When I was a kid, getting Chinese takeout was a real treat. It wasn’t something my family did often, so my brother and I always got really excited when my parents decided to pickup dinner from our favorite local spot. Our tastes weren’t very sophisticated back then, so we always opted for orange chicken. While it’s very much an Americanized Chinese food, the sweet and spicy sauce is still one of my favorites.

I wanted to make a healthier version of that childhood favorite when I found myself craving Chinese food Monday. I decided to serve this chicken over cauliflower rice, which is an easy way to get some veggies in. I love how mainstream veggie pastas and rices have become; I used to make my own cauliflower rice in the food processor, but now I can find riced cauliflower in the frozen vegetable section at the grocery store. I’m willing to spend a little more for convenience foods that will save me time and cut down on dirty dishes!

My husband can be a picky eater sometimes, so I know a recipe is good when he goes back for two more bowls. This is a recipe that the whole family will enjoy, just omit the Sriracha from the sauce if you’re worried about it being too spicy.

I also picked up some frozen veggie egg rolls to serve alongside our orange chicken. They completed the healthy and delicious weeknight meal!

Healthy Orange Chicken

serves 4

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 1/4 cup orange marmalade
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 Tbsp. Tamari
• 1 Tbsp. Sriracha
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp. salt, divided
• 1 tsp. pepper, divided
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 4 scallions (white part only), thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 12 oz. frozen cauliflower rice

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together marmalade, hoisin, Tamari, Sriracha, cornstarch, garlic, 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Set aside.
2. Coat a large skillet with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and place over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and scallions and cook until soft and fragrant, stirring frequently, for about four minutes. Sprinkle chicken with remaining salt and pepper then add it to the pan and cook until browned, about three minutes on each side. Add sauce to pan and bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and let sauce simmer until thickened.
3. While chicken simmers, coat a medium skillet with 1 Tbsp. sesame oil and place over medium heat. Add cauliflower rice and cook until heated through, stirring frequently, for about five minutes.
4. Once the sauce for the chicken is thickened, remove it from heat. Place 1 cup of cauliflower rice on a plate or in a bowl, then top with 1/4 of the orange chicken.

[/directions]

The post Healthy Orange Chicken appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

Hello again, Monday. How did we get here so soon?

Weekends always seem to fly by. Ours was pretty low key and involved a lot more time camped out on our couch than normal, thanks to all of the rain. It felt great to spend some time vegging out and getting a few things done around the house that we’ve been neglecting. I hope to give you a peek inside our place very soon! It finally feels put together.

This pork was the product of one of the weekend’s rainy afternoons. I wanted to make something that tasted great but took little effort — because getting off the couch when there’s a thunderstorm is hard. 

Every once in a while we get into a rut where it seems we have the same couple of proteins on repeat in our house: ground turkey and chicken. While there are so many delicious ways to use those meats, I’m trying to make a conscious effort to add a little more variety into our weekly menus. That means incorporating more lean cuts of beef and pork.

It doesn’t get much easier than roasting a pork tenderloin. When it’s cooked right, it’s one of the most tender, juicy and delicious cuts of meat you’ll find. And this just may be my new favorite way to prepare it.

As soon as the smell of this dish started wafting through our house, I knew this recipe would be a keeper. It’s insanely good — and insanely simple. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Honey Dijon Pork Tenderloin

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 1 lb. pork tenderloin
• 1/4 cup dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly-ground pepper

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Trim all visible fat from pork tenderloin.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, honey, dill, salt and pepper. Brush mustard mixture all over pork tenderloin.
4. Place pork on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the middle of the tenderloin reads 150 degrees.
5. Cover pork with foil and let sit for ten minutes before slicing.

[/directions]

The post Honey Dijon Pork Tenderloin appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.