Orange chicken

My father likes to cook. He didn't enjoy eating out much because half the time he would say, "I could make that." I've been spending time with family, and I learned that my grandfather would also try to recreate dishes he had while eating out. I must have inherited this trait. Here is my recipe for orange chicken.

Sauce:

1 blood orange juice and rind (remove rind and put in sauce too) 

1/2 cup coconut sugar 

1/2 cup unfiltered apple cider  vinegar 

1 tbsp tamari soy sauce 

Meat:

1 chicken breast

1 cup cornstarch

1 egg

Salt pepper

Extra Virgin Coconut oil for deep frying

Cut up chicken into 3/4" cubes

Season with salt and pepper

Dip in cornstarch, then egg, then cornstarch again. 

Heat coconut oil to a medium heat

Test to see if oil is ready by throwing in a piece. When temp is ready, fry your chicken pieces in it. 

Make the sauce while it is frying.

Combine all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan, and wait until the sauce thickens (until it coats the spoon as the French say). Don't forget to add the rind in. It's the best part of it! It's like having chewy candied orange rinds in your sauce. 

Remove chicken from oil. Toss in the sauce. Serve. 

Rice in a clay pot

Rice. So basic and yet most people can't make it without a rice cooker. I have a rice cooker but it big and takes 45 minutes to cook rice. Yes the rice always comes out perfect, but it's not worth my counter space or time. Try making rice on your stove top especially if you are only cooking for 1 or 2. It's easy. I like using my clay pot which I got from my local Korean market for about $12. You can put it directly on the stove. So, first I oil the pot. I usually do this with extra virgin olive oil. I do this so it is easy to clean. But some people like having that crunchy toasty layer of rice in the bottom, if you are one of them, then don't oil and let that crust form. Then I add the rice, I usually cook about 3/4 cup at a time. That is two servings of rice for me. Then I rinse it 1x-3x depending how milky the rice water looks. Then I add water. Now you can either use a measuring cup and equal parts water plus a little more. Or you can use the finger method of using your finger to measure the amount of water. How? You place your finger tip on top of the rice, and the water should reach the first line on your finger. Cool huh? Ok. So now, you turn it up on med high. Let it boil until the water boils off to the top of the rice. Turn off heat. Put the lid of clay pot on. Let sit for another 10 minutes. The clay pot holds on the heat and will continue cooking the rice. If you don't own a clay pot. Still cover your rice at the same time and then continue cooking on low heat for the same amount of time. Do not take the lid off! No peeking. And then it is don't. Does it have a toasty flavor? It's not burnt. In the Philippines and Guam, that bottom crunchy layer is the favorite part of their rice. 

Yogurt fruit and homemade granola

Granola is probably one of those things I will probably never buy after making it homemade. For one, it's so easy, cheap, and fast to make. Secondly, I like being in control of the ingredients in it. I don't like the added flour or sweetener in most store bought granola. I always have mine with fruit and yogurt.

Granola 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

1 cup Rolled oats

I tbsp Coconut sugar 

1 Tbsp Coconut Oil

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon 

1 tbsp water

1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix together in bowl. Place in oven for 6 minutes. Mix around. Put in iven for another 6 minutes. Viola. Easy crunchy wholesome granola. I don't add almonds or seeds yet as I rather add that in fresh and to my liking. 

For the yogurt part I like using Brown Cow Cream on Top Plain yogurt and then I top with fresh fruit and then fresh mint or basil. 

Here are photos of yogurt bowls I have made lately. Notice that it always looks different with different fruits. Sometimes I make it at work too. 

Fish tacos

I crave tacos at least once every week. I discovered tacos the right way. You know when you are 18, and you cross the border to have a drink, on your way home, you could ask the taxi driver to take you to get tacos first before you get back to border. That was 10 years ago. I do not recommend crossing the border for libations and tacos. I heard it's not the same. But that's when I first had good tacos. I was hooked. In L.A., taco shops, carts, and trucks litter the landscape. I had a few favorites including Taco Zone in Echo park for their vegetarian tacos! (Yes I said veggie) they are the best. Cheese, rice, beans, and fresh salsa all melty and hot. Then there is Leo's in Eagle Rock for their tripas tacos. Theirs is fried until crunchy and golden brown, not strange and rubbery. In LA I always suggest skipping the Asada, and going for something else, even the Al Pastor is a good bet. But today I whipped up fish tacos. 

Ingredients

Fish: I used tilapia

Corn tortilla

Salsa

Yogurt, plain

Kale

Lime

Avocados

Chili powder

Fresh cilantro

Marinate the tilapia in the lime, and chili powder. 

Get pan heated, add oil, as always I suggest using red palm oil. (Extra vitamin A and no refined oils)

Add marinated fish to heated pan. 

Meanwhile heat up your tortilla. You can do this on a griddle or even in your microwave. When tortillas are warm, add accoutrements to tacos in the meantime.  That is the kale, cilantro, plain yogurt, avocados, and salsa. I do this while the fish is cooking. 

When fish is cooked through. Add to your tortilla. Serve with fresh lime and tapatio and chips on the side. Enjoy! 

New Year's Eve

Lotsa yummy foods, including a prime rib. But the best thing were these cute mini cheescakes. 

A DIY Mimosa Bar:

Good bye 2013: Year of the Selfie

Pumpkin Pie, Brown Butter Gingersnap Crust, Gluten Free

I decided to give my hand a try a pumpkin pie this year. The idea of using brown butter intrigued me as I love the smell of brown butter. I made this pie 3 times just this holiday season! What you will need:

10" pie pan

1 stick butter
1 lb gluten free gingersnap cookies ( I really prefer gluten free ones as they are lighter. Gingersnap  cookies are usually really dense! I used Mi-Del Gluten Free Cookies which could be found at your local Walmart, in the cookie aisle)

16 oz of Pumpkin Puree
2 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, dried ginger
1 pint of heavy whipping cream (1cup for the pie filling, the other for whipped topping)
1 tbsp of Spiced Rum
1 tsp vanila for pie filling, 1 tsp for the whipped topping
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350*F

Heat butter in pan on Medium High until brown and smells nutty and like cookies baking. Do not do this step in low heat, as the butter will never brown.

Add crushed gingernsap cookies. Transfer to pie pan. Press down. Place pie pan in freezer while you work on filling.

For filling, combine puree, 1 cup whipping cream, 2 eggs, 2 egg yolks, 1 tsp vanilla, and spices: about 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger 1/8 tsp cloves 1/8 tsp nutmeg. I like to freshly ground my nutmeg.

Pull pie pan out of freezer. Add pie filling. Cover any exposed crust with foil. It will burn if you don't.

Bake for 50 min-60 min at 350 degrees F.

Allow to cool for at least an 1 hr and then let cool in the refrigerator. Preferably overnight.

Make whipped topping. I prefer to make this right before serving, whether that is the same night you made it or for the next day. Combine 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 cup whipping cream. 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tbsp spiced rum. Whip up! I don't have a mixer, so I do it by hand! Every time I do this, I almost always feel like it won't come together right before it does! So never give up! You will know it is ready when you could start making little stiff peaks! Do not take it further than that as the cream starts to turn into butter and clumpy! I like to serve mine sprinkled with nuts, either walnuts or pecans. And with a sprinkle of coconut sugar,brown sugar will do as well.

Happy New Years: Pancit

The New Year is approaching soon, in just a few hours. Are you ready? You know there a few Filipino Superstitions for bringing in good luck.
1) Wear Polka Dots
2) Jump Up and Down when the clock strikes midnight
3)Have a bowl of 13 different kinds of round Fruits
4)Eat noodles for long life
5) Have money in your pockets for good fortune
6) Have grapes hanging on your door and eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight
7) Have a clean home to welcome in the New Year (I'm not sure if this is for luck or just something my mom does)
8) All lights should also be turned on in your home during the new year

9) Be really loud when the clock strikes midnight
10) Scatter money/coins around your home

Here is my pancit recipe. There are a lot of different types of pancit. This one is most close to a Pancit Bihon, which uses thin rice starch noodles.

1 tbsp Red Palm Oil
4 carrots: 2 inch julienne
2 celery stalks
1/2 Yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
Chicken breast, sliced to 2" pieces
1 pack rice starch noodles
3 tbsp soy
1 qt box Chicken stock

Garnish:
Shallot and garlic oil
Fresh Green onions
Fresh Cilantro
Lemons

Vegetables: to be traditional: use Asian vegetables such as snow peas and cabbage. I like to go seasonal and local and use whatever vegetables I have available. Today is is spaghetti squash and kale. I've used asparagus, and chard before as well. Using spaghetti squash is great as it just mimics the look of the pancit noddles and adds a nice yellow hue to dish. Kids won't even notice the extra veggies they are eating! You can also go starch free and nix out the noddles all together, and just substitute spaghetti squash for the noodles.

Saute onions, garlic, carrots, and celery. Add vegetables until cooked. I like to keep the color in my vegetables and not let it overcook. Put aside. In same pan, add chicken, sear, add soy sauce, and chicken stock. Add dried noodles. Mix until all noodles have soaked up all noddles.

Mix in half the veggies. Transfer to serving platter. Add the other half of veggies for topping,

Create the shallot and garlic oil. Heat oil at medium heat. Add shallots and garlic oil. Cook until golden brown. Add oil on top of noodles.

Garnish with cilantro and green onions. Serve with lemon slices and have eaters squeeze the lemon on right before they eat it.