Healthier Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

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For quick weeknight dinners we eat a lot of Chinese food.

Stir frys that I make using beef or chicken and whatever vegetable I have on hand.  It's soooo much better than takeout and done in a flash.

But there are times when we go out to dinner and just crave a good Chinese meal.  MGG loves Orange Chicken.  To tell the truth I love it too, but tend not to eat it as much due to the large amount of sugar in the sauce.  So I set out to make a healthier version at home, using less sugar so that it isn't as calorie ridden, and using the "slow cooker"!!

HEALTHIER SLOW COOKER ORANGE CHICKEN

Now I want to state that doing this on the stove only takes about 20 minutes.  So why use the slow cooker?  There are just some days that I am so busy that it is late when we eat, and I really don't want to stand over the stove and cook. 

Days where I work all day, I can through this in the slow cooker when I get home, wait for MGG to get home, then we're off to the gym.  When we are ready to eat after we get back and shower etc....a hot meal is ready for us.  I LOVE THAT!  Seriously, when I don't want to cook, he's lucky I don't just throw a salad his way and call it a day!

The slow cooker gives me an option to have a hot dinner when I really need it.  So cooking on high for 2 hours is perfect for me.  Or need be on low for 4 during the weekend when I'm running errands.

I used my favorite multi-purpose Breville Risotto Plus Maker.  I love it because it sautés, steams, slow cooks, and makes risotto...yum!  It really has been my go to slow cooker this past year and I can't recommend it enough.

So try this Healthier Slow Cooker Orange Chicken soon.  You'll love the flavor and won't miss the deep fried fat, nor the extra sugar.  I promise.

Enjoy!

Kitchen Note:  If you have a slow cooker with a sauté option, use that to brown the cornstarched chicken instead of a separate skillet.

Slow Cooker Orange Chicken



3 thin Cut Boneless Chicken Breasts, chopped into 1" pieces
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup reduced sugar orange marmalade
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper


In a small bowl mix the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, marmalade, salt and pepper.

On a plate add the cornstarch and the chicken tossing to coat. Preheat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil to heat. Add the chicken and quickly brown all sides, about 4 minutes. (You don't need to cook the chicken, only brown it.)

Add the chicken to the slow cooker.  In a small bowl mix the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, marmalade, salt and pepper.

Add the mixture over the chicken.  Cook on low 4 hours or on high 2-3 hours.  Serve over hot cooked rice.


adapted from The Recipe Critic

Simple Asian Salad

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When I put a meal together I usually try and theme all the food around the same nationality.  The other day we decided to grill some Spicy Thai Chicken Satay with Grilled Pineapple.  This spicy hot dish called for something cool as a side dish, so I decided to whip up a salad using a mix of Asian and other known vegetables.

In preparation, I headed to the local Ralph's grocery store to browse the Asian produce section.  I picked up Napa Cabbage to use as the base for the salad.  Napa Cabbage has a long shape and closely packed, pale green leaves attached to wide white stems.  It has a delicate mustard-like flavor which marries perfectly with other vegetables. 

Adding sugar snap peas, carrots, and small Japanese cucumber to the cart I had a good start.  I also added some sweetness to the salad with mandarin oranges.  I'm a sucker for those baby oranges!  Adding a little garnish or cilantro and chow mien noodles for crunch the Simple Asian Salad was born.

Top this off with you favorite Asian dressing.  We used Girard's Chinese Chicken Salad dressing, which I love.  It's lighter and a little more sweet than the typical sesame based dressing. 

Simple Asian Salad is the perfect side dish to spicy food.  I would also make a great lunch entrée.  You could even add chicken or beef to the salad for extra protein if you'd like.

Enjoy!






Simple Asian Salad

1/2 head Napa cabbage, chopped
4 oz. sugar snap peas (or snow peas), chopped
1/3 cup carrots, shredded
2-3 Japanese or Persian cucumbers, halved lengthwise and sliced
3 oz mandarin oranges
2 Tbls cilantro, chopped
handful of chow mien noodles for garnish
2-3 Tbls Girard's Chinese chicken salad dressing

In a large bowl add cabbage, snap peas, carrots, cucumbers and mandarin oranges.  Toss to mix.  Top with cilantro and chow mien noodles.  Drizzle salad dressing over the top and serve.

Pecan Orange French Toast

Whenever we go up to Cambria, for a quick vacation we make a point to stop along the way and have breakfast at a favorite restaurant.  

It's a tradition we do each and every trip up north.  The breakfasts and nice and hearty, filled with biscuits and gravy, an omelette, or something decadent like french toast.  

The last time we went I indulged and got an order of french toast, fruit, and bacon. Yum!  It was wonderful and the whole time I was eating it I couldn't quite make out the ingredient that made this french toast just a little more special.  One the way home it hit me!  The flavor of citrus, specifically oranges lingered in the dish.  

I still remember this dish and today I decided to re-create this for our breakfast.  I added the addition of chopped pecan which I think lent a wonderful crunch to the dish.  Oh my! Thick bread slices with a touch of grated orange peel and crunchy pecans make this French toast something special!

I hope you enjoy this for breakfast or brunch soon.




Pecan Orange French Toast 

Serves 6  

4 eggs
2/ 3 cup orange juice 
1/ 3 cup 2% milk 
1/ 4 cup sugar 
1 tablespoon grated orange peel 
1/ 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1/ 4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
6 slices french bread 
3 tablespoons of butter
3/ 4 cup chopped pecans 
Maple syrup 

In a a 9x13 dish whisk together the eggs through the nutmeg (the first seven ingredients). Place bread slices in the mixture and press into the mixture.  Turn the bread over so both sides soak up the mixture.  

Meanwhile heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat.  Add 2 Tablespoons of butter to the hot pan. Allow to melt and swirl around the pan to cover all the surface area.  Add 3 or 4 slices of the egg soaked bread to the pan.  Cook on the first side 2-3 minutes until golden brown.  Flip bread over and cook for another 3 minutes.  Remove to a plate or platter and sprinkle with chopped pecans.  Serve with maple syrup if desired.

Valentine's Day Citrus Shortbread Bites

Valentine's Day...the day of love!

Memories of being a kid and writing out those little Valentine's cards to pass out to everyone at school, run through my head.  Do you remember those?  I wonder if they still sell those cards...

I also love the little candy hearts with the remembrance sayings on them like "Hug Me"  "Be Mine" and "Love".  We would always get a little box of those and love looking at the sayings.  I've also used those recently to sprinkle on our dining table for a cute tablescape for Valentine's dinner.

I think that the colors of valentines are what really attract me. The reds, pinks, and whites for balloons, heart candies...and I can honestly say that a lot of my valentine's dresses over the years have been one or a combination of these colors.

These colors lead me to today's creation.  Dessert is always big on valentine's Day and I wanted to make something with a little cuteness to it.  Something with red, white, and pink sprinkles to remind me of my childhood.  

I've always loved shortbread and saw a post on Pinterest of some shortbread cut into little "bites".  I immediately thought Valentine's Days with pretty colored sprinkles.  Those would be so cute...and they are!

Aren't these just adorable??  I think they are too cute, and because they are so small you won't feel guilty eating 1 or 7!

Oh, and did I mention that these little bites have a hint of citrus?  They do, so they are lightly flavored with orange.  I used an orange extract, however, you can use orange zest and they will come out perfect!  That orange flavor just brightens these up just a bit and make you go Mmmmnn!

They are just perfect to share with the kids, neighbors, co-workers, or your loved ones.  These are wonderful cookies that are easy to make, and everyone is sure to love.  

Enjoy and Happy Valentine's Day!





Valentine's Day Citrus Shortbread Bites

makes 110 1/2" cookies


1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp orange extract or 1 tsp orange zest
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp valentine sprinkles (red, white, and pink), divided 

Place a sheet of parchment paper in a 8x8 inch square baking dish, allowing the ends to hang over by about 2 inches.  

In a medium bowl using an stand or hand held electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until well blended.  Add orange extract and mix to combine.  Slowly add the flour and mix until combined.  Fold in 1 Tablespoon of sprinkles.  

Dump the dough in the prepared pan and pat out to fill the entire pan.  Using the back of a measuring cup, press the dough so it smooths out the rough top and fills all the corners.  Add the other 1 Tablespoon of sprinkles on the top and press into dough.  Chill dough for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake 8 - 12 minutes. They are done when they are set but still soft and very lightly browned.  They will harden when they cool.  Cool for 15 minutes in the pan.  Lift dough out of the pan using the overhanging parchment paper.   Using a serrated knife cut into 1/2-inch strips down the length.  Then cut 1/2 inch strips the opposite way to make squares.  

'Bakery Style' Orange Blueberry Muffins

Last week MGG and I took a day trip up to Santa Barbara.  I just love it there.

We spent the day doing a little shopping, walking along the beach, stopped at the Biltmore Hotel for a drink, and of course sampled some tasty food.

On the way we always stop for a nice breakfast at one of our favorites places in Summerland.  The food is always on spot. This time we opted to a continental breakfast that came with a basket of bakery items.  I spotted a large 'bakery' style muffin and I knew I would be in heaven.  Bursting with blueberries and a hint of citrus.   Yep, I was right....Heaven!

I'm a blueberry lover you see.  I've made many blueberry items in the past here and here.  So this past weekend I got out my mixing bowls and made my own version of 'Bakery Style' Orange Blueberry Muffins.  Bakery style, means that are a little larger than life!  Juicy, ripe, hot, blueberries, bursting in your mouth.  The background has a hint of orange.  The perfect contrast to the tang of the blueberries. Not much better than this!

Great to serve on a weekend summer morning, or make for brunch, or a ladies tea. Be sure to pick up some fresh blueberries.  They are in season and so sweet this year.  If you don't have any, frozen will do just as well, but be sure to thaw them so they don't bleed all over your batter and turn it blue!

Try them soon, and tell me how you liked them.   Enjoy!



'Bakery Style' Orange Blueberry Muffins 

serves 12

2 cups fresh blueberries 
1/4 cup all-purpose flour 
2 cups all purpose flour 
4 teaspoons baking powder 
1 teaspoon salt 
1 1/2 cups white sugar 
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs 
1 teaspoon orange extract 
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.   Spray muffins tins with cooking spray.

In a small bowl add your blueberries and sprinkle 1/4 cup flour over blueberries, toss to coat.

In a large bowl, add your flour, baking powder and salt and sugar. Whisk together. To a medium bowl, add your oil, eggs, orange extract, orange zest and milk.  Whisk to blend. Add to the flour mixture stirring just to combine. Fold in berries. Fill muffin cups almost to the top with batter.

Bake for 20 - 22 minutes.  Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.  

Caribbean Chicken Salad

I'm in a tropical mood.  Leftover blues from Hawaii I'd say...

The other day I went to Chili's for lunch to pick up a salad. Chili's has great salads and a good variety to choose from. One salad I've been eating there for years is the Caribbean Chicken Salad.  Boy, do I love this salad!

Being in the tropical mood, I was quick to order the salad which has pineapple and mandarin oranges and this sweet dressing.  I think a salad is the winner!

It appears I can't get enough of it because I wanted to recreate it at home.  So off to the store I went. I've got fresh pineapple some wonderful lettuce some spicy red bell pepper, and the rest are pretty much staples I had at home. This salad is very easy to put together especially if you have leftover chicken.  As you know I usually make extra chicken and at this time I had some shredded chicken that I had roasted which was calling my name.

This is my version of Chili's Caribbean Chicken Salad.  They use a honey lime vinaigrette and I substituted a honey mustard vinaigrette which is very similar. The rest is pretty much spot on to their salad and boy was it the bomb!

I hope you enjoy the salad as much as we did. Try it for a weeknight meal this spring!

Caribbean Chicken Salad

serves 4

4 cups romaine lettuce, torn
2 cups of cooked shredded chicken
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup pineapple, chopped
1 small 4 oz can of mandarin oranges
1/3 c dried cranberries
1/4 c pecans, chopped
honey mustard dressing

Place lettuce in a large bowl.  Add chicken, bell pepper, pineapple, mandarin oranges, cranberries, and pecans. Toss together.  Drizzle with honey mustard dressing and toss to combine.

Blood Orange and Pear Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

 Winter calls for winter fruit.

Luscious oranges and pears call my name as I walk through the fruit stands.  Yes, I miss the fruits of summer.  I surely do, but I'm happy to substitute what's in season until they return.

So it's time to make a winter citrus salad.  A Blood Orange and Pear Salad to be exact.  Sweet and tangy come together to form a flavor profile that is bright and light during the winter months.  What better way to use winter fruits, especially since I love them in salads.

This is a simple salad where the fruit is the star.  Even the vinaigrette is the same fruity theme using lemon as the acid.  What a great way to dress this salad!



Blood Orange and Pear Salad

serves 2

1 large Bartlett pear
2 Blood Oranges
3 cups mixed salad greens
1/3 cup shredded carrots
Lemon Vinaigrette

Peel and slice the pear in half and remove the core.  Slice pear into thin wedges.  Remove peel on oranges with a knife.  Cut oranges crosswise to make orange circles.  

In a large bowl add salad greens and carrots.  Toss with several tablespoons of lemon vinaigrette.  Arrange the pears, and oranges on top of the greens.  Sprinkle with more vinaigrette if you desire.

Lemon Vinaigrette

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 fresh chopped thyme
salt & pepper

Combine first four ingredients in a mason jar.  Shake to combine.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken Amandine

 

I'm so excited to bring you this recipe today!

The reason being is that I got a new cookbook...woohoo!

On a whim I picked up a copy of Michael Symon's 5 in 5:  5 Fresh Ingredients + 5 Minutes = 120 Fantastic Dinners.  Of course I'm familiar with his cooking from the Food Network however, I've really come to like his style watching him on The Chew.  I mean, who can resist that laugh?  He has such a great sense of humor, and breaks down cooking so that the home cook can easily prepare delicious fresh meals.

I was so excited to get his book and try out his dishes.  I eagerly thumbed through it picking my first dish, Chicken Amandine.  A quick yet scrumptious dish great during the week but elegant enough for company.  

Plus...I had every ingredient on hand.  Love that!

This dish blew me away...

I had no idea it was this easy to make something so elegant and that tastes so darn good.  It just goes to show you that you don't need a lot of fancy ingredients...you just need a few that pack a lot of flavor.  

One trick to this dish is that you need to pound the chicken to 1/4" thickness as he says in order to cook this quickly.  Otherwise you will add on quite a bit of cooking time in order to fully cook a thicker chicken breast.

Here's what Michael says about this dish in his book:  "This elegant and classic dish looks and tastes like it's more difficult and time-consuming to prepare than it really is.  What makes this so appealing are the buttery, crunchy, toasty almonds.  Browning the almonds in butter really gives the nuts and the entire dish incredible depth and richness".  

So true.  

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we did.  Stay tuned for another Michael Symon's 5 in 5 dish coming this week.


Chicken Amandine

slightly adapted from Michael Symon's 5 in 5:  5 Fresh Ingredients + 5 Minutes = 120 Fantastic Dinners

serves 4

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/4' thickness (he uses skin on breasts)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 T olive oil
2 T unsalted butter
1/2 c sliced almonds
Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
1/4 c roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Put a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.  Add the olive oil to the preheated pan.  Arrange all 4 pieces of chicken in the pan and cook until golden brown about 3 minutes.  Flip and cook 1 minute.  

Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter and almonds and cook until they begin to brown about 30 seconds.  Add 1/2 cup of water, the orange zest and juice and cook until slightly reduced about 30 seconds.  Taste and adjust the seasoning adding salt and pepper as needed.  

Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the parsley and serve. 

California Salad

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 Happy 4th of July!

So many wonderful memories of this holiday and my childhood.  Joining the 4th of July parade with my bike all decked out with red, white, and blue flags and crepe paper in the spokes.  Then having a great cook out in the back yard and finally going over to the park to lay on a huge blanket and watching the fireworks at night.  Oh, I just love the feeling of this holiday!

These days we often have a pool party and grill prior to watching the fireworks.  Sometimes we have a potluck style get together, other times we have a themed menu.

This year we're having a potluck style get together with many friends.  Each bringing their own favorite dishes.  Tons of food, lots of friends, great fun!

I'm bringing a wonderful salad I call a California Salad.  My inspiration came from a small salad shop that we used to eat at frequently.  They had this salad that was full of fruit, topped with chicken, and had a sweet dressing.  This is my version, and it's perfect for any potluck, or holiday celebration.

To make this easier use leftover roasted chicken, (or roast a breast or two fresh, or pick up a rotisserie chicken!) and slice the breasts thinly.  

Hope you enjoy this salad, it's fresh, light, and delishhh!

California Salad

1 head of Romaine Lettuce, torn

1/2 c Blueberries

1 1/2 c Strawberries, sliced

1 c Pineapple, cut into chunks

1/3 c Mandarin Oranges

1 Roasted Chicken Breast, sliced

1/3 c Pecans Halves 

1/3 c Poppyseed Dressing

Fill a bowl with the torn lettuce.  Add blueberries, strawberries, pineapple and Mandarin oranges.  Add slices of roasted chicken breast on top.  Sprinkle with pecan halves.  Drizzle with poppyseed dressing.  Toss to distribute dressing and serve.