Sesame Chicken with Broccoli

I'm a big fan of Chinese food, but I don't always know what goes in it when I order it from the local Chinese restaurant. I figured I would try some homemade Chinese food at home instead. I did change up this recipe a bit because I wanted to make it a little healthier so my changes are reflected below in italics. Oh, and for some reason I could not get a good picture of this dish!

Sesame Chicken
Adapted from Taste & See


Ingredients:
3 whole boneless chicken breasts (I only used 2, but didn't cut down on the sauce because I didn't feel like figuring out the measurements)

Marinade
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon cooking wine or dry sherry
3 drops sesame oil
2 tablespoons flour (Omitted)
2 tablespoons cornstarch (Omitted)
2 tablespoons water (Omitted)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder (Omitted)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda (Omitted)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil (Omitted)
Sprinkle of sugar (my addition)

Sauce
1/2 cup water
1 cup chicken broth
1/8 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon chili paste (or more)
1 garlic clove, minced

Frying
peanut oil (4 cups) (Omitted because I decided to bake mine in the oven)

2 tablespoons sesame seeds (Omitted because I couldn't find them in my local grocery store!)

Directions:
Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Mix the marinade ingredients (the first 9 ingredients listed) and marinate the chicken for 20 minutes. (I only used the first 3 ingredients & the sugar addition since I decided to bake the chicken instead)

To prepare the sauce:
Mix together all of the sauce ingredients (the LAST 9 ingredients beginning with water). Pour them into a small pot and bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Turn the heat down to low and keep warm while you are deep-frying the chicken.

To deep-fry the chicken:
Add the marinated chicken pieces a few at a time, and deep-fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and then place chicken in warm oven (130 degrees) while you continue frying. Repeat with the remainder of the chicken. Just before you are finished deep-frying, bring the sauce back up to a boil. OR you can bake the chicken. I just dredged the chicken in flour after marinating the pieces and baked them at 375 for about 20 minutes.

Place the chicken on a large platter and pour the sauce over. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve the Sesame Chicken with rice. (and I also added some steamed broccoli to get some vegetables in)

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Chipotle Rice & Black Bean Burritos

These burritos had a ton of flavor, but I do think that they would taste even better with some sour cream! (I realized I had some after I ate them - oops)

Chipotle Rice & Black Bean Burritos Adapted from Cook Like a Champion, who adapted it from Elly Says Opa!


Ingredients:
1/2 Tbsp. canola oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 chipotle in adobo, minced
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup uncooked rice (I used Uncle Ben's brown rice - the 90 second kind - because I have terrible luck making rice!)
2/3 cup water or broth (Omitted since I used instant rice)
1/2 cup black beans
1/2 tsp. oregano
Salt and pepper
Cooked chicken, shredded (my addition)

Directions:
-Heat the oil in a shallow pot/saucepan that has a tight-fitting lid.
-Add the onion and cook until tender.
-Stir in the garlic, chipotle, and bay leaf, sauteing an additional minute.
-Stir in the rice, and toast it until just a little golden.
-Add the water (or broth), black beans, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste.
-Bring to a boil, cover, and then turn the heat down to low.
-Simmer for about 15 minutes.
-Remove from heat (but keep the lid on) and let sit for about 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

Chili Gravy
Source: Cook Like a Champion, who adapted it from Homesick Texan

Ingredients:
1/4 cup lard (or vegetable oil)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons powdered garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 cups chicken broth (or water)

Directions:
-Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
-Stir in the flour and continue stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it makes a light brown roux.
-Add all the dry ingredients and continue to cook for 1 minute, constantly stirring and blending ingredients.
-Add chicken broth or water, mixing and stirring until the sauce thickens.
-Turn heat to low and let sauce simmer for 15 minutes.
-Add water to adjust the thickness.

Makes 2 cups.

To assemble the enchiladas:
-Preheat oven to 400°.
-Cover the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish with 1/2 cup chili gravy.
-Heat tortillas (corn or flour) over stovetop or in microwave.
-Fill each tortilla with chipotle rice and beans (how much will depend on the size of your tortilla).
-Place in baking dish seam side down and cover with remaining chili gravy.
-Top with shredded cheese and bake for 15 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted.

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Honey Ginger Shrimp

Shrimp was on sale (peeled, deveined & tails-off!) so I grabbed a bag since it was a reasonable price and it had been awhile since we've had shrimp. I had bookmarked this recipe in my Google Reader awhile ago and had most of the other ingredients on hand so this one got added to the menu last week. This was really good! I did double the sauce since I like a lot of sauce, but I included the original recipe. I also added a bag of stir-fry vegetables to make the meal more complete.

Honey Ginger Shrimp
Adapted from Woman with a Whisk, who adapted it from myrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1.5 lb. peeled and deveined large shrimp (I think mine was a 1 lb. bag)
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
4 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
4 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger (I used ground ginger)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 c. chopped green onions (Omitted)

Directions:
Place shrimp in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch; toss well to coat. Set aside.

Combine soy sauce, honey, and vinegar in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger, garlic, and green onions to pan; stir-fry for 15 seconds or until fragrant.

Add shrimp mixture; stir-fry for 3 minutes. (This is also when I added the bag of stir-fry veggies.)

Add soy sauce mixture; cook 2 minutes or until sauce thickens and shrimp are done, stirring frequently. Serve immediately with rice.Pin It

Beer and Cheddar Risotto

I love risotto, but have never made it myself. I ended up buying arborio rice for $6 at Meijer, so I thought that it better be good! I think I should have chosen a different recipe for my first time. I did not like the beer flavor in this, and I like beer! Jon thought that I didn't cook the rice long enough, but he did heat it up later. I will try risotto again, but I personally did not care for this recipe. If you like beer flavors in your food, this recipe may be for you though! FYI - I cut this recipe in half, but I will post the original.

Beer and Cheddar Risotto
Source: FayeD on the message board I frequent, as seen on Cooking This and That

It also looks a little like mush!

Ingredients:
1/2 small onion, diced (omitted)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
2+ tablespoons olive oil
2 cups Arborio rice
12 oz. bottle of beer (preferably not light beer)
49.5 ounce can of chicken broth
5 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (omitted)

Directions:
Pour chicken broth into medium saucepan. Keep warm over low heat.

Heat large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Heat just until butter is melted. Add onion and saute for 3-5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Turn heat to medium-high and add garlic. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until fragrant.

Add rice and saute for 2 minutes, stirring constantly until opaque, adding more olive oil as necessary to coat the rice.

Pour in beer, turn heat up to high until it starts to simmer.

Turn heat back to medium-low and add the chicken broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until liquid dissolves. You may not need to use all of the chicken broth - risotto should be creamy and just slightly al dente. This should take 30 minutes or more.

Remove from heat and stir in the cheeses and cayenne pepper.Pin It

I'm back!

So I was going to make Southwest turkey burgers for dinner tonight, but I completely forgot to buy buns. Luckily I had a vegetarian meal on the menu for the week so I just substituted that instead...I hate the idea of defrosting something right before dinner. I didn't have time for that! I made black bean burritos and Mexican sour cream rice...yum! My only complaint is that brown rice never gets as soft as white...

Black Bean Burritos
Adapted from Cooking Light - I basically just used this recipe as a template...I omitted and revised a lot!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup diced peeled avocado (I omitted this)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (I used a squeeze of the lime juice out of the bottle over the black bean mixture)
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced (I probably used about 1 from jarred garlic)
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons ground cumin (I used more like 1 teaspoon)
2 cans black beans, drained (I only used 1 since I cooked for 2)
Flour tortillas
Fat-free sour cream (I used light)
Salsa

Combine avocado and lime juice, tossing to coat. (I didn't use avocado...even though I love it)

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in water, cumin, and beans. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon 1/4 cup bean mixture into each tortilla. Top with 1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream, 1 1/2 tablespoons salsa, and 2 tablespoons avocado; roll up. I also added shredded cheese to mine.

Mexican Sour Cream Rice
Adapted from allrecipes.com as seen on Lauren's Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice (I used brown rice)
1 can chicken broth
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 can diced green chile peppers
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1 can whole kernel corn, drained (I used frozen corn)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (I used dried cilantro)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

In a large pot, bring the rice and chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish.

In the pot with the cooked rice, mix the sour cream, green chile peppers, 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, corn, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and top with remaining cheese.

Bake uncovered 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

The whole dinner

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