Orange Chicken and Rice

I will admit, this dish turned out to be something totally different than what I was expecting. The title and ingredients made me think this would be a lighter version of the kind of orange chicken you get from a Chinese takeout. It actually turned out to be a mildly-orange flavoured curry. Not at all Nate's kind of thing, but I found it enjoyable.

Orange Chicken and Rice

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken pieces
2 tbsp. oil
1 med. onion, coarsley chopped
14.5 oz chicken broth
1.5 c. orange juice
1-3 tsp. curry
2 cloves garlic
dash of cinnamon
3 tbsp. raisins
1/2 c. frozen peas
1/2 c. rice, white or brown

1. Saute chicken and onion in oil until brown. Add broth, orange juice and seasonings. Cover and simmer 45 mins.



2. Add raisins, peas and rice to pot, lower the heat and cover.



3. Cook until rice is done, ~25 mins. Add water and broth if necessary.

Cheesy Chicken Tortellini Bake

I was very lucky to receive a batch of delicious recipes, compiled for me by friends and family, at my wedding shower this summer. This one came from my high school bestie Allison, and it's become a good go-to throughout the fall and winter because it's the perfect comfort food.

Cheesy Chicken Tortellini Bake



Pasta Mixture
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 jar (16 oz.) Alfredo sauce
2 pkgs. (9 oz. each) cheese tortellini
1.5 cups cubed, cooked chicken
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped or 1 tbsp. dried basil

Crumb Topping
1/4 cup grated fresh parmesan
2 tbsp. melted butter
1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cook pasta in boiling water according to instructions. Drain and set aside.

3. Meanwhile, heat oil over medium-high heat; add onion and garlic. Cook and stir 2-3 minutes until onion is tender.



4. Stir in pasta sauce, tortellini, chicken, milk, water, peas and pepper. Heat until mixture just comes to boil; remove from heat. Stir in basil.




5. Grate parmesan and melt butter. Stir in bread crumbs and cheese; mix well.



6. Spoon pasta mixture into bakeware; sprinkle with crumb topping. Bake 15-20 minutes or until edges are bubbly and topping is golden brown.

Pasta with bacon and peas

This is another stand-by that I find really useful for nights where I don't want to make a big meal, but I still need some yummy comfort food. Also, it requires only ingredients that I think most people tend to have on hand all the time.

Pasta with bacon and peas

4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
2 shallots, halved and thinly sliced
1 box frozen peas, thawed
1 c. half-and-half cream
1 box (18 oz.) pasta (I find fettucine works the best)

1. Boil pasta according to directions.



2. Cook bacon until crisp. Transfer to plate, leaving fat in skillet.



3. Add shallots and season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, about 1-2 mins.



4. Add peas and cream; season with salt and pepper. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 mins.



5. Reserving 1/2 c. water, drain pasta. Pour sauce over pasta and toss. Add reserved water as necessary. Sprinkle with bacon.

Emily's rating: 7 out of 10 (yummy, but doesn't reheat well for lunch the next day)

Chipotle Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

I've been unsure about what to do with recipes that don't turn out, and whether I should even bother posting them here. I decided to go ahead and do it, in case someone else wants to try their hand at improving upon my failures.

In this case, this dish was just...weird. I can't remember where I got the original recipe, but I remember writing it down because a) I love normal shepherd's pie but Nate hates it and b) we both love sweet potatoes.

But the combination here just does not work. The spiciness of the chipotles does marry nicely with the sweetness of the potatoes, but the rest just tastes funny in terms of texture and flavour.

Anyway, if anyone does want to take a crack at re-jigging this thing, please let me know, because I would love to figure out how to make it work.


Chipotle Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

Topping
1 (7oz.) can of chipotle peppers in adobo
2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
1 c. 2% milk
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Filling
2 lbs. ground sirloin
2 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped carrot
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 c. frozen peas
1/2 c. crushed tomatoes
1/4 c. fresh parsley
3 tbsp. steak sauce
2 tbsp. tomato paste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Remove 1 chile and 2 tsp. sauce from can; reserve remaining for other use. Coarsley chop chile.



3. Place potatoes in a sauce pan; cover with water. Bring to boil, cooking approx. 15 minutes until tender. Drain.



4. Place potatoes, chile, adobo, milk, salt and pepper in mixer and beat until smooth.



5. Cook beef until browned. Remove from pan; drain.



6. Sauté onions, carrot and garlic 8 mins. Add beef. Stir in peas and remaining ingredients. Cook 2 mins.



7. Spoon beef into casserole; top with potatoes. Bake for 30 mins.



Emily's rating: 3 out of 10
Nate's rating: 1 out of 10

Asian shrimp stew with steamed rice

I had made this before about a year ago and thought it had some potential, but needed some re-working. Since I had shrimp in the house left over from the vodka shrimp pasta, I thought I'd go ahead and give it another shot. The changes I made seemed to do the trick, as I was quite pleased with how it turned out. Even Nate, who normally hates any of my Asian cooking, gave it a 7!




Asian shrimp stew with steamed rice

1 cup white rice
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 c. coconut milk
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 c. frozen peas
1 onion, cut into 1" pieces
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tbsp. ginger, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
4 scallions, sliced
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1-2 tbsp. rice vinegar
1/2 c. peanuts, crushed

1. Cook rice according to directions.

2. Whisk together cornstarch, coconut milk, sugar and 1 cup of water; set aside.



3. In large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add peas, onion, garlic, ginger, red-pepper flakes, scallion whites and salt. Cook, tossing frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 6-8 minutes.



4. Add coconut-milk mixture; raise heat to medium-high. Boil until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Add shrimp, cook until opaque, 3-4 minutes. Season with vinegar, water down if necessary.



5. Serve stew over rice, garnished with peanutes and scallion greens.

Emily's rating: 8 out of 10
Nate's rating: 7 out of 10