Orange Sesame Chicken

I love everything about Asian food; from the soft crunch of a water chestnut to the sweet and spicy sauces, I love it all! What I love about this particular dish is the sweet and tangy elements it yields.  And if you'd like, you can even make it a little spicy.
Orange chicken is super easy to make at home because it doesn't require some of the more difficult-to-find ingredients like some others.  Most of the ingredients in this dish I keep on hand but you may want to check your kitchen before hand.  

**Ingredients**

2 Chicken breast (cut into bite sized pieces)

1 cup jasmine rice

1 tbsp flour

1/2 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp sesame seeds

2 tbsp red chili sauce

2 tbsp orange marmalade

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tbsp agave nectar or honey

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 tsp sesame oil

Green onion for garnish

Drizzle of olive oil for cooking chicken

1. In a large plastic bag combine chicken with flour and corn starch.  Shake until chicken is coated.
2. In a large sauce pan, drizzle olive oil, enough to cover entire pan and turn on med-high heat.
3. While your oil is heating up, get your rice going.
4. Using tongs, add chicken to pan making one layer.  Cook on all sides until golden brown.  (you'll probably have to do two batches) 
5. After your chicken is golden brown, place on a paper toweled plate.  Repeat until all chicken is used.  
6. Set your chicken aside and add all other ingredients, except sesame seeds and green onions to the pan.  Simmer on low until thickened, whisking every few minutes.  If you find it to be too thin after about 7 minutes, stir in a little cornstarch.  
7. Once your sauce has thickened, add your chicken and sesame seeds to the pan and stir until coated.
8. Serve over rice and garnish with sliced green onion.  

Carrot-Ginger Soup

Hello all!! Been a while.  I hope everyone had a great Turkey day! Are ya'll ready for Christmas?  Christmas!! I cannot believe it's only 10 days away, so crazy! The time is just flying by.  None of this has anything to do with the recipe I am about to post but as I sit here in my kitchen looking at all my Christmas decor, I just can't help but think how it feels like the Holidays were just here!
Anyway, in the midst of all this crazy holiday business, here's a super yummy and quick soup you can whip up on those nights or days, you don't feel like spending a lot of time on a meal.
I love creamy soups and bisques and this hit the spot! I bought a bunch of carrots for beef stew but didn't end up making it so I decided I'd just make a carrot soup.  I had intentions on a carrot thai soup using coconut milk but forgot it at the store!! I swear, in my older age, if I don't make a list I will surely forget at least one item, dives me nuts! I luckily had some cream to help make it a bit smoother.  Cream is something that I went from never having in my fridge, to having all the time since Fall began...not complaining though.
The thyme and truffle oil really help give this a woodsy taste that goes great with this "cold" weather we are having here GA. And the greek yogurt is a cool compliment to the kick the cayenne gives.

**Ingredients**

3 large carrots (peeled and chopped into similar sized pieces)

1/2 shallot (thinly sliced)

1 garlic clove (roughly chopped)

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tbsp ground ginger

Sprinkle of Paprika

2 sprigs thyme

2 1/2 -3 sups veggie stock

Splash of cream

Dolop of ff greek yogurt

Drizzle of olive oil

Truffle oil

1. Drizzle olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat.
2. Add shallot and garlic.  Saute until tender.
3. Add veggie stock and carrots.  Bring to a low boil and then let simmer until carrots are tender.
4. Once carrots are tender, turn off heat and let cool for about ten minutes.
5. Using a blender or food processor, add mixture and blend until smooth.   
6. Add mixture back to pot over low heat and add cayenne, ginger, a splash of cream and the leaves of 1 thyme sprig.  Stir together and let heat back up. 
7. Serve with a dollop of greek yogurt, more thyme leaves, drizzle of truffle oil and a sprinkle of paprika on top.  

Roasted Cauliflower Mash and Acorn Squash topped with a Balsamic Reduction

Since Turkey Day is a mere two days away, I thought I'd share this extremely yummy (and different) side dish.  I REALLY love cauliflower mash! So much that I use a whole head and eat it all myself within 2 sittings.  I generally make it on its own but this last time I was cooking for just myself so I decided to umph it up.  I've made cauliflower mash before but never have I cooked acorn squash.  To be honest it was a pain in the ass to cut and cube but very tasty!
Although this dish ate like a vegetarian meal, you could totally have it as a side dish.  You can simply put the mash in a large serving dish, top it with the squash, then drizzle with balsamic reduction.
I had this for dinner and lunch the next day but broken down its probably about 4-6 servings.

I hope ya'll have a super Turkey Day with the ones you love and are most thankful for!! Gobble Gobble!!

**Ingredients**

1 head cauliflower

1 small yellow onion (sliced)

1 acorn squash (cubed)

1/4 Cup balsamic vinegar

Drizzle of olive oil

2 Tbsp butter

2/3 Cup veggie stock

Heavy splash of whipping cream

Several sprigs of thyme

Chili powder

Cayenne

Cinnamon

1. Cut your head of cauliflower in half.  Remove green leaves, and cut off as much of the stalks as possible, then pull apart and cut until you have them all separated.
2. Link on how to properly cut an acorn squash: http://www.marthastewart.com/973767/how-cut-acorn-squash
3. After you have your cauliflower and squash cut, place them on a large roasting pan; one on each side.
4. Toss the cauliflower in olive oil, salt pepper and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper.
5. Toss the squash with olive oil, sprinkle of cinnamon and chipotle powder.  
6. Roast on 350 for about 30 min. 
7. In the mean time, slice your onion then add it to a small sauce pan over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil and 1 tbsp butter.  Cook the duration of veggies until caramelized. 
8. In  the smallest pot you have, add balsamic vinegar.  Bring to a slight boil until reduced by half, about 7 min.  Then turn off heat.  
9. Once veggies are done, remove and place cauliflower in food processor.  Blend with 1 tbsp butter, stock and cream.  When you've gotten a really smooth texture add to a large bowl and stir in onions.  
10. Serve topped with squash, drizzle of balsamic glaze and fresh thyme.   

 

Mexican Chicken and Rice Soup

Throughout this Fall/Winter you will see a lot of soups, chilis and stews from me.  They are easy, comforting and warm you to your core on those chilly winter nights. Not to mention they feed a crowd and leftovers are easy to freeze and take out at a later date.
This soup is full of flavor, low carb and low sodium.  If you can, cook your chicken in a crock pot so it's easier to shred but if you don't have time, just cook it on a low boil in some chicken or veggie broth on the stove; that is what I did because I didn't know I was making it until I left work.
This would be a great alternative to tacos on taco tuesday! Its really tasty, healthy and fast for you busy families!

**Ingredients**

2 Chicken breast shredded

1 Can petite diced tomatoes

1 Can low sodium black beans

1/2 Yellow onion chopped

1 Garlic clove minced

1 32 oz Swanson Tortilla flavored broth

Juice of 1/2 a lime

1 Cup cooked brown rice

Good handful of cilantro roughly chopped

Avocado slices

1. In a med sized pot add your chicken breast and cover with veggie or chicken broth.  Lightly boil chicken for about 20 minutes.
2. While your chicken is cooking make your rice. Once its done just turn off heat. (Cooking time will vary depending on what kind you get)
3. When the chicken is done, set aside and let cool.  When cooled, shred with a fork.
4. Drizzle olive oil in large pot over med heat.  Saute onion until tender then add garlic.
5. Add black beans, tomatoes, chicken, lime juice, half of cilantro, and stock.  
6. Stir together and let simmer for about 10 min.  
7. Serve over rice and top with cilantro and avocado slices.  

Southern Style Collard Greens

I said in my last entry I wanted to post my collard recipe but didn't have a picture; I ended up making them last Sunday and was sure to take a picture.  I've loved collard greens since I was a child, weird I know.  I remember asking my grandmother to make me "that leafy stuff"...I was never a picky eater nor am I now.  There are few things I don't care for but will try and have them cooked multiple ways before totally ruling them out.  With that being said, I can understand why one may not particularly care for these "leafy things" but if you do then you'll love this recipe!! I have been making them for quite some time and finally think I've nailed down the perfect recipe.  If you are one of those who have never tried collards or have only had them from a can, I implore you to try these at least once!! You may love them!

**Ingredients**

1 Bag of chopped collard greens (in the produce section of grocery store)

1 Ham hock (in the pork section of your grocery store) DO NOT leave this out! 

1/2 Yellow onion chopped

1 Garlic clove minced 

1 Box veggie stock

Drizzle of olive oil for sauteing onion and garlic

1/2 Tbsp brown sugar

1/2 Tbsp onion and garlic powder

1 Tsp mustard powder

1 Tsp cumin

Pinch of red pepper flakes

2-3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 

Sriracha (optional)

Salt & Pepper to taste 

1. In a large pot or dutch oven over med heat, add olive oil and saute onion until soft then add garlic. Cook a min more. 
2. Add the ham hock plus rest of ingredients.  
3. Using a wooden spoon push greens down and make sure they are almost covered with liquid; you may need to add a little bit of water.  
4. Cover and let simmer until greens are tender, stirring occasionally.  I cook mine about 45 min to an hour.  
5. Serve with your favorite southern main dish and corn bread! 

Check on your greens towards the end to insure they are not too mushy.  You want to avoid cooking them to death!! 

Brunswick Stew

Last weekend we went to SC to my sisters to celebrate our oldest sister and her husband's birthdays.  They are only a few days apart and have known each other their whole lives, pretty neat huh?  For dinner we had bbq chicken with the great southern staples: baked beans, collards and mac n cheese.  And for dessert we had two yummy cakes! I won't go into detail about almost ruining my brother in laws cake but I will say that his was a beautiful vanilla-vanilla made by his wife, because he doesn't care for chocolate.  It somehow ended up with crushed whoppers all over it! OOPS!! MY BAD! It was entirely my fault...hope he's forgiven me.
Anyway, we had a lot of chicken leftover and I was kicking myself on our ride home sunday because I didn't take any with me. I thought I would've loved to have used it to make brunswick stew.  I text the sister who's house we had left and gave her the idea.  She has a brut of a husband and two little ones so I knew this would be an easy and filling dinner for them. I of course was craving brunswick stew at this point and realized I did not need leftover bbq chicken to make it.  Upon arriving home, I took my happy ass to the store to gather all my ingredients.  I spent all afternoon cooking only to have my husband, who had been golfing, ask if I wanted to come meet him and his buddies for sushi and that we could have the stew the next night, it'll be even better then he said.  True! So I quickly changed clothes and headed for sushi.  It was delicious! And on monday night I reheated the stew and it was even better than it would've been the night before! I have eaten it several times already and plan on taking some to work for lunch today! So, if you can, make this a day ahead. This was perfect for this yucky rainy cold weather we've had all week.  
I would also love to post my collard recipe even though I did not take a picture of them.  I am pretty sure I have perfected my recipe;)

**Ingredients**

2 Chicken breast

1 1/2 cups Stubbs bbq sauce (I used the spicy)

1 Can whole kernel corn

1 Can crushed tomatoes

1/2 Yellow onion chopped

1 Large garlic clove minced

1/2 14oz bag of lima beans

2 Cups beef or chicken stock

1/2 Tbsp yellow mustard

1 Tbsp chipotle sauce

1/2 Tbsp olive oil 

1 Tbsp butter

1/2 Cup apple cider vinegar (or less if you don't care for vinegar but do NOT leave it out completely)

1 Bay leaf

1/2 Tbsp garlic and onion powder

1/4 Tsp mustard powder

Sriracha (optional)

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Start by cooking your chicken in the crockpot with the bbq sauce on high for a few hours.  Let cool, then shred and set aside until you're ready to make the stew.
2. In a large pot or dutch oven over med high heat, add oil and butter.
3. Add chopped onion and saute until tender then add garlic and cook a min more.
4. Add all other ingredients, including shredded chicken, and let simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.

* If you want to grill your chicken first to get a good char on it, you can but then I would still recommend putting it in the crock pot to finish cooking because this allows it to get really tender and makes shredding it super easy.

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Im not so good about prefacing a recipe with a story, especially when its just a random night that I think "hey! I'll make this!".  And some times I can get too wordy.  Hopefully those of you who follow this blog or just read it for the recipes will appreciate that because I for one, hate food blogs that go into a whole long story before actually posting the recipe.  I mean, I suppose if there is a super special meaning behind said recipe it makes sense but either way I just keep scrolling until I see ingredients and instructions.  With that being said, its another reason I don'r really follow recipes and just make up my own...unless its by a super famous chef or something.  Anyway, I love a good chowder  and the hubs like shrimp so I made this!  I ate more potatoes than shrimp though.  Not liking shrimp very much is a texture thing for me, nothing more.  I love seafood but in moderation. EXCEPT for crab legs!! I could eat an ass ton of crab legs!!! Nothing better than fresh crab legs and lots of melted butter mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
oh sorry, just drooled on myself.  Anyway, this recipe lends loads of flavor and is one where you just dump, aside from some chopping, the ingredients and let simmer until done.  I think they're called "one pot" dinners or something.  Or maybe it because it's  a soup, that part is just understood?

**Ingredients**

7-8 Medium sized shrimp (cut in half)

6-7 Small red potatoes (halved, quartered, then cut again) 

1 Can whole kernel corn

1/2 Cup heavy cream

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Cups veggie unsalted veggie stock

1 Tbsp creole seasoning (see jambalaya recipe)

1 Red bell pepper finely chopped

1 Small yellow onion diced

1 Bay leaf

Chives

Paprika

Salt and Pepper to taste

Sriracha (optional)

1. In a large pot or dutch oven add oil and butter over a med-high heat.
2. Let melt, then add onion and bell pepper, cook until tender.
3. Add garlic and cook a minute more.  
4. Then add corn, potatoes and stock.
5. Let simmer on low for about 10-12 minutes (until potatoes are fork tender)
6. Once the potatoes are done, put about half the mixture in a blender with cream.
7. Pulse until it has a smooth yet chunky texture.
8. Add back to pot.
9. Add bay leaf and shrimp and cook for about 10-15 minutes.
10. Serve and top with chopped chives and a sprinkle of paprika.