Quicker-Than-Take-Out Chinese Orange Chicken

Ingredients:
1 pound uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 packet (about 1/3 cup) Instant Healthy Grain Original Cream of Wheat unsweetened
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup baby food carrot puree
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:
Place chicken chunks in a plastic zip-top bag. Pour Cream of Wheat into the plastic bag, seal, and shake to coat chicken chunks evenly. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, orange juice, ginger, garlic powder, and baby food carrot puree.

Add oil to large skillet and heat over medium. Add chicken, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes each side, until lightly browned. Add sauce mixture to skillet, stir to coat chicken, and increase heat to bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, and cover, cooking for about 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving, if desired. This dish goes well served over brown or whole grain white rice.


I swiped this recipe from the Sneaky Chef online. It's really good and I served it with brown rice, steamed broccoli, and steam-in-the-bag edamame. Not bad for Asian night at the Barclays! I would recommend adding a bit of pepper to the sauce, maybe some salt (since I used reduced-sodium soy sauce).

My Favorite Pizza Sauce

Ingredients:
2 (6oz) cans tomato paste
1 1/2c water
4 Tbsp olive oil
2-3 Tbsp pure maple syrup (depending on how acidic your sauce is)
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat and stir until well combined. Heat through and serve warm. Add additional water if you want a thinner sauce.
Makes about 3 cups sauce.

DELICIOUS! Found this on Pinterest. Makes a ton, so you can freeze the leftovers.

Morning Glory Muffins

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated carrots
1 apple - peeled, cored, and chopped
1 cup raisins
1 egg
2 egg whites
1/2 cup apple butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons toasted wheat germ

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly oil 18 muffin cups, or coat with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, apple butter, oil and vanilla.
In a large bowl, stir together flours, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in carrots, apples and raisins. Stir in apple butter mixture until just moistened. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them about 3/4 full.
In a small bowl, combine walnuts and wheat germ; sprinkle over the muffin tops.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and spring back when lightly pressed

I definitely made some adjustments to this (using more whole wheat flour and wheat germ than I did white, less sugar, and using some carrot/sweet potato puree I had instead of grating carrots all day!) but they are even healthier and good!

Braised Brussels Sprouts with Mustard Butter

Ingredients:
1 pound small, firm, bright green Brussels sprouts
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter or margarine
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Check each head, peel off any loose or discolored leaves. Using a paring knife, cut an X through the core end of each head.
Bring sprouts, water and salt to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Lower heat, cover and simmer. Shake pan once or twice during braising to redistribute sprouts.
Cook until just tender 8 to 10 minutes. Test by piercing with a knife tip. Drain well.
Melt butter in a large skillet of medium heat. Whisk in mustard until smooth. Cook , stirring constantly until smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds.
Add sprouts to skillet, coating well with the butter mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve. Serves 3 to 4.

I know, I know. You are thinking, "Brussels sprouts??!" But we really like them and I wanted to try making fresh ones. Had no idea what to do with a bag of fresh ones, as opposed to the frozen, steam-in-the-bag variety, so I googled and found this recipe. Delightful :) I'm really just posting this to save it for myself since I'm not sure that anyone is reading my food blog anymore anyway! *crickets chirping*