Orange Chicken

ORANGE CHICKEN

Chicken:

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1-1/2” cubes)
• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour 
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Coconut Oil (for frying) (or any oil you prefer) About 3-4 Tablespoons for each batch you fry.

Orange Sauce:

• 1 cup water
• juice from 1 orange
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons Tamari (or you can use soy sauce)
• zest from 1/2 an orange
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 3 scallions, chopped

Thickener:
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 c. water

Directions

• Combine flour and salt in a ziploc bag.  Dip each piece of chicken into the egg and then place into the ziploc bag.  I did this in 2 batches.  Shake the bag to coat the chicken evenly.  Meanwhile, heat the coconut oil in a skillet.  Once hot, add the chicken and cook on both sides until browned well and cooked through entirely.  Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to remove excess oil.
• For the sauce, in a pot combine the water, orange juice, lemon juice,  rice vinegar, and Tamari.  Stir to combine on medium.  Add the zest, brown sugar,   garlic and scallions.  (reserve some of the scallions for when you plate the chicken) Bring to a boil.
• Stir the cornstarch and water until smooth.  Add this “slurry” into the boiling sauce and cook until thick which happens pretty quickly.   Place chicken on your serving platter and pour on the sauce.  Top with reserved scallions.

Submitted By: Kim Durland

Cheese Soup and Bread Bowls

4 Cups diced potatoes
1 C diced celery
1 C grated carrots
1/2 C diced onion
3 C water
1/2 C butter
1/2 C flour
4 C milk (can use some milk, some chicken stock)
2 tsp. Salt
2 C chopped ham
1 C crumbled bacon
1 lb grated cheddar cheese
2 C frozen veggies (corn, peas, or a mixture)

Boil potatoes, celery, carrots, and onion in the 3 cups water for ten minutes. In a separate pan, make the cream sauce by melting butter and slowly adding flower, stirring and then slowly adding milk, bringing milk mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.  Add cream sauce, salt, pepper to taste, ham, cooked bacon and cheese to vegetable mixture. Pour into large rolls with centers cleared to look like bowls. Serves 8.

Use French bread recipe to make larger rolls to use for the bowls.

2 1/2 C warm water
1/4 C sugar
1 T yeast
6 C flour
1 T salt
1/4 C olive oil

In a small bowl, mix together yeast, 1/2 cup water and sugar, set aside. Using an electric mixer with a dough hook, mix together water, 3 cups flour, salt, and oil. Add remaining flour and yeast mixture. Continue to mix until dough is stretchy. Let rest for 10 minutes, knead again. Let rest for 30 minutes. Divide into large round portions, put on greased cooking tray, let rise for 30 minutes. Bake 350 for 25 minutes or until golden brown.  Cut off tops and dig out centers. Serve with soup inside and pieces from the center on the side.

Pupusas (Salvadoran Stuffed, Grilled Tortillas)

Pupusas (Salvadoran stuffed, grilled tortillas)

Masa (corn flour)

Pork or chicken (cooked) seasoned as desired

Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Bell peppers (optional)

Make masa dough by adding water to Masa until it is the consistency of soft playdough.  Set aside.  In a food processor, add cooked pork or chicken, cheese, bell peppers and blend until smooth.  (this is the filling)

Using wet hands roll the Masa into golf ball sized balls.  Cover with a moist towel.  Working with one ball at a time, use your thumb to press a deep indent into the ball, then use your hands to work it into a small “bowl” with an even ¼ inch thick edge. 

Place a heaping tablespoon of the meat mixture into the bottom of the bowl.  Using moist fingers, carefully bring the edges of the dough together, enclosing the filling within, and press to seal.  Roll the ball in your hands to return it to the uniforn ball shape.  Carefully pat pupusas down into a flat round about 4 inches wide and ¾ inches thick. If the edges crack, run a wet finger around them to smooth them.  Place pupusas on a cookie sheet and keep covered with a towel as you repeat with the remaining masa balls and filling.  Cook Pupusas on a hot griddle until they are golden brown and start to puff up.  About 3-4 minutes on each side. Serve warm with Curtido (pickled vegetables) and salsa (recipes below).

Curtido (pickled vegetables)

Cabbage

Carrots

Bell pepper

Onion

Cilantro

Apple cider vinegar

1 T brown sugar

water

Shred vegetables. Boil a pot of water.  Add cabbage and onion and boil for about 5 minutes until they don’t small as strong.  Drain the cabbage and onion and rinse with cold water.  In a jar, combine all the veggies, equal parts apple cider vinegar and water and brown sugar.  Mix and let sit over night or atleast a couple of hours  in the fridge.  Serve over warm papasus.

Salsa

Tomato

Garlic

Onion

Bell pepper

Place all in a food processor or blender and mix until smooth.  Serve over warm papasus.

Submitted by: Ana Pereira

Aida's Chicken Rice (Arroz con Pollo)

Chicken Rice- (Arroz con Pollo) - Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked rice

3 tablespoons oil (olive)

3 chicken breast (2 pounds) (cut in bite size chunks)

4 carrots (cut in little cubes)

1 ½ onion- chopped

6 cloves garlic-chopped

2 lg handful chopped Culantro or the equivalent Cilantro.

1 cup of celery –chopped

1 cup of green pepper-chopped

1-cup of red pepper-chopped

½ cup of green onion-chopped

¼ cup of parsley –chopped

¼ cup of Soy sauce

2 tablespoon of chicken bouillon

1 envelope of saffron or Coriander & Annatto (for color)

1 cup of olive- cut in slices

½ of capers

Procedures:

1-     Put the chicken breast into a large pot filled about 3 quarters full of water.  Adds chicken bouillon (an envelope or 2 tablespoons), half of onion cuts, cilantro or 2 leaves of cilantro and 2 cloves garlic, diced.  30 to 40 minutes (chicken meat cooked).  Tear the chicken meat off into small pieces. Save the chicken broth. 

2-     In a large pot.  Put 3 tablespoon of olive oil and fry the little cubes or pieces of carrots, add the cup of onion and 2 cloves garlic chopped. ( look tender)

3-     Add the celery, green, red pepper, parsley, cilantro or culantro and green onions.  ( mix and fry  all the ingredients)

4-     Add the 2 tablespoon or envelope of chicken bouillon and the envelope of saffron or Coriander /Annatto with the ¼ of soy sauce and mix the pieces of chicken together.

5-     Add the 2 cups of rice and mix all the ingredients/

6-     Add 5 cups of reserve chicken broth.

7-     Cover and cook over medium heat until boiling, then turn the heat low.

8-     Add the olives and capers.

9-     Cook until the rice is tender and all the liquid has been absorbed.

Submitted by: Aida Penedo