Orange chicken Recipe - By Rob

Chicken

·        2 tablespoons cornstarch

·        4 egg whites

·        4 boneless chicken thighs

For the chicken: In a large bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and egg whites with a fork until almost frothy, about 1 minute. Add the chicken to the mixture and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven until a deep-fry thermometer inserted in the oil registers 350 degrees F. Carefully drop the chicken into the oil and move it around, flipping gently, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Let the pieces drain on a plate lined with paper towels for 2 to 3 minutes. Then drop them back into the oil for 1 minute to really solidify the coating.

(Note: You may also choose to pan-fry chicken on high heat for some char, instead of frying) 

Sauce

·        ½ cup orange juice

·        1 tablespoon ginger, minced

·        1 teaspoon garlic, minced

·        1 tablespoon chili/garlic paste

·        ½ teaspoon red chili pepper flakes

·        ¼ cup water

·        ½ teaspoon sesame oil

·        1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce

·        5 tablespoons sugar

·        1 orange, zest of

Mix all of the above.  Put on stove and heat, once it starts bubbling add the following (mixed).  Cook until sauce is thickened.

·        1 tablespoon cornstarch

·        ¼ cup water

Orange-ginger chicken with Broccoli, served with Basmati Rice

Mango Dal - Very Simple

Ingredients:
1 raw or ripe mango, peeled and cut into cubes
1 - 2 jalapaenos
2 cloves of garlic
1 tspn grated or chopped ginger
Oil 1 tblspn
Salt
Hing/ turmeric powder / Garam masala
1 cup Toor dal
Finely chopped Cilantro

Method:

Heat oil in a pressure cooker.
Add hing / jalapaeno, saute for a minute.
Add garlic and sautee.
Add mango pieces, and ginger and sautee.
Add Toor Dal
Add 2.5 cups of water
Salt/ Turmeric/ Garam masala as needed.

Close the lid and let it cook for 4-5 whistles.
Open the pressure cooker lid after it cools down.
Add chopped cilantro and mix well.

Serve it over white rice and pickles or chips on the side :)

Lactation cookies - Pregnancy

Original Recipe from:
- See more at: http://www.bellybelly.com.au/breastfeeding/lactation-cookies/

1 cup self raising wholemeal flour (if you have plain flour, add 1/2 teaspoon baking powder) 

1/2 cup butter (for a healthier option, use organic, virgin coconut oil instead – it’s super good for you!) 

3/4 cup brown sugar (if you want to reduce sugar, you could try just 1/2 cup) 

2 tablespoons flaxseed meal 

1 egg

 2-3 tablespoons of water (depends on how moist you prefer the cookies to be) 
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (optional, for flavour)
 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional, for flavour) 

1-2 tablespoons of brewers yeast – do not substitute with bakers yeast or any other yeast 

1/2 teaspoon salt – use himalayan salt if possible 

1 & 1/2 cups oats – organic, steel cut oats are best for you, but rolled oats are fine 

OPTIONAL: 1/2 cup of your favourite biscuit ingredients (see suggested list below)

 DO NOT  leave out or substitute the brewers yeast when making lactation cookies. It’s one of the main ingredients that makes them work. Nutritional yeast and bakers yeast are different and will not work in the same way. 

Lactation Cookies Recipe – 
Method 
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar, then add the egg and vanilla. 
Mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the flaxseed and water, let them sit for a few minutes before adding to mix.
 Add the dry ingredients (apart from the oats and your additional ingredients) and mix well again. 
Finally, stir in the oats and your additional ingredients. Make the biscuits (I use a dessert spoon as a rough size guide) and place them onto a lightly greased or lined baking tray.
 Flatten them a little with your fingers or a spatula – if you like a soft centre, don’t squash them down too much. 
If you like you can just make them into balls – I do this and I love the soft centre! 

Bake the lactation cookies for around 10-12 minutes at 350F, depending on how well cooked or crunchy you like your biscuits. 

(I just made these and they are delicious!!! I did make a few changes –> substituted half the butter for coconut oil (plus an extra tablespoon of coconut oil) and added 1 additional tbsp water, 1/4 cup peanut butter (to mask the bitterness of the brewers yeast) and 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Also, I only cooked them for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. I highly recommend these changes!!! They came out moist and scrumptious )

Boosting Your Lactation Cookies For Better Results 
Try the above lactation cookies recipe first, but if you don’t notice much of an increase in supply, add more brewers yeast.
 If you like, add more flaxseed meal too, but don’t forget to increase the water when you add more dry ingredients. 
Add a tablespoon of water for each tablespoon of flaxseed meal.
If the lactation cookies aren’t working or for supply issues in general, please get some reliable help from a qualified lactation consultant or breastfeeding support organisation.

 Ingredient and Variation Ideas 
There are so many delicious ingredients you can add to your lactation cookies to flavour them up! 

You might like to add 
coconut, banana,
 grated apple, chic chips, 
sultanas, almonds, 
macadamia nuts, walnuts,
 chopped dried apricots, chopped prunes, dates… the list is endless.

 Our members have made variations of the lactation cookies recipe by using these delicious combinations: 
Coconut and banana Choc chip and cranberry 
White choc chips and macadamias 
Dried apricot and white chocolate 
Apple cinnamon: 1 teaspoon of cinnamon instead of vanilla, 
1/2 cup chopped dried apple and 1/2 cup sultanas. 

BellyBelly member, Audax, also added 2 tablespoons of stewed apple and found the cookies turned out lovely and moist. For a healthier cookie, replace some or all of the butter with virgin coconut oil, which is SO good for your body (inside and out). 

Virgin coconut oil has a mountain of benefits, including anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. Choose an organic oil if you can. For more benefits of coconut oil, visit the Coconut Research Center website. 

For a healthier, more fibre rich flour, use 50% or 100% coconut flour (you might need to add an extra egg). If you only have regular white flour to make lactation cookies, it’s fine, but remember it’s the most unhealthy flour. 

Banana-Walnut Bread

It is easy to make, delicious tasting, and my #1 criteria, the bread doesn't stick up to the roof of your mouth. My husband made it the other night and I asked him to save the recipe.
There are some minor tweaks and tips as follows -

The best bananas to use for banana bread are those that are over-ripe. The yellow peels should be at least half browned, and the bananas inside  squishy and browning. When bananas start to over ripe, store them in freezer.
Use those frozen bananas for this recipe. 

Ingredients

• 3 very ripe bananas, peeled (when frozen, do not thaw, peel them and cut into pieces)
• 1/3 cup melted butter (after you melt the butter, let it sit for 5 minutes before you mix)
• 1/2 cup sugar (less if you would like it less sweet,
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 cup Walnuts
• 1 tsp dash of cinnamon

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), and butter a 4x8-inch loaf pan.

2 In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until completely smooth. Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas.

3  Mix in the baking soda and salt.  Mix in the flour and cinnamon. Stir in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract. Fold in the Walnuts.

4 Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour at 350°F (175°C), or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

5 Remove from oven and cool completely on a rack. Remove the banana bread from the pan. Slice and serve. (A bread knife helps to make slices that aren't crumbly.)

Eat Fresh or Cut thick slice and pan fry it with butter the next day. Enjoy with your freshly brewed coffee.

Original Recipe from:
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_bread/