Sweet and Sour Chicken Drumsticks

I saw this recipe on Yahoo's Shine food blog and thought they sounded really good. And I was right, they are delicious. And they way that the sauce is made, you actually feel like you are eating something that is healthy but sounds like it could be bad :)

Anyway, the recipe is from EatingWell.com. I made white rice with the chicken and used the remainder of the sauce to pour over the rice....Taaaasty.

ingredients

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cider vinegar, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
8 chicken drumsticks (about 2 pounds), skin removed, trimmed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
directions

Preheat grill to medium. (No grill? See Broiler Variation, below.)
To prepare dipping sauce, combine orange zest, orange juice, water, honey, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and coriander in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Whisk cornstarch and the remaining 1 teaspoon vinegar in a small bowl until smooth. Add to the saucepan and return to a boil, whisking until thickened, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Stir in mint.
Sprinkle drumsticks with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the drumsticks until crispy on all sides and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F, about 15 minutes total. Serve the drumsticks with the dipping sauce on the side. Broiler variation: Position oven rack in the upper third of the oven; preheat broiler to high. Prepare sauce (Step 2). Coat a broiler pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle drumsticks with salt and pepper (Step 3), then broil, turning once, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F, about 15 minutes total.
To oil the grill rack: Oil a folded paper towel, hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Don’t use cooking spray on a hot grill.)
I used the broiler method since we don't have a grill right now. Half way through broiling the chicken I basted a little of the sauce on the drumsticks, and it made them turn a nice golden brown with some additional flavor to the outside of the chicken.


Nutritional Information:
Per serving: 255 calories; 8 g fat (2 g saturated fat, 3 g mono unsaturated fat); 93 mg cholesterol; 16 g carbohydrates; 29 g protein; 1 g fiber; 389 mg sodium; 315 mg potassium Nutrition Bonus: Selenium (27% daily value), Vitamin C (15% dv).

Marmalade French Toast Casserole

(photo courtesy of Becky Luigart-Stayner; Leigh Ann Ross, CookingLight.com)

I made this when my in-laws were visiting and I think we all loved it (unless they were just humoring me ... but either way, I loved it)! Such a delcious and easy take on french toast. I got it from CookingLight.com. Please oh please serve it with orange syrup, it makes it SO much better (at least in my opinion).

To make the orange syrup you simply add one teaspoon orange rind and two tablespoons juice per 1/2 cup syrup then warm it in the mircrowave. So good!

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 piece)

Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 (16-ounce) sourdough French bread loaf, cut into 24 (1/2-inch) slices
- Cooking spray
- 1 (12-ounce) jar orange marmalade
- 2 3/4 cups 1% low-fat milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I added a little cinnamon too)
- 6 large eggs
- 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts (I used pecans instead)

Preparation
1. Spread softened butter on one side of each bread slice. Arrange 12 bread slices, buttered side down, slightly overlapping in a single layer in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread marmalade evenly over bread (I only used half the jar and it was enough); top with remaining 12 bread slices, buttered side up.

2. Combine milk and next 4 ingredients (through eggs), stirring with a whisk. Pour egg mixture over bread. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 350°.

4. Sprinkle casserole with walnuts (or pecans). Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information
Calories:293 (28% from fat)
Fat:9g (sat 3.2g,mono 2.2g,poly 2.3g)
Protein:9.1g
Carbohydrate:46.4g
Fiber:1.6g
Cholesterol:116mg
Iron:2.2mg
Sodium:315mg
Calcium:132mg