Orange Chicken and Veggies

Today I was in the mood for something not too heavy, some veggies, and of course, my beloved rice.  I would serve rice every single day if I thought Thom would go for it!  This recipe fit the bill perfectly and bonus - everybody loved it!!  Of course, most of the fam didn't eat the vegetables but I'm no nitpicker.  That is a battle I'm not choosing; they will eventually learn to love them, like I did!  And if they don't, then they will be really unhealthy.  Anyway!  This is good, make it!!


Orange Chicken and Veggies
Recipe from Jamie Cooks It up!

4 chicken breasts

3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
5 large carrots (I am bummed because I forgot to add these)
1 onion
2 bell peppers (red, green or orange...you choose)
6 stalks celery
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:

3/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp. ginger
2 tsp. rice vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
pinch red pepper flakes (I added two pinches and it still wasn't hot enough for us)
2 tbsp. corn starch
1 cup chicken broth

Cut the chicken breasts up into 2 inch cubes. Combine the flour and the 1/4 t salt in a small bowl. Throw the chicken around in it until all of the pieces are covered.

Heat up a large skillet. When it's hot add 1 tbsp. oil and throw your floured chicken into it. Cook your chicken until it is golden all over. (About 10 minutes)  While your chicken is cooking up, chop up your veggies. Make sure they are about the same size. When your chicken is pretty and golden, take it out of the pan and place it on a plate.  Add another tbsp. of oil into the hot skillet. Add your veggies and cook over medium high heat until crisp tender...about another 10 minutes.  While your veggies cook add all sauce ingredients to a medium sized sauce pan. Whisk them together until they are all combined nicely. Bring to a boil. Once it boils it should thicken up.   When your veggies are crisp tender add your thickened sauce and chicken into the pan. Stir it all around and there you have it.  (I personally kept everything seperate, so you could take as much chicken, veggies or sauce as you wanted.)  Serve over rice.

Mongolian Beef

I got this recipe from my sister years ago, it is so good.  I just paired it with sticky rice and broccoli and we were good to go!!

Mongolian Beef
Recipe from Stick of Butter

Sauce:
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup dark brown sugar

Steak:
1 cup vegetable oil
1 pound flank steak
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 large green onions

Make the sauce by heating 2 teaspoons of vegetable in a medium saucepan over med/low heat. Don't get the oil too hot or you'll get a major spatter when adding the other liquids. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, and then raise the heat to about medium and boil the sauce for 2 to 3 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Remove it from the heat.
Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4-inch thick bite-size slices. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a forty-five degree angle to the top of the steak so that you get wider cuts.
Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef. Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.
As the beef sits, heat up one cup of oil in a wok (you may also use a skillet for this step as long as the beef will be mostly covered with oil). Heat the oil over medium heat until it's nice and hot, but not smoking. Add the beef to the oil and sauté for just two minutes, or until the beef just begins to darken on the edges. You don't need a thorough cooking here since the beef is going to go back on the heat later. Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly. After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon or a spider to take the meat out and onto paper towels, and then pour the oil out of the wok or skillet. Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and simmer for one minute. Add the sauce, cook for one minute while stirring, and then add all the green onions. Cook for one more minute, and then remove the beef and onions with tongs or a slotted spoon to a serving plate. Leave the excess sauce behind in the pan. (of course husband and I fought over the extra sauce, it's good stuff).

Crispy Orange Beef

Crispy Orange Beef

Recipe from Allrecipes


Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds beef top sirloin, thinly sliced
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 cup long grain rice
2 cups water
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons orange zest
3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
8 broccoli florets, lightly steamed or blanched
2 cups oil for frying


Directions:

Lay beef strips out in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Allow to dry in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, rice vinegar, orange juice concentrate, salt and soy sauce. Set aside.

Meanwhile, combine rice and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until rice is tender. Add more water at the end if necessary. (I use Calrose rice, because I really love sticky rice and I just make it in the rice cooker. Comes out perfectly sticky and yummy every time).

Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Toss dried beef in cornstarch to coat. Fry in the hot oil in small batches until crispy and golden brown; set aside. Drain all of the oil from the wok except about 1 tablespoon.

Add orange zest, ginger and garlic to the remaining oil, and cook briefly until fragrant. Add the soy sauce mixture to the wok, bring to a boil, and cook until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Add beef, and heat through, stirring to coat. Serve immediately over steamed rice, and garnish with broccoli.

Panda Express Mandarin Chicken

Thom loves this one! We all do, it is so sweet and yummy!!

2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
6 skinless chicken thigh fillets (I use boneless, skinless breasts)

Combine sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, oil, garlic and ginger in a small saucepan. Combine water with cornstarch in a small bowl and stir until cornstarch is dissolved. Add to saucepan and turn heat to high. Stir often while bringing mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 4 to 6 minutes or until sauce is thick. Preheat your grill on high for the chicken. When the grill is hot, rub each chicken piece with oil and cook the chicken for 4 to 6 minutes per side or until done. Chicken should have browned in spots. When chicken is done, chop it into bite-size pieces. Pour the chicken pieces into a large frying pan over medium heat. Heat until chicken sizzles then reduce heat and cover chicken until ready to serve. Spoon chicken into a medium bowl, then pour all the sauce over the chicken and stir until well-coated. Serve with steamed white rice. Do a happy dance from the yummy deliciousness.