Barbecued Chicken with Orange-Basil-Bourbon Sauce

YIELD Makes 3 servings

                                                                                                                  

INGREDIENTS

3          boneless skinless chicken breast halves (halved lengthwise)

1          cup fresh orange juice

¾         cup dry white wine

2          tsp grated mandarin orange peel

½         cup sliced sweet onion (consider red onion)

3          mandarin oranges, peeled & separated into slices

¼          cup sliced fresh basil leaves or 2 teaspoons dried Thai basil

1          TBSP good bourbon

1          tsp sweet onion powder

1          TBSP rice flour

¼          cup blue or chevre goat cheese

PREPARATION:

Combine orange juice, wine and orange peel in saucepan; bring to a boil. Stir in onion, mandarin slices, bourbon, garlic; cook and stir until onion is tender and mandarin slices are coming apart. Reduce heat, and simmer until reduced to ⅓ original volume.

Coat chicken with olive oil; season with garlic powder, white pepper and caraway seed. Barbecue over medium flame until done.

SERVE:

Place one or two pieces of chicken on a dinner plate. Sprinkle with bleu cheese or chevre cheese. Spoon sauce over chicken and cheese. 
Enjoy. 

A collaboration of TJ and her Papa.

Japanese Omelette

TJ Version (dairy/wheat-free &; healthy-ized a little). Inspired by Tamagoyaki.

Ingredients: 

(double ingredients for larger version)

2 large eggs
½ TBSP brown sugar
½ tsp mirin sauce
¼ tsp sesame oil
salt & pepper to taste
Oil for cooking

Beat all the ingredients together with a fork or chopsticks. Don’t use a whisk since you don’t want it to get foamy.

Pour some of the mixture into a hot, well-oiled non-stick pan (we use a well-seasoned 8" cast iron frying pan). The edges will cook more quickly; stir the middle of the mixture until it's "nearly done."  Then flip the whole thing over for a few seconds until it forms a skin, fold it into thirds, and serve.  

Sweet Potato Hashbrowns

Ingredients:

½ cup shredded sweet potato, patted dry

¾ cup shredded golden potato, patted dry

¼ cup julienned ham

4 golden cherry tomatoes, dried, reconstituted, & sliced

1 tsp dried parsley

½ tsp dried (Thai) basil

¼ tsp chili powder

¼ tsp curry powder

¼ tsp paprika

Several grinds fresh pepper, to taste

Salt to taste

 

§         Stir it all up in a mixing bowl until the spices are evenly distributed.

§         Heat a medium sized cast iron frying pan. When it’s hot, reduce heat to medium, heat ½ tsp oil, and half of the mixture. Shape the mixture to a rectangle inside the pan (easier to flip) and press down with spatula. Cook for 10 minutes or so, until it stops sizzling.

§         Flip carefully, without breaking up the patty.

§         In another pan, fry an egg.

§         Serve the egg on top of the patty, with a glass of orange juice or a cup of coffee. Honestly, this would be good with a weitzen, too. 

TJ-Safe Cornbread

1 cup corn flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

½ cup white sugar

   (Recommendation: use ⅔ cup honey instead!)

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon yeast

1 egg

1¼ cup almond milk (sweetened vanilla)

⅓ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup honey for topping

 

Directions

§         Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray or lightly grease a 9 inch round cake pan or a bunch of smaller pans (my preference).

§         In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir in egg, milk and vegetable oil until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.

§         Drizzle honey on the top center of the batter in the pan; use the tip of a fork to mix it into the top ⅛” of batter.

§         Bake in preheated oven or toaster oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is golden brown, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

§         Also: this batter is good for griddle cakes: ⅓ cup of batter on a hot griddle with oil or melted butter. Sprinkle top with ground chocolate nibs & roasted paprika. Flip it when it's ready & drizzle honey on the cooked side while the other side is cooking.