Sesame Chicken

Sauce

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup chicken broth

1-2 tablespoon sesame oil (to personal taste)

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 tablespoon chopped garlic

1/2 tablespoon brown sugar

1 dash red chili pepper flakes

2 teaspoons cornstarch (or more is you want a thicker sauce)

Chicken

4 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon sherry wine

1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder (optional)

2 drops sesame oil

cornstarch, to coat chicken

Vegetable oil or Peanut oil (for frying)

Sesame Seed (to garnish)

Sliced Green Onion (to garnish)

Directions

1. Combine chicken ingredients except cornstarch and let marinate for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.

2. Remove chicken from marinade and toss in cornstarch then cook chicken in hot oil on the stove or deep fryer until cooked thru.

3. Remove from pan and keep warm in oven while making the sauce.

4. Combine all sauce ingredients EXCEPT cornstarch in a sauce pan and bring to a boil over med. heat.

5. Mix cornstarch with a little water (about 1/4 cup) in a cup until dissolved- then slowly add to the sauce mixture on the stove and heat until thickened to the consistency of gravy.

6. Add the chicken into the sauce. Heat thoroughly.

7. Serve over hot rice.

8. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions!

For a healthier option: Skip coating chicken in corn starch, then frying. Simply brown chicken cubes, then add the sauce.

Tequila Lime Flank Steak with Red Potatoes

• 1 cup roughly chopped garlic (approximately 3 bulbs)
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (approximately 8 large limes)
• 1/2 cup clear tequila
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 bunch roughly chopped cilantro, leaves and stems
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 serrano pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds flank steak
• 12 corn tortillas, wrapped in foil

Potatoes

• 1½ lbs. red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into even sized large chunks
• 
  
• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat butter or a reduced-fat spread such as Smart Balance Light
• 
  
• ¾ to 1 cup reduced-fat (2%) milk
• 
  
• ¼ cup fresh chives, chopped fine
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Combine the garlic, lime juice, tequila, soy sauce, cilantro, peppers, cumin, and black pepper in a resealable plastic gallon bag. Add the steak and let marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours. Remove from refrigerator, let marinate at room temperature another 30 to 45 minutes.

Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Remove steak from marinade, reserving marinade. Put marinade in small sauce pot and bring to a boil, then strain and reserve. Put tortillas on the corner of the grill and flip package a few times to heat through while steak is cooking

Place steak on the grill, cook for 4 minutes, turn 180 degrees, and cook for 3 minutes more (to create cross grill marks). Flip over and finish cooking for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on desired doneness. Remove from grill to a cutting board, and let rest, lightly covered, for 5 minutes. Slice against grain; serve immediately with reserved marinade, garnishes, tortillas, and hot sauce.

BBQ Ribs - CrockPot Style

Easy Barbecued Ribs

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution

1.5 tbsp sweet paprika (3tbsp)

1 tbsp light brown sugar, lightly packed (2 tbsp)

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (1/4 tsp)

S&P to taste (about 1 tsp each is what I used)

2 lbs pork (baby) back ribs (6 lbs) - leave the membrane on the ribs to help hold them together

1 cup barbecue sauce (3 cups)

Vegetable oil spray.

In a small bowl, mix together paprika, brown sugar, cayenne and S&P. Rub this mixture all over both sides of your ribs well. Arrange ribs in the slow cooker by standing them up against the wall of the stoneware pot, thicker side down and meaty side against the pot. Pour barbecue sauce over the ribs, cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low (I did 7 hours and they were perfect).Can'

Healthy Tostadas

Posted by: Barb

All portions may vary based on number of people eating dinner

Baked tostadas or tortillas
Laughing cow cheese
Fat free re-fried black beans
Shredded chicken (cooked in slow cooker with chicken broth and spices of your choice)
Toppings: Lettuce, tomatoes, onions, salsa, or anything else you can think of

I know this isn't original, but it's a great idea for a quick easy dinner! I chop and serve all of the toppings on one big cutting board. I obviously need to work on my food photography after seeing Jill's post!

Turkey Meatballs

Turkey Meatballs

Serves 4-6

1.5 lbs ground turkey

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1.5 tsp salt

1 large shallot, minced

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

2 cloves garlic, minced

Combine the milk and breadcrumbs in a small bowl and let stand for five minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the turkey, a teaspoon of salt, red pepper flakes, minced shallot and the soaked breadcrumbs.

Mix well with your hands and form small balls.

Bake the meatballs at 375 for twenty minutes.

http://www.eatliverun.com/let-me-feed-you-a-meatball/

I also added in a little something of my own creation. I wanted to wrap a small mozzarella ball into each meatball. However, I could not find such a thing at my local Publix. So I improvised and used cut up cube sized pieces string cheese instead. Worked great!