Orange Chinese Chicken (and beef)

I'm starting to live healthier, and am a weight watchers member. My husband and I have been addicted to Chinese food lately, and we both love orange meals. I love orange chicken, and Michael loves orange beef. This recipe is from Weight Watchers website, I'll show my changes in red.




Orange Chinese Chicken
Points Value: 5
Servings: 4
Preparation TIme: 14 mins
Cooking time: 11 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:
2 tsp dark sesame oil
2 tsp orange zest, strips
1 pound (s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breat, four 4-oz pieces *and 1 cup or so of beef stew pieces
1/8 tso table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
15 oz Mandarin Oranges in Light Syrup, or similar item
1/2 cup (s) reduced-sodium chicken broth *1 cup
1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce *2 tbsps
1 tbsp orange zest, finely grated, or to taste *2 tbsps
2 tsp cornstarch *4 tsps

Instructions

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add zest strips and cook, stirring, until fragrant and slightly cooked, about 1-2 minutes. **this took about 5 minutes Meanwhile, season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. When zest is finished, increase heat to medium-high; add chicken and beef to skillet and cook until golden, flipping once, about 2 minutes per side.

Drain oranges and reserve 1/4 cup liquid. Add oranges with reserved liquid to skillet and simmer 2 minutes. Whisk together broth, soy sauce, finely grated zest and cornstarch in a small bowl; add mixture to pan and simmer until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes more. Yields 1 piece of chicken and about 1/4 cup of sauce per serving.

Sesame Beef

The husband and I are somewhat picky chinese food eaters. I only like 1 or 2 things, luckily, Mike only likes the same 1 or 2 things. We don't get chinese often because I hate that "heavy" feeling I always have afterwards. Anyway, when I saw this recipe on the Delish Food blog, I knew I wanted to try it. I'd love the opportunity to create a healthier chinese option!

Sesame Beef

Source: Delish

1/2-pound boneless sirloin steak, thinly sliced into 1-inch strips

2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp honey

1/4 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp cornstarch

1 garlic clove, minced

4 scallion greens, cut diagonally into 1-inch slices (I omitted, and used broccoli instead)

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

In a bowl whisk together soy sauce, 1 Tbsp oil, honey, and mustard. Add steak, tossing to coat, and let marinate, refrigerated, for 1-2 hours.
In a heavy skillet or wok, heat remaining tablespoon oil over moderately high heat until hot and sauté garlic. Add steak and cornstarch, stirring, until browned 2-3 minutes. Stir in scallions, sesame seeds, and salt and pepper to taste and heat until just heated through. Serve immediately.

For DH & I, I doubled this recipe, and we ate it all. Michael said it is one of his favorite dishes now! I served it on top of rice.