Panda Express Mandarin Chicken recipe

(this is one that I keep "losing" as its links change)

So tasty, and quite easy to make, especially compared to most mandarin chicken recipes. I don’t always use as much sugar as it calls for…

Ingredients :

2/3 cup sugar

¼ cup soy sauce

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tspn vegetable oil

1 tspn minced fresh garlic

½ tspn minced fresh ginger

¼ cup water

1 tbsp cornstarch

6 skinless chicken thigh fillets

Preparation & Cooking Instructions :

Combine sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, oil, garlic and ginger in a small saucepan.

Combine water with cornstarch in a small bowl and stir until cornstarch is dissolved. Add to saucepan and turn heat to high. Stir often while bringing mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 4 to 6 minutes or until sauce is thick.

Preheat your grill on high for the chicken.

When the grill is hot, rub each chicken piece with oil and cook the chicken for 4 to 6 minutes per side or until done. Chicken should have browned in spots. When chicken is done, chop it into bite-size pieces.

Pour the chicken pieces into a large frying pan over medium heat. Heat until chicken sizzles then reduce heat and cover chicken until ready to serve.

Spoon chicken into a medium bowl, then pour all the sauce over the chicken and stir until well-coated. Serve with steamed rice.

(or just use pre-cooked chicken, any style, and cut into bite-size pieces and mix into the sauce at the end...)

Cauliflower Chowder (easily substituted to make vegan, gf, etc.)

(Shamelessly reposted from http://damndelicious.net/2014/03/22/cauliflower-chowder/ because that site keeps taking forever to load and bogging down my whole computer. And I cannot (easily) figure out how to kill the all caps in the section, so... trying this tonight.)

CAULIFLOWER CHOWDER

Prep Time15 minutes

Cook Time30 minutes

Total Time45 minutes

Yield6 servings

A creamy, low carb, hearty and wonderfully cozy soup for those chilly nights!

INGREDIENTS

• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside.
• Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in cauliflower and bay leaf. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
• Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in chicken broth and milk, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes.
• Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until cauliflower are tender, about 12-15 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. If the chowder is too thick, add more milk as needed until desired consistency is reached.
• Serve immediately, garnished with bacon and parsley, if desired.