General Tso's Chicken

As promised I bring you General Tso's!  :)   This is one of Mr. Sherry Berry's favorite dishes, so I thought I'd attempt to make it at home, instead of getting PF Changs take out (I'm joking...kinda.)    Soooo... without further adieu, let's get started-

What you'll need:

• 1 packet (1 - 1/4 oz.) Sunbird General Tso's seasoning (found in the Asian section of your supermarket.)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 lb chicken breast chunks or boneless chicken thigh chunks.
• 2 tbsp. oil (I used Canola)
• 1/4 cup sugar (you may use raw sugar or Splenda as substitute)
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce ( I used low sodium version)
• 3/4 cup water
• Fresh vegetables of your choice.  I used carrots and broccoli, since that's what I had on hand in the crisper :)
• 1 cup of rice (I used Mahatma Whole Grain rice)
  

Directions:

Bring 2 cups of water in a saucepan  to a rolling boil.  Add rice and stir.  Turn heat to low temperature, cover, and let rice cook. 

Whisk water, soy sauce,  sugar and seasoning packet together in a bowl  (or in my case, a Pyrex measuring cup) and set aside for later.

Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat.

Coat chicken chunks evenly with flour.  You may use a ziplock bag or bowl (as I did).

When oil is hot in frying pan, carefully place chicken in oil.  

Make sure all pieces are touching the bottom of pan, to insure they brown evenly.

Cut fresh vegetables and rinse them in a collander. Set aside.

Pour sauce mixture in a saucepan and heat on medium until it heats all the way through.  

It may be slightly thicker when heated, due to the sugar added. Once heated, set aside.

Brown chicken on both sides.

Next, add fresh veggies, and cover with lid.  (You may choose to steam your veggies or pan fry them in a 

separate pan.  I chose to cook them this way so that I would have one less pan to clean afterward.)  Let them cook for about five minutes or until slightly tender.

Check your rice;  It should be flurfy by now :)  Flurfy (fluffy)... I just made up that word.  Flurfy...lol

Remove veggies from pan.  Set aside.

Pour sauce over chicken.  Mix well until chicken is fully coated.

And Voila!!! You're all done!  So easy...and now for the taste test:

Another hit!  He likes it!  (So much that he didn't notice the rice he spilled on his tshirt...)

I liked it too;  Very yummy.  I would say the sauce has a slight sweet /garlic-y taste.

I would definately prepare this dish again.  

**Side note:  I actually doubled the recipe because I used a pound and a half of chicken chunks, so that we could have more leftovers for dinner the next day.  If you do this, use 2 packets of seasoning  and double the sugar, water, and soy sauce.

Enjoy,

Sher~

Asian Stir Fry with Chicken

The hubby and I were in need of some major veggie intake. I thought of going to Pei Wei to pick up some take out, but I figured we could save money buy making our own Asian dish. I came up with the idea of doing a stir fry; Hubby liked the idea. So, I picked up a pack of chicken breast tenders and some fresh veggies - a broccoli crown head and two carrots. Then, I came across the section with asian seasonings, and picked up a NOH Asian stir fry seasoning packet. I had onions, bellpeppers and rice at home already.

*I used half the package of chicken breast tenders (approx. 8 tenders) , but feel free to use more if you'd like.

1. Rinse chicken tenders, and place in a skillet. I used a frying pan with three inch sides.

2. Season chicken with a sprinke of paprika and garlic powder and a dash of salt. Cook for ten minutes on a medium high heat on both sides.

3. Add a half cup of water, and simmer chicken on low heat, covered for another ten minutes.

4. In the meantime, prepare your water for your rice and cut veggies:

• In a sauce pan, bring 1 1/2 cups of water and a dash of salt to a rolling boil. After water starts boiling, add 3/4 cup of rice. I used Mahatma Whole Grain rice. Simmer covered on low heat for approximately 12-15 minutes.

• Julienne one bellpper.
• Coarsely chop a half of onion.
• Cut off the stem of the brocolli and break or cut the individual heads off.
• Use a potato peeler to remove outter skin from carrot (I used one carrot, but again, you may use more if you'd like.) Cut the ends of the carrot off, and proceed to shave the carrot in short strokes until all the carrot is complete. {Note: I shave my carrots for a stir fry because it takes less time to cook. You may prepare your carrots any way you like.) It's easier to shave if you cut the carrot in half.
• Please all veggies in collander, mix and rinse with water.

5. Chicken breast should be tender and moist at this point. Break up chicken into bite-sized pieces with a spatula or fork. Prepare seasoning packet according to instructions (You just have to add water and whisk in the powder in the packet.) Add all veggies to chicken in the skillet and increase heat to medium temperature. Pour in sauce mixture.

Cover and cook for about 5-8 minutes, or until the veggies are tender enough to stick a fork through, but still firm and bright colored.

6. Check rice to make sure it's fluffy and no water remains in saucepan. If there is still water in the pan, replace cover and continue to cook for a few more minutes.

Serve stir-fry over rice in a bowl. Add salt/pepper or low-sodium soy sauce to taste if needed. Yummy, quick and healthy.

**I also purchased a General Tso's seasoning packet as well. I'll let you all know how it comes out!

Enjoy,

Sher~

Spiced Apple Nut Cake

Newflower farmer's market opened here in Austin!  Mr. Sherry Berry and I went to visit and it's a great store. Filled with all things organic and healthy, but without the "ritzy" pricetag, I will definately go back to visit soon.  I found this recipe on their website while looking for coupons, and thought I'd give it a shot.  

Servings:  Approx. 8 
Prep/Cook time:  About 35-40 minutes.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. plus 1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened and divided
2 Tbsp. plus 1/2 c. sugar
3 med. Chilean Granny Smith apples (6 to 7 oz. each) peeled and thinly sliced (about 4 c.)
3 Tbsp. maple syrup, divided
2 large eggs
3/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. unsifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. coarsely chopped pecans

Prep:

Peel and slice your Chilean Granny Smith apples.  Place them in a bowl of  ice water once peeled/sliced so that they won't turn brown. 

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Directions:

In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp. each of the butter and sugar over medium high heat until the sugar begins to turn golden.

Add apples; cook and stir until tender and just begin to brown, 5 to 7 min.

Remove from heat.

Lightly butter an 8-inch round baking pan; lightly coat with flour.

Preheat oven to 350™F

Drizzle the bottom of the pan with 2 Tbsp. of the maple syrup. 

Arrange half of the apple slices in a circular pattern to cover the bottom.

In a bowl, beat remaining 1/2 c. butter and sugar until fluffy.

 

Beat in eggs. . . 

Add flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt; beat on low speed just until combined; 

Then, fold in pecans.

 

Spoon half of the batter carefully over the apple slices in the pan; smooth into an even layer; top with the remaining apple slices, and then the remaining batter.

Bake until the center springs back when gently pressed, about 35 min. 

Cool on a wire rack for 10 min.; loosen edge and invert onto a serving plate. 

Drizzle remaining 1 Tbsp. maple syrup 

over top. Serve warm. **Garnish with whipped cream and dried apple slices, if desired.

To dry apple slices:

Wash and slice into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices. Pre-treat with a lemon juice/water solution (1 cup of lemon juice to 1 quart of water) solution to prevent browning. Place slices onto drying rack. Dry fruit at 135° F. When fruit is pliable and there is no sign of moisture it can be stored in air tight bags or jars.

*For more recipes from Sunflower/Newflower markets visit this site: http://sfmarkets.shoptocook.com/recipeweb/index.jsp

And now for the hubby taste test:

Thumbs up!  He likes it!

Recipe Courtesy of Chef David Guas, Ceiba Restaurant, Washington, DC

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

I came across a post the other day from the PioneerWoman's site that inspired me to try a pulled pork sandwich.  It was really easy and came out well.  Served on toasted whole grain bread, I topped the sandwiches with spinach and dill relish.  Also added some spicy brown mustard on one side of the bread. Addded some Kettle salt and fresh black pepper chips.  Mmmm!

1. Place a medium sized pork roast in crock pot seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add one cup of water to crockpot.
2. Let roast cook in crockpot for 4-5 hours on high heat until tender.
3. Remove roast and place on plate or baking dish.
4. Pull pork from roast with a fork until only fat is left. 
5. Place pulled pork in skillet on medium heat. 
6. Add one chopped onion.
7. Pour one and a half bottles of barbecue sauce over pork and onion and mix well.
8. Remove from heat. 
9. Serve on toasted bread, buns or rolls.

Optional toppings:  

• Sauteed spinach (in olive oil)  with chopped garlic cloves.
  
• Sliced or chopped dill pickles or sweet relish.
• Freshly chopped cilantro.
• Cole slaw or red cabbage.
• Sliced mild jalepenos.

Optional Condiments:

• Spicy brown mustard
• BBQ sauce
• Jalepeno mayo
• Cilantro mayo

Nothing today...

Mr. Sherry Berry is in Houston visiting. I'm at home bored. :( 

It's me, the tv, the computer and a frozen pizza...

Sher~

Sher's Bio Intro

Hey. Just starting my blog. This is cool!!