Grilled Orange Salsa Steak

grilledsteak

What You Need:

1/2 C of soy sauce
1/2 C green onions, chopped and divided
3 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp hot sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
2 lbs. boneless sirloin steak, 1 inch thick
2 oranges, peeled, sectioned and chopped
2 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp lemon, chopped
1 tbsp lime, chopped
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cilantro
1 tsp jalapeno pepper, minced
1/2 tsp lemon peel, grated
1/2 tsp lime peel, grated
1/8 tsp salt

How to Make It:

Put the soy sauce and 1/4 C of the green onions into a large sealable bag.
Add the lime juice, brown sugar, hot sauce and garlic, seal the bag and shake to blend.
Place the steak into the marinade, seal the bag and turn to coat.
Refrigerate at least 2 hours, turning the bag occasionally to keep the meat well covered.
Preheat the grill to medium heat.
Remove the steak from the marinade, place it on the grill and discard the marinade.
Grill the steak for 5 minutes.
Turn the steak and grill for 5 minutes longer or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees for a medium done steak.
Cool the steak and slice across the grain.
Place the remaining ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir until blended together well.
Sever the salsa over the slices of steak.

Makes 4 servings

The citrus salsa adds a little zing to this delicious grilled steak leaving you with no need for that heavy steak sauce. The marinade gives you a steak that is moist and full of flavor. To grill the steak to medium rare the meat thermometer should read 145 degrees and for well done it should read 170 degrees.

Cucumber Chicken Salad with Fresh Mint

freshmintWhat You Need:

2 C cooked chicken, shredded
2 C seedless red grapes, halved
1 C cucumber, chopped
1/3 C of orange juice
3 T of salad oil
1 T fresh mint, snipped
4 C lettuce, shredded

How to Make It:

Toss the chicken, grapes and cucumbers together in a large mixing bowl.
Pour the orange juice into a jar with a screw on lid.
Add the oil and mint and screw the lid on the jar.
Shake until all the ingredients are blended together well.
Pour over the chicken mixture and stir until blended in well.
Place the lettuce on 4 serving plates.
Spoon the chicken salad onto the lettuce before serving.

Makes 4 servings

Add chopped tomatoes if you like to give your salad some color. Switch up your salad each time you make it by substituting chopped cantaloupe or honeydew melon for the grapes.

Preparation Time: approximately 25 minutes
Total Time: approximately 25 minutes

Nutritional Information: (approximate values per serving)
Calories 269; Fat 16g; Saturated Fat 3g; Carbohydrates 11g; Fiber 1g;
Protein 22g; Cholesterol 62 mg; Sodium 114 mg

Moist Chocolate Cherry Bread

choccherry

choccherryWhat You Need:

1/4 C of orange juice
1/3 C of dried cherries
1 1/4 C of warm water
1 T of active dry yeast
3/4 C of bread flour
1/2 C + 2 T of cocoa powder
2 t of salt
1/4 C of semi sweet chocolate chips

How to Make It:

Pour the orange juice into a saucepan and place the pan over medium high heat.
Bring the orange juice to a brisk boil then remove the pan from the heat.
Stir in the dried cherries and cover the pan.
Allow the cherries to steep in the orange juice for 30 minutes.
Pour the water into a mixing bowl.
Sprinkle the yeast over the water and allow it to stand 10 minutes or until it foams. Sprinkle in the flour and cocoa powder.
Mix on low speed for 3 minutes or until the dough begins to come together.
Add the salt, adjust the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes.
Add the cherries along with the steeping juice,
Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix until the ingredients are just blended in.
Dampen a clean kitchen towel with water and place over the bowl.
Let the dough rise in a warm dry place for about 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
Spray a baking sheet with a non stick cooking spray.
Punch the dough down with your fists then divide the dough into 2 equal sizes pieces.
Using your hands work both pieces of dough to form two tight balls.
Place on the baking sheet, recover with a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
Spray two loaf pans well with cooking spray.
Work both of the dough balls into a loaf form and place into the prepared pans.
Sprinkle the tops of both breads evenly with the chocolate chips.
Cover the pans again with a damp towel.
Let the dough rise for 1 hour or until it fills three quarters of the pan.
Set the oven temperature to 400 degrees and allow the oven to preheat.
Bake 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes 2 loaves

Add your favorite type of dried fruit in place of the cherries. Change the type of juice you use to compliment the fruit.

Baked Chicken in Spiced Orange Sauce

ojchicken

ojchickenWhat You Need:

1 t cumin seeds
1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts
1/2 t of salt
1/4 t of pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 potato, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 bell pepper, cored, seed and cut into wedges
1 small yellow summer squash, cut into chunks
3 C of broccoli florets
6 T of wine vinegar
6 T of orange juice
1 t of oregano
1 t of paprika
1/2 t of allspice
1/4 t of red pepper flakes

How to Make It:

Set the oven to preheat at 450 degrees.
Spray a cast iron Dutch oven with non stick cooking spray.
Sprinkle the cumin seeds over the bottom of the prepared pan.
Season the chicken with the salt and pepper and lay it on top of the seeds.
Scatter the garlic over the chicken.
In order layer the potatoes, peppers, squash and broccoli over the chicken.
Whisk the vinegar and orange juice together until blended well.
Stir in the oregano, paprika, allspice and red pepper flakes.
Pour the mixture over the ingredients in the pan.
Cover and bake 45 or until the chicken is cooked through.

Makes 4 servings

No need to peel the potatoes before cutting them into the cubes. In fact potato skins hold most of the nutrients found in potatoes. Substitute sweet potatoes for the white potatoes if you prefer.

Preparation Time: approximately 15 minutes
Baking Time: approximately 45 minutes
Total Time: approximately 1 hour

Nutritional Information: (approximate values per serving)
Calories 230; Fat 4g; Carbohydrates 18g; Cholesterol 75 mg; Sodium 590 mg; Protein 29g; Fiber 3g

Tuna Steaks with Orange Sauce

tuna

tunaWhat You Need:

3 T of sesame oil, divided
1 C + 2 T of chicken broth
1 C of couscous
2 (4 oz.) tuna steaks, chopped
1/2 C of orange juice
4 t of honey
6 T of soy sauce
6 garlic cloves, chopped
4 T of toasted sesame seeds
1/2 t of ginger
4 C of broccoli florets
1 small yellow squash, sliced thin

How to Make It:

Spread 1 1/2 T of oil over the bottom of a Dutch oven pan.
Set the oven temperature to 450 degrees and allow the oven to preheat.
Pour the broth into the prepared pan.
Add the couscous, stir to coat well and smooth out evenly in the pan.
Brush the tuna steaks with 1 T of the oil and place them into the pan.
Whisk together the orange juice, honey and soy sauce in a bowl until well blended.
Whisk in the remaining sesame oil until well combined.
Fold in the garlic, sesame seeds and ginger and pour half of the mixture into the pan.
Place the broccoli and squash into the pan and add the remaining orange juice mixture.
Cover and bake for 45 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and the tuna flakes easily with a fork.

Makes 4 servings

Make this meal simple by using frozen tuna steaks. Just place the frozen steaks into the pan without thawing. They will cook completely with out adding any extra baking time. If you prefer, you can make this dish using salmon or halibut. If fish isn’t one of your favorites try pork, turkey or beef steak instead.

Preparation Time: approximately 10 minutes
Baking Time: approximately 45 minutes
Total Time: approximately 55 minutes

Nutritional Information: (approximate values per serving)
Calories 475; Fat 14g; Carbohydrates 51g; Cholesterol 43 mg; Sodium 1286 mg; Protein 38g; Fiber 7g

Fruity Trix Smoothies

smoothies

smoothiesWhat You Need:

6 (8 oz.) containers of vanilla yogurt
3/4 C of orange juice
3 bananas
3 C of frozen whole strawberries
Trix cereal, crushed

How to Make It:

In a blender put the yogurt and orange juice and stir just to incorporate into the yogurt.
Break each banana into chunks and put in the blender.
The strawberries are added to the blender.
Cover the blender and blend the mixture until smooth and creamy.
The mixture is poured into glasses and the crushed cereal is put on top.

Makes 10 servings

Kids will love this healthy drink at their New Years Eve party. It not as time consuming as making punch or as cold as a milk shake. Top these drinks with miniature chocolate chips or cut up fruit for a different taste.

Preparation Time: approximately 15 minutes
Total Time: approximately 15 minutes

Nutritional Information per 1 C serving: (approximate values)
Calories 230; fat 2 g; sodium 90 mg; carbohydrates 47 g; sugar 38 g; protein 8 g

Apple Cinnamon Party Tea

cinnamonsticksbow

cinnamonsticksbowWhat You Need:

6 C of water
5 cinnamon apple spice tea bags
1 (6 oz.) can orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 C of honey

How to Make It:

Pour the water into a saucepan and add the tea bags.
Place the pan over medium high heat and bring the water to a boil.
Take the pan from the heat and allow the tea to stand for 5 minutes.
Remove and discard the tea bags.
Add the orange juice and stir until blended in well.
Whisk in the honey until it has completely melted.

Makes 10 servings

To make this tea a little more festive, add cinnamon sticks or oranges slices to each cup before serving. It’s a wonderful way to keep the kids warm and toasty while they celebrate the coming of a new year.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Steeping Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Nutritional Information per cup: (approximate values)
Calories 80; fat 0 g; sodium 0 mg; carbohydrates 21 g; sugar 20 g; protein 0 g

Sweet and Sour BBQ Chicken Quarters

bbqchicken

bbqchickenWhat You Need:

6 chicken leg quarters
3/4 C of ketchup
1/2 C of orange juice
1/4 C brown sugar, packed
1/4 C red wine vinegar
1/4 C of olive oil
4 t fresh parsley, minced
2 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t garlic salt
1/2 t pepper
2 T + 2 t of cornstarch
1/4 C of water

How to Make It:

Cut the leg quarters at the joint then place them in the crock pot.
Whisk the ketchup, orange juice and brown sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
Whisk in the vinegar, oil, parsley and Worcestershire sauce.
Add the garlic salt and pepper and whisk to blend in well.
Pour the mixture evenly over the chicken and turn the chicken to coat completely.
Cook covered on low temperature 6 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees.
Remove the chicken to a warmed serving platter.
Dip out 2 C of the cooking sauce from the slow cooker and pour into a pan.
In a small bowl whisk together until smooth the cornstarch and water.
Place the pan over medium heat and stir in the cornstarch water.
Bring to a brisk boil and stir constantly for 2 minutes or until thick.
Just before serving pour the sauce over the chicken.

Makes 12 servings

If you’re looking for something a little different why not try this for Christmas. Cook it in the slow cooker while you prepare the rest of the meal. Kids love this dish. Separated chicken legs and thighs can be used for quicker preparation.

Slushy Freezer Fruit

frozenfruit

frozenfruitWhat You Need:

4 C of water
1 C of sugar
3/4 C of orange juice concentrate
3/4 C of lemonade concentrate
3 firm bananas, sliced
1 (20 oz.) can unsweetened pineapple tidbits
1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 C maraschino cherries, halved

How to Make It:

Place a large saucepan over medium heat and pour in the water.
Stir in the sugar and both of the concentrates.
Cook the mixture 3 minutes stirring constantly being sure the sugar is completely dissolved.
Take the pan from the stove and fold in the bananas, pineapple, oranges and cherries.
Cool slight and pour into a 3 qt. freezer container and freeze overnight.
Remove 1 hour before serving, stir slightly and enjoy.

Makes 12 servings

Preparation Time: approximately 1 hour 5 minutes
Cooking Time: approximately 3 minutes
Freezing Time: approximately 8 hours
Total Time: approximately 9 hours 8 minutes

This dish is yummy and adds a little fruit to your Christmas buffet. For a more colorful Christmas touch add red and green maraschino cherries.

Strawberry Pineapple Citrus Punch

punch

punchWhat You Need:

1 1/2 C of sugar
8 quarts of water, divided
4 (.14 oz.) pkgs. unsweetened strawberry drink mix
3 (6 oz.) cans frozen orange juice, thawed
2 1/4 C frozen lemonade concentrate
2 (46 oz.) cans unsweetened pineapple juice
2 liters of ginger ale

How to Make It:

In a large saucepan over medium heat put the sugar and 2 quarts of the water.
Cook until the sugar is completely melted, stirring constantly.
Take from the heat and add the strawberry drink mix.
Cool the mixture to room temperature.
Put the mixture in a large punch bowl to serve.
Stir the orange juice and lemonade into the strawberry mixture until well combined.
Stir in the pineapple juice and remaining water.
Pour the ginger ale into the punch and stir slightly to combine.

Makes 3 gallons

This is a quick and easy drink to serve on your Christmas buffet. The kids will love the taste.