Lighter General Tso Chicken

I love this recipe and its easy.

I found it in Martha Stewart's everyday Food magazine

Serves 4 ..... Total time 45 min

1 1/4 cups long grain brown rice

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 lb snow peas trimmed and halved crosswise

4 garlic cloves

2 tsp grated peeled ginger

3 TB light brown sugar

2 TB soy sauce

1/2 tsp red-pepper flakes

2 large egg whites

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces

2 TB safflower oil or vegetable oil

.........................

1. Cook rice according to package instructions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together 1 TB cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water until smooth. Add snow peas, garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, and red-pepper flakes; toss to combine and set aside.

2. In another bowl, whisk together egg whites, remaining 3 TB cornstarch, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Add chicken, and toss to coat.

3. In a large nonstick skillet, head 1 TB oil over medium-high. Lift half the chicken from egg-white mixture (shaking off excess). and add to skillet. Cook turning occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate; repeat with remaining oil and chicken, and set aside (reserve skillet)

4. Add snow-pea mixture to skillet. Cover; cook until snow peas are tender and sauce has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet (with any juices); toss to coat. Service with rice. ENJOY!

Grilled Garlic Artichokes

i bought some artichokes from the farmers market for really cheap and wanted to do something different with them than the usual boil method. this recipe was AMAZING! we hardly ate the rest of our meal. i also liked it because we really didnt have to dip them in butter, it had so much flavor on its own.
note: this recipe is for 2 large artichokes which will make 4 halves. be sure to double it if you want more... and you will :)


2 large artichokes
1 lemon, quartered
3/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Fill a large bowl with cold water. Squeeze the juice from one lemon wedge into the water. Trim the tops from the artichokes, then cut in half lengthwise, and place halves into the bowl of lemon water to prevent them from turning brown. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat. Add artichokes to boiling water, and cook for about 15 minutes. Drain. Squeeze the remaining lemon wedges into a medium bowl. Stir in the olive oil and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Brush the artichokes with a coating of the garlic dip, and place them on the preheated grill. Grill the artichokes for 5 to 10 minutes, basting with dip and turning frequently, until the tips are a little charred. Serve immediately with the remaining dip.

Mandarin Chicken

this recipe is tangy and delicious. the ingredients are simple and usually i have all of it on hand. my whole family loved this dish, im sure yours wont be disapointed either!


6 chicken breasts (sometimes i cube the chicken)
1/2 C. flour
salt and pepper to taste
dash garlic salt
4 eggs
1/2 C. water with one bouillon cube (i use 1/2 C. chicken broth)
1/4 C. ketchup
1 TBLS worcestershire sauce
3/4 C. sugar
1/2 C. vinegar
Mandarin oranges
slivered almonds


Mix flour with a little salt and pepper an garlic salt. Put flour mixture in paper bag. beat eggs ; dip chicken in eggs then shake chicken in bag with flour to coat. place chicken in a glass baking dish. in a pot, mix chicken bouillon or broth, ketchup, worcestershire, sugar and vinegar. bring to a boil and pour over chicken. bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour. spoon sauce over chicken during cooking. when done put chicken on a platter or plate. place mandarin oranges and almonds over the top of chicken. pour rest of sauce over chicken and serve with rice.
enjoy!

healthy banana-blueberry muffins

these muffins are from the martha stewart website & they are delicious. my kids devoured them for breakfast and lunch until they were gone. they were moist and filling, not to mention healthy.

make up a batch of these for your family this summer!

1 cup whole-wheat flour (spooned and leveled)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 ripe bananas (about 1 pound)
1/3 cup reduced-fat (2 percent) milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup frozen blueberries
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a bowl, whisk together flours, wheat germ, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, mash bananas with a fork (you should have 3/4 cup); stir in milk and vanilla.
With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture and banana mixture to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined. Fold in frozen blueberries.
Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Let cool in pan 10 minutes; transfer muffins to a rack to cool 10 minutes more.