My husband loves Orange Chicken, but when you get it out at restaurants, it's usually made with fried chicken, which my stomach just can not handle. This is an easy, slow cooker version that is less greasy and sticky.


Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1-2 tablespoons orange zest
1/4 cup vinegar
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons water + 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Sesame seeds and green onions, for garnish
Cooked rice, for serving

Directions:

1. In a large zip-top bag, toss the chicken with the cornstarch salt and pepper. Shake to coat well.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in batches for 5-6 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer chicken to a lightly greased slow cooker.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together chicken broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, orange juice and zest, vinegar, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes and sesame oil. Pour sauce over chicken.
4. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours (I only needed to cook it about 2 hours).
5. About 30 minutes before serving, whisk together the 2 tablespoons of water and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir mixture into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for another 20-30 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
6. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, green onions and serve over cooked rice.

Recipe Source: Let's Dish

These are very quick to make and are very yummy. They make a great quick breakfast with served with fruit. Try them with a little apple butter on them. Yum!

Ingredients:

1-1/2 Cup(s) Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1-1/4 Cup(s) all-purpose flour
1 Teaspoon(s) Baking Powder
3/4 Teaspoon(s) Baking Soda
3/4 Teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
1 Cup(s) unsweetened applesauce
1/2 Cup(s) fat-free milk
1/2 Cup(s) firmly packed brown sugar
3 Tablespoon(s) vegetable oil
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Directions:

Heat oven to 400°F. Line twelve medium muffin cups with paper baking cups or spray bottoms only with cooking spray. For muffins, combine oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in large bowl; mix well. In medium bowl, combine applesauce, milk, sugar, oil and egg white; blend well. Add to dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. (Do not overmix.) Fill muffin cups almost full. Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until deep golden brown (usually takes about 15 minutes in my oven). Cool muffins in pan on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pan. Serve warm.

Makes 1 dozen

Recipe Source - Quaker Oats

Be sure to follow the directions exactly. If you have a scale, use it to measure the flour and sugar.  You can substitute Butterfinger bits for the chocolate chip cookies.

Ingredients:

8 1/2 ounces cake flour (2 1/4 cups)
8 1/2 ounces all purpose flour (2 cups)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
10 ounces light brown sugar (1 1/4 cups packed)
8 ounces granulated sugar (1 cup, plus 3 tablespoons)
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
15 oz chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (1.5 bags) - if making ice cream sandwiches, you will need two bags of chips. Put 15 oz. in the cookies, and save 5 oz. for rolling the edges of the sandwiches.

Directions:

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl with a wire whisk. Set aside.
2. In bowl of electric mixer, cream together butter and sugars until very light, about five minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. With mixer on low, add dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips with rubber spatula.
3. Refrigerate dough for two hours.
4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line insulated baking sheets with parchment paper (I used Silpats) and scoop dough into balls using an ice cream scoop onto sheet. Bake 14-19 minutes. You can get six cookies on a sheet.
5. As soon as you remove the baking sheet from the oven, use a spatula to shape the outer edge of the cookies to make them nice and round and even.
6. Allow cookies to cool on sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling racks to cool completely.

 These cookies make great ice cream sandwiches. Just freeze your cookies, scoop a large scoop of slightly softened vanilla ice cream and squish it between two frozen cookies, smooth out the ice cream, and roll in mini chocolate chips or butter finger bits, depending on which ones you used in your cookies.

Recipe Source - Amanda's Cookin

This is a great meal for hot evenings when you don't want to use the oven. Substituting the cauliflower for rice makes it lower in calories, and is a great way to sneak in an extra veggie.

Ingredients:

1 10 oz bag frozen cauliflower rice
1 1/4 lbs large (21/25) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 (14 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed well
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup sliced green onions, white and light green portion
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp lime zest
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 small avocado, sliced

Directions:
1. Preheat a gas grill over moderately high heat to about 450 - 475 degrees.
2. Thaw the cauliflower and put in a large bowl.
3. Add shrimp to bowl along with black beans, corn, green onions, garlic, olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, and cumin. Season with salt and pepper (about 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper), then toss gently to evenly coat.
4. Cut 4 sheets of 15 by 12-inch heavy duty aluminum foil. Lay sheets individually on a flat surface.
5. Divide shrimp mixture evenly among foil sheets, placing each mound in the center of the foil. Bring sides of foil inward then fold together twice and to seal, then fold ends up (and work to leave a little extra space inside for heat to circulate so everything cooks evenly).
6. Grill packets until shrimp has cooked through (it should appear pink in color), about 9 - 12 minutes.
7. Carefully open each packet and toss in cilantro.
8. Serve warm with avocado slices.




Recipe modified from Cooking Classy

An easy pasta dish that takes two minutes to prep, and 50 minutes to bake. Just to note, I used vegetable stock instead of beef stock as this is one of my meatless meals.

Ingredients

1 16oz jar of spaghetti sauce (my jar was 23 oz. and I used the whole thing)
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 10 oz can of fat free reduced sodium beef broth (can substitute vegetable broth)
1⁄4 cup Zesty Italian Dressing
18 oz refrigerated cheese filled pasta (mine was 20 oz. and worked fine) (can also use ravioli)
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees

2. First combine sauce, diced tomatoes, broth & dressing in a 13×9 baking dish.

3. Add pasta and toss to coat. Cover and bake for 50 mins.

4. Take out of the oven and top with cheese. Let stand for 5 mins until the cheese melts.


Recipe Source -  Family Fresh Meals

This recipe is one of those silly video recipes you see on Facebook. It was easy to make, super tasty, and very fun! Who wouldn't want to eat out of a pineapple boat? :)

I used the leftover chicken to make lettuce wraps for lunch the next day. Yum!

Ingredients:


1 pineapple

Rice
2 cups water
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon chili flakes
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup white rice, rinsed
Cilantro for garnish (optional)

Chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup honey
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1-½ lb. chicken thighs, 1-inch dice
2 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise. Scoop out and reserve the middle of each half, leaving ½-inch to ¾-inch of flesh along the edges. Be sure to discard the core.
2. Finely chop the reserved pineapple. Combine the chopped pineapple with any juices released and place approximately 1 cup of it in a small saucepan.
3. Add the water, salt, chili flakes, butter and sugar to the saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
4. Add the rinsed white rice. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes, or until the rice is fully cooked. Once done, fluff with a fork.
5. While the rice is cooking, combine the garlic, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, and ginger in a small bowl. Add the sauce to the chopped chicken and let sit while your pan heats up.
6. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.
7. Use a slotted spoon and drain the chicken from the teriyaki sauce, reserving the sauce. Add the chicken to the hot pan and brown on all sides.
8. When the chicken is fully cooked, add the reserved sauce to the pan and cook until the sauce has reduced and thickened. The sauce should evenly coat the chicken. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
9. To serve, spoon about ½ cup of the pineapple rice into one half of each hollowed-out pineapple boat. Fill the remaining half with the teriyaki chicken. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.

Makes 2 servings

 

After tasting my first "runza" in Nebraska at the encouragement of my friend Paula, I've been seeking a recipe that would allow me to duplicate them at home. This recipe fits the bill! When I made them this first time, I followed the original directions which called for using 5" inch squares of dough. This made 12 portions, which ended up being way too large. My husband I split one and it was plenty for a meal. Next time, I will divide the dough into 24 portions after rolling out, and will make sure I roll it out thin enough. Also, the recipe called for using a whole cabbage. The cabbage I used was pretty large, so I only used half of it. I have modified the direction below to reflect how I will make them in the future. They were incredibly delicious!

Ingredients

2 packages (7g Packet) Yeast 

1⁄2 cups Sugar
1-1⁄2 Tablespoon Salt
3-1⁄2 cups Warm Water 

1⁄2 cups Oil
1 Tablespoon Vinegar
8 cups Flour
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 whole Onion, Chopped
1 pound Ground Beef
1 whole small Cabbage, Shredded 

Salt And Pepper, to taste

Directions

Mix the yeast, sugar, sat, warm water, oil, vinegar, and flour together. Let rise 1 hour. Punch down. Let rise 45 minutes.

While the dough is rising, saute garlic and onions; add ground beef and fry until browned. Add cabbage and cook until tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

After the second rising of the dough, divide the dough into two portions to make it easier to handle. Roll each dough section out to about 1/16′′ thick. Cut the dough into 24 squares and put a generous portion of the beef mixture on the middle of each square. Gather all 4 corners together and pinch shut each diagonal seam toward the center. Turn upside down on a baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Brush with butter when they come out of the oven. 

These can be frozen after baking. To reheat in the oven, wrap frozen bierok in foil and reheat in 325 oven for 30 minutes. To reheat in the microwave, wrap in wax paper and heat on high 2 minutes. 

Recipe modified from Tasty Kitchen

My friend April said she missed my food photos, so I made this new soup for lunch since I was stuck at home on a snow day. :) It was super easy and very tasty.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
3 (15 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (10 oz.) can green enchilada sauce
1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes and green chilies
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
Sour cream, for garnish (optional)
Shredded cheddar for topping (optional)

Directions:

1. In a medium stock pot over medium heat, saute onion and garlic until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and bring to a simmer.
2. Place a can of beans, the green enchilada sauce and the diced tomatoes and green chilies in a blender and puree until smooth. Add to the pot with the chicken stock.
3. Add the remaining 2 cans of beans to the pot and simmer for a additional 5-10 minutes. Just before serving, stir in cilantro.
4. Top with sour cream, shredded cheddar and additional cilantro before serving, if desired.

Recipe modified from Let's Dish