Michael Symon's Orange Chicken with Snow Peas

This was really tasty, we all gave this a 9, the chicken was super delicious.  This was from Michael Symon's 5 in 5 cookbook, and my biggest complaint was that it took waaay longer than 5 minutes, because cutting up my peas took a while :).  Unlike my complaint about the oatmeal I featured recently, this was not too orangey.  We really liked it.  Each serving was 343, and here's what I did:

1/4 c flour
salt and pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped into bite size pieces
2 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 T sesame seeds
grated zest and juice of 2 oranges
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 lb snow peas, thinly sliced
2 T unsalted butter

Season the flour with salt and pepper in a bowl, and season the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper.  Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess.
Heat the oil in a large pan, and cook the chicken, stirring occasionally, until well browned.  Add the garlic and sesame seeds, and some salt, and cook for about 30 seconds.
Add 1/2 c water to deglaze the pan, then simmer until the liquid has reduced by half.  Add the orange zest and juice and red pepper flakes, then cook for another minute.  Add the peas, cover the pot, and cook until slightly tender, about one more minute.
Add the butter to the pan, taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve.

Chinese Take Out's Stir Fried Sesame Chicken

This was a good, simple dish, but I made it a little spicier than I needed to, and Jonah wasn't happy about it :).  Owen gave this a perfect 10, Noah gave it a 9, and Aaron and I gave it an 8. We made this into six servings, and each serving was 225 calories, relatively painless, right? :)

Here's the simple recipe:

1 T sesame chili oil

1 1/2 t soy sauce

1 1/2 t mirin

1 t grated fresh ginger

1 t cornstarch

1 lb chicken breasts, chopped into chunks

1 t toasted white sesame seeds

1/4 c chicken stock

1 T soy sauce

1 T sesame chili oil

1 T honey

1 t white rice vinegar

2 t cornstarch

1 T vegetable oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 c frozen peas

Marinate the chicken:  Stir together the sesame chili oil, soy sauce, mirin, ginger, and cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved.  Add the chicken and stir gently to coat.  Let stand at room temperature 15-20 minutes.

Prepare the sauce:  Stir together the chicken stock, soy sauce, sesame chili oil, honey, rice vinegar, and cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved.  Set aside.

Heat the oil over high heat, then add the garlic and stir-fry about 30 seconds.  Add the chicken and stir-fry about 2 minutes, then add the frozen peas and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in the sauce and let it simmer for 1-2 minutes to thicken.  Top with the toasted sesame seeds.

Shrimp Fried Rice and Fried Zucchini

First today we had shrimp fried rice, and this is a recipe we all enjoy. I put a little more rice than usual and a little less soy sauce, so Aaron said it lacked flavor (it did), so he gave it a 6, I gave it an 8, and the boys gave it a perfect 10. They love that dish. Here is the recipe from Jaden Hair, we love it.

Perfect Shrimp Fried Rice 8 servings, 287 calories/serving

 

4cups leftover, previously chilled cooked rice

1/2 lb small raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 t salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 t cornstarch

2 T high-heat cooking oil, divided

3 eggs, beaten

2 scallions, minced

1 T soy sauce or 2 t fish sauce

3/4 c frozen peas and carrots, defrosted

1 t sesame oil

 

1. Gently separate the rice grains with a fork, taking care not to smush the delicate grains.  In a bowl, toss the shrimp with the salt, pepper and cornstarch.  Let marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature.

2 Set a wok on high heat.  Add 1 T of the cooking oil and swirl to coat the wok.  Add the shrimp, quickly spreading it out around the cooking surface area so they are not overlapping.  Let fry, untouched for 30 seconds, or until almost cooked through.  Remove the shrimp from the wok to a plate, leaving as much oil in the wok as possible.

3. Turn the heat to medium and let the wok heat up again.  Add the eggs, stirring in a quick motion to scramble the eggs.  When the eggs are almost cooked through (they should still be slightly runny in the middle), dish out of the wok in to the same plate as the shrimp.

4. Use paper towels to wipe the same pan clean and return it to high heat.  Add the remaining 1 T cooking oil and swirl to coat.  When the oil is hot, add the green onions and cook, about 15-30 seconds.  Add the rice and stir well to mix in the green onions throughout.  Spread the rice all around the wok surface area and let the rice heat up, untouched until you hear the bottoms of the grains sizzle, about 1 minute.  Use a spatula to toss the rice, again spreading the rice out over the surface of wok and let cook for 1 minute.

5 Drizzle the fish sauce or soy sauce all around the rice and toss.  Add the peas, carrots, eggs, shrimp and sesame oil, tossing to mix the rice evenly with all the ingredients.  Repeat the tossing, spreading and 1 minute frying until each and every grain of rice is heated through.  Taste and adjust with additional soy sauce if needed.

 

For veggie we had some fried zucchini from Giada de Laurentiis's cookbook Everyday Pasta.  We gave this an 8, who doesn't like fried stuff?  Here's the recipe

 

Fried Zucchini 32 slices, 126/slice

1 ½  c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 ½ c panko

¾ t salt

2 large eggs

3 medium zucchini, cut into ½-inch strips

Olive oil, for deep-frying

Stir 1 ½ c of the Parmesan cheese, the panko, and salt together in a medium bowl to blend.  Whisk the eggs in another medium bowl to break them up.  Working in batches, dip the zucchini sticks in the eggs to coat them completely, allowing the excess egg to drip back into the bowl.  Coat the zucchini in the panko mixture, patting to adhere and coat completely.  Place the coated zucchini strips on a baking sheet. 

Heat 2 inches of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350.  Working in batches, fry the zucchini sticks until they are golden brown, about 3 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fried zucchini to paper towels and drain.

Arrange the fried zucchini on a platter.  Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ c of Parmesan cheese and serve.

 

Aaron helped me out with this, thanks honey!

 

Tomorrow we're having a chicken dish and a cornbread panzanella.