General Tso's Chicken

To be completely honest, some of my favorite nights with the boyfriend are the nights where we order in some Chinese food and just watch a movie snuggled up on the couch. It really doesn't get much better than that, especially after a bad day. But, you don't always have to go to your favorite Asian restaurant for great take out food... you can recreate it at home! We've made teriyaki chicken, mongolian beef, and a few others, and they have always delivered. Well, I came across this recipe and I knew that we had to make it the next time we were craving some Chinese food. Neither of us had ever had General Tso's Chicken, but I knew that is a very popular dish, and the recipe looked easy enough, so we gave it a go. The dinner was easy to make and made tons of food, so we were sufficiently stuffed by the end of it. If you are a Chinese food lover just like us, definitely make this for an easy going dinner during the week, you will not be disappointed!! Enjoy :)

General Tso's Chicken

For the Chicken:

1 ½t Toasted Sesame Oil

1T Soy Sauce

1 Whole Large Egg White

¼C + 2T Cornstarch

1lb Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs, Cut into Bite-Size Pieces

Canola Oil, For Frying

For The Sauce:

1T Canola Oil

2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

2T Fresh Ginger, Minced

1C Chicken Stock

¼C Soy Sauce

1T Cornstarch

1t Chile-Garlic Sauce

3T Raw Sugar

2T Honey

For Serving:

Prepared Chicken & Sauce

Green Onions, Sliced

Steamed Rice

Steamed Broccoli

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together the sesame oil, soy sauce, egg white, and ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of cornstarch until a thick slurry forms. It will look gummy but smooth.
2. Add the chicken pieces and stir until all are evenly coated. At first it may appear that it will not come together but it will. Set chicken aside, covered lightly with plastic wrap, at room temperature for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally,
3. Add the tablespoon of oil to a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat. Stir the garlic and ginger into the oil and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining sauce ingredients until smooth. Pour into the garlic and ginger, stirring, until the sauce becomes thick and shiny. Once the sauce thickens, lower heat and keep the saucepan over a low burner partially covered to stay warm.
5. Heat ½ inch of oil in a heavy-bottomed, high-sided frying pan or skillet over high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add one piece of chicken at a time, taking care not to crowd the pan. Cook chicken for 4 minutes on each side, or until deep golden brown and crisp on both sides. Transfer the fried chicken to a paper towel lined plate and repeat the process until you’ve cooked all the chicken. Then slide all of the fried chicken into the prepared sauce and toss to coat. (If desired, add some steamed broccoli to coat with the sauce also.) Increase the heat to medium, stir and cook just until hot all the way through.
6. Serve the finished chicken on a bed of white rice along with steamed broccoli and sliced green onions.

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken with Roasted Parmesan-Sun Dried Tomato Broccoli

We weren't really in the mood for unhealthy, so we decided to change it up a bit and cook a light meal for a change. I ended up making Grilled Bruschetta Chicken with Roasted Parmesan-Sun Dried Tomato Broccoli. I marinated the chicken cutlets in pesto for a day or so, and then I grilled them & topped them with a fresh bruschetta topping & a balsamic glaze. I served them along with some roasted broccoli that was tossed with sun dried tomatoes, parmesan, fresh basil, and lemon juice. The meal turned out great. It is just tastes to light & fresh, and you don't feel so "blah" after eating a lot of it! Enjoy :)

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken with a Balsamic Glaze Drizzle & Roasted Parmesan-Sun Dried Tomato Broccoli

For the Pesto Chicken:

6 Chicken Cutlets

1C Pesto

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Bruschetta Topping:

2 Roma Tomatoes, Cut into Small Pieces

3T Fresh Basil, Minced

¼C Red Onion, Finely Chopped

2 Garlic Cloves, Minced

1T Olive Oil

1T Pesto

Salt & Pepper To Taste

For the Balsamic Reduction:

¾C Balsamic Vinegar

¼C Brown Sugar

For the Broccoli:

4C Broccoli Florets

2 Garlic Cloves, Thinly Sliced

1t Grated Lemon Zest

1T Lemon Juice

¼C Parmesan Cheese

¼C Sun Dried Tomatoes

2T Olive Oil

1T Fresh Basil, Julienned

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

Directions:

1. For the Grilled Pesto Chicken: Put the chicken cutlets in a Ziploc bag and pour in the pesto and toss the bag around to evenly coat the chicken. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight. The day of, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. This will help the chicken grill and not steam. Heat a grill pan (I use my George Foreman) to medium-high heat and spray with Pam. Grill each chicken cutlet for 2-3 minutes on each side, just so that they are starting to caramelize. Remove the grilled thighs and place on a baking dish lined with tin foil and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked through, remove them from the oven.

2. For the Bruschetta Topping: In a small mixing bowl, mix together all of the topping ingredients until completely distributed together. Let this mixture sit together for about 30 minutes before topping the chicken.

3. For the Balsamic Reduction: Bring the vinegar to a boil, turn down the heat and let it simmer. When it reduces halfway, add in the brown sugar. Simmer some more until the vinegar become thick & syrupy and sticks to the back of a wooden spoon, about 20 minutes. As it cools it will also thicken up. Set this aside until ready to drizzle on top of the chicken.

4. To Make the Roasted Broccoli: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and spray a baking sheet with Pam and set it aside. Put the broccoli florets into a large mixing bowl and toss in the garlic and 2T olive oil until the florets are completely coated. Sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste. Pour the broccoli onto the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 10-15 minutes, until they are crisp, but tender and some of the tips are browned. After cooking, remove from the oven and immediately toss with 2t olive oil, zest, lemon juice, Parmesan, sun dried tomatoes, and basil. 

5. After the chicken has baked, top the pesto chicken cutlets with the Bruschetta topping and drizzle with some of the balsamic reduction. Serve with roasted broccoli and whole-wheat pasta.

Broccoli Coleslaw

With our California Club Sandwiches, we brought chips, fresh strawberries, m&m cookies, and a homemade Broccoli Coleslaw. One of my best friends, Sydney, was kind of the inspiration of this side dish. This last summer, a big group of my friends and their parents got together and had a cookout just to catch up, and everyone pitched in and brought a different dish.

Me & Syd

Sydney's mom brought this broccoli salad that had broccoli florets, crumbled bacon, raisins, and chopped onion. It was just a really good alternative to just plain ole' coleslaw or potato salad. However, when I texted Syd to figure out the recipe, she had no idea how to make it :( I just decided to make my own recipe for it. While I was at the grocery store, I was about to reach for the broccoli florets, and then I saw a bag of shredded broccoli cole slaw, so I thought this would be really similar to a regular coleslaw recipe, just in my own different way. I hope you'll be using this recipe for your next picnic or cookout! Enjoy :)

Creamy Broccoli Coleslaw

For the Dressing:

½C Mayo

¼C Sour Cream

2T Cider Vinegar

2T Brown Sugar

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Coleslaw:  

Coleslaw Dressing

1 Bag of Shredded Broccoli Coleslaw

5 Slices of Bacon, Cooked & Crumbled

½ Sweet Vidalia Onion, Chopped

½C Raisins

Directions:

1. To make the dressing: whisk together the mayo, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper until smooth and creamy.

2.  Next add in the full bag of shredded broccoli coleslaw, crumbled bacon, chopped onion, and raisins. Toss all of the ingredients together and let it sit overnight (it tastes better if the flavors have time to merry together). 

3. Serve cold and enjoy!

source: broccoli salad

Healthy Teriyaki Chicken with Asian-Style Brown Fried Rice

If you didn't know already, I have a mild obsession with Teriyaki Chicken. Okay, maybe not mild, maybe a major obsession with it. So I came across a recipe, and I altered it some so it would be a little more figure friendly. I like to use chicken thighs because they stay so moist. This is one of our favorite easy and cheap meals we like to eat! Enjoy :)

Healthy Teriyaki Chicken with Asian-Style Brown Fried Rice & Sauteed Broccoli

For the Chicken:

6 Chicken Thighs, Boneless & Skinless

¼C Low-Sodium Soy Sauce

2T Splenda Brown Sugar (or regular brown sugar)

1T Honey, Optional

2T Low-Sodium, Fat-Free Chicken Stock

2T Rice Wine Vinegar

½t Sesame Oil

1T Garlic, Chopped

1t Ginger, Grated

¼t Red Pepper Flakes

Sesame Seeds, For Garnish

Salt, To Taste 

Directions:

1.  The day before: Wash and dry the chicken thighs and place them in a gallon freezer bag. In a mixing bowl, mix together soy sauce, Splenda, honey, chicken stock, vinegar, oil, garlic, ginger, salt, and red pepper flakes. Pour this mixture over the chicken and marinate for at least 4 hours; however, overnight would be preferable.

2. The day of: Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for about an hour. This will help the chicken grill and not steam.

3. To cook the chicken: Heat a grill pan (I use my George Foreman) to medium-high heat and spray with Pam. Dry the marinated chicken thighs, so that there is no excess sauce. Grill each thigh for 2-3 minutes on each side, just so that they are starting to caramelize. Remove the grilled thighs and place on tin foil in a baking dish and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

4. If you would like your teriyaki chicken to be a little saucier, make another batch of the marinade, and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes (making sure you whisk constantly) until it is thick and syrupy. With 10 minutes left of the baking process, glaze the thighs with the sauce. Also, glaze once again when the thighs are done.

5. Sprinkle the thighs with sesame seeds for garnish.

6. Serve immediately with the Asian-Style Brown Fried Rice and sauteed broccoli.

source: teriyaki chicken