Maple Orange Chicken - Citrus Blog Hop

A little more #citruslove coming at you today with a healthy, easy, tasty dinner ready in about 30 minutes.

The sauce for this chicken includes orange juice, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, and garlic.  When I was mixing it together, my son asked what it was.  The look of repulsion that crossed his face when I told  him made me laugh.  "Do we have to eat it?" he asked.  Then I made him try some.  He dipped his finger into it once, then twice, then he went for a spoon - it tastes a lot better than it sounds.  It was his suggestion to top the dish with pecans, but we didn't have any (which is why they are not in the picture).  I must say, I agree with him that chopped pecans sprinkled over the chicken and sauce, along with the green onions, would have taken this dinner from "pretty darn good" to "pretty darn great".  The kid's got promise.

When mixing the sauce together, you could put it into a bowl and mix with a wire whisk or a fork, but I much prefer to do it the hillbilly way; dump everything into a jar, screw the lid on it, and shake like crazy.  It's kind of fun, too.

Maple Orange Chicken
serves 4

• Juice of 2 oranges (about 1/2 cup)
• Zest of 1 orange (about 2 Tbs)
• 1/2 c pure maple syrup
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed (or 1 Tbs fresh rosemary, snipped)
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 Tbs butter
• 4 organic, free range chicken breasts (de-boned and skinned)
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tbs non-GMO corn starch (such as Rumford Non-GMO Corn Starch)
• 1 Tbs water
• Hot cooked brown rice
• 2 green onions, chopped
• handful of chopped pecans, optional

In a medium bowl,whisk together the orange juice, orange zest, maple syrup, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and rosemary.  You may also do this in a mason jar with a tight fitting lid; shake well. Set aside.

 In a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat, melt olive oil and butter.  Brown chicken breasts in the butter/olive oil for approximately 2 minutes on each side, or until nicely browned.

Remove chicken to a plate.  Reduce heat to medium.  Pour the orange juice and maple syrup mixture into the pan; scrape bottom to remove any tasty browned bits.

Place the chicken back into the pan.  Cover, and reduce heat to medium low.  Simmer chicken in the sauce for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink, turning once about halfway through the time.

Meanwhile, mix the cornstarch and water.

Remove chicken from pan.  Stir the cornstarch and water mixture into the orange and maple chicken broth.  Simmer for about a minute, or until mixture is thick.

Serve chicken over rice. Top with sauce, green onions, and pecans (if desired).


Please join in on the #citruslove fun by linking up any citrus recipe from the month of January 2012.  Don't forget to link back to this post so that your readers know to stop by the #citruslove event!  The twitter hashtag is #citruslove.


Citruslove Blog Hop Co-Hosts

A Little Bit of Everything ~ Roxana ~ @RoxanaGreenGirl
Astig Vegan ~ Richgail ~ @AstigVegan

Baker Street ~ Anuradha ~ @bakerstreet29

BigFatBaker ~ Erin ~ @BigFatBaker

CafeTerraBlog ~ Terra ~ @CafeTerraBlog

Cake Duchess ~ Lora ~ @cakeduchess

Cakeballs, Cookies and More ~ Sue

Easily Good Eats

Elephant Eats ~ Amy

Georgiecakes ~ Georgie ~ @georgiecakes

Hobby And More ~ Richa ~ @betit19

Mike's Baking ~ Mike ~ @mikesbaking

Mis Pensamientos ~ Junia ~ @juniakk

No One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ TR ~ @TRCrumbley

Oh Cake ~ Jessica ~ @jesshose

Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives ~ Lisa ~ @parsleynsage

Peaches and Donuts ~ Sylvia ~ @PeachesandDonut

Savoring Every Bite ~ Linda ~ @Spicegirlfla

Simply Reem ~ Reem ~ @simplyreem

Smart Food and Fit ~ Lisa ~ @LisaNutrition

Soni's Food for Thought ~ Soni ~ @sonisfood 

Teaspoon of Spice ~ Serena ~ @tspcurry
That Skinny Chick Can Bake ~ Liz ~ @Thatskinnychick

The Art of Cooking Real Food ~ Laura ~ @TAofCRF

The More Than Occasional Baker ~ Ros ~ @bakingaddict

The Spicy RD ~ EA ~ @thespicyrd  

The Wimpy Vegetarian ~ Susan ~ @wimpyvegetarian

Vegan Yack Attack! ~ Jackie ~ @veganyackattack

Vegetarian Mamma  ~ Cindy ~ @VegetarianMamma

You Made That? ~  Suzanne ~ @YouMadeThatblog

Naturally Sweet Apple Crisp

I'm still working through all the apples my parents gave us from before I posted about the Apple Pocket Pies! Applesauce, pie filling, cakes, muffins, apple butter, and this delicious apple crisp.  And in anticipation of the October Unprocessed 2011 Pledge going on over at Andrew Wilder's Eating Rules, I'm dehydrating some apples to use in granola for breakfast "cereal" (which will be one of my family's biggest struggles during the month).

I'm really excited about the pledge; we usually eat very little processed food, but there are a few hurdles we still need to get over; breakfast cereal is a favorite, quick choice for my son, crackers are well loved by everyone, and I'm sure there are a few more that don't scream out to me right now.  Over the course of October, I wonder what else we'll find that we have overlooked.  I'm planning to post our weekly menus along with recipes, and hopefully that will help some of you with ideas about how to proceed.  If you haven't already signed up, head over to Eating Rules and check it out.

I would have no problem with my family eating this apple crisp for breakfast, though. This recipe, originally from a very old country church cookbook in my Stack O' Cookbooks, has been adapted over the years to accommodate my huge disdain for processed sugar (the original recipe had 2 cups!).  It is now sweetened only by apples and maple syrup, which are sweet enough all on their own as far as I'm concerned.  Don't be alarmed by the giant pan of apples and the seemingly small amount of topping - it all works out after the apples cook down in the oven.  For the oil, I usually use butter, but I found when I made a vegan version for some of our friends that I really, really liked the way this crisp tasted with unrefined coconut oil; just the barest hint of coconut, and the topping held together more or less as well as it had with butter.  So feel free to use either butter or unrefined coconut oil (I buy whichever is available; either Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil or  Spectrum Naturals Organic Coconut Oil).  A combination of both butter and coconut oil is nice, too, but be sure they are both melted to liquid form before adding them to this recipe.

Naturally Sweet Apple Crisp
supposed to serve 12, but we've never made it past 8

• 10 c apples, thinly sliced (peeled or not)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbs flour
• 1 c pure maple syrup
• 1 1/4 c rolled oats (not quick cooking)
• 1 c flour (unbleached white or whole wheat or a combination)
• 1/2 c pure maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp aluminum free baking powder (such as Rumford)
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 c chopped raw nuts (I prefer walnuts, but pecans are delicious, too)
• 1/2 c butter or unrefined coconut oil (or a combination)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Place the apples in a 9x13 baking dish.  Sprinkle with 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 Tbs flour.  Pour 1 c maple syrup over all, then toss lightly to mix.

In another bowl, combine oats, flour, 1/2 c maple syrup, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nuts and butter/coconut oil.  Mix well.

Using your hands, sprinkle the mixture over the top of the apples (mixture will be too wet to "sprinkle" with a spoon).

Bake in preheated oven about 45 minutes, or until apples are fork tender and topping begins to brown.

Cool at least 20 minutes before serving.

Banana Walnut Muffins

Quick breads and muffins aren't really that difficult to build.  We need some heft (flour), some flavor (fruit/vegetable/spices), a riser (usually baking powder) and some glue (an egg).  Easy, right?  Well, a lot of muffin recipes call for sugar.  White sugar.  Processed sugar.  And I don't understand.

It's been a long time since I've used white sugar as anything other than a decoration, if I even care to use it for that much.  As far as sweeteners go, if the fruit itself isn't enough to spread around, I tend to rely on the most natural of all sweeteners; honey.

For as much as I love and use honey, I have to say I have a soft spot for maple syrup.

My grandfather tapped the trees on his land, harvested the sap, and cooked it down to that sweet, delicate, thin liquid we poured on our pancakes and waffles.  I even dipped my bacon or sausage it, and it was good.  Darn good.

But guess what.  Maple syrup isn't just for breakfast anymore.

When my children were born, I started playing around with different natural sweeteners so I could avoid giving those new and perfect little bodies straight up processed white sugar.  Local raw honey and local maple syrup worked as a great substitute in nearly every recipe I tried them.

In your search for real maple syrup (please don't waste your money on "pancake syrup" or amost-but-not-quite maple syrup - read your labels!), look locally.  If you absolutely can't find any within a decent drive-able radius, get online and buy from as close to home as possible.  If you do have to drive far, it's a good idea to stock up.

Here is a favorite muffin recipe using maple syrup from a local source.  They are super moist and just sweet enough to let the flavor of the banana be the star. I hope you like them.

Banana Walnut Muffins

• 1 c whole wheat flour
• 3/4 c rolled oats (not quick cooking)   
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 c chopped walnuts
• 1/4 c canola, olive, or coconut oil
• 1/2 c pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 3 large, ripe bananas
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 375F. Grease or line 12 muffin tins.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and nuts. Make a well in the middle.
• In another bowl, combine oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and egg. Using your hands or the back of a fork, gently squash the bananas (don't "mash" them, keep some chunks), and add to the wet ingredients. Stir well.
• Pour the banana mixture into the flour and oat mixture. Stir until just combined.
• Divide batter evenly among the 12 prepared muffin tins. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.