This post is sponsored by Florida Department of Citrus.

What's perfect for summer? A light and fresh cold noodle dish and citrus right? These orange sesame noodles with vegetables fit that bill!

They are light and easy to make! You can use soba noodles or thin spaghetti, whichever you prefer!

I love cooking and baking with Florida orange juice. Did you know it was so easy to cook with? (If you missed out my orange tres leches cake…you need to check it out!)

Prep the veggies.

Boil the noodles and then parboil the veggies.

I like these noodles cold, so refrigerate the noodles and the vegetables.

Mix up the sauce…

then add the Florida orange juice!

Whisk it all together!

Mix the vegetables up with the noodles.

What I love about this dish is that you can make it ahead! If you do make it ahead, don't add the sauce until you're ready to serve.

I can't wait for you to make this…I know you'll love it!!!

Make sure you follow the hashtag #AmazingInside on on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and join in on the conversation! Be sure to follow Florida Orange Juice on Facebook, follow on twitter and on instagram!

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Orange Sesame Noodles with Vegetables Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound soba noodles or thin spaghetti cooked al dente according to package instructions
• 2 carrots peeled and sliced at an angle
• 1 broccoli head cut into bite-sized florets
• 1 red pepper sliced and then cut in thirds
• 1/2 cup snap peas
• 1 garlic clove peeled and minced
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sriracha
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 green onion sliced
• sesame seed to garnish

Instructions

• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Remove pasta with tongs and place in a medium sized mixing bowl. Allow it to cool on the counter for a few minutes and then put it in the refrigerator.
• Add broccoli to boiling water and cook for one minute. Remove with a slotted spoon. Rinse carefully with cold water (to stop the cooking). Add carrots and cook for about four minutes. Remove with a slotted and rinse carefully with cold water. Do the same for the snap peas, cook for just one minute.
• Place the cooked vegetables in the refrigerator while you prepare the sauce.
• Add minced garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce and sriracha to a small bowl. Whisk together and then add orange juice. Whisk together.
• Take pasta and vegetables and mix together. Add orange sesame sauce and mix together. Garnish with green onions and sesame seed.

Notes

Note: If you’re making it a day ahead, keep the sauce separated from the noodles and veggies until you’re ready to serve!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Florida Department of Citrus. I only work with brands that I love and only share with you my own opinions. Thank you for supporting the brands that make The Little Kitchen possible.

The post Orange Sesame Noodles with Vegetables appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

This post is sponsored by Soy Vay®.

I love easy meals for weeknights. And this one I'm sharing with you today is so easy…it's only five ingredients! You can't get any simpler and you can sub out for your favorite vegetables and have dinner on the table in 40 minutes! And even better, it only cooks in one pot…can't get any better than that!

The main ingredient is Soy Vay® Veri Veri Teriyaki Marinade. I love using this stuff right out of the bottle for marinating chicken, tofu, veggies, beef, etc. This is the ingredient that gives this dish the huge amount of depth and flavor.

And even better, it's has no preservatives and no artificial flavors!

For this recipe, I wanted to add a citrus element so I mixed the marinade with orange juice. All of my ingredients…I purchased at Walmart in the Asian section.

Add the boneless skinless chicken thighs to the bag.

Seal it up and mix it up.

Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.

Prep the veggies, I cut the broccoli up.

And slice the red pepper into strips.

When you're getting ready to cook the chicken, remove the chicken from the plastic bag and place on a paper towel-lined plate. This will remove the excess marinade and ensure the meat will get seared.

Cook the bottom of the chicken first.

And then next, cook the tops of the chicken. (brown each side of the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes.)

Remove the pan from the heat and add in the reserved 1/4 of the marinade mixture.

Add the vegetables.

And place the pan in the oven for about 15 minutes.

And then you'll have perfectly cooked chicken and vegetables.

Serve it over rice and your family will love this! I seriously can't wait to make this again for dinner! It's so good and so easy to make!

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Citrus Teriyaki Chicken with Broccoli and Red Pepper Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs about 6 thighs
• 1 cup Soy Vay® Veri Veri Teriyaki Marinade
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 broccoli head cut into florets
• 1/2 red pepper sliced into strips

Instructions

• Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Mix together Soy Vay® Veri Veri Teriyaki Marinade and orange juice. Reserve about 1/4 cup of marinade mixture and set aside. Open a gallon-size plastic zippered bag and place upright inside a casserole dish. Pour marinade in bag and place chicken inside. Seal the bag and massage the bag so the marinade distributes and all of the chicken is evenly coated. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
• Remove the chicken and place on a paper towel-lined plate.
• Heat a large oven-safe skillet with olive oil on medium for 3 to 4 minutes. Brown the chicken 3 to 4 minutes on each side. (Lower heat to medium if needed.) Remove skillet from heat.
• Pour reserved marinade into the skillet with the chicken. Season vegetables with salt and pepper. Place vegetables in the pan with the chicken. Place skillet in the oven for 15 to 17 minutes.
• Serve with rice or noodles.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Soy Vay®. The opinions and text are all mine.

The post Citrus Teriyaki Chicken appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

This post is sponsored by KC Masterpiece®.

You guys, I love that it's spring and that it's almost summer. The weather is great, perfect for grilling, perfect for BBQ. This recipe for BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizzas is perfect for a weeknight meal or perfect for your next get together. It's so easy to put together and I know you'll love it!

I'm so excited about this new product from KC Masterpiece®, their BBQ Sauce Mix and Dry Rubs. There are three great flavors: Original, Sweet Honey, and Spicy Habanero. For this recipe, I used the Original.

You can customize it to your taste, use cola, water, beer or juice. I opted to use pineapple juice and loved it!

Whisk it together.

And that's it!

Divide the BBQ sauce in half…two different bowls and then set aside.

I had leftover bacon in my fridge, just cut it up. But not too small, I like to have big chunks on my pizza.

Prep the chicken and cut into cutlets. Salt and pepper each side and then add the dry rub on each side.

I have a grill pan and love that I can grill outdoors with our grill on our porch or on a grill pan indoors.

Nice marks, right?

Once you flip the chicken, add some sauce with a grill brush. Cook for another 60 seconds on each side.

Let your chicken rest at least 4 minutes before cutting it up.

Now prep the pizzas. I brushed some BBQ sauce onto the flatbreads (that's my pizza sauce).

Add cheese and chicken.

If you're using broccoli, add that and then add the bacon.

It only takes 10 minutes in the oven.

Cut it up and serve 'em hot!

KC Masterpiece® BBQ Sauce Mix and Dry Rubs are available at Walmart. It's so helpful that you can grab everything you need for spring and summer entertaining at Walmart!

We loved loved this pizza…you can add different veggies if you'd like. Next time, we're going to add red onions. And if you like traditional red sauce, you can add some of that too!

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BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizza Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 2 to 3 (6 to 8 as an appetizer)

Ingredients

• KC Masterpiece® Original BBQ Sauce Mix and Dry Rub
• 3/4 cup liquid can be water, cola, pineapple juice or beer
• 2 to 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into cutlets
• 2 pieces flatbread I used Naan flatbread
• 4 pieces cooked bacon chopped
• 3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• broccoli cut into florets

Instructions

• Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Make the BBQ sauce. Take one packet from the KC Masterpiece® Original BBQ Sauce Mix and Dry Rub and empty the contents into a small mixing bowl. Add 3/4 cup liquid, I used pineapple juice. Use a whisk to mix. Divide in half, put half in another bowl. Set both bowls aside.
• If you’re using an outdoor propane grill, turn the grill at high heat. Allow grill to heat up for about 10 minutes. If you’re using an indoor grill pan on your range, turn the heat on to medium heat and allow to heat up for about 5 to 6 minutes.
• Prep the chicken and cut into cutlets. Salt and pepper each side and then add then add the KC Masterpiece® dry rub on each side. (Place the remaining dry rub into a sealed container for later use.)
• If using outdoor grill, turn heat to medium heat. Add chicken and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Adding BBQ sauce with a grill brush after flipping the chicken. Cooking an additional 60 seconds on each side.
• Remove the chicken from the grill and place on a clean plate. Allow the chicken to rest at least 4 to 5 minutes before cutting it up.
• Place flatbreads on a baking sheet, add reserved BBQ sauce with a brush or a spoon. Add 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese to each flatbread. Add chicken, broccoli (if using) and bacon. Then, add the remaining cheese about 2 tablespoons on each pizza.
• Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes. If you like the cheese crispy on top, turn the oven to broil and broil the pizzas for about 2 to 3 minutes (being careful not to burn them).
• Cut into pieces and serve immediately.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of KC Masterpiece®. The opinions and text are all mine.

The post BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizzas appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

I'm all giddy thinking about sharing this recipe with you. This is another installment on my project with McCormick Gourmet. Thinking about what kind of recipe I wanted to make with farm-to-table ingredients and pairing with their high quality spices, I immediately thought of wonton soup. It's officially Fall and even though it's still warm here in Florida, I'm ready for soup. Okay, let's face it, I can have soup year-round.

I remember my Mom making wonton soup for us when I was a kid and how comforting it was. I would cut the wontons with the edge of my spoon and eat the dumpling part first and leave the “pasta” in the bowl and eat that last.

Although, this is a little different from the recipe she would make for us and a little non-traditional, it has so much flavor, it's very filling; good enough for a meal but not overfilling and full of fresh ingredients. It will make you feel good to make and eat. The wonderful thing about this recipe is you can switch out the fresh produce for what's in season and what you have on hand that's fresh. 

I used cabbage for the filling but you can use shredded Brussels sprouts if that's what you have on hand.

For the soup, I used escarole lettuce but you can use romaine lettuce or even sliced mushrooms if that's what you have. And instead of broccoli, you can use cauliflower or kale. The sky's the limit on what you can do as far as fresh produce in this soup!

Traditional wontons have a pork filling but I opted for a mixture of ground pork and shrimp. You can go all the way pork, all the way shrimp or mix it up like I did.

I smashed the shrimp with the side of my knife and then chopped it up.

Here's the line-up for this recipe: McCormick Gourmet Ground Ginger, Ground Coriander Seed, California Garlic Powder and Ground Cayenne Red Pepper. These are quality spices…a little bit goes a long way.

Add all of the filling ingredients along with the spices, salt and pepper.

And seriously, just use your hands to mix the filling up.

All done.

Add 1/2 tablespoon of filling to the middle of the wonton shell.

Fold up the opposite corners to meet.

I pat around the filling to make sure there are no air bubbles when you cook them.

A little easier to see.

Using your thumbs and fingers, pinch the wonton shell.

Pinch, pinch…

Pinch.

See my hands?

Almost done.

See how easy it is?

And I always say, when you turn it upside down, it looks like a ghost!

Doesn't this look like fun?

I boil them in small batches, 6 to 8 at a time for 4 minutes.

The soup broth is easy, it's chicken broth with McCormick Gourmet Ground Ginger and Ground Cayenne Red Pepper.

And guess what? These freeze rather nicely! Freeze them on a baking sheet in one layer and then place them in a zippered plastic bag and date it with a permanent marker. You can boil them straight from the freezer!

It's so warm and comforting. The little bit of Ground Cayenne Red Pepper gives the broth a nice little kick. The veggies in the soup make you feel good. This dinner was a winner in Curtis' book. Love love love, I hope you try this soon!

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Pork and Shrimp Wonton Soup with Broccoli and Escarole Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

Wonton Filling

• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/2 pound shrimp peeled, deveined and washed, smashed and chopped
• 2/3 cup chopped small green cabbage
• 2 green onions sliced thin (divided in half)
• 1/4 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Ground Ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Ground Coriander Seed
• 1/2 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet California Garlic Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• wonton wrappers
• 8 to 10 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Ground Ginger
• one or two pinches McCormick Gourmet Ground Cayenne Red Pepper optional
• broccoli cut into florets
• sliced escarole or romaine lettuce

Instructions

• Add wonton filling ingredients to a medium-sized mixing bowl and mix together, you may have to use your hands.
• Add water to a medium-sized pot and bring a boil. Add chicken broth, sesame oil, ground ginger and ground cayenne red pepper to a large pot. Turn on low heat.
• Add 1/2 tablespoon filling to the middle of a wonton wrapper, fold so it's a triangle. Flatten out to ensure there are no air bubbles when boiling. Using your fingers and thumbs, pinch the wrapper shut.
• Boil wontons 6 to 8 at a time for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and portion out to bowls for serving.
• Increase heat of the broth to high and allow to boil for about 5 minutes. About one or two minutes before ready to serve, add broccoli and green onions.
• Ladle broth over wontons and serve topped with escarole.

Notes

Freezing Tips: Freeze the filled wontons on a baking sheet in one layer for at least 20 minutes (not touching). and then place them in a zippered plastic bag and date it with a permanent marker. You can boil them straight from the freezer! When boiling them, add 1 or 2 minutes to the cook time for the wontons.

from The Little Kitchen

Disclosure: This post by McCormick Gourmet. I’m thrilled to be working with them, I always share with you my own words and opinions and only work with brands that I love.

The post Pork and Shrimp Wonton Soup with Broccoli and Escarole appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

It's no secret I love soup. Doesn't matter what time of year it is, I will eat it! When Christine and I were planning a way to surprise Katie (she's having her first baby next month!), all I could think of was broccoli. I know Katie loves broccoli…I was thinking about doing a quiche but when I thought of combining broccoli and cheese…I thought of Panera. I love Panera Bread's broccoli cheddar soup and thought maybe, maybe just maybe I can make a quick version of their soup.

Chop the broccoli into florets. I like big pieces of broccoli in my soup but if you like them smaller, feel free to chop them even smaller.

Prep the onions and the carrots.

I cook the onions and carrots in the melted butter.

After bringing the cream and broth to a boil…add potato flakes. This is my secret ingredients for soups lately. Love love this trick. It thickens it just a little bit and gives it a nice full flavor. Then, add the broccoli and the cheese.

And it's pretty darn close and so good! Serve with some bread or a salad and it's the perfect, quick and easy soup for busy families!

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Easy Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 small onion diced small (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 carrots peeled and diced small (about 1/2 cup)
• salt & pepper
• 1 quart plus 1 can 14.5 ounce chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup instant potato flakes
• 3 to 4 heads of broccoli cut into florets
• 3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese plus more for topping

Instructions

• Melt butter in a large French oven over medium heat. Add carrots and onion and cook for 4 minutes. Add salt and pepper.
• Add chicken broth and heavy cream. Bring to a boil and allow to boil for 5 minutes.
• Add potato flakes and stir. Simmer for about 3 minutes.
• Add broccoli and cheese and return heat to medium and cook for another 10 minutes minutes. Season salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with cheese.

And look at all of these wonderful recipes from a bunch of Katie's friends! Please stop by these wonderful blogs, Katie's other friends who are celebrating the impending arrival of Katie's first child! Love, love that everyone came together to make this a special day for Katie.

To Katie: I hope this was a surprise! Congrats to you!

Easy Broccoli & Cheddar Soup from The Little Kitchen
Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers from Cook the Story
Individual Tortilla Caprese Pizzas from a farmgirl's dabbles
Easy Cheesy Potato Corn Chowder from A Little Claireification
Slow Cooker Jambalaya from A Spicy Perspective
Italian Style Stir Fry from Aggie's Kitchen
Apricot Chicken from Bombshell Bling
Easy Baked Spaghetti from Chocolate & Carrots
Cuban Casserole with Whole Grain Mustard Butter Biscuits from Climbing Grier Mountain
Freezer-Friendly Quinoa Meatballs from Cooking with Books
Baby Boy Subway Art Printable from H2OBungalow
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Cake from Inside BruCrew Life
Asparagus And Leek Quiche from Kokocooks
Roasted Lemon Parmesan Chicken with Red Potatoes from Life After Empty Nest
Yogurt Blueberry and Honey Smoothie from My Sweet Zepol
Pesto Parmesan Chicken Salad from Shaken Together
Printable Baby Whale Themed Cards and Project Life Mini Album from Simply Kelly Designs
Coconut Cookie Butter Sandwich Cookies from Simply Southern Baking
Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Garden Vegetables from Sweet Remedy
Easy Kofta Kebabs from Tasty Chomps
Crock Pot Fajitas with Chicken and Quinoa from The Dinner-Mom
Overnight Oatmeal from The Hungry Housewife
Honey-Dijon Chicken, Apple & Quinoa Wraps from The Kitchen Prep
Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Soup from The Lemon Bowl
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Tacos from The Nifty Foodie
DIY Whale Art from While They Snooze
One Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice from Yellow Bliss Road

The post Easy Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

I'll admit before trying this recipe at home, I made tempura using the batter mixes from a box. It never tasted like what I'm used to at Japanese restaurants so I haven't tried it again since.

A couple of months ago, KitchenAid invited me to attend the South Beach Wine and Food Festival. I was so excited when they asked if I wanted to attend, it's an event they are a big sponsor of. And can you believe I have never been to Miami and I live in Florida? I jumped at the chance to attend the festival and go to Miami for the first time.

When I first arrived, I was trying to figure out where the entrance was. You see, this wine & food festival was on the beach! Then, I saw Ashley. I had met her last year at Food Blog Forum and she is as sweet as can be. I ended up hanging out with her, her husband and her friends. They are hilarious and so fun!

Then, we happened upon this huge sign and we became so excited!

I was oohing and ahhing over the KitchenAid appliances. Aren't those colors so fun??? I can't choose a favorite — love them all!

And those wall ovens, I wish wish my kitchen wasn't so small so I could have KitchenAid wall ovens!

It was Andrew Zimmern who showed us how to make tempura and showed us how EASY it is to make over at the KitchenAid demo stage.

He talked about how tempura is actually Portuguese not originally from Japan like everyone thinks. And I love this quote from him: “food is delicious but food with a story is even more delicious”.

I also saw cooking demos from Robert Irvine who I learned about grape seed oil from and Chef Michael Symon.

And then I proceeded to eat and eat and eat.

My favorites in the grand tasting tent were shrimp & grits and red velvet cakes!

This recipe is pure genius and so easy! Andrew talked about the importance of a cold batter — so he uses ice water and only makes the batter a little bit at a time. If you need more batter, then you make more. And he uses cake flour!! And you want lumpy batter, lumpy is good.

I set up a little station of veggies and shrimp all ready and prepped.

First get the veggies into some cake flour and then drop them into the batter.

And then fry these little puppies! It's amazing, they only take 2-4 minutes to fry up. Andrew (like how I'm calling him by his first name like I know him?) said if it takes longer than that to cook then you have cut your veggies too thick!

I don't know if I should be saying this but I will anyways, Curtis was giddy like a school girl for tempura. He doesn't like sushi and LOVES getting tempura when we go to Japanese restaurants. He's the one who suggested we do chicken too. This recipe is a total keeper! My favorite? The shrimp. Curtis' favorite — the broccoli. We will be making this again and soon!

I didn't make Andrew's dipping sauce which is more authentic but I plan to try it soon!

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Tempura Shrimp & Vegetables Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 1 pound extra large shrimp peeled with tail left on and deveined
• 1 pound chicken tenderloins
• zucchini sweet potato, potato (your favorite veggies), sliced thin
• broccoli cut into florets
• 6 cups canola or vegetable oil
• 1 cup sesame oil don't use toasted sesame oil
• 3 cups cake flour plus some extra for dusting
• 3 eggs
• ice water
• club soda

Dipping Sauce

• low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 green onions sliced

Instructions

• Prep shrimp (Andrew Zimmern's advice is to make 3 shallow nicks or cuts on the bottom of the shrimp and gently flatten or pound the shrimp with the side of a knife to flatten), chicken and vegetables and place them in bowls for easy access when frying.
• Heat oils in a large pot or French oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet with foil and line with paper towels.
• Add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of cake flour to a shallow bowl and set aside.
• Beat an egg in a measuring cup and add ice and water to make 3/4 to 1 cup. Add to a mixing bowl and add 3/4 cup cake flour. Mix with a pair of chopsticks or a butter knife. Batter will be lumpy, don't over stir. Add a tablespoon or two of club soda and quickly stir.
• One piece at a time, dip in the dry cake flour in the shallow bowl and then dip into the batter. Remove excess batter by shaking then add to hot oil, being very careful not to burn yourself. Fry about five to eight pieces at a time for about 2 to 4 minutes or until golden and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to turn them over when necessary and to remove them from the oil. Place on prepared baking sheet to allow excess oils to be removed.
• If you need more batter, make it as you need it (so that it remains ice cold for the entire time you're using it).
• Serve immediately with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce

• Mix together soy sauce, ginger and green onions.

Notes

ever so slightly modified from Andrew Zimmern

Disclosure: Huge thanks to KitchenAid as I was a guest of theirs at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. All opinions expressed are always my own.

The post Tempura Shrimp & Vegetables appeared first on The Little Kitchen.