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8/27/22

Sugar Free Orange Chicken (Keto Orange Chicken)


This week I made this for dinner again, and although I have a hand written index card in my recipe album, I had my laptop in the kitchen anyway, so I was just going to bring my recipe up to use instead.  Low and behold, it wasn't coming up on my site search. 

Sometimes Google does that - and not all my pages are indexed - I have a hard time even finding my own recipes.  I started to question myself if I had ever even published it?  But I was sure I had... at least two or three times over the years (or so I thought.)   Since I couldn't find it quickly, I opened my recipe album and used my hand written version.  Not a big deal.

But this morning I remembered I was going to check this 'when I had time' and sure enough - I HAVE posted it a couple times.   

I'm re-posting it again now to hopefully make it QUICK AND EASY to find in a google search.  I also will just add a couple of the quick photos I snapped with my old cellphone to show the sauce as it's being whisked and the chicken chunks as I breaded them and popped them into the oven.

 

Sugar Free Orange Chicken
(sugar free and low carb)

1 T oil
1 T ginger powder
1 T fresh minced or chopped garlic
2 T rice vinegar
1 T sesame oil
2/3 c (scant) white vinegar
3 T liquid aminos (soy sauce alternative) or soy sauce
1 t xanthan gum (thickener)
1 c granular sweetener mixture of your choice
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1 1/2 t dried orange zest
1 t orange extract

Heat the oil in a pan, add the rest of the ingredients as you whisk, bring to a boil and turn down the heat to simmer.  Simmer until it reduces a bit and thickens to a nice sauce.

Use over prepared chicken chunks, and serve with a side of riced cauliflower and you can add broccoli.

Notes: This is the perfect recipe to make the day after you make homemade 'chicken nuggets' or chicken chunks.  Make double, save half for this meal the next day. 


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For Chicken Chunks or Nuggets:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
egg whites
oil
Breading:  depending on your level of acceptable carbs use 3-4 cups crushed rice crispies, panko crumbs, crushed pork rinds or  a mixture of crushed pork rinds with almond flour, or keto bread crumbs
2-3 t paprika
2-3 t onion powder

Cut the chicken into chunks.  Mix 3 or 4 egg whites (depending on bit your chicken breasts are) with about 3 t oil of your choice in a bowl.  Put the breading of choice and spices in a second large bowl or a Ziploc baggy.  Now dredge the chicken into the egg white oil mixture and then breading, place on a heavily oiled pan (I line mine with foil for easy clean up).  

Spray with Pam or drizzle with more oil or butter of choice and bake at 450 until the chunks are done, starting to get brown on the tops and crisp.  Remove from the oven (about 25-30 minutes depending on the size of the chunks you cut).   

I brush the chicken with a light sauce made from:

6 T melted butter
5 T tapatio' sauce

This makes our orange chicken spicy like General Tso's but with a heavy orange flavor too.  You don't have to brush the chicken chunks with anything though if you like your orange chicken sweet but not at all spicy.

  


 

 Brushing the nuggets with melted butter (you can use oil or just spray with Pam too)

 

Into the oven


Mixing up the sauce....
 
 
Whisking - an action shot!  Ha ha.


A QUICK and easy side to this is to microwave a bag of store bought riced cauliflower, if you
don't feel like making your own sides to this meal.

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

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8/17/22

Crunchy, Spicy Jalapeno and Cheese smothered crispy pork chops (using jalapeno potato chips to bread pork chops)


This was a post meant to be posted over a month ago but I've never had the time.  It's similar to a recipe I've posted before and make often, but this time I took it up a notch because I had foods I wanted to 'use up' - as never waste food in our household.  I always find things to make with it or use it in.

In this case, I had leftover spicy jalapeno potato chips from the family reunion weekend we held at our home.  (This brand is much spicer/hotter than Kettle brand, Miss Vickies or any of the regular run-of-the-mill jalapeno flavored potato chips, which I thought would work great as a crispy breading for chicken or pork.) I also had a jar of leftover homemade salsa to use up from the same weekend, which is what I always use to marinate the pork or chicken when I make this dish - so a win either way!


Crunchy and Spicy Jalapeno and Cheese Smothered Pork Chops or Chicken Breasts

Pork Chops or Boneless Chicken Breasts
Salsa to marinate
Jalapeno Potato Chips
Sliced Cheddar Cheese 
oil
salt and pepper
cream cheese
diced or sliced jalapeno peppers
cooked, crumbled bacon
onion powder
garlic powder

AMOUNTS will vary based on how many pieces you are making and how spicy you like your food.  The amounts don't need to be precise.

Marinate your pork/chicken in about 2-3T salsa per piece for at least 3-4 hours and up to 24 hours. Flip it a couple times during the marinating so it's evenly marinated.  *If you are making this last minute and didn't have time to marinate, just coat your chicken/pork with it and leave it on under the breading/coating.

Lay the pork chops or chicken you wish to use in a thin layer of olive oil - both sides - and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper if you wish, then press both sides with crushed potato chips.  Lay them on well oiled (and foil lined if you like easy clean up) pan.

Bake in a hot oven (350 or 375 is fine) for about 25-35 minutes until done and golden brown.  The thickness of your pork or chicken determines how long it will take as thick cuts will take longer than a thin cut.  While this is baking, make the cheese topping.

The amounts of the cheeses, bacon and jalapeno are up to you and your tastes.  If you don't like spicy foods or have children eating that are not used to spice, cut back on the jalapenos or just use a small can of diced chili peppers (they are mild).  

We use about 6 ounces cream cheese,  and either a slice of cheddar on the pork/chicken OR mix in 1/3 cup cheddar, 1/4 cup diced jalapenos, 1/4 c cooked, crumbled bacon (I just grabbed some of the Hormel real bacon bits I keep in the freezer at all times).  Add about 1/4 t garlic powder and 1/4 t onion powder. 

Remove the pork chops, topped with a slice of cheddar, dollop of the cream cheese/jalapeno/bacon mixture and back into the oven to bake just until it's all melted and heated through.   We served them in these photos with zucchini.

 


 PHOTOS OF THE PROCESS followed by LINKS to the CUISINART mini stick blender and food chopper I use, a the bottom of the post.

 

Leftover chips from our family reunion weekend I wanted to use up

Chopped quickly in a small processor

 

I used my mini Cuisinart processor to crush the chips but you can use a full sized food processor or even a bag and a rolling pin to crush them if you wish. 


Ready to use as a crispy breading


Leftover fresh, homemade salsa smothered the pork chops before breading

I left the salsa on nice and thick since they had had a short marinade time

Ready for the oven on well oiled foil


Baked until done and now ready for the cheesy topping

Mixing cream cheese, jalapenos, bacon crumbles with a bit of garlic and onion powders

I had sliced cheese to use up this way but normally just mix shredded cheddar in.

Hot and melted from the oven - ready to serve with green beans, zucchini or any vegetable



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8/3/22

Homemade Butter - got extra whipping cream? Make butter using just a mason jar

 

Homemade butter!  I make this once in a while but with the cost of whipping cream being what it is, I'm not really saving money to make it myself so I just buy it.  However, sometimes I have extra whipping cream leftover from other recipes and making homemade butter is one of the ways I use it up.  It will take about 10 minutes or so and use nothing more than your leftover whipping cream (heavy cream) and a glass jar with a lid.

 
Homemade Butter
(It's actually just home-shaken butter....)

Heavy Whipping Cream - any amount but it's best if you have at least 3/4 of a cup

Place the cream in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid.
Start to shake it.
Continue to shake it.
Keep shaking it.
It will turn thick, then will blend together to form whipped cream.
Keep shaking it.
Just when you are thinking you are bored and 'done' and there are other things you could be doing right now....
You'll hear it separate!  You'll hear the sloshing sound of liquid and a little thump of solid butter!
Open the container and you now have buttermilk and butter.
Remove the solid butter. Use the buttermilk for any other use (ranch dressing or bread!) or just drink it if you like buttermilk.
Add about 1/2 cup ice cold water to a bowl of butter and knead the butter a bit, working out the excess liquid - a cloudy, watery liquid.
If you want to add salt at this time go ahead and add a little dash to taste (amount depends on how much butter you made.)  Pour off the excess liquid and use your homemade butter!

That's it!  You made butter.

whipping cream in a jar
 
 
 
That awesome sloshing sound you've been waiting for that means your butter has separated from the liquid and you have made butter!



Open the jar and see your butter!
 
 
 
Poured out into a bowl.  Drain it and add your ice water to knead it and work it a bit to get out excess buttermilk liquid.
  Butter!






 

 

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