Sesame Orange Chicken with Spring Rolls

Let me preface this by saying that dinner tonight took me 2 hours + 15 minutes. Really. A friend of mine sent me a recipe for spring rolls she had made (thanks Kate!), so I decided to make a night of it and make orange sesame chicken and edamame as well. 

It was all worth it, though. I will admit that home made spring rolls are not quick and easy, but the recipe makes so many you will have them in the freezer to enjoy for months! I believe the original recipe came from the steamykitchen website (http://steamykitchen.com/13029-my-mothers-famous-chinese-egg-rolls-2.html), but naturally I adapted it a bit. Mine were much smaller as I used small wonton (spring roll) wrappers instead of large egg roll wrappers.  

The orange chicken was a new method I tried in an attempt to get the Chinese take out feel without the side of guilt. It was quite good! A bit more work than dialing the local joint, yes, but again worth it (and cheaper).

Sesame Orange Chicken

MARINADE

1-1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 oz. orange-pineapple juice

1/4 cup canola oil

1 T soy sauce

1 T rice wine vinegar

2 tsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp Chinese five-spice powder

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp grated orange peel (about half of a large orange)

PREPARATION

1/2 cup flour

2 T toasted sesame seeds

2 T butter, melted

ORANGE SAUCE

4 oz. orange-pineapple juice

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 T soy sauce

1 T rice wine vinegar

1 T ketchup

1 tsp grated orange peel

pinch Chinese five-spice powder

2 tsp cornstarch

2 T water

For the marinade, combine all ingredients in a large zip top bag and marinate 1 1/2 hours (I did this step first while I prepared the spring rolls, then cooked the chicken near the end of dinner prep).

Line a large baking sheet with foil, then place a roasting or cooling rack down in the baking sheet. Spray the rack with cooking spray.

Once the chicken is finished marinating, preheat the oven to 400 deg F, then remove the chicken from the bag and discard bag and marinade mixture. Pat dry and cut into 1-2" pieces. Combine in a shallow dish or bowl the flour and toasted sesame seeds. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess, and place on the prepared rack. Drizzle the butter evenly all over the pieces of chicken (I actually used a small squirt bottle to get the melted butter to evenly coat all of the chicken).

Bake for 30 minutes, turning the baking sheet once after 15 minutes for even baking and browning. Meanwhile, make the orange sauce.

In a medium sauce pan, combine all ingredients for the sauce excluding the cornstarch and water. In a small bowl make a slurry out of the water and cornstarch. Bring the sauce to a boil, then whisk in the cornstarch slurry and reduce heat to low. Cook until thickened and remove from heat.

Once chicken is cooked, toss in a large bowl with the orange sauce until well coated. Spoon out the portions of orange chicken, leaving the excess sauce in the bowl.

Spring Rolls

FOR THE GROUND PORK

1 lb ground pork

1 T soy sauce

1 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp brown sugar

freshly ground black pepper

1 T sesame oil for cooking

FOR THE VEGETABLES

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small head of cabbage (about 11 oz), shredded

3 carrots, peeled and shredded

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

10 fresh cremini mushrooms, roughly chopped, stems discarded

1 T Chinese rice wine (mirin)

1 T soy sauce

1/2 tsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sesame oil

Freshly ground black pepper

To make the filling, combine the ingredients for the ground pork together (NOT the sesame oil). Marinate at least 10 minutes. In the meantime, shred the cabbage and the carrots, slice the mushrooms and roughly chop.

Heat a large skillet - I mean the largest one you have - over medium-high heat. Add the sesame oil and swirl to coat. Add the pork and stir-fry until no longer pink, about 2-3 minutes. Turn heat to medium-low, push the meat to one side of the pan. Add the garlic, cabbage, carrots, ginger and the mushrooms and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, until the vegetables are softened. Add the rice wine, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and black pepper. Continue to stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes. Scoop out the filling to a baking sheet and spread out to cool. Prop up one end of the baking sheet so that it tilts and will allow all the moisture to drain to one end. Let cool for 15 minutes.

Discard all of the accumulated juices. Use paper towels to blot the filling to rid of extra oil or juice. Using only 1 heaping tablespoon of filling for each wrapper, place the filling on the wrapper and begin to roll up, stopping about halfway to turn the sides in, then keep rolling, ensuring the roll is tight. (the steamy kitchen site has step by step instructions for making these "perfect").

"Keep the rolled spring rolls in a neat, single layer and covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying. If you want to stack the egg rolls, make sure you have layer of parchment paper in between the layers to prevent sticking. Keep wrappers also covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Refrigerate up to 4 hours until ready to fry or freeze.

To fry the egg rolls, fill a wok or pot with 2 inches of high-heat cooking oil. Heat the oil to 350 deg F or until a cube of bread will fry to golden brown within 10 seconds. Gently slide in or lower the spring rolls, frying 4 to 6 at a time, turning occasionally until golden brown about 1½ minutes. Place on wire rack to drain and cool. I ended up using Canola oil for this because it is what I had, but in retrospect I think peanut oil would have been better."

Again, I served all of this with steamed edamame; I keep frozen edamame (in the pods) in my freezer, just steam or boil them for about 5-7 minutes, sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and serve with low sodium soy sauce. 

Larb

For those who have never heard of this, this dish sounds as unappetizing as it looks...but it is delicious! It is a Thai inspired dish, the recipe for which I originally came across in and old Cooking Light cookbook. 


I have adapted it over the years, slightly, but it remains mostly the same. The flavors are bright and complimentary, and if you love fresh lime, as I do, you will really enjoy the zip of this dish. Plus, it's SO easy. So. 

Larb

3 limes

1 T lemon juice

2 tsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 lb. ground turkey

1 small shallot, diced

1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped

cabbage leaves for serving (any variety you like)

Zest and juice 2 whole limes, leaving the third lime for serving, and combine in a small bowl with the lemon juice, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes. Whisk to combine.

Heat a skillet over medium high heat, drizzle with a bit of oil and add turkey and shallots, breaking up the turkey with a wooden spoon. Cook just until turkey is done, stirring to crumble. Drizzle with the lime juice mixture, stirring to coat well. Sprinkle in mint. Serve in cabbage "cups" and use the third lime to squeeze fresh juice over each cabbage cup. Serve immediately. 

I served these with fried plantains.  

Sausage & White Bean Soup with Wilted Greens

It's true that Spring has technically arrived (says the calendar) but Old Man Winter is not taking the break up very well. In reviewing the weather forecast for the week as I made out my weekly meal plan, I realized I better put a hearty soup on the list for some cold, nasty weather we're in for mid-week. Today was absolutely disgusting. Cold, blowing rain all. day. long. Naturally I had both playgroup and a doctors appointment to get to. Well at least it made eating the soup even better after being out in that. 

I wanted a brothy (vs. creamy) soup and wanted to sneak some good greens into it, so I decided to basically make a sausage and white bean soup and wilt some greens into at the very end. It was hearty indeed. I told my husband as we sat down to dinner that I felt like I should be sitting down to this meal in an old hunting shack in the woods after a long day of hunting. 

Sausage & White Bean Soup with Wilted Greens

1 lb. mild Italian turkey sausage links

1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

2 T fresh chives, finely diced

3 cups chicken stock

2 cups water

1 can white beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups winter greens (I used kale, spinach, collards and swiss chard; a mix available by the pound at the grocery store; use whatever green variety you like)

Heat a dutch oven over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Place the sausage into the pot and place the lid part way on (to reduce splatter). Turn each link after a few minutes on each side until all sides are golden brown. Remove the sausage links from the pot and place on a cutting board. Immediately add the onion to the pot and stir.

Meanwhile, cut each link slightly diagonally (it may not be fully cooked, but firm enough to cut; it will cook again, so just use common sense with the knife you use and sanitize it just in case). Return the sliced sausage to the pot and stir together with the onion. Cook long enough to sear the sausage pieces; add the minced garlic and cook another 30-60 seconds. Add the chives and combine. 

Add the chicken stock and water and scrape all the bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the white beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes. This leaves you time to make corn muffins!

I used the recipe I posted here but instead used 1/2 c all purpose flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (instead of 1 cup all purpose) and used 3 tsp baking powder (instead of 2 tsp). They were hearty and delicious, not to mention more nutritional.

Just before you want to serve the soup, add the greens in and cook just until wilted; probably 5-10 minutes. Serve immediately.   

Chicken Enchiladas

As aforementioned, here is the main course from the anniversary dinner I made my husband. Nope, it's not fancy, just good sloppy Mexican food, his favorite. I served it with refried beans and the lime-mint granita:

Chicken Enchiladas

4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (or chicken breasts)

1 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp chili powder (use more if desired, my son was partaking so I cut back on the heat)

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup sour cream

3/4 cup sharp Cheddar, shredded

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

4 (8-10") whole wheat tortillas

Enchilada sauce (recipe follows)

3/4 cup Monterey Jack, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Season the chicken with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

In a medium (cast iron if you have it) skillet over medium heat, cook chicken until no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove chicken to a cutting board and drain excess fat. Meanwhile add the onion and red pepper to the hot skillet and toss to combine.  

Cube the chicken and return it to the skillet with the onion and pepper and cook until the onion and pepper are just tender. Add the minced garlic and cook about 30 seconds, then add the dried parsley, oregano, chili powder, and season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat to medium-low. 

Add the sour cream and Cheddar cheese and heat until the cheese melts. Stir in tomato sauce and water and stir to combine well. Remove from heat. 

Roll even amounts of the mixture in the tortillas. Arrange in an 8x8 inch baking dish. Cover with enchilada sauce and 3/4 cup Jack cheese. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven 20 minutes. Cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

Enchilada Sauce

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1/3 cup water

1/4 tsp chili powder

2 tsp ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp dried minced onion

1 T white vinegar

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp dried oregano

Place all ingredients in a small sauce pan and whisk together well; simmer at a very low temperature for 15- 20 minutes.

Cool and refrigerate for a few hours before using; store leftovers for up to 5 days. I made the sauce at lunchtime, then put it in the refrigerator so it could develop its flavor, then poured it right on top of the enchiladas before popping in the oven.