Baked Asian Orange Glazed Chicken

 

Looking around the kitchen this evening for something for dinner, I found a package of organic chicken breasts in the freezer. It was already 3:30 pm, so, doing the math, I figured there was no way I was going to both thaw the chicken, AND have time to marinade it before cooking. I learned this trick some time ago for thawing frozen chicken, where one submerges the package in 140 degree water for about a  half hour. It works great! 

So, I began the thawing process while I looked around for other things. Hmmmm…soy sauce….love that. I always have garlic, and they go well together. I thought Asian flavors…what else can I add? 

ORANGE! I had half a jar of marmalade in the fridge and two oranges in the bowl, so that was a good sign! 

As it turns out, the marriage of these flavors became a delicious chicken dish that we will have many times in the future.

Note: I had a nice bag of Brussels sprouts in the freezer also. I halved them, tossed them in a bowl with melted coconut oil, and my usual mixture of garlic powder, onion powder, and seasoned salt, and roasted them in the same 400 degree oven next to the chicken. They roast to a nice dark caramelized finish in about 35-40 minutes. Bonus in all this was that the cooked glaze from the chicken was delicious drizzled over the Brussels sprouts.

Baked Asian Orange Glazed Chicken

¾ cup organic low sodium soy sauce

¾ cup orange marmalade (need to make my own in the future for organic)

1 ½ tbsp. minced garlic

1 ½ tbsp. organic corn starch

2 tsp. onion powder

Juice of two small cara cara navel oranges

3 or 4 organic chicken breasts

In a saucepan, mix all the above ingredients except the chicken. Bring to a slow boil, then reduce the heat, stirring well, until the water content is reduced by a quarter, or about 10 minutes.

Place chicken breasts in a single layer in a baking dish. Choose the smallest one that will fit the chicken with as little extra room as possible. Pour the mixture over the chicken and allow to sit for approximately a half hour.  Near the end of that half-hour, preheat oven to 400.  Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes, turning once after 15 minutes, until the internal temperature is at least 170 degrees.

Serve with some of glaze. The cooked glaze is great drizzled over roasted veggies, as well!

SOUTHWEST VEGETARIAN QUICHE

 

Ingredients

1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed

½ bag 'beefless' ground (Gardein brand)

½ sweet onion, chopped

2 tbsp. minced garlic

1 can (10-ounces) Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies

salt and fresh black pepper, to taste

1  tbsp. taco seasoning

5 eggs

4 oz Neufchatel Cream Cheese

2 cups Shredded White Cheddar Cheese

Instructions

1.    Preheat oven to 375.

2.    Remove the puff pastry from the box and paper wrapper, and lay out to defrost. This should take no longer than 40 minutes.

3.    Place onions in a skillet and sweat on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and beef substitute and heat, stirring frequently, for about 4 minutes on medium heat.

4.    In a food processor, mix together eggs, cream cheese, and cheddar until well blended. Add the tomatoes and chilies, salt and pepper, and taco seasoning. Pulse until mixed well.

5.    Spoon onion/beef substitute mixture the food processor and mix well with the other ingredients by pulsing. Don’t over mix or puree. You want some texture to remain.

6.    After the puff pastry has thawed, open both sheets fully, and lay one and then the other into the bottom of a 9 inch iron skillet (or pie plate). Offset the top one so that the points alternately point upward and lightly press into the bottom of the skillet with all corners of the pastry pointing toward the ceiling.

7.    Fill the pastry crust with the filling from the processor.

8.    Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until filling is set, and the crust is golden brown.

VEGETARIAN CARROT "BBQ"

I am not really a vegetarian, but I have cut way down on meat consumption in the past few years, in an effort to improve my health. I probably have meat 2-3 times a month. I have begun eating lots more fresh vegetables and fruits, and I am always thrilled when I find recipes that are traditionally made with meat, but that someone has found ways to effectively substitute some veggies for the animal products.

I came across a recipe for a "BBQ" made from carrots and onions. The pictures looked great! I knew immediately I needed to try this! So, like always, I printed out the recipe....and promptly lost it.

Today, while trying to de-paper a horizontal surface at the house, I came across the recipe!! It was kismet that yesterday, I had a weak moment at Costco, and bought a small truckload of carrots!! OK..well, the dog eats them too! Anyway, a very large bag of carrots for $7, and they were organic! Last night I even cut up and blanched and froze about three quart bags! But I digress.

So, looking through the recipe today, I mentally inventoried the kitchen, and since I had everything here, I set out to make this stuff. I was so glad I did! It truly is delicious! My wife was away from home while I was cooking, and when she came back, I had just finished. She walked through the door and said, "Wow, what is that cooking? It smells so good! I could smell it outside!" BINGO!

VEGETARIAN CARROT BBQ

Ingredients

• 7 large carrots – peeled and shredded
• ½ red onion
• ½ sweet onion
• 1 tbsp. olive oil (may take a little more)
• Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste (I used only the pepper to cut down on sodium)

For the BBQ sauce:

• 1 ¼ cup of tomato sauce (organic, low sodium)
• 1 ½ tbsp. minced garlic
• 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar (organic, unfiltered)
• 1 tablespoon of dark molasses
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar (organic)
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon of smoky paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried cilantro

Instructions

1.    Preheat the oven to 385° and line a baking pan with foil.

2.    Shred the carrots with the shredder attachment of your food processor or with a box or hand held grater.

3.    Quarter the onions and put them through the food processor using the slicing wheel.

4.    Put the carrots and onion in a large bowl and drizzle the olive oil over them. Toss well to coat and then spread them evenly in the foil-lined pan. Sprinkle ground sea salt and ground pepper evenly over the top. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and roast for thirty minutes, stirring after 15. The carrots and onions should be nice and soft, and lightly caramelized.

5.    While the carrots and onions are roasting, put the sauce ingredients in a blender (I used my rinsed-out food processor again) and blend until fully combined and smooth. Pour into a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and cook for twenty minutes, stir occasionally to avoid scorching the sauce.

6.    Add the roasted carrots and onions to the sauce and stir well to coat. Simmer for fifteen minutes.

7.    I served the BBQ on Hawaiian rolls to make sliders, and added some mixed white and yellow sharp cheddar cheeses.

8.    Enjoy!

(ALL ORGANIC) BLUEBERRY OATMEAL SCONES

I love scones! Always have! So when this recipe popped up for me, I quickly set about making it mine, making it healthier, and making it even tastier! This ended up being a very tasty, very tender scone, with amazing flavor...not too sweet...and even very light! So, since I had this lemon zest left over (see recipe), I thought a lemon glaze would really enhance the flavor of the blueberry scones. BINGO!! I WAS RIGHT!!

(I will have to add a better picture than the phone shot I took to post this on Facebook!)

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour or almond (I used organic white whole wheat)
• 1 ¼ cups oats (organic from Trader Joe’s)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder (organic)
• ¼ teaspoon Himalayan salt (ground my own pink Himalayan salt)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (so, I zested a whole lemon, used half the zest IN the scones)
• 1 tablespoon honey or preferred sweetener (organic agave)
• ⅓ cup almond milk (this time, I  used organic coconut milk)
• ¼ cups coconut oil (organic from Costco)
• 1 egg or egg replacement (organic cage-free)
• 1 cup fresh blueberries (I actually used frozen organic Maine blueberries from Trader Joe’s)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425° Fahrenheit. Mix together flour, oats, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. In separate bowl mix honey, almond (or coconut) milk, coconut oil, and egg. Add wet mix to dry and stir together. Stir in blueberries.

Roll mixture into 1-inch balls and place on parchment paper on cookie sheet. (Here again, I got out my cutting board and shaped my dough on the board into a square, approximately ¾ inch thick, making sure to square up the sides. I then cut the square in equal small 1 ½ inch squares and put them on the parchment on my stoneware cookie pan.) Bake scones for 15 minutes. Enjoy scones warm or as a cool treat later. Makes about 2 dozen.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)  Cooking time: 15 minute(s)

Glaze

So, the other half of the lemon zest? I put it into a bowl, put in several heaping tablespoons of organic powdered sugar, and started with a single tablespoon of coconut milk. I mixed that thoroughly until smooth and shiny, and thin enough to be drizzled. I did have to increase the amounts of both sugar and coconut milk just a bit to increase the overall volume. When I got the scones out of the oven, I allowed them to cool just a bit, pulled them onto a cooling rack, with the parchment still under them, and drizzled the glaze back and forth over all the scones.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH TURMERIC SOUP

Every year about this time, I start to think about making good hearty butternut squash dishes. I formulate recipes and flavor combinations in my head while driving, daydreaming, even while cooking other things.

Last week, I bought the first butternut of the season, and I peeled and cubed it, mixed them with diced red onion, tossed themixture in melted coconut oil, and seasoned them with our 'house' seasoning, a mix of garlic powder, onion powder and a bit of seasoned salt.  I roasted them at around 400 degrees on some stoneware lined with parchment. That yielded some of the most delicious sweet/savory butternut squash you can imagine! I then used that mixture to top some flatbreads, along with thinly slice apples, crumbled blue cheese, some shredded colby-jack, and a sprinkling of coconut 'bacon'. They were delicious too!

I was on a roll! I had some of the squash and onion mixture left in the fridge for a few days, so I pulled that out one evening and mad a couple of beautiful quiches, this time mixed with kale, some of the blue cheese, some Italian shredded cheese, minced garlic, and the eggs and so forth! WINNER!! Another great dish, and a wonderful use for the leftovers.

On my next trip to the store, I noticed they had organically grown butternut squash, so since I was making interesting and tasty squash dishes, I decided to buy another one. They were on sale! 99 cents!! When I got  home, it was like a bad joke. There on the counter was a butternut squash with a big curved neck, that, if stretched out straight, would have been two feet long! As it turns out, our friend dropped it by.

Since I hate seeing food go to waste, I set to work on Saturday morning to get this big squash broken down into more manageable units! Divide and conquer!! I first cut the squash into 4-inch lengths, give or take, and then peeled each one. I then cut each length, first lengthwise into approximately 1/2 inch square strips, then chopped into cubes. I ended up with a huge bowl of cubes! I measured out about 6 cups of the cubes and tossed those into my slow cooker, and began building my soup. I had seen a recipe on Facebook for a turmeric and ginger infused soup that called for sweet potatoes. I thought the squash might be a great substitution for the sweet potatoes. I was right!! I also modified the recipe to add some more layers of flavor with onions, garlic, vegetable bouillon, and more.

So, here it is, folks. I recorded everything I put in (I THINK!) and I want to share it with everyone. It's a nice healthy hearty soup for a chilly fall or even very cold winter day! I hope you enjoy it! Our oldest son and his wife are coming for dinner this evening, so this, and some artisanal bread from the farmer's market are what's for dinner!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH TURMERIC SOUP

Ingredients

6 medium carrots, sliced ½-in.
6 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 onion, minced (I used ½ sweet onion, and ½ red onion)
4 cups filtered water
1 can chickpeas
2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled with a spoon and diced
1 Tbsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. pink salt
2 pinches nutmeg
1 tsp. smoky paprika
2 heaping tbsp. organic Better than Bouillon  Vegetable Base (Costco) (You could substitute with less water and some chicken stock)

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker.

Cook on high for four hours, or on low for 6 hours.

Serve with your favorite savory garnish: Chives; crumbled goat cheese, shredded cheddar, chopped sage.

CHEESY QUINOA WITH SPINACH

This was just one of those experiments that was perfect (to me) the very first time! We love quinoa, and who doesn't love cheese? So, add to that great spices, some nice fresh spinach, and a little milk, and you have a great casserole for dinner, or any meal, for that matter! This would work equally well for a nice brunch or lunch! I hope you enjoy it!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup quinoa, (uncooked) (4 cups cooked)

½ large sweet onion, diced

1 small bag baby spinach, chopped into 1 inch pieces

2 tbsp. minced garlic

½ cup pine nuts

2 eggs

1 cup milk (I use unsweetened almond milk)

2 tsp. seasoned salt

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I use aged white sharp cheddar!)

INSTRUCTIONS

Cook quinoa according to directions.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Meanwhile, dice and caramelize onions. Toss in the chopped spinach, the garlic, and the pine nuts. Cook on medium and stir until the spinach is wilted, and the pine nuts are starting to toast. Remove from heat.

Add the milk and seasoned salt to the two eggs in a large bowl, and whisk to mix thoroughly.

When the quinoa is completely cooked, put it into the egg and milk mixture, along with the spinach and onion mixture, and mix well. Add half the cheddar cheese to the mixture while it’s warm, and mix well. Pour this mixture into a casserole dish. Pack down a bit, and cover completely with the remaining cheese.

Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, and starting to brown slightly.

COCONUT SCONES

I bought some beautiful and extremely flavorful strawberries today at the grocery store. I prepared them with a little sugar and put thin in the fridge to macerate a bit. I really wanted some good strawberry shortcake, but I didn't have a lot of things in the house to make a shortcake from scratch. I hate using cake mixes. So, I started looking for recipes. I liked the thought of making scones, so I set off on that journey!

I found several recipes, and then modified them all together, adding several things that I wanted to help flavor and texturize the scones. 

My experiment was tremendously successful!!  (At least I thought so!!}

 

COCONUT SCONES

Servings: 8 scones

Ingredients

For Dough

• 1 ½ cups almond flour plus ¾ cup AP flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• ½ cup organic coconut flakes
• 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 large egg
• ¾ cup coconut cream (skimmed off the top of a can of very cold coconut milk)

For Topping

• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon organic granulated sugar…or more.

Instructions

1.    Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. I used a round stoneware baking pan.

2.    Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and coconut in the bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade. Pulse several times to combine.

3.    Add the cold butter and pulse quickly until mixture resembles course meal with pea-size clumps of butter within.

4.    Beat egg and coconut cream until smooth in a small bowl, pour into flour mixture, and pulse just until mixture comes together in clumps. The dough should be a bit sticky.

5.    Dust a work surface lightly with flour, then dump scone dough onto surface. Knead very gently a few times until dough comes together into a ball. (Sprinkle more flour, little by little, if dough is too sticky to work with.) Press dough into a flat circle about 3/4-inch high, then use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles. Transfer wedges to prepared baking sheet. Brush lightly with beaten egg and sprinkle with demerara sugar. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until tops are lightly golden and firm to the touch. 

ORANGE-SCENTED QUINOA

I saw a cooking show today on TV where the host made an orange-scented rice, which sounded good, although she made it with chicken stock. It did, however, trigger the thought process that led me to make this quinoa for dinner tonight.

We have begun eating more and more quinoa, because we love the flavor, and because it's so very healthy. I buy organic quinoa, usually at Trader Joe's, and most often it's the mixed color variety.

Here's the recipe, as closely as I can remember:

ORANGE-SCENTED QUINOA

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
2 cups water
1 tablespoon organic vegetable boullion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon black pepper
the zest of a small orange

Rinse and drain the quinoa. Place in a saucepan with the water and all the other ingredients. Stir well, and heat to boiling. Reduce head to simmer, cover pan, and cook until all the water is dissolved...about 15-20 minutes. Watch carefully and stir intermittently to prevent sticking.

BLACK BEAN BURRITOS

Ingredients:

1/2 large onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, or a roasted red pepper, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 cans black beans
2 tbsp chili powder
1/8 tsp (more or less) cayenne pepper
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1/2 lime
4 oz Neufchatel cream cheese

avocado or guacamole
cooked brown rice
shredded sharp cheddar or fiesta blend cheese
greens, such as lettuce, kale, spinach
tortillas

Saute onions and peppers in a skillet with the olive oil for about five minutes. Add the black beans, garlic, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cilantro and lime juice. Cook until liquid is greatly reduced. Add the cream cheese, allow to melt, and mix thoroughly.

Build your burritos:

Spread avocado or guacamole on a flour tortilla. Add some of the bean mixture, some rice, and some of the shredded cheese, then a handful of greens. Fold the tortilla and heat slightly in the microwave or in a skillet on all sides. Serve warm.

APPLE CINNAMON WHITE CAKE

I love apples. And even further, I love apples and cinnamon together. Now, if you also add delicious things like rich organic brown sugar,  and pecans, you have yourself a pretty sweet topping for all kinds of baked goods. Making this mixture also allows one to savor the delectable fragrances of the apples themselves, and the utterly sweet and delicious spice and sugar.

I've been working on this recipe for a month or more, and I love this latest iteration. I think I'm going to edit this again soon, because I am thinking I'd like to try putting the topping into the loaf pan first, thereby maintaining the moisture in it as the cake bakes, much like an 'upside-down' cake. More about that later!

APPLE CINNAMON WHITE CAKE

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup organic brown sugar—packed

2 tsp. cinnamon

¾ cup chopped pecans

1 large organic apple (or two small), peeled, cored, and chopped finely…about 2 cups.

2/3 cup organic regular sugar

1 stick butter, softened

2 large eggs, (organic)

1 ½ tsp vanilla

1 ½ cups flour (all purpose, organic)

1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder

¼ tsp salt

½ cup milk (I used almond/coconut milk)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

·      Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, pecans, and apples in a bowl. Set aside.

·      With an electric mixer, beat together the softened butter and the organic sugar until smooth and creamy.

·      Beat in eggs, one at a time.

·      Add vanilla

·      In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

·      Mix the flour mixture into the butter, sugar, and egg mixure.

·      Add milk and blend until smooth.

·      Spoon half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

·      Top with half of the apple-nut topping, covering evenly.

·      Spoon the remainder of the batter over the topping, and top with the remainder of the apple-nut topping, again, spreading evenly over the top. Pat down firmly.

·      Be sure to leave some room for the cake’s raising during baking.

·      Bake for 50 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.