Sweet 'N Sour Chicken

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts (cubed)
1 t. cooking oil
1 t. apple cider vinegar
4 T. Essential Sauce (Gluten Free or Regular)
4 T. Pinapple-Yaki Sauce
1/2 T. cornstarch (to thicken sauce)
Cooked brown or white rice

Cooking Instructions:

• Heat wok or stir-fry pan on medium to medium-high heat.  Add cooking oil to coat pan.
• Add chicken to heated pan and saute for 3- 5 min.
• In a small bowl combine Essential Sauce, Pineapple-Yaki Sauce, vinegar and cornstarch.  Mix well.
• Add the sauce mixture to the chicken and continue to cook for another 3 -5 minutes (until chicken is cooked and sauce has thickened to desired consistency).
• Serve hot over cooked rice.

*Add your favorite vegetables to this dish (carrots, water chestnuts, celery, bell peppers, snow peas, etc).  Cut veggies into bite size pieces and add to pan when sauce mixture is added.  

**The chicken can also be marinated in the Essential Sauce and Pineapple-Yaki Sauce.  Cube the chicken and pour sauce over it.  Place in an air tight container and store in fridge.  When chicken is halfway cooked, add your cornstarch (move chicken to the side and stir cornstarch in with the liquid).

Easy Pineapple-Yaki Chicken

Ingredients:
2 large Chicken Breasts (cut into 2 in chunks)
3 T MIM Pineapple-Yaki Sauce
1 T MIM Essential Sauce (Gluten Free)
Cooked Rice

Cooking Instructions:

• Place cut chicken, Pineapple-Yaki & Essential Sauce in bowl.  Cover bowl and let meat marinate in the fridge for 60 min. 
• Heat a wok or stir-fry pan on medium- high heat.
• Add in chicken and sauces.  Saute the meat for 5 - 6 minutes or until meat is cooked through.
• Serve over cooked rice with a side of vegetables.

This is a very simple recipe, but tasted great.  My kids loved it.  This is what Meals in a Minute is all about - gourmet made simple!

*I combine my chicken (or other meat) and sauces in a ziploc bag and put it in the freezer with a label.  The sauces freeze great as a marinade with the meat.  I am able to just pull out a bag in the morning and I'm ready to go.  It works really well and helps make life a little easier.

Beef & Green Bean

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb Lean Steak (cut into 2 in strips)
2 cups Fresh Green Beans
1/4 cup MIM Essential Sauce (Gluten Free)
1 clove Minced Garlic
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Cornstarch
3 T Butter
1/2 cup Beef Broth
Cooked Rice

Cooking Instructions:

• Melt butter in wok or large stir-fry pan on medium heat.  
• Add MIM Essential Sauce and steak.  Do not turn steak while it sears.  Turn meat over after 1 1/2 to 2 min.  Meat will be about half way cooked.
• Add garlic, onion powder, and green beans, and beef broth.  Cover with a lid and let simmer for 2 minutes.
• Add cornstarch to the liquid in the pan (Slide the vegetables and meat to the side a little, so there is a pool of liquid.  Mix the cornstarch in with the liquid to thicken it into a sauce.)
• Stir the ingredients to coat the meat and vegetables with the sauce.
• Let simmer covered for another 60 seconds.
• Serve over cooked rice.

Coffee Cake {Review}

Coffee Cake [Gluten Free] by Meals in a Minute
Wow!  This was delicious.  I've never tasted a gluten free cake before, but I expected this to be dry and lack flavor....not the case with this Coffee Cake!  This cake was MOIST and full of FLAVOR

This cake is made from one of the prepackaged mixes.  In the center and on top of the cake there is a topping that consists of sliced almonds, chocolate chips, cinnamon, brown sugar. & rice flour.  To the mix you add butter, eggs, and plain yogurt.  I was worried about the cake not rising, but it was not a problem.  I was really pleased all around by this mix.  I served this at a Cooking Demo & Tasting, and the ladies there really enjoyed this Coffee Cake.

This mix can be found here to order.

Panang Curry with Beef

Ingredients:
1 lb Beef (I used top sirloin) - cut into thin strips or bite size pieces
4 Tbsp Panang Curry Sauce
1 Shallot - chopped
1/2 cup Green Bell Pepper - bite size pieces
1 med Carrot - sliced
1/2 cup Broccoli florets
1 can Coconut Milk (14 oz)
Brown or White Rice - cooked

Cooking Instructions:

•  Heat pan or wok on medium heat.  Add half of the coconut milk and half of the Panang Curry Sauce.
• Stir in beef and simmer until beef is partially cooked (about 1 minute).  Try not to stir the meat while it cooks.
• Add vegetables, remaining coconut milk, and Panang Curry Sauce.  Mix ingredients and simmer until meat is cooked and vegetables are tender.
• Serve over brown or white rice.

*This recipe can be substituted with any other protein - chicken, shrimp, tofu, etc.
*To increase the "spicyness" you can add more Panang Curry Sauce.

I liked this curry dish.  I thought the beef was a good flavor with the Panang Curry - also known as a red curry.  It tasted a bit "sweeter" than the Basil Green Curry, but it still had the spice to it.
 
Recipe adapted from Meals In a Minute.

Pan Seared Coconut Chicken

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Breasts
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil (or Canola)
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
2 - 3 Tbsp Coconut Peanut Sauce
2 Tbsp Coconut - toasted
Cooked Rice

Cooking Instructions:

• Rinse and pat dry the chicken.  Rub a small amount of salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken (about 1/8 - 1/4 tsp).
• Heat the coconut oil in a heavy skillet over medium high heat.  When placing the chicken in the skillet it should make a nice sizzle sound.  Place both pieces of chicken in the pan.  Once the edges of the chicken begin to brown, turn chicken over (4- 6 minutes).
• Cook chicken for another 5 minutes, then cover skillet with a lid and turn heat to low.  The steam will finish cooking the chicken.  Test chicken to make sure it is done or to an internal temperature of 165º.
• Serve chicken over rice.  Place toasted coconut over top of cooked chicken.  Drizzle 1 - 1 1/2 Tbsp of Coconut Peanut Sauce over the chicken, add more or less according to your preference.

Steak Peanut Fajita

Ingredients:
1 lb Flank Steak (or other lean steak) sliced in thin strips
1/2 Yellow Onion - sliced
1/2 Green Pepper - sliced lengthwise
1/2 Orange Pepper - sliced lengthwise
2 Tbsp Butter
1 clove Garlic - minced
4 Tbsp Essential GF Sauce
3 Tbsp Coconut Peanut Sauce
4- 6 Flour Tortillas

Cooking Instructions:

• Heat wok or stir-fry pan on medium heat.
• Melt butter in pan.  Add garlic and meat.  Cook meat for about 45 - 60 seconds.  (Do not turn the meat during this time.)
• Add Essential Sauce and Coconut Peanut Sauce.
• Turn meat over.
• Add peppers and onions.  Cook for another minute - or unit meat is cooked to desired doneness.  
• Serve in a warm tortilla.  Top with sour cream and cheddar cheese, if desired.