO PREPARE: 

1. In a food processor, put in yogurt, mint leaves, and cilantro. Process until mixed well.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together chicken with yogurt mixture. Stir in garlic paste, ground ginger, and 2 tbsp garam masala. Cover with a lid or saran wrap. Let it rest in the refrigerator for for 4-6  hours or overnight. 

3. In a medium bowl, pour in basmati rice and cover with water. Cover bowl with lid or saran wrap. Soak the basmati rice for 2-4 hours. Once done, drain and set aside.

4. Heat ghee / butter in a large electric skillet and cook minced onion until they are brown in color, about 10-12 minutes. 

5. Sprinkle turmeric, chili powder, ground coriander seed and 2 tbsp garam masala and saute for 3-5 minutes until the raw smell disappears.

6. Add the chicken/yogurt mixture and let it cook for 15 minutes with the lid on, stirring every 5 minutes or so. Cook on medium temperature.

7. Once the chicken is almost done cooking, add coconut milk and chicken broth and bring it to a boil.

8. Once you see the sauce bubbling, reduce the flame to low. Add the drained rice and cook covered for 15 minutes. Switch off the flame and let it rest for another 15 minutes - I followed these directions, but my rice still wasn't cooked through, so I added more water and raised the temperature and repeated this step and it worked beautifully. 

9. Using a fork, gently fluff out the rice and transfer to a fresh bowl. Gently mix to combine the rice and chicken. 

*I couldn't find ghee, so I used salted butter and it worked nicely.

Beef Parmigiana

Beef Parmigiana: 

1 ½ lb stew beef

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

1/3 cup Italian bread crumbs (I use leftover GF breadmaker bread that I crumble up and add to some Italian seasoning)

1 large egg, beaten

1/3 cup corn oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (12oz) can tomato paste

1 tsp salt

½ tsp each granulated sugar & ground marjoram

3 cups hot water

8 oz mozzarella cheese, sliced

Cooked penne pasta

Cut beef in bite-size pieces. Combine parmesan & bread crumbs in a shallow bowl and mix well. Dip beef in egg. Coat with parmesan mixture. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat corn oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook beef in hot oil until browned on both sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer beef to a 13x9 baking dish. Sauté onion and garlic in skillet until tender, about 4 minutes. Add tomato paste, salt, sugar, marjoram and black pepper to onion mixture and mix well. Stir in hot water gradually. Bring to a boil. Boil, stirring to deglaze skillet, for 5 minutes. Pour ¾ of sauce over beef. Top with mozzarella and the remaining sauce. Bake for 1 hour. Serve with penne pasta, if desired.

Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs

My husband grew up on homemade spaghetti sauce. This recipe was a real winner! I stirred the pasta into the crockpot after both were done cooking. I found the recipe here: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/slow-cooker-spaghetti---meatballs

Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs 

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 50 min. Cook: 5 hours YIELD:12 servings

Ingredients

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs (I used leftover GF breadmaker bread that I crumbled up with some Italian seasoning)

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan and Romano cheese blend

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 pounds ground beef

SAUCE:

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 cans (15 ounces each) tomato sauce

2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon each dried basil, oregano and parsley flakes

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Hot cooked Gluten Free spaghetti

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix bread crumbs, cheese, pepper and salt; stir in eggs. Add beef; mix lightly but thoroughly. Shape into 1-1/2-in. balls. In a large skillet, brown meatballs in batches over medium heat; drain.

2. Place the first four sauce ingredients in a 6-qt. slow cooker; stir in garlic and seasonings. Add meatballs, stirring gently to coat. Cook, covered, on low 5-6 hours or until meatballs are cooked through.

3. Remove bay leaves. Serve with spaghetti. Yield: 12 servings (about 3-1/2 quarts sauce).

Oven Baked Chicken Taquitos

These taquitos are super tasty! I paired them with my crockpot refried beans and they were a BIG hit! My kids cheered and ate the whole pan. I will definitely be making them again. 

Oven Baked Chicken Taquitos

INGREDIENTS:

4 cooked chicken breast, shredded

8 oz cream cheese, softened

4-6 green onions, finely chopped

2 TBSP cilantro, finely chopped

3 garlic gloves, minced

1/2 small anaheim pepper, finely chopped

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp kosher salt

1 tsp oregano

30 corn tortillas

Shredded cheese

olive or vegetable oil, for brushing the taquitos before baking

HOW TO PREPARE:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, add chicken breast, softened cream cheese, green onions, cilantro, garlic, Anaheim pepper, and all seasonings. Mix everything together until combined well.

Next, line a baking sheet with foil.

Heat up your tortillas for about 30 seconds, or until soft and flexible. (I use a tortilla warmer).

Now add about 2 TBSP of chicken filling and spread it in the middle of a tortilla. Sprinkle with a little shredded cheese. 

Tightly wrap the tortilla and place seam side down. Repeat this process until all the chicken filling has been used.

Once all the tortillas are made, spray the tortillas with vegetable or olive oil. I use a Misto Sprayer for this step. You may also brush on the oil as well.

Cook for 25-30 minutes @ 425 degrees.

Serve oven baked chicken taquitos with a your favorite hot sauce, green sauce, sour cream, and/or avocado salad.

Notes:

If you notice the taquitos cracking or splitting as they cook, spray or brush on more oil as needed.

Chicken Burritos

I wasn't sure what I would think of this recipe, but I am so glad I tried it out. Super tasty! I found this recipe and the photo below here. I made some alterations to the recipe to make it my own. And using corn tortillas makes it gluten free if you substitute in some GF flour. 

Chicken Burritos
TOTAL TIME: Prep: 20 min. Bake: 35 min.YIELD:12 servings
INGREDIENTS:
6 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 can green chilies, undrained
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 can (15 ounces) chili with beans
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed
8 cups cubed cooked chicken
24 corn tortillas, warmed
6 cups (24 ounces) shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

HOW TO PREPARE:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until tender. Stir in flour until blended; gradually stir in broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Reduce heat; stir in seasonings. Cook 5 minutes. Add chili and cream cheese; stir until cream cheese is melted. Stir in chicken.

2. Spoon about 1/2 cup filling across center of each tortilla; sprinkle each with 1/4 cup Colby-Monterey Jack cheese. Fold bottom and sides over filling and roll up. Place in two greased 13x9-in. baking dishes.

3. Bake, covered, 35-40 minutes or until heated through. If desired, serve with salsa. Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings each).

Nutritional Facts

2 burritos equals 760 calories, 44 g fat (23 g saturated fat), 177 mg cholesterol, 1,608 mg sodium, 40 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 51 g protein.

Longevity Noodles

I found this while looking on Pinterest for a good noodle recipe for Chinese New Year. They were fantastic! I used Thai Flat Rice Noodles. Hen Hao Chi!

Longevity Noodles
INGREDIENTS:
8 ounces rice noodles
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil + more if needed
3 small cloves garlic, finely minced
1-2 tablespoons GF soy sauce
Sea salt and ground white pepper; to taste
diced green onions for garnish
sesame seeds for garnish
HOW TO PREPARE:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and salt it generously. Add the noodles, stir, and cook for about 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water and set aside in a large serving bowl.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce and salt and white pepper, to taste, until combined well. Pour the mixture over the noodles and toss well to coat. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt/pepper and/or soy sauce if necessary. Garnish with diced green onions and sesame seeds and serve immediately.