When I was a kid, my parents used to get us take-out from our hometown Chinese restaurant, House of Hunan, and Orange Chicken was always in our to-go bag. I’m not sure if it was the sweet taste from the honey and orange or just the exotic name, but this dish was something we had to have every time we went there. These days, I avoid MSG at all costs, so a lot of our local take-out Chinese food is off my list, but not wanting to deprive my kids of some of my childhood favorites, I came up with this healthy and delicious dinner treat that we all loved. With just the right amount of colorful vegetables and a tangy sweet sauce my kids were lapping up, this recipe was not only easy to make, but it actually made me nostalgic for my own childhood. House of Hunan, this one’s for you!

Orange Chicken (Serves 4)

1 Cup Orange Juice
2 Tsp Ginger, grated
1 Tsp Honey
1 Garlic Clove, minced
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Vegetable or Canola Oil
1 Lb Chicken Breast, cubed, boneless, skinless
1 Cup Snow Peas, halved
1 Red Bell Pepper, cut into 1-inch thin strips

1. Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl.
2. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and cook the chicken cubes for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the vegetables and cook an additional 2 minutes then transfer the chicken vegetable mixture to a bowl.
4. Add the sauce to the pan, bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes until reduced by half.
5. Add the chicken and vegetables back into the sauce and cook an additional minute.
6. Serve.

I love it when parents email or send me a message on Facebook asking me to make healthy versions of their family’s favorite recipes. Hands down, one of the most requested one is Chicken Teriyaki. I adore Chicken Teriyaki. What’s not to adore? Teriyaki sauce’s sweet and savory flavor is something that most kids enjoy, and adding it livens up the most simple of foods like salmon, vegetables and of course, chicken.

One of the biggest pitfalls of buying pre-made teriyaki sauce from the grocery is that most brands generally contain loads of corn syrup (a big no-no in my book!). I’ve been buying a corn syrup-free brand from Whole Foods for a long time, but it’s expensive, and when you need a good amount of sauce to marinate the chicken, it’s just not worth it. So, I decided to play around with the general flavors in teriyaki sauce (pineapple, soy and ginger) to see if I could produce a healthy version that still retained teriyaki’s great taste. I can’t believe how incredible the results were and once I found the right balance, it took me no time to throw the ingredients together.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever received as many “this is incredible!” responses from my informal tasting group as I did with this dish. Now I’m adding this recipe to my rotation. So for all of you who suggested it, thank you, and keep the ideas coming!

Teriyaki Chicken (Serves 4)

1 8 oz Can Crushed Pineapple In Juice
1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
3 Tbsp Honey
1 Tsp Fresh Ginger, peeled and grated
1 Small Clove Garlic, minced
4 Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless

1. Place the crushed pineapple and juice, soy sauce, honey, ginger and garlic in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Place the chicken breasts in a bowl (or a zipper bag for easy clean up) cover with 2/3rds of the teriyaki sauce (reserving the remaining for the sauce) and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes (**keeping the chicken in the marinade overnight will make it even tastier**)
3. Preheat the oven to the broil setting and place the rack in the middle shelf of the oven (at this point you can discard the sauce that you marinated the chicken in).
4. Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and broil for 8-10 minutes on each side for a total of 16-20 minutes (if the chicken is thick, it may take an extra minute or two).
5. While the chicken is broiling, put the remaining teriyak-wee sauce in a saucepan, add 1 tsp of cornstarch and cook over medium heat for 1 minute or until thickened.
6. Remove the chicken breasts from the oven and allow to cool for several minutes.
7. Slice the chicken, cover with sauce and serve.

*The chicken can also be grilled for 6 minutes on each side

**Make extra sauce and freeze for up to 4 months.

Recently, Hyundai and Good Bite asked me to participate in David Lawrence’s “Appetite For Adventure”, which challenged 8 food bloggers to come up with recipes using unusual ingredients. I have to admit that I was quite shocked when the ingredient they presented me with was daikon radish. I see these large east Asian radishes all the time at our local farmer’s market, but I’ve never bought one before. What a mistake! They have a great flavor and texture and you can do a lot with them. I got 2 huge ones the other day for just $1 and made several different recipes with them. My favorite is this Daikon Radish Slaw that I used as one component of the Summer Roll recipe I made for “Appetite for Adventure”.

Not only is this dish perfect for a spring or summertime party when you’re feeding a crowd, but the kids I offered it to at our house the other day loved the beautiful colors and tasty dressing! Hopefully I lived up to the cooking challenge, but either way I think you’ll find this dish to be a total crowd pleaser.

Daikon Radish Slaw (Makes 6 Servings)

2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
1 Tsp Fresh Ginger, grated
1 Tsp Sesame Oil
1 Daikon Radish, peeled and grated (about 2 cups)
1/2 Red Cabbage, shredded
1/2 Cup Cilantro, chopped
1 Cup Carrots, grated
1 Medium Yellow, Red or Orange Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
1 Scallions, diced (use the entire scallion, white and green)

1. Place the first 5 ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine.
2. Place the grated radish in several layers of paper towel and squeeze out excess water.
3. Place all of the vegetables in a large bowl and toss together.
4. Pour the vinaigrette into the bowl and toss to coat.
5. Serve.

A mom emailed me this morning and reminded me that this Sunday is not only Valentine’s Day, but also Chinese New Year. She and her husband always used to celebrate both holidays (prior to parenthood) by ordering in Chinese food. This year she wanted to switch things up by cooking a healthy, kid-friendly Chinese meal that her 18 month old would also enjoy. I sent her recipes for Sweet Potato Apple Cheddar “Purses” and Chinese Chicken Dumplings and Vegetable “Fried” Rice, but I thought I’d also add this Shrimp and Rice Noodle Stir-Fry that has become one of my family’s favorites.

Kenya is an obsessive shrimp eater and he also lives for noodles, so this recipe was a no brainer. With a dish like this, I try to pre-cut the vegetables and soak the noodles early in the day so that preparation at dinner time is a cinch. This is an amazing dish to serve your family this Sunday in celebration of two fun holidays. And it’s so easy, you can play with your family all day and then come home and whip up dinner in no time flat! It will be double holiday deliciousness!

Shrimp & Rice Noodle Stir-Fry (Serves 4)

Water
1/2 Package Rice Noodle (about 7 oz)
3 Tbsp Braggs or Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Agave
1 Tbsp Cornstarch
1 Tbsp Canola or Vegetable Oil
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
2 Scallions, chopped
1/2 Cup Snow Peas, chopped
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1 Tsp Ginger, minced
1 Medium Carrot, grated
1 Lb Large Raw Shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used frozen shrimp that I defrosted).
1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds, optional

1. Take 1/2 package of rice noodles, break in half, and soften by following the package directions.
2. Combine the soy sauce, agave and cornstarch in a bowl and stir to combine (sauce will thicken).
3. Heat a wok or a large saute pan over medium heat with oil and add the chopped bell pepper, scallions, snow peas, garlic and ginger, and saute for 3 minutes stirring continuously.
4. Add the carrots and shrimp and cook for another 2 minutes stirring continuously or until the shrimp are cooked through and pink.
5. Create a well in the center of the wok or pan and pour in the soy sauce mixture and heat for 30 seconds.
6. Add the drained rice noodles to the pan, stir fry for another minute or until noodles, shrimp and vegetables are coated with the sauce and are heated through.
7. Serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Boy/Red Chopstick Kid Chopstick+Holder by Fred

Girl/Pink Chopstick Kid Chopstick+Holder by Fred

This is a vegetarian dish that I keep in the fridge at all times. It’s a great recipe to prepare on a Sunday (when things are hopefully calmer in your house) to have on hand all week for lunches and dinners. We all love it in my house, even baby Chloe. I feed her individual lentils one after the other and she can’t seem to get enough of them. As for Kenya, as soon as he found out that the type of kale I use in the recipe is called “dinosaur kale”, he was downing it by the spoonful!

I buy nearly all of the ingredients for this recipe — the lentils and the vegetables — at the farmers market where they’re certified organic, in season, and cost the same price or less than I would find them for at the grocery. When you can make a healthy, high protein, tasty and exotic recipe like this one that everyone in the family loves, it makes for a very happy mommy!

Indian Lentils (Serves 4-6)

1 Tsp Fresh Ginger, grated
1 Garlic Clove, grated
1 1/2 Tsp Ground Cumin
2 Tsp Ground Coriander
1/4 Tsp Turmeric
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Medium Shallot, minced
3 Tbsp Tomato Paste (mixed with 3 Tbsp Water)
1 1/4 Cups Green Lentils
1 Cup Green Beans, chopped
1 Cup Carrots, cut into coins
1 1/2 Cups Kale, shredded (I used Dinosaur Kale)
1 Tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Cilantro, chopped

1. Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl with 1/4 cup of water to make a paste.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and saute the shallots over medium heat for 1 minute.
3. Add the spice mixture and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the tomato paste mixture and cook an additional 1-2 minutes or until the liquid is almost evaporated.
5. Add the lentils and 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Partially cover the pot and cook for 25 minutes.
6. Add the vegetables, salt and cilantro and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until vegetables and lentils are tender.
7. Serve.

*Allow to cool and place in appropriate tupperware or ziploc bag, label and freeze up to 4 months. When ready, defrost in a pot over low-medium heat or in the fridge for 24-48 hours.

When I come up with a new recipe for weelicious, it usually takes me some to test it, write the post and stage and edit the photos and so on before publishing it here. But, earlier this week I innocently posted a picture of Kenya’s lunch on my facebook and Twitter, and almost immediately I was barraged with emails and messages asking what it was that I made. So, by overwhelming demand, I bring you one of my favorite recipes, pumpkin waffles!

Over the holidays, I buy tons of canned pumpkin puree and inevitably it sits in the cabinet for months until I get around to using all of it. This recipe is for anyone who’s overstocked on pumpkin and wants to get rid of it in the yummiest way possible!

In our house, we’re all about serving these waffles for breakfast, but I decided to take them a step further. I like to make a big batch of waffles, enjoy half of them when I make them, freeze a few for future breakfasts (just pop them in the toaster oven when you need them) and make sandwiches with the remaining. Yes, sandwiches. How excited will your kids be when they open their lunch box to see cream cheese (and maybe some sliced fruit) between two fluffy pumpkin waffles? I guarantee you’ll win mom (or dad) of the year for that one!

Pumpkin Waffles (Makes 12 4 inch Waffles)

2 1/2 Cups Flour
1/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar
2 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 Tsp Ground Ginger
4 Eggs
1 Cup Milk (I used rice milk)
1 Cup Buttermilk (I used low fat)
1 Cup Pumpkin Puree
6 Tbsp Butter, melted

1. Preheat waffle iron.
2. Sift first 7 ingredients into a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl whisk the remaining ingredients.
4. Whisk the dry ingredients into the liquid mixture and whisk until smooth.
5. Pour about 1/2 cup of the pumpkin batter into a waffle iron that’s been buttered or greased and cook according to manufacturer’s directions.
6. Serve with maple syrup or make into sandwiches filling with cream cheese and whatever other fillings you desire.

*Allow to cool, place in a ziploc bag, label and freeze. When ready, place in toaster oven or oven at 300 and heat for 10 minutes or until heated through.

We used these to make this recipe:

Proctor Silex 26000 Belgian Waffle Maker, White

This has hands-down become my favorite dinner to make for the family lately. It has tons of flavor, but it’s not spicy for kids with delicate taste buds (unless you’re my son who eats raw onions as if they were candy).

I made this the other night and Kenya had a blast helping me measure out all the spices. Simple little activities like dumping spices into a sauce may seem boring to adults, but to kids it’s a blast. He loved smelling and tasting each spice while we were cooking and eating the final dish (which takes no time to prepare). For this recipe I used chicken thighs because they’re inexpensive, but you could also use breasts if you have them on hand.

Served with a scoop of couscous, this dish will be a hit with even the tiniest eaters in your family.

Braised Moroccan Chicken (Serves 4)

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, sliced thin
1 Tsp Paprika
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Cumin
1/4 Tsp Ground Ginger
1 Tsp Salt
1 15 Oz Can Chopped Tomatoes
1 Can Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed
1 Lb Chicken Thighs, skinless

1. In a large saute pan heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Saute the onions for 5 minutes or until translucent.
3. Add the spices and tomatoes, bring to a boil.
4. Add the garbanzo beans and chicken to the sauce mixture and stir to coat.
5. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.
6. Serve.

Juicing is one of those activities for kids that’s just plain old fun. There’s nothing better then going to the farmer’s market, buying tons of organic carrots, beets, oranges and so on, and then going home with your little one(s) and coming up with all kinds of unique juice creations. Sometimes I’m a little perplexed by Kenya’s choice of ingredients when he points to the ones he wants in his, but he always seems to love the end product. It only goes to prove my theory that when kids are involved in making what they eat and drink, they have pride of ownership and are more likely to try new things. Kenya enjoys the juices so much that he tends to sucks them down faster than we can make them.

I’m not opposed to canned and bottled juices, but most of the ones you’ll find in the supermarket are packed with unnecessary sugars and preservatives that your kids don’t need. There are so many other choices like herbal teas, blender smoothies and of course these juice recipes. They’re actually not even recipes. It’s really up to you and your kids what vitamin rich, nutritious creations you want to drink.

Juicing

We love to make the 3 listed below, but you can be the chef and pick any fruits or veggies you crave.

Carrot, Beet and Ginger
Apple, Celery, Kale and Beet Greens
Beets, Blood Orange and Ginger

*You do need a juice machine for this recipe

1. Turn juicer on.
2. Place a mix of fruits and vegetables in juicer shoot creating the desired amount of juice you want.

*Make sure to wash the produce well. If using carrots make sure to peel them to remove bitter flavor. Remove the outer peel from oranges and grapefruits, but retain the white pith. With most other fruits and vegetables you can leave the skins on and just put them through the juicer.
3. Once all the juice is in the container, stir to combine.
4. Drink and enjoy.

I think Kenya could eat salmon every day of the week if I offered it to him. He adores it plain, but I thought I would jazz it up a bit before he gets bored of it! This is a perfect recipe when you want to feed the kids, but also impress your significant other when they come home after a long day. Kenya was a big fan of this new twist.

Salmon is an incredible source of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D as well as being a high source of protein. I buy wild salmon as often as possible, as there are many documented concerns about the high levels of PCBs in farm raised salmon, but if you can’t find it or it’s too expensive look for Pacific salmon which is generally wild-caught.

Served with a simple steamed veggie and rice, this sweet entree is a super easy recipe to prepare and cleans up so fast, you’ll leave everyone with the impression that you’re a gourmet.

Sweet Broiled Salmon (Serves 4)

2 Tbsp Honey
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
2 Tsp Ginger, peeled and minced
1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar or Cider Vinegar
4 Salmon Fillets, skinned, washed and patted dry
Toasted Sesame Seeds

1. Turn on oven broiler.
2. Place the honey, soy sauce, ginger and vinegar in a bowl and whisk to combine.
3. Place salmon fillets in a zip lock bag and pour in the marinade.
4. Marinade for 15 minutes.
5. Place on a foil lined cookie sheet and broil 4-6 inches from the heat for 7-9 minutes.
6. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve.

I made this sweet gingery tofu with a friend who has 4 kids, age 4 to 14, and she was convinced this would be a pretty tough sell to all four of them come dinner time. I think she was actually laughing at me because the thought of her whole family eating tofu together was absurd. I feel so vindicated! She called me the night she prepared it and said the kids were actually fighting over who got the last piece. Seriously, this recipe is THAT good!

The dish is so easy because you probably have most of the ingredients on hand, you only need one dish to mix them all in AND it’s inexpensive to make: less then $3 for 4 servings! Serve it with some edamame and brown rice and you have a protein, carb and vegetable that makes for the perfectly balanced, asian-inspired meal.

Sweet Gingery Tofu (Serves 4)

1 Pound of Firm or Extra Firm Tofu, rinsed
1/4 Cup Mirin
1/4 Cup Rice Vinegar
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce or Braggs
2 Tbsp Honey
2 Tbsp Ginger, minced
2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
1 Tsp Garlic, minced
Sesame Seeds, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Wrap the tofu in a clean dish towel and weight down for 10 minutes to remove excess water.
3. Cut tofu into even 1/2 inch slices.
4. Mix the remaining ingredients in a 11 x 7 inch baking dish.
3. Mix tofu into marinade and bake for 40-45 minutes.
4. Serve.
* This sauce could also be used for baking fish or chicken. Adjust cooking time accordingly.