Orange-Ginger Chicken Stir-fry

 

Happy Happy New Year!

Even though I was away from home on NYE, managed to get some cooking in.  You know the holidays are all about food traditions -- Easter ham, T-day turkey, Christmas roast beef, and NYE Chinese take-out.

This year there was no Chinese restaurant close by the lake house where some of my besties and I spent New Year's Eve so we made our own. I brought along a new recipe to try out and my friend Juliet suggested I photograph production to share with you all.  I apologize for the less than ideal photos, since I didn't have my camera I used my phone instead.

While the photos aren't the best, the food certainly was.  There are a couple of things I would have done a bit differently but since I was working in a make-do kitchen away from home I just added the changes to the recipe below (which is why there won't be some step photos).

Orange-Ginger Chicken Stir-fry

2 tbsp sesame seeds
3-4 cups rice noodles
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh-squeezed orange juice
3 tbsp olive oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp ginger, cut into matchsticks
1 tsp grated orange rind
1/2 cup chicken stock
3 tsp honey
2 tsp cornstarch
1 bunch bok choy, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces

In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast sesame seeds until lightly browned and fragrant.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare noodles according to package direction.  We used Thai Kitchen vermicelli noodles, 3-4 cups is approximately 1/2 box.

Once the noodles are drained and ready, add to a skillet with 1 tsp of olive oil and saute over medium-high heat for about 2-3 minutes.  Add in fresh-squeezed orange juice (from the grating rind orange) and continue to cook another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In an electric wok on high heat, add oil and swirl to coat the sides of the wok.

Cook chicken pieces in batches. Stir-fry until golden, about 3-4 minutes.

When the last batch is cooked, add all the chicken back in and add ginger and orange rind.  Cook until fragrant, about 1/2 minute.

 

Whisk together chicken stock and honey, add to chicken.  When the liquid starts to boil, remove 1-2 tbsp and mix with the cornstarch.

Pour cornstarch mixture back into the wok and continue to boil until the sauce starts to thicken.  Lower the heat and allow to simmer.

Add prepared rice noodles to the wok. Mix well.  Add in the bok choy until slightly wilted.  Toss sesame seeds into the dish and it is ready to serve.

A deliciously healthy way to start out 2013!

Spicy Turkey Buns

 

In anticipation of New Year's, here's a warm snack that's a handful of spicy goodness.  Easy and filling, great for a night of celebration.

Spicy Turkey Buns

2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp warm water
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp five spice powder*
1 tbsp water
1 egg
1/2 lb ground turkey
2 tsp minced garlic
1/8 cup minced green onion (optional)
1 (8 ct) pkg refrigerated biscuits

In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, water and cornstarch until smooth. Stir in the curry powder, red pepper flakes and five spice powder, mixing well.  Set aside.

Whisk together the water and egg until well-blended.  Set aside.

Brown the ground turkey with the minced garlic over medium high heat until it is cooked through, then drop the heat to low.

Add the spice mixture to the skillet and cook, stirring, for an additional minute until the turkey is evenly coated.  Stir in green onions.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Open the biscuits and place them, individually, between two sheets of wax paper. Gently roll them out until they half their original size.

Spoon a small heap of the spiced turkey into the center of each biscuit.  Fold over one end to form a half circle and pinch the edges closed.

Place the half-buns on a lightly greased (or parchment-covered) cookie sheet. Brush the tops of each with the egg wash.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-11 minutes or until lightly browned.

Can be served warm or at room temperature.

NOTES

*Five spice powder is a Chinese spice blend that you can find in most grocery stores in the specialty spice area.

You can substitute your ground meat or use the Morning Star Grillers (vegetarian) instead of turkey.

If you want a less bready bun, split the biscuit in half (separate the layers) before you roll them out. Additionally it will double your bun production. :)

I made a Asian Mayo to dip mine in -- a mixture of soy sauce, mayo and lemon juice to taste.

A Very Merry Holly Day

 

Since today I am cooking up holiday time with the family I'm not doing much cooking in the kitchen.  I'll be back again on Sunday with some new stuff to try and then we'll start off the new year right with some healthy, low-cal, good-for-you recipes!

For those who celebrate Christmas, hope you are having a very merry one.  And to everyone, best wishes for this holiday season!

k2

Holiday Nogs

What is more Christmassy than enjoying a delicious cup of eggnog?  Nothing I can think of.  So for my fellow nog afficianados out there, here are a couple of new variations to sip on.  I found these in my Favorite Brand Names Appetizers cookbook and thought I would give them a try.  Not disappointed.

Raspberry Eggnog
Favorite Brand Names Appetizers, page 340, recipe paraphrased 

1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
4 cups skim milk, divided
2 egg, beaten
1 (12 oz) pkg frozen raspberries, thawed
1 tsp vanilla
6-9 drops red food coloring (optional)
ground nutmeg for garnish

Combine sugar and cornstarch in a large saucepan.  Stir in 2 cups of milk and bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly.

Continue boiling 1 minute or until thickened, again stirring constantly.

Whisk small amount of hot milk mixture into eggs in a small bowl. 

Whisk egg mixture in saucepan and cook over low heat for 1 minute.  Strain and cool.

Place raspberries in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

Strain and discard seeds.

Stir raspberry puree into the cooled milk mixture and add in remaining 2 cups of milk and vanilla.

 

 

Add food coloring (if wanted) one drop at a time until eggnog is the desired shade of pink.

Cover and refrigerate until cold or ready to serve.  Sprinkle with nutmeg.  Garnish with mint sprigs and raspberries, if desired.

Makes 12 (1/2 oz) cups.


Mocha Eggnog
Favorite Brand Names Appetizers, page 346, recipe paraphrased

1 qt eggnog
1 tbsp instant coffee
1/4 cup coffee-flavored liqueur
cinnamon for garnish

Heat eggnog and coffee granules in a large saucepanover medium heat until mixture is hot and coffee is dissolved. Do NOT boil.

Remove from heat and stir in coffee liqueur.

NOTES

I ended up not adding any red food coloring to the raspberry nog because I liked the light pink color it was without.

When it comes to straining the raspberry puree, after several messy attempts, I found the best thing to do was line a strainer with cheesecloth and squeeze it through.

NOTE

I used the instant expresso that I used for the cappuchino pie and Kahlua, because you can never go wrong with Kahlua.

Lil Brie Roll-Ups

 

We all know that baked brie is a holiday get-together staple.  I mean, who doesn't love cheese baked in dough?  Well here is my take on that party classic.

Sticking with the quick-n-easy theme, it's a tasty assembly you can throw together in just a short amount of time.  Delicious hot, but also quite tasty at room temp.

Lil Brie Roll-Ups

1 (5 oz) container spreadable brie
1 (10 oz) jar cranberry chutney
1/4 tsp ground clove
1 (4 oz) bag chopped walnuts
2 rolls (8 ct) refrigerated crescent rolls
cinnamon sugar (2-3 tsp approx)

Open one roll of crescents.  Layout and press the crossway seams together creating 4 large rectangles.  Cut each rectangle (short-wise) into 4 pieces.

Slather each piece with a nice helping of the spreadable brie.  Over the brie, spread a generous dose of cranberry chutney.

Sprinkle 1/8 tsp ground clove evenly over all 16 of the pieces.  NOTE: best way to avoid big clumps of the spice landing on one piece is to put the ground clove in your palm and use your fingers to lightly sprinkle it around.

Top each piece with chopped walnuts.

Roll each strip lightly and place them, seam side down, on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes or until toasty brown.  Remove and allow to cool for 5-8 minutes.  Otherwise you'll burn your tongue on the hot chutney.

Repeat whole process with the second roll of crescents. Will make 32 altogether.

NOTES

You can use your favorite jam or non-cranberry chutney with this recipe.

Pecans or even almonds would work just as well too.

If you like your baked treats super sweet, just omit the ground clove.  I added it to cut back on the overall sweetness of the roll-up.

Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Nuggets

 

Want to switch gears and bring you some savory treats to serve up at your holiday shindigs.  This one started out as a marriage of convenience, but quickly turned into a love affair.

I had waffle pretzels left over from the Itty Bitty Minty Bites and some chicken in the fridge so figured I'd introduce the two.  And these are baked, not fried, so don't make a huge mess in the kitchen.

Best part, they are good served hot, at room temp, and not that bad served cold either which is what you want in a party food.  Set them out and people can enjoy them whenever.

Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Nuggets

8-9 doz (2 cups) waffle pretzels, crushed
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup honey mustard (about 1/2 of a 10.5 oz bottle)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Crush the pretzels into small pieces.  For the best results, I put them in a gallon-sized bag and crush them with a rolling pin.  I did the pretzels in two batches.  Put the crushed pretzels in a shallow bowl and set aside.

Trim and cut the chicken breasts into double-bite sizes (or can make them smaller if you prefer).

Pour your honey mustard into a small bowl.

Dip the chicken chunks in the honey mustard then roll them in the crushed pretzels until well coated.

Place the crusted chicken on a lightly greased cookie sheet (or you can use parchment paper).

Bake for 9 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink inside.  Remove from oven and let sit for 3-5 minutes before removing from pan.

Ready to eat.  Can serve it up with some additional honey mustard on the side for dipping, but they are pretty good on their own.

Itty Bitty Minty Bites

Looking for something quick(ish) and easy(ish) to throw together for a holiday party?  Here's something fun and cute and yummy.  Be warned though -- HIGHLY addictive!

Itty Bitty Minty Bites

Hershey's Mint Truffle Kisses
Synder's Butter Snaps pretzels
Colored nonpareil sprinkles

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Lay pretzels out on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Or wax paper in a pinch.

Unwrap kisses and place one on each pretzel.

Put cookie sheet in the oven for 1 minute.  No more, no less.

Remove immediately and gently press another pretzel onto of each of the mooshy kisses.

Sprinkle spinkles on each.  Make sure to get it in all the little pretzel holes.

Put cookie sheet in the fridge for 20-25 minutes until the chocolate is firmed up.

Then start popping them in your face...or share them with others if you really feel you need to.

NOTES

I used Mint Truffles Kisses, but you could do this with any of the flavor-filled kisses that Hershey's makes.

One bag of kisses makes about 5 dozen Itty Bitty Minty Bites.