January 23, 2012: Slimmed Down Coq au Vin Recipe

Coq au Vin is one of my favorite recipes for comfort food during cold months. It has everything I love – bacon, chicken, root vegetables and a yummy sauce. But there’s no reason this French dish has to be so loaded with fat calories and sodium. Here’s a version I created that is great for the calorie conscious diner but just as delicious, hot and filling as the original.

Slimmed Down Coq au Vin

4 pieces bone-in chicken, skin removed (breasts, thighs, drumsticks)

Salt and pepper

1 T. olive oil

1 shallot, sliced horizontally

8 large cloves garlic, thickly sliced

1 cup baby carrots, halved lengthwise

1 rib celery, sliced

1 cup cauliflower florets

1 cup fresh green beans, cut into thirds

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups chicken stock

1 t. dried oregano

1 t. dried sage

½ t. dried parsley

1 T. cornstarch

1 T. water

In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté on both sides for five minutes per side, until golden brown on the outside. Remove from Dutch oven and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lower heat and add vegetables to Dutch oven. Sauté for a few minutes, until vegetables begin to soften. Add wine, chicken stock and herbs; place reserved chicken pieces on top of vegetables. Cover Dutch oven and place in preheated oven. Bake for 30 – 45 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are soft.

Stir together cornstarch and water. Remove chicken pieces from Dutch oven and stir in cornstarch mixture. Place chicken back in Dutch oven and return to oven for five more minutes to thicken sauce.

Serves 4

Note: This is a complete meal that only needs biscuits or French bread as a side.

December 28, 2011: Orange Chicken Recipe

Unlike the very popular Orange Chicken you find on the menu at many Chinese restaurants, this recipe has fewer calories and a fresher taste. It’s easy to prepare and yummy served with plain or fried rice and a side of crisply sautéed veggies.

Orange Chicken served with fried rice.

Orange Chicken

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and pepper

¼ cup cornstarch

1 t. sesame oil

1 T. soy sauce

1 T. rice wine vinegar

1 T. water

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced on the diagonal

3 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal, white and green parts separated

Sesame seeds

Vegetable oil

Orange Sauce:

1/3 cup orange juice

1 T. soy sauce

1 T. honey

1 t. ginger, finely minced

1 t. sesame oil

1 t. cornstarch

1 t. water

Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. Cut chicken into approximately 1 1/2-inch square chunks. Toss together with cornstarch, soy sauce, vinegar and water. Refrigerate for several hours.

Prepare orange sauce by combining all ingredients in a small bowl.

Add enough oil to a wok to cover the bottom. Heat to medium high. Carefully place the chicken chunks into the oil and fry until completely cooked, turning as necessary, for a few minutes. You may have to cook two separate batches to ensure the chicken gets crispy and doesn’t overcrowd the wok. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper plate or plate lined with paper towels. Set aside.

Reduce wok heat to low. Remove all but one tablespoon of oil from the wok. Add the white parts of the sliced green onions and garlic. Saute for one minute. Add the sauce and slowly bring to a boil. When sauce has thickened, add the cooked chicken back in and heat through.

To serve, spoon chicken and sauce onto plate or over plain cooked rice. Sprinkle with green parts of sliced onion and sesame seeds.

Serves 2

October 22, 2011: Cheddar Puffs With Apple Filling Recipe

Today we’ve got a high tea event planned for the women of our church. We did this last year and held the event at Kathy’s house, which is decorated like a very feminine, floral B&B so it’s perfect for this type of ladies’ event.

I was tasked with making dessert. As usual, I wanted something different and I’d clipped this recipe recently from The Arizona Republic. Since October is National Apple Month, I thought it would perfect.

Apple Cheddar Puffs

For the puffs:

1 cup water

6 T. butter (or 6 T. butter plus 1 t. salt)

1 1/3 cups flour

5 eggs

1 cup grated extra sharp cheddar cheese

For the filling:

4 sweet apples, such as Golden Delicious (I used Fiji)

¼ cup sugar

1 t. freshly grated ginger (I used minced jarred ginger)

1 T. lemon juice

Pinch of salt

½ cup water divided

1 T. cornstarch

Heave oven to 425 degrees. Line one large or two smaller baking sheets with parchment (the puff recipe will make 1 ½ - 2 dozen, depending on how large you make each one).

In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, bring the water and butter to a boil. Add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball of dough, about 1 minute.

Transfer the dough to the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix with paddle attachment for one minute. Add the eggs, one at a time, waiting until fully incorporated before adding the next. When all the eggs have been added, mix in the cheese on low speed.

Spoon the mixture into a gallon size sealable plastic bag or pastry bag. Cut off the corner if using a storage bag and seal the top. Gently squeeze the bag to create walnut-size mounds on the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least one inch between each. Note: I made mine bigger and they were just fine; easier to fill.

Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the oven to 375 degrees and bake for another 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove puffs from the oven and pierce the side of each to let the steam escape. Cool completely, then use or store in an airtight container up to 24 hours. Note: you need to allow them to cool completely before storing so they don’t get soggy.

Meanwhile, make the filling by combining the apples, sugar, ginger, lemon juice, salt and 2 tablespoons of the water in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until apples are tender, about 15 minutes. In a small bowl, combine remaining water and cornstarch; add to the apple mixture. Bring to a gentle boil to thicken the mixture, then remove from heat.

To fill the puffs, you can either cut them in half and spoon filling inside or use a pastry bag to pipe the apple mixture in through a small hole (the latter looks nicest; the former is much easier and requires less cleanup/effort).

Makes between 18 – 24 puffs.

April 14, 2011: Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe

Many years ago, when my dad needed to something to do (i.e. a hobby), he enrolled in a Chinese cooking course. He came away from that class with a small cookbook authored by the instructor and a passion for making Chinese food each and every day, using the methods he’d learned. I can definitely say that he has mastered the art!

Dad passed that cookbook along to me and I’ve used it ever since. Although it only contains eight menus of a few recipes each, it’s invaluable. The dishes are all ones that I’d eat (as opposed to some of the more exotic Chinese recipes I’ve come across) and the instructions are clear.

This recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken (actually it’s for pork but I used chicken instead to go along with this month’s theme) comes from that cookbook, entitled Be a Chinese Cook Tonight by Sue Nelson. Ms. Nelson recommends using dry sherry in the sauces but that’s not an ingredient I normally have around the house so I’ve included here my own substitution.

Sweet and Sour Chicken served with Jasmine Fried Rice and sauteed snow peas with water chestnuts

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½ inch cubes
1 T. + 1 t. cornstarch
1 T. rice wine vinegar
1 t. honey
½ t. salt
1 t. sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
½ bell pepper (orange or red is a nice change from green), cut into ½ inch cubes
½ onion, coarsely chopped into ½ long pieces
1 ½ cups fresh pineapple, cut into ½ inch chunks
Coconut or peanut oil, for frying

Combine the cornstarch, vinegar, honey, salt, and sesame oil in a large, nonreactive bowl. Add the cubes of chicken and let sit at room temperature about half an hour.

Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables and the sauce.

Sweet and Sour Chicken in the wok

Sweet and Sour Sauce:
Juice from pineapple
3 T. soy sauce
2 T. ketchup
2 T. chicken broth
2 T. rice wine vinegar
2 T. sugar
1 T. cornstarch

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat up your wok (or a large, deep saucepan) to 375 degrees. Add enough oil to cover one third of the chicken cubes. Fry the chicken in batches for about 5 minutes each batch, until done. Transfer to a bowl lined with paper towels and keep warm.

Drain off excess oil until you have about one tablespoon left. Heat to 325 degrees. Add a teaspoon of sesame oil. Quickly stir fry the garlic and onion, then add the bell peppers. Cook just until tender-crisp. Add the pineapple and stir fry for another minute. Pour in the sweet and sour sauce and reduce heat to low, stirring constantly until sauce thickens. Add in the reserved, cooked chicken and toss together until heated through.

Tips: To make cutting the chicken easier and the resting time safer, don’t thaw it all the way.
You can also use an 8-ounce can of pineapple in place of the fresh fruit.

To make the menu as shown above, start by frying the chicken cubes; reserve any leftover oil. Next, quickly stir fry the vegetables and remove; keep warm in the oven along with the chicken. Prepare the fried rice (recipe for fried rice here) and place in an oven-safe dish to keep warm alongside the vegetables and chicken. Finally, prepare the vegetables and sweet and sour sauce for the main dish and keep warm in the wok until dinner is served.

March 8, 2011: Cornstarch for Cleaning Recipes

Most of us know that cornstarch is the perfect thickener for gravy, particularly that special gravy which accompanies the big, golden turkey at Thanksgiving. It’s also great for thickening stews, soups, and sauces (use half the amount of flour or as a rule of thumb, 1 tablespoon per cup of liquid) because it is tasteless and clear. But did you know that cornstarch is also a handy item to have around the house for cleaning?

The first time I was aware that cornstarch could be used for cleaning was one day when I was watching the Queen of Clean on TV and she used it in a pail of warm water to wash windows. I tried it and sure enough, this is an excellent way to clean glass – but because it’s a bit unwieldy, I’d recommend it only for deep spring cleaning when you’re washing all the windows in your home, inside or out.

For really dirty windows, try this formula:

Window Cleaner

½ cup ammonia
½ cup white vinegar
2 T. cornstarch

Add all ingredients to a pail of warm water. Apply with a cloth, then wipe with a clean, dry cloth or a wad of newspaper.

Pots and Pans Cleaner

Sprinkle cornstarch in a pot or pan and scrub with a wet sponge. Wipe with a clean, dry cloth. Cornstarch is a mild abrasive and it leaves behind a sparkling clean – perfect for nonstick, stainless steel, or aluminum cookware.

Silver Polish

The same reason cornstarch is good for cleaning pots and pans is why it makes an excellent silver polish. Make a paste of cornstarch and water and apply to your sterling silver pieces with a damp cloth. When it is dry, rub it off with a soft cloth.

Laundry Helper

Cornstarch absorbs grease really well. If you have a tablecloth, piece of clothing, or any other washable item with grease stains, sprinkle the area with cornstarch. Rub it into the grease then brush it away. Finish by laundering in the washing machine.

You can also use cornstarch plain or as a paste to relieve baby’s diaper rash or adult skin rashes. Add it to bath water for a soothing soak.

Did you know all the ways you can use cornstarch around the house?