Teriyaki Chicken

• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ⅓ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from 1½ medium or 1 large oranges)
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1½ to 2 lbs (about 6-7 medium) boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
• 1 Tbsp oil (I use light olive oil)
• 1½ Tbsp unsalted butter
• Green onion and sesame seeds for garnish, optional

1. In a large bowl, whisk together all marinade ingredients: ¼ cup soy sauce, ⅓ cup orange juice, 3 Tbsp honey, 1 tsp ginger and 1 tsp sesame oil.
2. Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces and place into marinade. Stir and cover with plastic wrap and marinate on the counter 20 min.
3. Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil. Remove chicken from marinade with a slotted spoon, reserving marinade in the bowl. Add chicken to the hot pan and sauté, stirring occasionally until golden and cooked through (5 min).
4. Remove pan from heat and transfer chicken to a bowl.
5. Pour reserved marinade into the pan, add 1½ Tbsp butter and place back over medium/high heat. Bring to a boil stirring constantly until slightly thickened (1 min) then remove from heat. Add chicken back to the pan and stir to combine. Serve over hot buttery white rice garnished with fresh green onion and a sprinkle of sesame seeds if desired.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Sweet & Sour Chicken

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 c cornstarch
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 c oil to saute, plus more as needed

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

1/2 c apple cider vinegar

4 Tbsp ketchup

1 Tbsp soy sauce

3/4 c granulated sugar

1 tsp garlic salt

1. Preheat oven to 325˚F. Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces and season with salt and pepper

2. Place 1 cup cornstarch into a gallon-sized ziploc bag, add chicken and toss to coat 

4. In a shallow dish, whisk together 3 eggs. Dip the cornstarch-dredged chicken pieces into the beaten egg, coating both sides then transfer the chicken to the very hot oil. 

5. Cook chicken in hot oil about 30 seconds per side or until golden. Having very hot oil is key. You don’t want to cook the chicken through, but just until golden. Transfer chicken to a baking dish.

6. In another bowl, stir together the sauce ingredients: 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 4 Tbsp ketchup, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 3/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp garlic salt.

7. Pour sauce over your sauteed chicken pieces and toss to coat. 

Bake uncovered at 325˚F for 1 hour, turning the chicken twice while baking to coat with sauce.

Garnish green onions and seseme seeds, or sauted bell peppers

Eat with rice and Enjoy! 

Chicken Adobo

Chicken Adobo

• 3 lbs Chicken
• 1/2 c Vinegar (Rice vinegar if you want it sweeter)
• 1/2 c Soy Sauce
• 1 c Water
• 1 Onion - chopped
• 2 c Pinapple - cubed
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp Whole peppercorns
• 4 cloves Garlic - minced
• 1 tsp ground Pepper
• 1 tsp Salt

Combine all ingredients into slow cooker

Cook in High 3 hrs, or Low for 6 hrs.

Serve with rice and enjoy.

Salsa Chicken & Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:
--1 pound chicken (I used frozen breast tenderloins)
--1 cup dried black beans (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed)
--4 cups chicken broth
--1 cup sliced mushrooms
--1 cup frozen corn
--1 jar prepared salsa (16 oz)
--1 1/2 tsp cumin
--1/2 cup sour cream (to stir in at the end)
--shredded cheddar cheese, avocado slices, cilantro (all optional)


Drain and rinse the beans. Add to the crockpot. Put in the chicken, and add the broth and salsa. Pour in the corn and mushrooms, and add the cumin. Stir, but don't disturb the beans---let them stay at the bottom of the pot, closest to the heating element.

Cover and cook on high for 9 hours. Yup. High. For 9 hours. It took a crazy long time for the beans to soften, but they did.

If you are using beans you soaked overnight, canned beans, or pre-cooked beans, you can cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-5--similar to normal soup-cooking time.

If you'd like to thicken the broth (I did this), you can use your immersible blender (I love that thing) to blend a bit of the beans and chicken. If you don't have one, scoop out 2 cups of the soup and carefully blend in your traditonal blender. Stir the mixture back into the crockpot.

Stir in the 1/2 cup of sour cream before serving, and garnish with shredded cheese and avocado slices.

Orange Chicken

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless chicken pieces, skinned
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
White pepper
Oil (for frying)
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon minced ginger root
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 dash crushed hot red chilies
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon sesame oil
***Orange Chicken Sauce***
1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon water
5 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons white vinegar

Directions:

Cut chicken pieces into 2-inch squares and place in large bowl. Stir in egg, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon oil and mix well. Stir cornstarch and flour together. Add chicken pieces, stirring to coat. Heat oil for deep-frying in wok or deep-fryer to 375 degrees. Add chicken pieces, small batch at time, and fry 3 to 4 minutes or until golden and crisp. (Do not overcook or chicken will be tough.) Remove chicken from oil with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside. Clean wok and heat 15 seconds over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Add and stir-fry crushed chilies and green onions.  Add Orange Sauce and bring to boil. Add cooked chicken, stirring until well mixed. Stir water into remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch until smooth. Add to chicken and heat until sauce is thickened. Stir in 1 tablespoon oil and sesame oil. Serve at once. You may want to add grated zest of 1 orange to the sauce ! for flavor.

Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients:

White Sauce
1 c Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste
Macaroni Noodles - cooked as directed

Make sauce as noodles cook. Combine and enjoy.

Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

1 lb Ground Beef

1/2 c Onion - chopped

1/4 c Greed Pepper - chopped

1/4 c Celery - chopped

1 (8oz) can Tomato Sauce

1/4 c Ketchup

1 1/2 tsp Worcesterchire Sauce

1 T Sugar

1 T Vinegar

1 tsp Salt

1/8 tsp Pepper

Brown meat; add vegetables.  Cook until veggies and tender. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Cover and simmer 20 minutes.  

Serves 6 people.