With the holidays approaching, one of my favorite things to bake are classic desserts. I have only made bread pudding once before and it turned out to be a huge success, so today I decided to try a different version. I’m excited to say that it also turned extremely well! I consider this Dark Chocolate Orange Bread Pudding the perfect dessert for the holidays ahead.

Bread pudding consists of cubed bread, soaked in a custard mixture made of eggs, sweetener and milk and/or heavy cream. I use stale or toasted bread, since it will hold its shape better when soaking up the custard mixture. Otherwise, fresh bread will tend to fall apart and become mushy.

I have seen many recipes that call for different types of bread, but I believe challah bread is one of the best options to obtain a hearty bread pudding recipe. Challah bread is slightly sweet with a unique flavor, perfect for bread pudding.  

I love the orange flavor that comes through from the Florida’s Natural orange juice in this recipe, and with the dark chocolate, the mixture is just superb. I used 100% dark chocolate bars rather than chocolate chips because I didn’t want the overpowering sweetness of milk chocolate. Also, the big chocolate chunk effect is what I was looking for, which is obtained using chocolate bars rather than chocolate chips. 

For the orange flavor, I used Florida’s Natural orange juice. As I’ve talked about in past recipes, I love this juice because it’s made from one simple ingredient—Florida oranges. I like to keep my ingredient list to a minimum, so this alone has made Florida’s Natural a favorite of mine. So, what gives the juice its fresh-from-the-grove flavor? It’s made from seven different varieties of Florida oranges.with a fresh, citrusy taste I love in my recipes.

For the holidays this year, this dark chocolate orange bread pudding will be the perfect pairing for my other recipes that call for Florida’s Natural orange juice. Altogether, this makes for an awesome, unique and well-balanced menu. The full menu consists of:

1. baked orange rosemary chicken as the main dish
2. avocado orange salad with orange honey vinaigrette. for a side
3. Dark chocolate orange bread pudding.

If you haven’t yet decided your holiday menu, I highly recommend this dark chocolate orange bread pudding with the baked orange rosemary chicken and orange avocado salad.

I know this menu was a hit at my house – especially the bread pudding! My husband is not a fan of bread pudding and he thoroughly enjoyed this version.

Enjoy!

Dark chocolate orange bread pudding

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40-60 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 loaf challah bread, cubed (or brioche)
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup Florida’s Natural^® Orange Juice
• 4 oz 100% dark chocolate bar, chopped

Directions:

The bread you use should be a little dry. If the bread you are using is fresh, after you cube it, spread it out on a sheet pan and put it in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes rotating the pan halfway through. Alternatively, you can leave cubed challah bread out overnight to dry out.

In a mixing bowl, add the eggs, heavy cream, whole milk, orange juice and maple syrup. Combine with a wire whisk.

In a previously greased baking dish, add the toasted challah bread. Pour the custard mixture over the challah bread. Sprinkle the chopped dark chocolate and let it sit for 30 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the bread pudding for 40-60 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Let it rest to cool and serve as desired.

Keep bread pudding refrigerated. Before serving, you may warm it slightly in your microwave. Serve it topped with ice cream, if you prefer.

The post Dark chocolate orange bread pudding appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

Have you thought about your Thanksgiving recipes yet? This orange balsamic chicken is what I will be serving family and friends for the main dish. If you’re hosting guests, it can also be served as a meal ahead of the holiday or after, if you’re ready for something other than turkey!  For a protein option, I always use chicken instead of turkey. However, you can still make this recipe with turkey. We just enjoy chicken better!

The acidity of the marinade in this recipe allows the chicken to get tender and juicy, so once baked you will not have dried chicken. The end result is a flavorful, tasty, juicy chicken recipe!

The marinade is key in this recipe. It’s a combination of orange juice, balsamic vinegar and spices. The cinnamon and nutmeg bring a subtle flavor that is indicative of the holidays. The perfect flavor combination!

When you use orange juice in this recipe, opt for Florida’s Natural® Brand Orange Juice which is made from one simple ingredient — Florida oranges. And only Florida oranges. No water, sugar or preservatives are added.

• Florida’s Natural orange juice comes from pure Florida oranges. There are no artificial flavors or ingredients.
• Florida’s Natural doesn’t fuss with their growers’ oranges — they’re simply squeezed, gently pasteurized and poured into cartons that ensure a straight-from-the-grove taste that my family loves.

Serving this orange balsamic chicken can be done with any veggies of your choice. I opted for brussels sprouts, since they are in season, and potatoes, but any baked vegetables will do. Other popular options if you prefer, are green beans and mashed potatoes.

I hope you get to try this orange balsamic chicken recipe. The orange juice and balsamic vinegar mixture together with the spices gives this recipe the perfect flavor combination for the upcoming holidays. It is a very simple, yet delicious recipe that I am sure your friends and family will love.

Enjoy!

Orange balsamic chicken

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 2-3 hrs

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 4 hours

Ingredients:

 

• 3 lbs. chicken wings and thighs, trimmed of excess fat
• 1 lb vegetables of choice, quartered
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

For the marinade

• 1 cup Florida's Natural orange juice
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• ½ tsp Celtic salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg

Directions:

Place the chicken pieces in a large dish.

Whisk together all of the ingredients in the marinade. Place the chicken in a large dish, pour marinade over the chicken and mix. Place in the refrigerator and let sit for 2-3 hours, tossing every 30 minutes. Save the marinade.

After marinating, place the chicken pieces, skin side up, on a baking dish and arrange vegetables around the chicken. Bake in a pre-heated 375-degree oven for about 50-60 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken pieces. After the first 25 minutes of roasting time, you can begin to brush the chicken with the leftover marinade every 10 minutes or so. I did about three times to keep the chicken moist and flavorful.

After the chicken and vegetables are baked, sprinkle chopped parsley over the top and serve while warm.

The post Orange balsamic chicken appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

Baking is one of my favorite ways to spend time in the kitchen. Baking helps me decompress and is a form of therapy for me. Breads are a special choice for me to make whenever I feel like I want to spend more time in the kitchen. This time in the kitchen, I chose to make a batch of quick orange sweet rolls that don’t require multiple dough rises.

Coincidentally, tomorrow is National Orange Juice Day! What better day for these orange-flavored treats?

Roll recipes can take quite a long time to prepare given that most recipes call for multiple dough rising times. However, with this recipe you don’t have to waste much time with the rising step.

The only rising time you need is after rolling and placing them in the pan prior to baking. They rise for one hour, then you can start baking. Once you place the rolls in the oven, they will keep rising and you will obtain the desired fluffiness and rise of conventional cinnamon rolls.

I was quite pleased with how these quick orange sweet rolls turned out. My family enjoyed them thoroughly and on top of that, the rolls weren’t too sweet!

It was also my first time using cream cheese for the frosting. It is definitely my favorite way to frost rolls now and going forward, this is what I will be using.

For the perfect orange flavor, I chose Florida’s Natural^® Brand Orange Juice. Whenever possible, I choose top notch, quality ingredients to make sure my recipes turn out when it comes to flavor, and Florida’s Natural delivers.

Florida’s Natural is made from one simple ingredient — Florida oranges. And only Florida oranges. No water, sugar or preservatives are added. The orange juice comes from pure Florida oranges. There are no artificial flavors or ingredients. I choose Florida’s Natural because the oranges are simply squeezed, flash-pasteurized and poured into cartons that ensure a fresh straight-from-the-grove taste.

Finally, I prefer this recipe because the rolls aren’t too sugary or sweet.  If you prefer your rolls on the sweeter side, you can add more frosting. For my family, a teaspoon on each roll is good.

If you have any leftover frosting, you can also freeze it for the next time you make these quick orange sweet rolls. I intend to use it next time I make these rolls…which will be very soon!

If you are looking to bake in the upcoming days, give these quick orange sweet rolls a try. These are one of the best roll recipes I have made to date.

Enjoy!

.    .   

Orange sweet rolls

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 1 cup Florida's Natural orange juice
• 1/2 cup lukewarm milk, any kind will work
• 3 tsp active dried yeast
• 1/2 cup unrefined sugar
• 1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3 cups bread flour
• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:

• 1 cup unrefined sugar
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cardamon
• 2 egg whites

Cream cheese frosting:

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2-3 tps orange juice
• ¾ cup powdered sugar replacement
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

In a bowl of an electric mixer, add warm milk, yeast, sugar, butter and orange juice. Mix until combined.

Place dough hook-on mixer, add the flour, 1 cup at at time, and knead dough on medium speed for 5-6 minutes. Dough should form into a nice ball and be slightly sticky. (The consistency of the dough should be slightly sticky)

Transfer dough over a large flat piece of plastic wrap and roll out into a 14x9 inch rectangle. In a small bowl, mix together sugar, cinnamon, cardamon and egg whites. Spread filling over dough leaving a ¼ inch margin at the far side of the dough.

Tightly roll dough up, starting from the 9 inch side and place seam side down making sure to seal the edges of the dough as best you can. Cut into 2-3 inch sections with a serrated knife.

Place cinnamon rolls in a greased baking pan. Cover with a clean warm towel and let rise for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove towel and bake orange rolls for 25-30 minutes or until just slightly golden brown on the edges.

While the rolls are baking, in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, orange juice, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Spread over orange rolls and serve immediately. (Allow rolls to cool for a 15 minutes before frosting)

NOTE: If you don't have a stand mixer you can use a wooden spatula to mix ingredients and use your hands for kneading the dough. 

The post Quick orange sweet rolls appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

The holidays are just around the corner. For me, it is a tradition every year to prepare a Christmas menu in advance. For the 2018 menu, I am choosing this baked orange rosemary chicken as the main dish for the holiday dinner. To be honest, I can’t wait to prepare this recipe for my family gathering.

The perfect thing about this baked orange rosemary chicken recipe is that not only it is easy to make but it is the perfect protein dish to pair with any type of grain or vegetable.

For me, I have decided to serve this with quinoa as well as baked potatoes and green beans. The gravy that comes out from this recipe after baking is just out of this world so I think the quinoa, potatoes and green beans will be perfect.

For the delicious taste of orange in this recipe, I used Florida’s Natural^® Brand Orange Juice which is simply the best orange juice you can use for the this dish.

Florida’s Natural^® Brand Orange Juice is made from one simple ingredient — Florida oranges. And only Florida oranges. No water, sugar or preservatives are added. This orange juice comes from pure Florida oranges. There are no artificial flavors or ingredients. Florida’s Natural^® Brand Orange Juice is made entirely in Florida, using the citrus that their growers produce.

Cooking at home allows you to be able to choose the best quality ingredients when making recipes. I think this is also very important when wanting to obtain an exceptional dish. It is something that I take very seriously because I always want to end up with the best possible version to whatever it is that I am cooking or baking at home.

In my experience, chicken turns out with a much better flavor when marinated. It is always juicer and more tender. I don’t know what it is about marinating chicken but my family and I prefer how it turns out, especially when baking it.

I think this recipe is going to be a total success with my family members. The orange, rosemary and garlic flavors go really well together so I was extremely pleased with the end result.

Anyways, I hope you get to try this amazing baked orange rosemary chicken. It is the perfect main recipe dish to serve family and friends over the holidays.

Enjoy!

Baked orange rosemary chicken

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 whole chicken breasts, bone-in
• 4-6 chicken thighs
• 4-6 drum sticks

Sauce

• 1 cup Florida's Natural^® Brand Orange Juice (I used the No Pulp variety)
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1 oz fresh dried rosemary
• 6 cloves of garlic, chopped, more if you like
• 2 tbsp unrefined sugar
• 1 tsp arrowroot powder, or cornstarch

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl add the sauce ingredients and combine. Set aside.

Place the chicken in a large dish. Pour the marinade over the chicken and cover the dish. Refrigerate overnight or at least 6-8 hrs. Rotating the chicken partway through marinating ensures an even marinade.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Place the chicken in one layer, skin side up on a baking dish or large cast iron pan. Roast the chicken for 40 minutes, basting the chicken with leftover marinade while it cooks. The chicken is done when it reaches 165 degrees in the thickest part or when the chicken is lightly browned. Baking times will vary depending on how thick the breasts and chicken pieces are.

Remove chicken from the oven and serve immediately with roasted vegetables, rice, quinoa or with whatever you like.

The post Baked orange rosemary chicken appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I am really excited to be sharing this Cardamom Orange Coffee Cake recipe with you. Topped with a layer of sweet cardamom infused topping and a moist orange batter, this is the perfect cake to pair with your morning coffee or afternoon tea.

After making cardamom ice cream a while back I thought of incorporating cardamom into an orange coffee cake recipe that I have been wanting to make for quite some time. This awesome breakfast baked good is inspired by my aunt, who used to make it for me when I was little. When it comes to coffee cakes with crumb toppings I tend to decrease the amount of sugar that goes into the batter. And my aunt’s recipe was on the sweet side, so I tried to recreate that sweetness using natural ingredients.

I reduced the amount of sugar in the batter by using Florida’s Natural^® Brand Orange Juice, which is made from one simple ingredient — Florida oranges, which provides just the right amount of sweetness. And the best part? There aren’t any added sugars or preservatives. Just juice, which is how it should be. Plus, orange juice gives the batter additional nutrients, since one glass of juice provides nearly two servings of whole fruit, along with essential vitamins and minerals like vitamin C and potassium.

This Cardamom Orange Coffee Cake is perfect to pair with your morning coffee or afternoon tea. My kids actually have it as an after-school treat, with a tall glass of orange juice or milk. Either way is great!

In fact, my family devoured this coffee cake right away – two days after baking, to be exact! I actually ended up making the batter again for muffins. I added a bit of orange zest and they turned out sensational. My kids ended up taking them to school in their lunch boxes for a few days. I also love making muffins since they are so convenient and can be grabbed on the go.

If you are looking for a coffee cake recipe that is moist and infused with awesome flavors, I hope you give this Cardamom Orange Coffee Cake a try. I know you won’t be disappointed!

Enjoy!

Cardamom orange coffee cake

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 12 servings

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

Crumb topping

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (You can also use pecans)
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup unrefined sugar
• 2 tsp cardamom

Cake

• 2 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 1/2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/2 cup unrefined sugar
• 1 cup Florida's Natural^® Brand Orange Juice (I used the No Pulp variety)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a square 9x9x2 baking pan. Set aside.

Add eggs, vanilla extract, melted coconut oil, sugar and orange juice in a large mixing bowl. With a wire whisk, stir until the mixture is combined. Stir in flour and baking powder.

Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. In a small mixing bowl, mix the topping ingredients until they come together. Arrange the topping over the cake and bake for 40-50 minutes.

Let the cake cool in the pan for a few minutes before cutting and serving.

NOTE: You can add cinnamon or ginger instead of cardamom if you like. Which ever spice you like best. It will work with any of them.

The post Cardamom orange coffee cake appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

From start to finish this crisp prep will be done in just about 15 minutes. Then all you have to do is bake it. I used pecan for the nuts because that is what I had on hand but you can use whatever nuts you prefer. Walnuts and hazelnuts will go great with it.

Sometimes I even make two batches. I leave one already unbake ready to go in the freezer and when I am ready I just bake it for an extra 15 minutes.

I always consume this gluten free apple pecan crisp either for a dessert/snack and sometimes even for breakfast. Mostly always I use maple syrup to sweetened my desserts. I tend to add a bit lower than what recipes called for. I really don’t like super sweet desserts so baking at home allows me to control the sweetness of them.

Well, not much to say about this super simple, easy and tasty gluten free apple pecan crisp. My kids can’t get enough each time I make it. It is one of their favorite desserts. If you make it let me know. I hope you like it as much as we do.

If you are also looking for other crisp versions make sure you visit this link. I am sure you will find many others that you may like to try.

Next time I make this gluten free apple pecan crisp I will add some maple bourbon to the apples. It give the dessert an amazing flavor.

Enjoy!

Gluten free apple pecan crisp

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs apples, cut into chunks
• 1 tbsp arrowroot powder or cornstarch
• 3 cups quick cooking oats (GF), or old fashioned rolled oats (GF)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1  cup pecans, chopped
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup shredded coconut, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large 9x13 dish add the chopped apples. Add the arrowroot powder and combine with the apples.

In your stand mixer or large mixing bowl and the rest of the ingredients. Combine until the mixture comes together. The batter should come together nicely. If you need a tad more maple syrup you can add more.

Top the apples with the mixture. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the mixture starts to brown.

Serve as desired.

For other crisp versions visit this link. I am sure you will find some other good ideas!

NOTE: You can use any type of oats however just make sure the mixture comes together nicely before you bake it. Sometimes I add some more maple syrup or coconut oil if needed. Old fashioned rolled oats may absorb more moisture since they are bigger.

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