Orange Chicken (similar to Panda Express)

I'm not really a very adventurous eater. I like to stick with what looks safe & has ingredients that I know. This strategy doesn't always work well when you're out for Chinese food!! LOL Thankfully when I'm craving it I know I can head over to Panda Express & get my happy little serving of sweet/heat with their orange chicken (and yes, I know - calling Panda Chinese food is like calling Taco Bell authentic Mexican food! I realize that - but I like it & it makes me happy so for my purposes, it's Chinese food!!! LOL) I was so delighted to find a recipe to try it out at home! I will say that this recipe came out with a stronger orange flavor than I get at PE but I think that was mostly my fault - I didn't measure the orange zest & I think I just put too much. It was still delicious. And even if you think you don't like heat, you *must* add just a pinch of the red pepper flakes to get any sort of heat out of this dish. Just do it - you'll love it!

The ingredient list is a little long - but don't get overwhelmed! It goes quick & easily.


Diced raw chicken breast, flour, salt, pepper, an egg, water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, orange zest, ginger, garlic, green onion, corn starch & red pepper flakes - and enough oil to fry up the chicken pieces. Whew!

First get your oil heated in a large pan or wok (375 if you have a temp dial) - I did medium/high heat. Closer to medium, though.

Mix your flour, salt & pepper in a dish. Crack your egg & scramble it with a fork.


Dip the raw chicken in the egg then into the flour mixture & then plop it right into the hot oil.

Now that we've made this once, I think next time we'll put the flour mixture in a gallon zip lock bag. Then dip all the chicken in the egg at once, stirring to coat & then toss it all into the bag & give it a good shake.


Cook it 'til it's done (I did it in 3 batches). I can't really say "10 minutes" because it really depends on how big your cut your chunks & how hot your oil is. Just get it cooked through. Pull a test piece & cut into it if you need to.


While that is going we're gonna simmer up our sauce. Get your garlic & ginger diced up & zest your orange.


In a sauce pan mix water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar & soy sauce. Allow it to heat through for a few minutes then add the ginger, garlic, zest, green onions & brown sugar.



Bring it to a boil over medium heat. In the meantime, blend your cornstarch & water in a separate dish & then add it to the sauce mixture.


Chicken's done... Sauce is done.... Now mix them together!!!


Serve it up on a bed of rice (on not, I suppose!) and drizzle a little extra sauce over the top. Garnish it with some more fresh green onions and the red pepper flakes. Remember - don't go super heavy on the pepper flakes but definitely don't go without!


Mmmm...... This was seriously so yummy. I want it again right now!


We had it with brown rice & steamed broccoli & it was just perfect!!

Enjoy.

Orange Chicken:

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite-sized cubes)
1 1/2 cup flour
1 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Canola or Veg oil (for frying)

1 1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp orange zest (grated)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ginger root (minced)
1/2 tsp garlic (minced)
2 Tbsp green onion (chopped)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp water

Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a gallon zip lock bag. Place beaten egg into a medium-sized bowl. Dip chicken in beaten egg, stirring to coat. Put the chicken into the bag with flour mixture & shake to thoroughly coat. Deep fry chicken in batches at 375 degrees in a deep fryer (or use a wok) until completely cooked.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan combine 1 1/2 cups water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger garlic, and onion. Bring to a boil.

Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens. Pour sauce over breaded chicken. Garnish with red pepper flakes and green onion.

Source: Tasty Kitchen by way of Portland Mama.

Chicken Almond Stir-Fry

I don't make stir-fry often enough - and I think it's because my kids don't like rice & they usually complain about the sauce. But I really, really like it so I decided I got to be #1 on the list for a change & I made it for dinner this past week. I loved it, Hubby loved it & the kids tolerated it & danced it around their plates with their forks trying hard to make it look like they at least tried it!! LOL Thank goodness there was an enormous bowl of fresh watermelon on the table, too - I think that is the only thing that made it into their bellies that night! But Hubby & I had a great meal! He's often hesitant of stir fry because people sometimes go overboard with the soy sauce, making the sauce too salty for him. This recipe here is definitely not that kind of a sauce - the perfect amount of each flavor to compliment one another & make a perfectly tasty meal.

Here's what you need:

Chicken breasts - sliced into strips, sliced almonds, a bag of frozen veggies (the original recipe says broccoli/carrot/water chestnut - I used broc/carrot/caul), pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, corn starch, ground ginger, sesame oil.

Pour the sesame oil around a large skillet, set it over med-high heat for a minute or two to warm the oil. Add the chicken & almonds and cook for a few minutes, stirring a time or two.

Add the frozen veggies, cover & cook about 4-5 minutes, stirring once.

While that is going whisk together the remaining ingredients to make the sauce.

Pour the sauce into the pan, stir it around & cook 2-3 more minutes - get the sauce to thicken a smidge.

And that's it! You're done! Serve it over some hot rice (we love brown rice) and dig in.

This is what I love about stirfry - look at all the great things that come together - each one maintaining its own unique flavor, while at the same time coordinating well with everything else as it is all brought together with the delicious sauce.

YUM. YUM. YUUUUUUUUUM!!!

Chicken Almond Stir-Fry:

2 TBsp sesame oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 (2.25 oz.) pkg. sliced almonds
1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen stir-fry veggies of your choosing
1 TBsp cornstarch
1 TBsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup pineapple juice
Hot cooked rice

Pour oil into a large non-stick skillet. Heat briefly at med-high heat. Add chicken and almonds; cook 2 minutes; stirring constantly.

Add veggies; cover and cook 4 minutes, stirring once.

Combine cornstarch and next 4 ingredients; add to pan. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes or until thickened. Serve over rice.

Source: Alicia's Recipe Blog

Chunky Monkey Pancakes (Banana, chocolate chip pancakes w/ peanut butter maple syrup)

I dog-eared this recipe quite a ways back & have been meaning to make it forever. When the gal was talking about spreading her pancakes with peanut butter & then adding the syrup I immediately though of Hubby - he does the same thing. I thought he was the only one but apparently he's not so I can't make fun of him anymore!! LOL And after tasting these yummy pancakes I just might be a convert to the whole peanut butter on the pancakes club. You should try it - good stuff!

This is where I would usually show you an ingredient photo but I dropped the ball on it today. But here's the list!!

Flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, egg, banana, mini chocolate chips.
For the syrup: real maple syrup & creamy peanut butter.

** For the buttermilk, if you don't already have some & you don't want to invest in a big carton that you'll never use up before it spoils (sound familiar!!?? LOL) you can turn plain old milk into buttermilk. You just pour 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar into a measuring cup & then add milk to bring it up to 1 1/2 cups.

So now what!!? Mix the dry ingredients...


.... then mix the wet ingredients...


.... then mix them together!


Mash your bananas. Not super creamy (?) some chunks are welcomed.


Toss a little flour on your chips so they won't sink in the batter.


Then add the bananas & chips to your batter & give it a good whisk.

Pour batter by 1/4 cup onto a medium heat griddle & cook away! You know it's time to flip 'em when they start to get bubbles around the edges.


I always make ugly pancakes. ALWAYS. It's a serious deficiency.

While those are going we'll whip up the magical syrup. Mix the PB & syrup in a cup/bowl & toss it into the microwave for 30 seconds. Turn this:


... into THIS!! (you'll have to give it a good stir when it comes out.)


And dish it up! YUMMmMMMmmmM!


This was one delicious meal!

Chunky Monkey Pancakes:

1 1/2 cups flour
3 TBsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 TBsp canola oil
1 egg
2 small-med ripe bananas
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips, tossed in 2 tsp flour
----------
1 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Combine flour, sugar, soda, baking powder & salt. Whisk together. In a separate bowl combine buttermilk, vanilla, oil & egg. Add wet mix to the dry mix, combine well. Add mashed banana & chocolate chips.

Heat griddle to medium, coat with cooking spray or butter. Drop batter by 1/4 cup onto hot pan. When edge bubble flip.

While pancakes are cooking combine peanut butter & syrup in microwave-safe dish. Heat for 30 seconds & stir.

Serve pancakes with warm syrup (reheat syrup if necessary).

Source: Our Best Bites

Chicken Ranch Tacos

I'm just gonna dive right in & say that I loved these tacos! When I made them I was thinking they'd be ~good enough~. And then I ate them... Yum! I was only planning on eating one but I dished up 2 of them for the sake of the photo - and I ate them both! These will be making a return visit soon! And a bonus? They're super easy.

You'll need:


Cooked chicken, taco seasoning (chicken or beef work), ranch dressing, taco shells & your taco fixings. We're pretty basic here - only lettuce & cheese.

Throw your cooked chicken in a pan over med-high heat. Let it get just a little heat on it then sprinkle it with the taco seasoning. Use what you have, this would be great with chicken or beef taco seasoning. Don't add any water!! Just leave it in there dry. Give it a stir to get everything all coated in the spices.


Let that go for maybe 5-7 minutes, get it all heated through. Then add the Ranch dressing.


Stir it around & warm it through again.

Aaaaaaaand you're DONE!

Look how yummy it looks!


Now turn it into a taco! Meat on the bottom, then I do the cheese next. I like putting it against the warm meat because it helps it melt. I don't love raw (?) cheese but I do like it melted! Above the cheese give it some lettuce and then add some more Ranch! Don't forget the Ranch! I tossed a little more cheese on top so the picture would be pretty!! LOL

By the way - take the couple of extra minutes to warm your taco shells - totally worth it!



These were served up with strawberries & the ever so Mexican steamed peas! LOL Whatever - the kids gobbled it up!

ENJOY!

Chicken Ranch Tacos:

3 cups cooked chicken, cut up
1 pkt. taco seasoning (chicken or beef)
1/2 cup Ranch dressing
------------------
taco shells
lettuce
cheese
Ranch dressing
tomatoes
etc...

Heat a skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken & warm it for a few minutes. Sprinkle on the dry taco seasoning. Do not add any water! Heat for 5-7 minuted until all heated through & powder is stuck to the chicken.

Add Ranch dressing, heat an additional 2-3 minutes to warm through.

Serve in taco shells with all the fixings you love - plus an extra squirt of Ranch!

Dad Did Dinner - Again: Sloppy Joes

I gave Zac the reins in the kitchen again - this time he whipped up a batch of Sloppy Joes! Generally speaking I'm a Manwich girl (they just know what they're doing, right!!?) but he wanted to make up a pan from scratch. And you know I'm not gonna stop him if he wants to go for it! this is what he made:

You'll need:


Tomato sauce, tomato paste, ground beef, onion, green bell pepper, red wine vinegar, Tabasco sauce, chili powder, brown sugar & Worcestershire sauce.

First you're gonna get your pan heated over medium. Drizzle in the oil & add the onions & peppers. Sweat the veggies for about 2 minutes then add in the meat.


Once the meat has cooked through add the remaining ingredients.



Simmer for about 10 minutes to let the flavors all come together.



And, because I forgot to take a picture of it all dished up on a bun, today's "ta da" picture is just a close up of the slop in the pan!! LOL


It's great! i think I'm still a Manwich girl at my core but anytime Hubby says he wants to cook these up I will certainly not turn him down!! I hope you try them & like them!

Sloppy Joes

1/2 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper
1 lb ground beef/turkey
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
2 TBSP tomato paste
2 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP red wine vinegar
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1/2 TBSP chili powder
12 shakes of Tobasco sauce
salt & pepper, to taste

Heat a pan with oil over medium heat. Add peppers & onions; saute for 2 minutes.

Add ground meat & cook through. Once meat is cooked, add remaining ingredients & simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve on hamburger buns.

Source: Cook This, Not That

Pecan-Panko Chicken

Some of my newer readers may not realize that I have meat issues! And more meat issues. Seriously. I can't touch raw meat. I cannot cut raw meat. I get completely skeeved out by fat & gristle. And to see a vein in there!!?? I have to put down my fork & just be done with dinner. I'd like to say I'm working on it but I'm not really sure that I am. I am, however, making small baby-step progress because I was able to pound this chicken! I winced & shuddered every step of the way, but I DID IT!! It was a good dinner. Not the prettiest presentation, but the taste was great!

You'll need:


Chicken breasts, Greek yogurt, chopped pecans, fresh flat-leaf/Italian parsley, Panko crumbs - if you can find the Italian seasoned ones (I know Progresso makes some) get those! I already had these plain ones so I just added some Italian seasoning. I wished I'd gotten the pre-seasoned crumbs. The flavor wasn't as intense as I would have hoped.

So now we're gonna pound out chicken. Why? Because a breast, as is, is thick on one side, thinner on the other & since we're frying these in a pan, the thin side would get overcooked/burned/dried out before the thicker side was even close to done. By pounding it flat, you're evening it out so it's a uniform thickness all the way across.

Put the breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap & start whacking it with a rolling pin (or a meat mallet if you've got one!) We're going for about 1/2" thick. Don't be afraid to give it a good smack - it's already dead, you're not gonna hurt it! LOL


Now grab a pie plate (or other shallow dish) and mix the crumbs, nuts & parsley.


And on another plate dump out your yogurt.

Dip the flattened breast in the Greek yogurt - be sure to get both sides. Use a pastry brush to spread it around if you need. This is a very healthy substitution to the usual butter or egg that people often use. See here for a shakedown on what is SO wonderful about Greek Yogurt!


Once it's coated in yogurt, dip it into the crumbs.


Give it a good press with your fingers to make sure the crumbs all stick on well.

Next step is to put the coated breast in a large pan with about 3 TBsp of olive oil heated to medium. Let it go maybe 10-12, flipping once. If you're doing more than 2 breasts you will need to work in batches. Don't crowd the pan!


Be sure to dump the crumbs between batches so you don't get super burned bits stuck to the next batch!


Serve it up with some good, fresh produce & enjoy!!


YUM!!

Pecan-Panko Chicken:

3-4 small chicken breasts (about 1 pound - if using bigger breasts just get more of the other ingredients)
1 6-oz container Plain Greek yogurt
3/4 cup Italian Panko crumbs
1/2 cup diced pecans
2 TBSP fresh flat-leaf/Italian parsley, finely chopped
3 TBSP olive oil

Put each chicken breast between pieces of plastic wrap and gently pound with flat side of meat mallet or rolling pin until about 1/2 inch thick.

In a pie pan or other shallow dish, mix crumbs, nuts & parsley. Pour the yogurt out onto a plate. Dip chicken into yogurt, then coat with crumb mixture.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Cook chicken in oil 10-12 minutes, turning once, until chicken is no longer pink in center and coating is golden brown.

Fry Bread Tacos (aka: Indian or Navajo Tacos)

Twelve years ago I had the chance to have a roommate that grew up on one of the Navajo reservations down in Arizona. She introduced my to fry bread. That act alone has earned her enough good karma to make it through life with blessings to spare!! LOL It was fun to watch her make it, too - no measuring at all. Just 2 handfuls of this, a few pinches of that, keep adding things until the texture is right in her hands. And it was always delicious. Me? Well - this is probably as inauthentic as possible, but sometimes you gotta take the easy route, right!? And frankly, my little white kids will never know the difference (until they spread their wings and find a friend to make the real stuff for them!) Ha! Pillsbury dough is all they get for now!

I flaked out on the ingredients photo, sorry. But all you need for the bread is a can of the classic Pillsbury Buttermilk biscuits. None of the fancy stuff.

You can have them as a treat with a little honey and/or powdered sugar and/or jam.

If you're making tacos you'll need some ground beef, cooked up like you would for tacos. And a can of chili beans - not chili - just chili beans. Lettuce, cheese, tomatoes - some of that, too!

Step 1: POP open that can & separate out the biscuits. Use a rolling pin to smash them flat. Go for 5-6 inch circles. They'll shrink back down a little when they hit the oil.


Heat about 1/2" of oil in a skillet & get it good & hot. Do you know how to check if your oil is ready to fry with? Get your fingers wet & flick some water into the pan. If it sizzles & spits back at you it's ready. If it takes a minute to crackle or if it doesn't crackle at all give it another minute to heat.

Add the dough, one or two at a time. Don't crowd the pan.


If your pan is really hot they'll only take like 30 seconds per side. If not, you'll need a little longer. Just watch them - don't let it burn!


Set them on paper towels to let the oil drip down. That's it for the bread! Wanna turn them into tacos!?!

First layer is some of the taco meat. Then the beans.


Next comes the cheese - if you put it against the hot stuff it'll melt!

Top with lettuce, cheese & whatever else you want. I usually just add salsa to that list.


ENJOY!! Yum, yum, YUM!

Fry Bread Tacos:

Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits
Oil for frying
----------
Taco meat, prepared
Chili beans, from a can/heated
Shredded lettuce
Shredded cheese
Salsa/diced tomatoes

Open biscuits, separate dough into individual biscuits. Use a rolling pin to flatten dough into 5-6 inch circles.

Fill a skillet with 1/2" of oil & heat until flicked water spits back at you. Fry flattened dough on each side until golden; 30-60 seconds per side.

Top with meat, beans, lettuce, cheese & salsa!