orange with a hint of spice.

I've been juicing lately. As a result, there's a whole bunch of fruits and vegetables clogging the counter and waiting to be used. One such fruit are some navel oranges that I got on sale. I went a little crazy and got a little too much...sales on fruit here in Guam is something that I try to take advantage of. I just went a little overboard this time around...

So, what to do? Cook with it, of course! That's where this recipe comes in. I've made orange chicken before but I kind of wanted to do something a little different, flavor-wise. What struck me as interesting was the use of cumin and coriander. Cumin? Coriander? With orange?? I gotta try this!

Obviously I made some changes to what I had on hand. Navel for blood oranges. Chicken thighs for chicken breast. Also, dried rosemary as opposed to fresh. But what I ended up with did not disappoint! The spices gave the orange chicken a hint of exoticness which complimented the sweet orange sauce. The added zest I threw in also really kicked up the yummy orange flavor. I do, however, wished that I had fresh rosemary...my dried herb was starting to lose it's potency. To round out the meal, I paired this with some sauteed green beans and some creamy mashed potatoes. Yummy! Definitely worth making and hopefully again very soon!

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Spice Crusted Chicken with Blood Orange Maple Glaze
(from Simply Scratch)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp toasted and freshly ground cumin
1 tbsp toasted and freshly ground coriander
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp light olive oil
2 medium shallots, sliced
3/4 cup blood orange juice, strained {about 4 blood oranges}
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup maple Syrup
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp coarse ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl; combine the cumin, coriander and kosher salt. Season both sides of four chicken breasts using all of the spices in the bowl.

Add the two tablespoons of butter and olive oil to a large 12-inch oven-safe skillet and heat over medium-medium/high heat.

Once hot add the chicken in {top side down} and cook for 4-5 minutes or until a nice crust forms and it is easy to turn the chicken. If the chicken sticks, it needs more time.

Once the crust has formed, flip and slide the whole pan into your preheated oven. Bake the chicken for 20 minutes. Once the chicken is fully cooked, use tongs to transfer the chicken to a clean plate and tent with tin foil to keep warm

Heat the skillet over medium-high heat and add in the sliced shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally until they're soft and translucent. Next, pour in the blood orange juice, chicken broth and maple syrup. Add in the rosemary and black pepper and simmer until reduce by half to 75 % and a thick glaze remains... about 8-10 minutes.

Taste and season with kosher salt to taste {if needed} and add the chicken back it to warm up a tad more, then spoon the glaze over top of the chicken and serve.

falling out of line.

Sometimes I suck at using ingredients in season. Like this dish... I should've made this during November when all the squash was in season and reasonably cheap. But did I do that? NOOOOOOOO.... I just went ahead and made it now... when fall is long, long, gone and spring is about to start in a few weeks. *sigh*

Well... can't really help it, really. I live in Guam where it's perpetually always summer. And since I get tired of doing potatoes and frozen vegetables, I decided that some squash was in order. I haven't had acorn squash in a long time so this was a nice little dish to put together. I halved the recipe since it was just the hubby having dinner. Relatively easy with some surprising elements! Case in point: boiling the lemon for a couple of minutes took the bitterness away!

After the boiling, the lemon slices were edible afterwards (pith and all) and were pleasantly sweet. The taste reminded me of sweet lemons I bought at a farmer's market right before I left San Diego. Must remember to do that for future recipes that call for lemon slices in the dish.

For the pilaf, I decided to take a shortcut of sorts and used a boxed mix in order to replicate this pilaf. I basically added some veggies to it and called it a day. Ah, laziness! Anyhoo, here's what I did...

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Chicken Thighs with Roasted Acorn Squash and Canadian Maple Syrup
(from Fresh Canteen)

5 pcs chicken thighs
1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeds removed
1 clove garlic, minced
2 to 3 green onions, green and white parts thinly sliced
1 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped
1 tsp coriander seeds
olive oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
butter
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 (1 to 1.5lbs) acorn squash

Preheat oven to 425F

Prepare Chicken:
Bring a small pot of water to boil & add the lemon slices, boil for 1 1/2 minutes & remove slices. Cut each slice in half. In a bowl large enough to hold the chicken, add 1 Tbsp olive oil, chopped sage, garlic, coriander, 1 tsp salt & a good grind of pepper. Add the chicken, lemon slices & toss to distribute the mixture, set aside

Prepare the sauce & squash:
In a small sauce pan melt over medium heat 2 1/2 Tbsp butter, maple syrup, chili powder & a good pinch of salt. Simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes, set aside. Place the squash stem side down or cut the bottom point of the squash so it will sit flat. Using a sharp chefs knife, cut the squash in half & remove the seeds. Slice the squash in 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices (if you want to peel the squash, use a vegetable peeler after the squash has been cut in slices). Place the squash in a bowl & toss with the maple sauce.

Cook the chicken:
Spread the squash on a medium to large rimmed sheet pan or an oven proof pan large enough to hold the squash & chicken without crowding. Place the chicken on top of the squash. Roast for 15 minutes. At the 15 minute mark sprinkle the green onions over the chicken & squash. Continue roasting for another 15 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink.

Plate your dish:
Serve family style or plate individually with some rice, making sure to share all the delicious pan juices from the chicken. Garnish with some extra lemon slices.

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Wild Rice Pilaf with Cranberries and Kale
(adapted from Cook's Hideout)

I tbsp butter
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup carrot, chopped match-stick size
1 cup kale, stem removed and chopped small
1 (4.3oz) box Rice-A-Roni Long Grain & Wild Rice
1 2/3 cup water
1/4 cup dried cranberries
handful of pine nuts

In a medium saucepan over low heat, cook pine nuts for about 5 to 7 minutes or until toasted. Be careful not to burn. Once toasted, remove from heat and set aside.

Return pan to stove top and increase to medium-high heat. Add the butter to the pan and saute onions and garlic until fragrant. Add kale and carrots, cooking for 5 to 7 minutes or until just wilted. Stir in the rice and seasoning packet from the Rice-A-Roni box. Cook for 1 minute then add the water. Bring to a boil then cover, reducing heat to low.

Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until rice is tender. Fluff the rice and stir in dried cranberries and pine nuts. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Makes about 2 cups of pilaf.

creature comforts.

after about three months here on the island, i feel a little homesick at times. especially since my last birthday, i really miss my family and especially my twin sister. it's wierd what you take for granted and how things change. back when i was in san diego, i bitterly missed my fiance and now things are the opposite. i've always been a little bit strong, though, so i've been keeping myself busy with hobbies and cooking. granola was my favorite snack back home and iit still is now. unfortunately, things here are a little bit more pricey so i've made do with making stuff homemade. granola was no exception.

Cranberry Maple Granola
(adapted from Bon Appetit)

3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 egg white
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
3 cups old-fashioned or quick cooking oats
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 cup dried cranberries

Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 325°F. Generously coat heavy large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Stir together sugar and syrup. Whisk in egg whites, extracts, and spice. Add oats, flax seeds, and coconut; toss well.

Spread mixture in even layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake 35 minutes. Using metal spatula, turn granola over (bottom will be brown). Bake 10 minutes. Cool granola completely in pan. Sprinkle in cranberries then store in airtight container.

portable granola.

I love granola. seriously, I do. I like them plain, with nuts, with fruit, on yogurt, in bread...you name it, I like 'em with, it, on it, and made from it. I remember a few years back, I went out on a granola binge and for days on end granola would be the only thing that people would see me eating. I had six or seven boxes at any given time and they would all be gone in a couple of weeks. that's not even including the bars i kept everywhere. yeah..it was bad.

but for all that granola loving that I did, I never once made my own granola or granola bar. which is weird, considering it's relatively easy to make. so I decided to make some bars. I decided on this recipe since the pictures looked so damn good. I love them chewy granolas! I made some substitutions based on what i had on hand and the resulting granola bars weren't as chewy as i'd hoped. but! they were good none the less and came out having a strong peanut-butter taste. next time, i'm gonna follow the recipe and see what they're supposed to taste like. :) here's the original recipe:

Thick and Chewy Granola Breakfast Bars
(from Smells Like Home)

1 2/3 cups oats (quick-cooking or old fashioned)
1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar (use more for a sweetness akin to most purchased bars; use less for a mildly sweet bar; omit altogether if your add-ins are super sweet)
1/3 cup oat flour (or 1/3 cup oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor or blender)
2 tbsp finely ground flax seed (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 to 3 cups dried fruits, nuts, chocolate, coconut, seeds, etc. (total of 10 to 15 ounces)
1/3 cup peanut butter or another nut butter (optional but recommended)
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
2 tablespoons corn syrup (light or Lyle’s Golden)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper leaving the ends of the paper to hang up and over the two opposite sides of the pan. Lightly grease the paper and the exposed sides of the pan.

2. In a large bowl, stir the oats, sugar (if using), oat flour, flax, salt, cinnamon, and your dry add-ins together. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the peanut butter, vanilla, butter, honey/maple syrup, and corn syrup together until will combined and smooth. Immediately pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and with a rubber spatula, mix everything together until the oats are well-coated and sort of crumbly.

3. Transfer the granola mixture to the pan, pressing it down firmly and evenly into the pan. Make sure the granola is tucked into the corners and sits tightly up against the sides of the pan – this will help when cutting them. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the top is nicely browned. Cool the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes then transfer the uncut bars on the parchment paper from the pan to the rack to cool completely. Once they’ve cooled, transfer them to the fridge to set up well before cutting. Cut into 2-inch square pieces.

EDIT: found another good recipe that's somewhat similar to this one but a little less peanut buttery. tried this recipe and it was killer! gotta make more...!