CHINESE AMERICAN: Orange Chicken

I wanted to make an Applebee's version of this recipe, so I found one at Recipezaar. To save time in the future, I will probably use a frozen Asian vegetable mix and may even buy the chicken already breaded, but it is oh, so good freshly made. The orange flavor is not too sweet or overpowering as it is in some Chinese (American) restaurants.

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 TBSP vegetable oil
1/2 cup plus 1 TBSP cornstarch
1/4 cup flour (we used spelt)
oil for frying
1 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp grated orange rind
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup sugar (we used less and replaced it with fructose for Jeff's dietary needs)
salt and pepper
rice
slivered toasted almonds
broccoli
red bell peppers
snow peas
chow mein noodles

1. Cut chicken into 2-inch pieces and place in a large bowl. Stir in egg, salt, pepper and oil. Mix well and set aside.
2. Stir cornstarch and flour together in another large bowl and mix well. Add chicken mixture to the flour mixture, stirring to coat each piece well.
3. Fry the chicken in oil until golden and crisp. Do not overcook or chicken will be tough. Remove chicken from oil with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Continue frying chicken in small batches until all are nicely browned and crisp.
4. Cool the oil in the skillet slightly, then remove all but 2 tablespoons of oil and set over medium heat. Sauté garlic in oil for 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and bring to boil. Allow to boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens to your liking, stirring frequently.
5. Pour glaze over chicken. Serve chicken over a bed of cooked rice. Garnish with slivered almonds and crispy noodles. Applebee's tosses the chicken and orange glaze with an array of stir-fry vegetables like broccoli, snow peas and red peppers.

FUSION: Millet Seed Patties

Although some millet patties are considered Northeast African, I don't know the origins of this particular recipe.

1 medium onion, diced
1 cup millet, cooked in 3 cups water
1/2 cup rice, cooked in 1 cup water
1 cup pumpkin seeds, ground
1/4 cup almond or cashew butter
3 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
2 TBSP powdered vegetable soup base
1 tsp sage

1. Saute the onion in a small amount of oil. Cool.
2. Mix all ingredients together. Form into patties (you'll need to press them pretty hard to get them to stick together). Brown lightly in an oiled pan.
3. Serve plain, with gravy, or with salsa. We even tried them with soy sauce.

From Everyday Vegan by Jeani-Rose Atchison

FUSION: Miso Chili

1 onion, chopped

½ cup water

red or green pepper, seeded and chopped

½ tsp ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ TBSP dried oregano

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

2 tsp chili powder

1 ½ cups kidney beans

chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

1 cup cooked brown rice or quinoa

14 oz can stewed tomatoes

2 TBSP miso

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, pepper, and garlic, cooking until softened.
2. Add tomatoes, beans, grains, and dried seasoning.
3. Dilute miso in ½ cup water and add to saucepan. Simmer 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and garnish in individual bowls with cilantro.

From a tofu/soyfoods cookbook

YEMENITE: Unstuffed Cabbage

From Faye Levy's International Vegetable Cookbook

This is one of my long-lost recipes. When I pulled this book off the library shelf, flipped to the Index, and saw Unstuffed Cabbage, I just stood there hugging the book for a full minute.

2 TBSP vegetable oil
2 medium onions, sliced
1 small head cabbage, shredded (1-1 1/4 pounds or 8-10 cups)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 cups long-grain white rice
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
4 plum tomatoes, diced

1. Heat oil in a large casserole or Dutch oven. Add onions and saute over medium heat for five minutes or until softened.
2. Add cabbage and salt, cover, and cook over low heat, stirring often, for five minutes to wilt.
3. Add garlic, cumin, turmeric, and rice and saute about two minutes.
4. Add broth, salt, and pepper. Stir and bring to boil, cover, and cook over low heat for fifteen minutes.
5. Sprinkle tomato on top, cover, and cook five minutes or until rice is tender. Taste and adjust seasoning.

MEXICAN: Taco Filling

From Simply in Season, a cookbook I got last Christmas from Ten Thousand Villages. The book is written by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert.

1 pound ground meat or 2 cups kidney beans (cooked)
¾ cup onion, chopped
½ cup green pepper, chopped
1 carrot, shredded
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 TBSP fresh cilantro, or 1 tsp dried
1 TBSP fresh parsley, or 1 tsp dried
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp lime juice
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp salt
Dash of chipotle pepper or other hot chili pepper
¾ cup cooked rice

1. In a large frypan, sauté the meat, onions, green peppers, and carrot until the onions are clear and the meat is browned. If using beans, drain them, reserving the liquid, and set aside. Do not cook them with the onions, etc.
2. Add the garlic, cilantro, parsley, chili powder, lime juice, cumin, salt, and hot pepper. Sauté until the garlic is cooked. If using beans, add to the mixture with enough liquid so that it can simmer without getting dried out. If using meat, add liquid if needed so that it can stew a little, allowing flavors to blend.
3. Add the rice and stir well. Use mixture to top tortilla chips or to fill taco shells or tortillas. Garnish with any of the following: grated sharp cheese, chopped tomatoes, chopped onions, sliced jalapeno peppers, olives, shredded lettuce or spinach, fresh cilantro, chopped avocado, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, or plain yogurt.

FUSION: Curried Tofu and Broccoli

I got the original version of this recipe from More Choices by Cheryl D. Thomas Peters. I’ve made some adjustments.

1 10-oz. package firm tofu, cut in 1-inch cubes
2 tsp curry powder, divided
2 tsp olive oil, divided
½ cup onion, chopped
½ cup water
2 tsp Bill’s Best Chik’nish Seasoning
1 ½ cups broccoli florets
½ cup red bell pepper, chopped
Brown rice

1. Sprinkle tofu cubes with curry powder and chicken seasoning. Marinate overnight.
2. Next day, heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu; sauté 2 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Remove from skillet, and keep warm.
3. Heat remaining olive oil in the same skillet. Add onion, sauté 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add water and broccoli, red bell pepper, and reserved tofu. Bring to a boil. Cook until water has basically boiled off. Serve over rice.

FRENCH: Tuna Quiche

This recipe is actually from Worthington’s 50 Years in Good Nutrition. It was written for vegetarians using a fake tuna-like substance, but I’ve only ever made it with the real thing. So, here’s my version:

Pie Shell:
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 egg
2 TBSP Earth Balance margarine
1 TBSP parsley flakes

Filling:
1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
12 ounces of tuna
3 eggs
1 ¼ cups soy milk (or whatever type you choose to use)
¼ tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. In a large bowl, combine all of the pie shell ingredients.
3. Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a 10-inch pie pan.
4. Layer pie shell with half the cheese, half the tuna, remaining cheese, and remaining tuna.
5. In a medium-size bowl, combine eggs, milk and salt. Beat together.
6. Pour liquid mixture into pie crust.
7. Bake, uncovered, at 375 F for 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
8. Allow 10 minutes stand time before serving.

Leave it to the vegetarian cookbook to not have a single vegetable in this recipe. And still, I adore it.

ITALIAN: Grilled Vegetables over Rice

I would call this my first grown-up recipe—the first day I made it and ate it was the first day that I had eaten vegetables and truly enjoyed them. It was the beginning of my recovery from my childhood hatred of vegetables.

1 green bell pepper, cut into wedges
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 cup yellow summer squash, sliced
1 small onion, cut into wedges
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 ½ tsp olive oil
1 ½ tsp fresh oregano, chopped, or ½ tsp dried oregano
1 ½ tsp fresh basil, chopped, or ½ tsp dried basil
¼ tsp salt
1 large tomato, cut into eight wedges
1 cup cooked cannellini beans
4 cups cooked brown rice

1. Prepare and cut vegetables. The vegetables should be approximately the same size so that they are done at the same time. The carrots should be very thin so they will be cooked enough in 10 minutes. Combine in mixing bowl all ingredients, except the tomatoes, rice, and beans. Toss vegetable mixture lightly to glaze the vegetables with olive oil, herbs, and salt.
2. Spoon vegetable mixture onto a broiler pan or cookie sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray. Broil 5 minutes; stir tomatoes and beans into vegetable mixture. Baste with additional marinade and broil for 5 additional minutes, or until vegetables are tender and lightly browned. Tomatoes and beans should be just warmed. If you prefer the tomatoes softer, add at the beginning of the 10 minutes.
3. Serve roasted vegetables over a bed of rice.

From More Choices by Cheryl D. Thomas Peters

CHINESE: Quick Fried Rice

My goal is to take this recipe and add zucchini, carrots, and maybe pickled radish to make a Korean version.

1 cup water
1 1/3 cup minute rice
3 TBSP Earth Balance Margarine
1 egg, beaten (or 6-8 oz. meat/vegemeat of choice)
1/3 cup onions, chopped
3 TBSP Bragg Liquid Aminos
1/3 cup water

1. Boil the one cup of water and add the rice; stir and let stand for five minutes, covered.
2. Melt the Earth Balance in a skillet.
3. Add the egg or meat; cook until set or cooked through.
4. Add the onions and rice; cook until slightly browned.
5. Mix the Bragg's and 1/3 cup water. Add to the rice. Simmer five minutes and serve.

EGYPTIAN: Red Lentil Soup

The first time I cooked this was for a memorable Sabbath lunch with Buffy and Helo. Much love to both of you ladies.


1 1/4 cup red lentils
1/2 cup rice
1/3 cup canola oil
1 large onion
6 cups vegetable stock
1 TBSP cumin
1 TBSP olive oil
salt & pepper

1. Rinse the lentils.
2. In a large saucepan, heat oil and cook the onion for one minute.
3. Add the stock and bring to a boil.
4. Add lentils and rice. Cook for twenty minutes.
5. Add cumin, oil, salt, and pepper.

Eat as soon as possible. All of it.

PUERTO RICAN: Rice and Beans

Here's a recipe I think I found on Recipezaar. We are eating this for lunch today. We never have leftovers of Puerto Rican Rice and Beans.

1 16 oz.-can kidney beans
4 oz. tomato sauce
¼ tsp salt
1 envelope Goya Sazon con Achiote seasoning (or ¼ cup or 2 ice cubes of homemade sazon—see recipe below)
1 ½ TBSP of Goya Sofrito seasoning (or homemade sofrito—see recipe below. If frozen, use one ice cube)
½ tsp garlic powder
1 small cooked potato, cubed
1 ½ cups uncooked rice
2 ½ cups water
1 TBSP oil
½ tsp salt

In a large heavy pot, with a tight fitting lid, put the 2 and ½ cups of water, tablespoon of oil, and ½ tsp of salt. Bring it to a boil and stir in the rice.

Bring the rice to a boil again over medium high heat. Stir it, and boil for a full minute. Then put the lid on and reduce the heat to medium low.

Cook for 20 minutes without lifting the lid. After those twenty minutes or so, take off the lid and, with a large spoon, begin lifting the rice from the bottom and bring it to the top. If the rice is not quite cooked, put the lid back on for another 10 minutes and check again.

When the rice is done, put the lid back on and reduce the heat to low for 5-10 minutes. Then turn off the heat.

In a medium saucepan, mix the can of beans, tomato sauce, salt, sazon, sofrito, garlic powder, and cubed cooked potato. Cook it over medium heat while stirring occasionally until the mixture is thickened and hot.

Eat!

GREEK: Classic Greek Spinach

I originally got this recipe from http://www.allrecipes.com/. However, I have modified it to suit my taste.

¼ to ½ cup olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 ½ cups water
1 clove garlic, minced
1 TBSP tomato paste
1 TBSP Bill’s Best Beaf Seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup uncooked long-grain brown rice

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onions and cook until they are tender. Then mix in the spinach and tomatoes. Let the vegetables simmer about 5 minutes.

Pour 2 cups of the water into the saucepan and bring to a boil. Mix in the garlic, tomato paste, Beaf seasoning, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat and cook at a low boil for about 15 minutes, until the water is reduced by half.

Stir the rice and the remaining ½ cup of water into the spinach mixture. Return to a boil, reduce head, and simmer covered until the rice is tender and fluffy.