Friday, September 7, 2012

Recipe Box


I love recipes. Healthy and non. It really is a hobby of mine to collect, try, and organize them. I ask Shannon weekly what he would like on the menu and it's the running joke that he will ALWAYS, without fail say, "Orange Crumbed Chicken." It really is delicious and quite healthy especially if you opt for the coating to be almond meal or crushed cashews instead of the whole wheat cracker crumbs. If you're not worried about the carbs, serve over the Citrus Rice. It is such a delicious combo. If you are worried about the carbs, I more times than not skip rice and go for "riced cauliflower." With seasoning, it is just as satisfying as rice for me. (Side note: If you don't have Orange Juice on hand, you could always substitute honey or even apricot preserves.) Give 'er a shot. It's yum.

Orange Crumbed Baked Chicken

2 TBSP OJ
2 TBSP Dijon Mustard
¼ tsp salt
¾ cup whole wheat cracker crumbs, panko crumbs, or almond meal
1 TBSP grated orange zest
1 shallot, finely chopped
¼ tsp ground pepper
1 lb of skinless boneless chicken thighs or breasts cut into strips

Preheat oven to 350. Grease baking sheet.

In a small bowl, combine the orange juice, mustard, and salt. On a sheet of wax paper, combine the cracker crumbs, orange zest, shallot, and pepper. Brush the chicken on both sides wih the mustard mixture, then dredge in the crumbs, firmly pressing the crumbs to coat both sides. Place the chicken on the baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes; turn over and bake until cooked through. 15-20 minutes more.


Serve over Citrus Rice

Brown rice prepared in chicken stock
Zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
Salt and pepper
Toss to taste with citrus vinaigrette when finished. 

Psst...trying to be healthier but have a sweet tooth? I just tried some amazing raw brownies for the first time the other day thanks to my friend, Annie. You should give them a try here! But...if that's not your thing, you should try these scrump-didily-umptious brownies I made for the first time last week and ate 85% of the batch by myself...spread out over a few days of course. :) They're cake-like brownies made from (drum roll please...) sweet potatoes. Not yams. Sweet potatoes. There is a difference. I actually prefer the flavor of a sweet potato over a yam. There is zero guilt while eating them and THEY WERE SO GOOD! I actually used 1/4 cup of raw honey instead of 1/3 cup and next time I want to increase the cocoa a bit for an even stronger chocolate flavor. Seriously. Give them a shot. Recipe here. Julie ALWAYS amazes me over at PaleOMG.