orange chicken a l’Harris… sorta

This is my best friend, Harris:

(I stole that from his Facebook, but have seen him be a yoga freak in person as well.)

Long over a year ago, he passed a recipe for his mom’s Chicken a l’Orange to me and I’ve had it on an electronic sticky note on my computer’s desktop for all this time.

I haven’t seen Harris in far too long as he’s been busy galavanting all over Europe for the past 2 years (I’m not jealous at all) and our Skype availability never seems to match up. Staring at this recipe really made me miss him!

Since I haven’t cooked in forever, or so it seemed, it finally felt like the right time to use that recipe since I couldn’t come up with anything better in my useless brain. By the time I got to the grocery store with the recipe in my hand, I decided to change it to a more Asian-inspired Orange Chicken recipe. The original recipe isn’t much different from what I did, but I merely switched out American chili sauce (like fancy ketchup) for Asian garlic chili so-spicy-it-makes-you-die sauce, added a vegetable, and used chicken chunks (appetizing) instead of whole, bone-in pieces. And I sauteed instead of baked the chicken in the sauce.

I’m by no means an authentic Asian cook. I consider myself an aficionada of Asian cooking but this is in no ways super authentic. However it did taste mighty good and satisfied an unhealthy Chinese food craving.

Orange Chicken (serves 3-4)
1.5-2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 6 thighs)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
salt & pepper
3 T vegetable oil
1 cup orange juice
2 T soy sauce
1-2 T garlic chili paste (spicy! be careful!)
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 T blackstrap molasses
1 red bell pepper, chopped
Cut the chicken into small pieces and set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine flour with a dash of salt and pepper. Lightly toss the chicken pieces in the flour, covering most of the exposed surfaces. Heat vegetable oil to medium high — ideally you’ll do this in a large wok but I used a Dutch oven since that’s all I had and it worked fine. When the oil is hot, it will glisten. Carefully (!!) drop the floured chicken into the oil in small batches and let it sizzle for a minute or two before stirring it and letting it brown for a few minutes longer. Remove and repeat until all chicken is brown — it will not be fully cooked at this point. Turn the heat down on your oil once the chicken is all removed. Carefully pour in the orange juice, using a spatula/other utencil to gently scrape the chicken goodness off the bottom of the pan with the help of the OJ. Add in the garlic chili paste, soy sauce, mustard, and molasses, stirring well to combine. Add in the chopped peppers, letting them simmer for a few minutes before adding the chicken back to the wok/pot/vessel. Stir everything well and bring the heat up until the mixture is at a low boil. Allow the mixture to cook, uncovered and gently boiling for 10-20 minutes or until the sauce has reduced by half. The chicken should be cooked through and the peppers soft. Serve hot with rice and broccoli, just like the Chinese restaurants!

obsessed

Hello my name is Meredith and I’m obsessed with my juicer.

For approximately 2 years I have been lusting after juicers. I’ve seen them all over the blog world and always treated myself to a healthy juice on my trips to Whole Foods (which are rare, considering I am a grad student). For Christmas 2010 I was all set to get one and had told my mom all about it, but then reality set in and I realized there were things I needed more in my life and an extra appliance in my kitchen wasn’t it. But since then, I’ve kept my eyes out for a deal, promising myself I’d jump on a deal if I found one.

And I did! This juicer was randomly being offered as a Groupon Goods deal and I happened to have a gift certificate to Groupon (thanks, Mom!) so I ended up paying 1/4 of the retail value plus $10 in shipping. Not too shabby! I got the Juiceman JM400 Jr., which for a newbie juicer like me works perfectly fine — here’s the link on Amazon if you want to see.

The reviews led me to believe that this would be a great juicer for someone who isn’t planning on making huge batches of juice every day, more for the casual juicer than the religious detoxer. Since I’ve gotten it, I’ve made a juice about every other day and it has held up just fine.

If you are thinking of investing in a juicer, here are my basic recommendations:

• Start small, you can always upgrade your model if you want something bigger and better, but you’ll always regret spending $200 on something you found out you never used.
• To keep a juicing habit affordable, buy produce that is on sale and in season. With the 3 for $1 small apples, $1 bunches of kale, 3 for $1 lemons, and a knob of ginger root, my favorite juice costs me less than $1!
• Only buy produce you would eat otherwise. You may get sick of your beet juice and regret having a surplus of beets in your produce drawer.
• Get bang for your buck: produce like cucumbers, apples, and citrus produce a high volume of juice.
• Clean the parts as soon as you finish juicing! It takes about 5 minutes, but I let my juice sit after I make it and force myself to rinse everything off. This way, the sticky fruit juice and pulp doesn’t get crusted on everything.
• If you have a dog or other small mammal, consider feeding it the juice pulp. I feel a little wasteful throwing mine down the garbage disposal. For my all-vegetable juices, I save the pulp and throw it in pasta sauce.

I love my juicer and I love making fresh juice. My skin is looking great and I feel good knowing I’m getting in my vitamins when I sometimes might not meet my daily fruit and vegetable goals. I even love my juicer so much that I keep it near me at all times and somehow spilled acetone nail polish remover on it and it damaged the plastic coating. Go me! 

not just for guacamole

Recently, a representative from Avocados from Mexico asked me if I’d like her to send me some avocados so I could try out a breakfast recipe or two.

Come again?

Yes, please. Please send me one of my most favorite fruits that I, sadly, almost never buy. Rahul is allergic to them so I got out of the habit of eating them.

I browsed the breakfast recipes and decided to try the Avocado Pineapple Smoothie since I’ve always wanted to try an avocado smoothie and never have. Most of the time, I think of avocado as solely a condiment, but you can do a lot more with it than guacamole if you think outside the box.

I decided to throw in a couple almost-too-ripe strawberries in with the mix, so the color looks a little icky, but trust me: the smoothie was great. It was incredibly creamy and nice to discover a dairy-free smoothie alternative that makes it as creamy as yogurt. A little healthy fat never hurt anyone!

Be sure to browse the website and learn more about avocados. I enjoyed educating myself on the vitamins and other health benefits of avocados and looking for some recipe inspiration. I’m also going to try an avocado face mask tonight! I’ll report back.

a philosophical question

While on the phone with my boyfriend recently, I mentioned that I was going to make blueberry muffins (Rahul’s favorite!) but was stopped in my tracks when he posed the question, “What is the difference between a cupcake and a muffin?”

My answer was fairly succinct: icing.

But then another friend suggested it was health, which I laughed off because most muffins are more unhealthy than a cupcake. Then I started debating the differences in the batters (stiff muffin batter vs more liquid cake batter). And then I gave up. So, glorious readers, here is a recipe for (healthy!) blueberry muffins to keep you busy as you contemplate this deeply important and urgent philosophical question:

What is the difference between a muffin and a cupcake?

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins (makes 9 muffins)
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used nonfat)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup fresh blueberries
In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients until well mixed. Add in the yogurt, egg, and vanilla and stir until just combined (the key to muffins is not over-mixing!). Using a spatula, gently fold in the fresh blueberries. Line a muffin pan with muffin cups and spray them gently with cooking spray. Divide the muffin batter evenly between the muffin cups — they will be full! With the oven heated to 375* bake for 14 minutes and let cool slightly before enjoying!

some like it hot

Recently, on a trip to Whole Foods, I tried an amazing smoothie. I had it after a morning run and it was refreshing, a little spicy, and (supposedly) good for my health. This delicious beverage had mango, pineapple, coconut water, and cayenne pepper and I was intrigued by the benefits of the ingredients.

The health benefits of coconut water after exercise may be a bit exaggerated, according to many sources, but it is undeniable that it does contain some beneficial nutrients, such as potassium, which is great for muscle recovery. Ever get cramps in your legs or feet? I’ve fallen victim to them since my days of swimming and I know to eat bananas and potatoes for potassium. But now I can add coconut water to that list!

But there’s one major problem: coconut water tastes like feet. I bought some a while back and popped open the can, excited to try it. It was disgusting. I poured the rest in a jar and stuck it in my fridge, unsure when I’d ever use it again. But after trying the smoothie at Whole Foods, I knew that I could mask the foot taste and still get the health benefits.

Another cool ingredient in the smoothie I had was the cayenne pepper. I love spice and cayenne pepper has some pretty good health benefits as well. It aids in digestion, helps boost your metabolism, and has a good amount of vitamin A. Cayenne pepper is also beneficial to your heart health, cholesterol, and blood triglyceride levels. Many sources, including one of my favorites, recommend sprinkling a little cayenne pepper on your food every day to get the benefits. The recommended 2 tsp is a LOT of spice and I don’t get nearly that much, but I figure something is better than nothing!

So, using the ingredients in my freezer and fridge, I concocted my own version of the Whole Foods smoothie and it was the perfect beverage to enjoy after a lovely 3 mile run this morning… cold, a little spicy, and packed with good-for-me stuff!

My Tropical Spice Smoothie (serves 1)
1 cup young coconut water
1/2 medium mango, frozen
1 banana, frozen
1/8 tsp cayenne (add more for more spice)
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Make sure the fruits are thoroughly frozen (at least frozen overnight) because this will make your smoothie incredibly creamy even though there’s no yogurt! Blend on high until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour into a glass and enjoy immediately!

how do you like them apples?

“Yeah? Well, I got her number. How do you like them apples?”

^name that movie and you earn my eternal praise for excellent taste in movies.

Side note: I wrote this recipe in NOVEMBER. It is finally surfacing after all this time. You can even see my unpainted table. And icing.

Well, I randomly came into possession of a giant basket of apples (long story) and I wanted to bake with them. But I’ve already made an apple pie and didn’t have enough vegetable oil for my family’s apple cake…. Then I remembered that always lately I’ve been craving warm, gooey, icing-covered cinnamon buns, and thus was born a semi-healthy cinnamon bun.

The theory behind cinnamon rolls are easy enough. You make a dough, roll it out, make a filling, roll it up, slice, and bake. I can do that.

And I can also snap blurry photos of said cinnamon buns while watching Family Guy on Netflix. It’s part of my charm.

And I can eat them.

Oh, can I eat them.

Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Buns (makes 8 large buns)
Dough:
3/4 cup milk
2 T butter, softened
2 cups all purpose flour (plus extra for dusting)
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 package yeast
2 T white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
1 egg
Filling:
1 T cinnamon
3 T butter, softened
1 apple, peeled and diced small
2 T brown sugar
In a small sauce pan, heat the milk until bubbling, remove from heat, and mix in 2 T butter until it melts. Let cool slightly and add the yeast to let it foam. In a mixing bowl, combine whole wheat flour, sugar, and salt, mixing well. Mix in the water, egg, and milk mixture to the flour. Then add the remaining all purpose flour, mixing with your hands. When dough has come together, turn it onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Cover and let rise momentarily while preparing the filling. In a small bowl, combine 3 T butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, and the diced apples. Roll out the dough in a flat, rectangular shape so it is thin but not too thin (about 1/4 inch thick). Spoon the filling mixture onto the dough, stopping about 1 inch from each edge. Beginning on one of the shorter sides of the rectangle, roll the dough up so it forms a log. Cut the log into 8 rolls, discarding the ends with no filling. Place in a buttered baking dish and cover with a towel, allowing the dough to rise 30-45 minutes. Bake in an oven heated to 375* for 20 minutes. Allow to cool and then top with your favorite icing (I made a simple heavy cream, butter & powdered sugar icing). *The raw rolls freeze remarkably well!

miss american pie

This week marks another challenge of Project Tasteless. Remember when I cooked meatloaf naked? Well, this time around, we’re talking “Girls who eat their feelings”.

So, other than busy with school work, how am I feeling these days? I’ll give you a hint: giddy & with butterflies in my stomach. Figured it out yet? That’s right kids — I’ve got a crush! I’ve found myself a nice, sweet, Texas boy – an American classic. I’ve been walking around with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. I also happen to associate these warm, fuzzy feelings with another American classic: Apple Pie.

So I stocked up on butter and got to work making “This Boy Makes me Feel All Warm and Fuzzy Like An Apple Pie” Pie (which is actually my Great Great Aunt Nell’s recipe I’ve made my whole life.

I decided that if I was going to whole hog and eat my feelings, I might as well go whole hog on the pie and do it 100% from scratch. I decided against the store-bought pie crust and braved making it on my own. My Aunt Josette, a chef, had confidence in my pastry skills, but I’m sad to say my own mother did not. But I persevered and made what is, in my opinion, perfect pie crust (I used this recipe from King Arthur Flour).

The key to my family’s apple pie, and what makes it unique from any other pie I’ve eaten, is the use of sweetened condensed milk!

(Shout out to my friend Mary for humoring me & playing photographer!)

When you make the pie crust, it makes 2 so you’re going to want to roll out the top pie crust to cover the apples. How you design this is up to you, but if you use a straight up pie crust make sure you cut some vents into it or use a pie bird! I decided that this guy was worth the “go big or go home” attitude and went for the lattice. 20 minutes and a lot of awkward dough later, I ended up with a semi-normal looking design!

Now you’re ready to bake at 350* for 45 minutes. Be sure to line the edges with aluminum foil for the first 35 minutes so they don’t get too brown!

“This Boy Makes Me Feel All Warm & Fuzzy Like Apple Pie” Pie
For this pie, you’ll need 2 pie crusts (I used this recipe which makes 2!)
3 baking apples (Braeburn or Granny Smith are the best), peeled and sliced thin
cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 T cornstarch
1/2 can Eagles Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 egg (for egg wash)
4 tsp butter
Once you have one crust lining a buttered pie pan, place the sliced, peeled apples in the crust. Dust with a few shakes of cinnamon. In a separate mixing bowl, combine sugar, vanilla, cornstarch, and the condensed milk — do not be tempted to add more than 1/2 the can, it will be too runny! Once that is all mixed up, simply pour it over the sliced apples and cover with the 2nd pie crust, using whatever design you choose (be sure that the top crust has some vents!). Beat up an egg to make the egg wash and brush it on the exposed crust. Cut the 4 tsp of butter into small chunks and drop onto the top of the pie crust. Line the edges of the crust with aluminum foil, and be sure to remove it 10 minutes to the end of baking! This bakes for 45 minutes on 350*. There you have it, perfect apple pie! Now go eat your feelings!

good deeds lead to baked goods

This morning, I did my civic duty and went to a blood drive! Texans everywhere should rest assured that soon my blood will be pumping through their veins. I feel like I have an obligation to donate, since I have type O+ blood, and since it is the right thing to do. I’ll get off my soapbox in a second, but if you fit all the criteria (most people do!) get over your fear of a little needle and look the other way while they stick you!

When I finally made it back to my apartment, I was feeling a little zonked from the blood loss. The only remedy to this? A hearty meal and some sugar. Yes, SUGAR. I made good ol’ sugary banana bread. Today is like sugar central considering I also had a Sprite (ick) and some cookies to keep me conscious during the donation. But I don’t care. I think you get some kind of bonus points for having to regenerate lost blood cells. I think you win karma bonus points for saving 3 lives.

My other excuse for baking? (As if I need one…) Last night, while drinking wine with my friend Trevor, we started talking about stand mixers. That’s normal, right? I started whining about how I wanted one really badly for Christmas, then remembered that a family friend gave me a nice hand mixer for graduation! That is better than nothing. When I dug it out to mix the banana bread, I also discovered it has a dough hook AND an immersion blender attachment, as well as the beaters. WIN.

So I started with the sketchy bananas that, when this ripe, I refuse to consume as-is. I prefer green bananas and yes, I’m weird.

Then you get to use the fun mixer!! Best part? Licking the beaters.

And out comes some delicious, fluffy, semi-healthy (half wheat and contains fruit!) banana bread. Just what the doctor ordered for ideal blood donation recovery. Or any occasion, really.

Sweet Buttermilk Banana Bread (makes 1 loaf)
2 ripe bananas, mashed
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg white
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 T cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup raisins, optional
In a mixing bowl, mash bananas and vanilla together. Cream in the butter, sugar, buttermilk and eggs until throughly mixed. In another bowl, combine flour, wheat flour, soda, powder, salt, and cinnamon and mix well. Using a stand or hand mixer, add the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until well mixed. Lick beaters throughly. Transfer mixture into a greased or non-stick metal loaf pan and bake at 350* for 50-65 minutes or until a knife can be removed cleanly from the middle of the loaf (my oven finished it in 50 but it tends to run very hot). Let cool in loaf pan for 10 minutes, then let it continue to cool on a wire rack or cutting board. Inhale.

peachy keen

Good Thursday Wednesday morning! I am so confused, I am a day ahead of myself and had to look at my calendar 3 times to confirm it was Wednesday.

Anyways, I invented a successful recipe last night and just had to share it with you guys! My mom was really stressed from some work stuff so I made her dessert when she got home! (I went out to dinner with my grandma, or I would have made her dinner, too!)

Maple & Brown Sugar Peach Crumble

Maple & Brown Sugar Peach Crumble (serves 2-3)
- 1/2 cup  old fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1 T margarine/butter/vegan margarine
- 2 T brown sugar
- 1/4 cup crushed walnuts
- 2 T maple syrup
- dash of cinnamon (to taste)
- 2 peaches, sliced into bite-size chunks
Melt butter/margarine and put into a mixing bowl. Add in all dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Toss peach slices in and stir in milk & maple syrup. Once throughly mixed, place in a small baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350*, making sure peach pieces are soft. Serve warm with an optional dollop of Greek yogurt or ice cream on top!

I made my mom taste test it, because my opinion is biased, and she gave it the stamp of approval. It is like a crumble mixed with a cobbler but healthier. We didn’t have ice cream on hand, but it would have been killer with my favorite coconut milk-based ice cream!

After a sound night of delicious dessert-induced sleep, I got up and went to the gym to have my first official run on my half marathon training! Today called for 2 miles or cross training and I did the 2 miles since and I will swap out tomorrow’s run for cross training and then get onto the schedule. I definitely need the structure but I’m glad I can be flexible with it!

In other news, head over to The Power of Progress for some motivation! This blog is written by the son of my mom’s cousin (so my 2nd cousin??) who I have sadly never met. But my grandfather passed it along to me and we’ve since been in touch. It is awesome, please read!

Father’s Day & new recipe

Today is Father’s Day and if you are so lucky as to have your father around, tell him how much you love and appreciate him. Tell him every day. I am not able to do this, and it makes my heart ache every day.

My father passed away a year and a half ago and I’m still grieving — but that is another post for another day. Today, we’ll honor my daddy and the other amazing fathers out there.

When I was just a few days old! I can't believe he ever wore socks like that (actually, I can)

Playing Barbies with me and my brother, Hunter!

On a family cruise when I was 15... sadly this didn't translate well from the scanner and we both look kind of weird. But it is my favorite picture of us!

So now that I’m crying alone in my bedroom at 8am, let’s move on to the fun stuff… PIE!

Disclaimer: My Grandma is diabetic and we’re celebrating Father’s Day at her house with my Grandpa, so I used the sugar-free/artificial sweetener varieties of some ingredients. I usually stay away from it, but let’s all be practical and realize that sometimes you have to make exceptions and a piece of pie won’t ruin you. Should you want to clean this recipe up, there is natural pudding and you could whip your own cream.

Strawberry & White Chocolate Tofu Pie

You will need:
- 1 package silken tofu
- 1 package white chocolate pudding mix
- 1 container Cool-Whip or about 3 cups of hand-whipped cream
- 1 graham cracker crust (make your own or be lazy and buy it like me!)
- ~1 cup sliced strawberries
- slivered almonds for garnish (optional; we were out, so no dice)

Step one: slice strawberries

 

Steps 2 & 3: using a whisk or hand beater, beat the block of silken tofu until smooth. THEN add the package of pudding mix & stir together. Note: The gelatin in the pudding will make it glob up and firm up very quickly, so it is important to work the tofu first!

Step 4: Fold in 1/2 container of Cool Whip/~1 1/2 cup whipped cream

Steps 5 & 6: Transfer mixture to pie crust and smooth out. Then layer sliced strawberries to cover.

Step 7: Cover with remaining Cool Whip/whipped cream and garnish with a strawberry or optional almonds!

Let this set in the refrigerator for at least an hour before eating!

There is also a chocolate variety that I made with a package of chocolate pudding and no strawberries. I garnished with some grated chocolate on top!

Chocolate Tofu Pie

We’re surprising my family & not telling anyone there is tofu in this until after they’ve tried it and (hopefully) liked it. I think my Grandpa will be the most shocked! Based on the number of spoon licks I took yesterday, I can tell you that these are kickin’ pies. A fun treat for our Father’s Day luncheon!