Add a pop of flavor to your cookout routine with our easy 4-ingredient Keto Grilled Okra with zesty TAJIN^® seasoning. It's a crispy low carb side dish or snack with a spicy kick. Ready in just 5 minutes - making it one delicious "fruit" on a skewer.

Yep, okra is technically a fruit because of the seeds. However, we treat it like a vegetable in savory dishes like our Indian spiced okra and Chinese okra stir fry. In this recipe post we are going to show you how to cook okra so it's not slimy but instead crunchy, tender, and full of flavor. So, let's get started.

Ingredients

Fresh Okra - Did you know there are over 60 known okra varieties around the world? In the US, the Clemson spineless okra is the most common. There is even a red okra. You can use any type of "fresh" okra you desire. However, you cannot use frozen or previously cooked okra in this recipe because you will end up with slimy okra. More on that later.

Olive oil - or oil of choice to prevent sticking to the grill.

Tajín^® Seasoning - is a gluten-free Mexican seasoning mix made with chili peppers, lime, and sea salt.You can easily exchange this spice mixture with chili powder - so don't worry if you do not have it on your spice rack. Just as an FYI, this post is not sponsored in any way. We just love this spice because it is delicious on cut fruit like pineapple, spices up grilled mango chicken and fun to add to cocktails.

Lime Juice - Adds a pop of brightness to the okra on the grill and prevents it from going from crunchy to slimy.  

Low Carb and Keto Friendly

With less than 1 net carbohydrate per serving, keto grilled okra with tajin seasoning is the perfect way to align with your culinary goals of eating healthy. Serve keto grilled okra along chicken kabobs or grilled shrimp and maybe a starter of caprese salad skewers because everything is more fun to eat on a stick.

Equipment Needed

1. Gas grill, BBQ grill or alternatively you can use a grill pan on the stove top. Our preferred method is a standard gas or BBQ grill as it adds that delicious smokey charcoal flavor to the dish.
2. Wooden/metal skewers or a vegetable grill basket so the okra does not fall between the grill grates.

How Do You Grill Okra?

• Preheat the grill to medium high heat. Soak wooden skewers (so they do not burn on the grill) or grease your vegetable grill basket.
• Toss fresh whole okra with olive oil, Tajin^® seasoning (or chili powder) and salt and pepper to taste.
• Use 2 skewers and thread on the okra on them or place them on a grill plate. This keeps them secure and easier to turn.

• Grill okra over medium high heat for 2 minutes on each side until lightly charred but still crisp.
• Remove okra from the grill and squeeze over fresh lime juice to taste.

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)

More Grilling Favorites

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Keto Grilled Okra with Tajín

This easy 4-ingredient keto grilled okra recipe with zesty Tajín seasoning is ready in just 5 minutes! Best crispy low-carb side or snack with a spicy kick.

Course Sides

Cuisine American

Diet Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Vegan

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 skewer with 4 whole okra

Calories 66kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Ingredients

• 12 whole okra
  fresh or about 4 medium okra pods per person. Leave them whole, do not bother trimming the tops off.
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 teaspoon Tajin Seasoning or dried chili powder
• salt and pepper
  to taste
• 2 tablespoon lime juice or juice of one lime

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• If using wooden skewers, pre-soak in water for at about 30 minutes to prevent burning on the grill. You can also use metal skewers or a vegetable grill basket. Preheat the BBQ or gas grill to a medium high heat: 400°Fto 425°F (204°C to 218°C). If using a grill pan on the stovetop, see the recipe notes below.
• Make sure your okra are dried completely after rinsing- very important step. In a large bowl, mix together okra, olive oil, Tajin spice seasoning (or chili powder) and salt and pepper to taste and mix well.
• Place the okra on the skewers or lay flat them flat on a vegetable grill grate - being careful to leave room between each okra and no overlapping. I used two skewers side by side and threaded each okra on in two spots. This will give you more stability when turning them on the grill.
• Grill okra for about 2-3 minutes on each side or just until some grill marks are showing on the okra. Remove from Grill. Squeeze fresh lime juice on top of the grilled okra.
• Enjoy your keto friendly side dish or appetizer while warm or at room temperature.

Storage and Reheating

• Leftover keto grilled okra can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. We do not recommend freezing them due to texture issues. To reheat in the air fryer, preheat to 350 degree F for about 3-5 minutes or until toasty warm.

Video

Notes

Recipe Tips:

• Dry Okra Pods Well After washing: Make sure they are extra dry before adding any of the seasonings. If they are still wet, they will steam instead of getting a quick sear on the grill. This will result in a soggy okra. 
• Cook Fast! Use Medium - High Heat! The longer the okra sits on the grill to cook the more potential there is for okra to get slimy.
• Give Okra Pods Space to Cook: Don't overcrowd your grill basket or place too many okra pods on your skewers. The okra needs space in between to sear quickly. You may need to cook in batches if your grill space is small.
• Do not overcook your okra. The goal is just until you can pierce your knife into the edge of it. It is nice when they are slightly crisp but have taken on the smokey flavor of the grill. 
• Add lime juice: The acid helps reduce any slimy consistency.

Cooking okra in a Grill Pan on the Stovetop

• Preheat stovetop to a medium high and turn on your stovetop exhaust.
• Place okra in the grill pan, being careful to leave room between each and no overlapping. 
• Grill the okra for 2-3 minutes per side or until tender but crisp. 

Nutrition

Serving: 4okra pods | Calories: 66kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 56mg | Potassium: 28mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 173IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.2mg

The post Keto Grilled Okra with Tajín appeared first on Healthy World Cuisine

These gluten-free meatballs forgo the traditional breadcrumbs and eggs, opting instead for high-protein tofu, all embraced by a creamy red coconut curry sauce. Each delightful bite packs the traditional spicy, savory, sour flavors of Thai cuisine while so tender they practically melt in your mouth.

Perfect for busy days, these curried Asian meatballs and venison meatballs freeze effortlessly, providing a quick 30-minute solution for your weekday dinners. Make this recipe your go-to for a delightful, hassle-free meal. Your taste buds and schedule will thank you!

Turkey Meatball Ingredients

The key ingredients mirror the flavor palette of our homemade dumpling filling, but with a turkey twist. These low carb turkey meatballs are so packed with flavor that you might find yourself enjoying them even without the tempting curry sauce.

Ground (Minced) Turkey: Also delightful with chicken, this recipe allows flexibility for those low-carb meatball cravings. While beef, lamb, or veal can be used, note that it will alter the flavor profile.

Tofu (Bean Curd): Choose a firm tofu, the undercover hero imparting an extra tender and moist texture to this Thai-inspired recipe. Can you believe there are about 38 grams of carbohydrates in ½ cup of breadcrumbs compared to just 5 grams of carbohydrates in ½ cup of tofu? In addition, tofu is higher in protein keeping you feeling fuller longer.

Soy Sauce: Keep it gluten-free by choosing coconut aminos or tamari sauce.

Sesame Oil: Gives a nutty kick and plays a dual role by ensuring the meatballs stay moist and tender.

Aromatics: Ginger, green onion, and the essential garlic elevate these turkey tofu meatballs to a whole new level.

Red Coconut Curry Sauce Ingredients

Coconut milk - (canned) We have only tested this recipe with full fat coconut milk. If you decide to add low fat coconut milk, it will take you longer to reduce the sauce and it will not be as rich and creamy.

Red Curry Paste - (Spicy) Both red or green curry paste are delicious in this curried turkey meatball recipe, coconut curry dumpling soup and salmon curry. Mae Ploy Green Curry Paste is not listed as gluten free. So, if you are celiac, you may want to stick with the Thai Kitchen red curry paste brand or make your own curry paste from scratch.

Fish Sauce - (Savory) It gives these curried turkey meatballs that delicious funky Thai flavor that we all love. Red Boat fish sauce is our go to brand as it is certified gluten free and delicious.

Fresh Lime Juice - (Sour) or even a squirt of bottle in a pinch brightens up the flavors of the coconut curry sauce.

Sugar alternative or natural sweetener of choice - (Sweet) - Optional- just a touch to balance the flavors. To keep this recipe low carb, keto and diabetic friendly, it is best just to skip the sugar or sugar alternative - your body won't miss it!

Assemble the Meatballs

Crafting these low carb turkey meatballs is a breeze. Follow these easy steps:

• Mixing: Combine ground turkey, tofu, soy sauce, sesame oil, and aromatics in a large bowl. Give it a thorough mix. If you find yourself with leftover tofu, consider adding it to a spicy Thai hotpot or toss it into a tofu scramble for a delightful breakfast.

• Rolling: Shape the gluten-free turkey mixture into either regular-sized or mini balls.

• Searing: Pan-fry the meatballs until cooked through.

Here's a tip: resist the urge to wash the pan! The savory remnants are what make the coconut sauce extra rich and delicious.

Crafting the Coconut Curry Sauce

Now, let's elevate the dish with our rich and creamy coconut red curry sauce:

Sauce it up: Pour coconut milk, red or green curry paste, and fish sauce into the pan. Stir well to incorporate all those flavorful turkey tofu meatball bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the sauce simmer until it achieves a rich and creamy consistency.

Reunion with Meatballs: Introduce the cooked Thai meatballs back into the pan, ensuring each gets a generous coating of the tantalizing coconut curry sauce.

Cooking Methods for Asian Meatballs

Remember to check the internal temperature of the meatballs to ensure they have reached 165°F (77°C) for optimum safety and flavor. Here are 3 ways to cook turkey tofu meatballs…

1. Stovetop cooking is our favorite way to cook curried turkey meatballs because you can cook everything in one pan.  In addition, you can use the pan drippings from frying the meatballs to make the curry sauce extra flavorful.
2. Air Fry at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes and turn over halfway to ensure browning on all sides.
3. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for approximately 15 minutes.

Recipe Tips

• Drain and pat dry the tofu before crumbling and adding into the meatball mixture.
• Use your hands to incorporate all the meatball ingredients. Just squeeze and let the ingredients go through your fingers just like we did with our miso chicken meatballs. You might want to take off any rings before trying this.  Using your hands to mix works better and faster than using a fork or spoon.
• Don't overmix the meatball ingredients as this can make the meatballs tough.
• Use a good full fat quality coconut milk like Aroy-D or Thai Kitchen. Using the off brands that have lots of fillers or additions can result in a watery sauce.
• Don't wash the pan after cooking the Asian turkey meatballs. These pan dripping make the Thai curried sauce extra scrumptious and satisfying.
• Prepared meatballs can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Frozen turkey meatballs can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.

What to Serve with Turkey Meatballs?

To keep this meal low carb, serve with some of these healthy side dishes.

• Stir fried cauliflower rice, broccoli rice or crispy cauliflower bites.
• Serve on top of zucchini noodles or stuffed in a cabbage roll.
• Hallow out a baked spaghetti squash and add a few healthy low carb turkey meatballs.
• Try this easy Asian recipe with garlicky Stir fried green beans or a turmeric vegetable medley.
• Freshen up this easy dinner inspiration with spicy cucumber refrigerator pickles, Stir fried romaine lettuce or a crisp green salad.
• You might even want to lap up all that delicious curry sauce with a couple cloud breads.
• Try these meatballs as a low carb appetizer or in your favorite soup.

If you are not watching your carbohydrate intake, these gluten free turkey meatballs are delicious with a bowl of steamed jasmine rice, noodles or even black rice.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

More Curry Recipes

Did You Like Our Recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. Your feedback is always appreciated! Follow us for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for our email list for more free recipes.

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Low Carb Turkey Meatballs in Coconut Curry Sauce

Savor Thai-inspired low-carb turkey meatballs in rich coconut red curry sauce-no breadcrumbs, just tofu. An easy, gluten-free Asian dinner that freezes well.

Course Mains

Cuisine Thai

Diet Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Lactose

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 24 meatballs

Calories 61kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Ingredients

Turkey Tofu Meatballs

• 1 pound Ground turkey
  
• 6 ounces Tofu
  firm
• 3 Green onions
  sliced thinly both white and green parts
• 2 tablespoons Soy sauce or coconut aminos, tamari sauce to keep gluten free
• 1 tablespoon Sesame oil
  
• Salt and white pepper
  to taste
• 3 cloves Garlic
  peeled and minced
• 1 inch Ginger
  knob peeled and grated
• 1 tablespoon Oil

Sauce

• Scrappings from pan
• 13 oz Coconut milk canned
• 1 tablespoon red Thai curry paste or green curry paste to taste (we used "Mae Ploy Green Curry Paste but you can make your own or use whatever brand you enjoy)
• 1 tablespoon Fish Sauce we used a gluten- free brand
• 1 teaspoon Stevia or sweetener of choice - optional (we did not use any)
• 2 tablespoons Lime juice or juice of one lime upon serving
• Salt and white pepper
  to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• In a large bowl combine ground turkey, tofu, green onions, soy sauce (tamari), sesame oil, salt and pepper to taste, ginger and garlic and mix well. Form into 1.5 inch balls. Set aside.

Stove Top Method

• Preheat pan with oil of choice and fry turkey tofu meatballs for about 3 minutes on all sides or until no longer pink - about 15 minutes. Turning every few minutes. Set aside. Do not wash your pan!!!!
• Remove your turkey meatballs for the pan and keep warm. Add the coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce, sweetener of choice (optional) and salt and pepper to taste and heat until well combined.

  Allow the coconut curry sauce to cook and reduce a little longer ( about 5 minutes) before adding the meatballs back into the pan.

  Place your meatballs back in the pan. Turn the meatballs and drizzle the delicious coconut curry cream sauce over the low carb meatballs so they all have the sauce on them.

Oven Method

• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F or (190 C)

  Drizzle oil on the bottom of your Dutch oven or pan that can go from oven to stove top. Place your meatballs about 2 inches apart and bake for about 15 - 20 minutes until no longer pink inside. Set aside.

  Do not wash your pan!!!! Remove your meatballs from the pan, keep warm, set aside. Add coconut milk to the pan with the pan drippings and add fish sauce, curry paste, salt and pepper and sweetener of choice, if desired, and mix well.

  Add your meatballs back into the pan and toss in the coconut curry sauce.

Air Fryer Method

• Air Fry turkey tofu meatballs at 400 degrees F (204 degrees C) for about 10 minutes and turn over halfway to ensure browning on all sides. Complete the recipe as described in the stove top directions.

Serve Up Thai Meatballs

• Drizzle fresh lime juice over your Thai Curry Turkey Tofu Meatballs. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve over cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles to keep it low carb. Delicious with steamed rice if you do not need to stay on a low carb diet.
• Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Recipe Tips

• Drain and pat dry the tofu before crumbling and adding into the meatball mixture.
• Don't overmix the meatball ingredients as this can make the meatballs tough.
• Use a good full fat quality coconut milk like Aroy-D or Thai Kitchen. Using the off brands that have lots of fillers or additions can result in a watery sauce.
• Don't wash the pan after cooking the Asian turkey meatballs. These pan dripping make the Thai curried sauce extra scrumptious and satisfying.
• Feel free to use Thai red or green curry paste for this curried turkey meatball recipe. 
• Prepared meatballs can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Frozen turkey meatballs can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 6meatballs | Calories: 61kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 133mg | Potassium: 55mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 128IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 0.4mg

The post Low Carb Turkey Meatballs in Coconut Curry Sauce appeared first on Healthy World Cuisine

Try our Old Bay seasoned whitefish in tacos, salads, or with a drizzle of lemon butter sauce.  Just like our Crab Stuffed Whitefish, it will soon become your family's favorite fish dinner.

Whether you plan on cooking fresh or frozen tilapia, or don't even have an air fryer, we've got you covered. We've included oven baked directions in the recipe card for your convenience. So, let's get started!

What's to Love

• If your fish is frozen when you get home from work, you can still get a healthy dinner on the table in a jiffy. (Hey, we've all been there.)
• Huge time saver! Cooks in around 14 minutes from frozen or 7 minutes for fresh fish, depending on the thickness of the fillet.
• Low carb, keto and diabetic friendly with only 2 grams of carbohydrates per serving. These tilapia fillets are made without flour or breading. Serve these air fried tilapia fillets with a refreshing Heirloom Tomato Cucumber Salad or tossed greens for a healthy dinner idea.
• Seafood recipe only uses a handful of pantry ingredients and cleanup is a snap.
• Cooking tilapia in the air fryer makes them extra crispy on the outside but tender and flaky inside. Seriously, if all you ever make in your air fryer is fish, it's worth its weight in gold. The air fryer is our secret tool for making the Best Tasting Fish and Seafood Recipes for Picky Eaters.
• Uses less oil and fat than traditional cooking methods. After all, who wants to clean the kitchen disaster after deep or pan-frying fish on the stove.

Ingredients for Fish

Tilapia - is a very mild flaky fish with a delicate flavor so it's perfect for those weary fish eaters. You can use either fresh or frozen fish fillets. We prefer ours with the skin off.

Tilapia is a budget friendly option in the US and is also a delicious choice for our Baked Tilapia with Caramelized Onion Lentils. You can also use your favorite mild sustainable white fish of choice. A thin white fish like flounder, halibut, sole or maybe fish local to your region are all good choices. Wild caught fish is best but can be hard to come by.

If you do purchase farmed tilapia, it is best to purchase from aquaculture farmers who use a controlled closed system with recirculation tanks and a form of wastewater treatment management. In addition, you want to confirm that they do not use antibiotics or hormones.

According to Seafood Watch, Blue Tilapia from Peru, Hybrid Red Tilapia from US and Ecuador are listed as the top 3 best choices for sustainable tilapia. Be sure to check out the package to find out "where" your fish originated before you make a purchase.

Old Bay Seasoning - is a spice blend that makes seafood taste extra delicious with a punch of spice and flavor. The primary ingredients are celery salt and paprika with a pinch of cayenne pepper and other spices.

To keep it lower sodium, you can make a homemade mixture of paprika, black pepper, cayenne pepper without adding the celery salt. Other close substitutions to Old Bay Seasoning are Cajun Seasoning or Creole seasonings. We are all about using what you have on hand.

Garlic Powder - dried ground. You can substitute fresh minced garlic for dried.

Parsley - we used dried as that was in the pantry. This garnish can be omitted. Alternatively, you can use fresh, if desired.

Fresh Lemon Slices - this is not a mandatory ingredient, but it prevents the fish from sticking and gives the fish a bright flavor.

Garlic Butter Sauce for Seafood

A little bright buttery drizzle on top of the fish upon serving is optional but it's just too good to pass up. 

Butter - If you are lactose intolerant, you can try ghee or a plant-based butter.

Lemon Juice - Fresh is best but you can swap with a splash of lemon juice concentrate. Fresh lime juice is also quite nice.

Garlic powder - just a pinch for good measure

Parsley - dried or fresh. It's an optional ingredient.

Step by Step

The full seafood recipe with all the recipe tips is in the recipe card below. Here are the basic steps for how to cook frozen tilapia in the air fryer with a garlic butter sauce.

• Preheat the air fryer to 400° F (204° C)
• Slice fresh lemons for fish to air fry on-approximately 2 slices per fish. This provides 2 functions. First it prevents the tilapia from sticking to the air fryer basket. Secondly, it seasons the fish with a bright lemon flavor.
• Remove the frozen fish from the plastic.
• Spray fish with a light oil on each side and sprinkle Old Bay Seasoning, garlic powder, parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

• Place the lemon slices in the air fryer basket and place the seasoned frozen or tilapia on top of the lemons. We like to line our Cosori toaster oven style air fryer tray with parchment paper for easy cleanup.

• Melt butter in microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then, add the lemon juice, garlic powder and parsley and stir to mix.

• Air fry frozen tilapia at 400° F (204°C) for 12 to 15 minutes or the fish flakes easily with a fork or registers 145° F (62°C) with a meat thermometer. Fresh tilapia, depending on the size may cook in half of the time.
• Drizzle the lemon butter sauce over the fish and enjoy!

Recipe Tips

You are going to love this easy fool proof fish recipe. Try these helpful hints for a perfectly air fried fish every time.

• If your make and model of air fryer allows you to line the basket or tray with parchment paper or aluminum foil, do it. It makes cleanup a snap.
• Placing the prepared frozen fish fillets on top of fresh lemon slices is not required. However, it makes it for easier clean up and adds a lovely bright flavor.  
• Leave space in between the tilapia fillets. If you overcrowd the air fryer, it can't function as convection oven and circulate the air around the fish.  Instead, you may end up with a steamed fish fillet instead of a crispy one.
• Lightly spray or brush fillets with a little oil before putting on the spices. It helps the spices stick to the frozen fish and makes the exterior of the fish crispy.

How Long to Cook Frozen Tilapia in the Air Fryer?

Every tilapia fillet can be a different size and thickness. They range in size from around 3 ounces per fillet to up to whopping 8 ounces per fillet depending on the species. For a 3.5-ounce frozen tilapia fillet, it takes between 12- 15 minutes of air fry time at 400° F (204°C)

If you are cooking a thawed or fresh fish 3.5-ounce fillet, it takes approximately 7 to 8 minutes to cook at 400° F.  We recommend that you do not depend on time to know when the fish is done cooking.

Instead, we suggest you check the fish for doneness when it meets one of these 2 criteria...

1. Fish fillet registers 145° F (62°C) on a meat thermometer.
2. Tilapia is no longer translucent and flakes easily with a fork.

If you decide to cook a whole tilapia fish, it will require a much longer time to cook, especially if still frozen. In addition, it may not fit in your air fryer. You might prefer to try our recipe for Asian Steamed Fish, if space is an issue.

No Flour or Breading

To keep our fish keto diet friendly, we opted to not use any breading or flour on the tilapia. It's super crispy without the added carbohydrates. Other low carb topping ideas for fish are ...

• grated parmesan cheese
• crushed pork rinds
• your favorite spices
• lemon pepper

If you do use a prepared spice mix, you will want to make sure there is not an added sugar.

What to Serve with Fish?

One our first choices are budget friendly rice dishes. Say hello to a side of Lemon Pepper Rice. Its bright and fresh and the perfect pairing with our air fryer frozen tilapia.  Middle Eastern Rice and Lentils is another quick and easy recipe. We love using red lentils because they cook up quickly.

We may be going meatless but that does not mean you have to hold the potatoes too. Our Herbs de Provence Baby Potatoes and Tomatoes  or garlic smashed potatoes are easy one pan side dishes that complement the delicate flavor of the fish well.

Fresh salads topped with a Lemon White Balsamic Vinaigrette is light and refreshing on all of your favorite greens.

To keep your air fryer tilapia keto friendly, try a side of Garlicky Sesame Stir Fried Green Beans, Grilled Asparagus or even roasted sweet mini peppers.

Storage and Reheating

Leftover air fried tilapia can be stored in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2-3 months. Reheat and enjoy as a tilapia taco, add to soups, curries or just as is.

You can reheat the fish fillets in a pre-heated 325° F air fryer for about 2 minutes or until warm. Alternatively, you can bake at 275° F for 3 to 4 minutes covered or pan fry until warm and toasty. Avoid the microwave, if possible, as it can make your fish texture rubbery.

Frequent Asked Questions?

More Air Fryer Recipes

If you have not quite got on the air fryer bandwagon, we have included oven baking directions in the recipe card below. We were late adopters of this tabletop convection oven but now can't imagine cooking dinner without it. Everything from our Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers appetizers to Banana Spring Rolls dessert is a testament that the air fryer appliance makes everything crispier, with less oil and in less time. You gotta love that!

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Air Fryer Frozen Tilapia

15-minute Air Fryer Frozen Tilapia is crispy on the outside and flaky and tender inside. This low carb fish dinner is air fried and topped with a garlic butter sauce.

Course Fish and Seafood, Main Course

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 2 minutes minutes

Cook Time 14 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 271kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Equipment

• air fryer

Ingredients

Air Fryer Tilapia

• 4 small tilapia fillets or sustainable white mild fish of choice. Can be frozen or fresh with skin removed.
• 1 whole lemon sliced to air fry the fish on - optional
• oil spray just enough to lightly coat the fish and in the air fryer basket to prevent sticking.
• 1.5 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning or to taste
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon parsley dried or 1 tablespoon fresh - optional
• ground black pepper to taste

Lemon Butter Garlic Sauce

• ¼ cup butter 4 tablespoons - ghee or plant based butter
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice or about ½ fresh lemon
• 1 teaspoon parsley dried or 1 tablespoon fresh

Garnishes

• sliced lemons as desired

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat the air fryer to 400° F (204° C)
• Slice fresh lemons for fish to air fry on. (optional)
• Spray frozen tilapia fillets with a light oil on each side. Sprinkle Old Bay Seasoning, dried garlic powder, parsley (optional) and black pepper to taste on both sides.
• Spray air fryer tray with oil or line with parchment paper (if your air fryer type permits this) to prevent sticking. Place the lemon slices in the air fryer basket and place the seasoned frozen or tilapia on top of the lemons.
• FROZEN TILAPIA: Air fry frozen tilapia fillets until the fish is no longer translucent and flakes easily with a fork OR registers 145° F (62° C) with a meat thermometer. Our 3.5 ounce frozen tilapia fillets usually take around 12 to 15 minutes to cook. As every tilapia or fish is a different thickness, it may take less or more time.

  If your fish is very thin, you do not need to flip it halfway during the cooking process, as it may fall apart. For larger tilapia fillets, we like to turn them over halfway in the cooking process to ensure even cooking.
• While your fish is air frying, make the Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce. Place the butter in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds or until melted. Add garlic powder, lemon juice and parsley and stir. Set aside.
• Drizzle the Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce, garnish with lemons and enjoy while hot.

Video

Notes

AIR FRIED FRESH OR THAWED TILAPIA: Needs to be patted dry first before adding the oil spray and spices. Depending on the size of the fillet, it may cook in half of the time of a frozen tilapia fillet. For example, a fresh or thawed 3.5 ounce tilapia fillet air fried at 400° F (204° C) may take around 7 to 8 minutes. 

BAKED FROZEN TILAPIA: Preheat oven to 400° F (204° C). Line baking dish with aluminum foil for easy cleanup and spray fish on both side with oil spray. Season both sides with Old Bay Seasoning, garlic powder, pepper and parsley. Lay lemon slices in pan and top with seasoned fillets. Pour Lemon Garlic Butter sauce over fish. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for about 15 to 25 minutes until the fish is no longer translucent and flakes easily with a fork OR reads 145° F on thermometer. The cook time depends on the size and thickness of fish.

STORAGE :

Leftover air fried tilapia can be stored in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. 

You can reheat the fish fillets in a pre-heated 325° F air fryer for about 2 minutes or until warm. Alternatively, you can bake at 275° F for 3 to 4 minutes covered or pan fry until warm and toasty. Avoid the microwave, if possible, as it can make your fish texture rubbery.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 180mg | Potassium: 537mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 379IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg

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Melo Melo Coconut Dessert Recipe

This unique coconut jelly (also known as coconut jello) recipe is a copycat "chai latte version" of the famous Melo Melo Coconut Dessert. However, our version is a little richer because we do not use any coconut water or regular dairy - just creamy coconut milk.  Now, you can now make this easy recipe at home at a fraction of the cost.

Ingredients

Coconut Milk - Full fat for that luxurious silky smooth mouth feel. This is "canned" coconut milk and NOT "drinkable" coconut milk in a carton like we used for our Spicy Chocolate Chai Pu-erh Chia Pudding.   We have not tested this recipe with canned low fat coconut milk.

Unflavored Gelatin - Pasture - raised, grass Fed unflavored beef gelatin is the best. However, you can also use Knox gelatin. We have used the NuNatural brand for this recipe and our Valentine Day Jello Jigglers with good results.

Chai Spices - Either whole or dried ground cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, and star anise. You can use Chinese five spice powder as a replacement for star anise in this recipe and is a delicious addition to Asian spiced baked pears. We like to sprinkle in a little extra dried ground cinnamon at the end to give the coconut jelly a little pop of color specks and flavor.

Sugar or Sugar Alternative of Choice - We used just regular granulated because we only like our desserts lightly sweet and to preserve the white color of the coconut. However, you can use brown sugar, sugar alternatives of choice or even date paste to sweeten. Please note: If you use brown sugar or date paste the color of the coconut will turn a tan, brown color.

Vanilla - to balance the flavors.

How to Make: Step - By - Step Directions

Please refer to the recipe card below for the full and complete directions.

• Bloom or dissolve the gelatin in cool water. The mixture will thicken to the consistency of apple sauce.

• Add coconut milk, chai spices (cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, and star anise), sugar, salt, vanilla and bloomed gelatin into a pan and simmer gently. Whole spices take a little longer for flavors to mingle. However, ground spices only need about 15 minutes. Heating activates the gelatin.
• Stir continuously until the gelatin dissolves.
• Strain and remove the whole spices.

• Pour the Spicy Chai coconut Jelly into jars or serving containers and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Cover and place in the refrigerator to set for 4 hours or overnight.  We used little 4 ounce jam jars as they have convenient little matching lids.

• Garnish with fruit or chocolate as desired.

Variations and Toppings

• Top your Spicy Chai Coconut Jelly with an in-season fruit of choice. Fresh berries are delicious when in season. However, canned mandarin oranges are always in season (smiling) and great pantry ingredient to have on hand. More importantly, we like to keep the texture of the dessert ingredients soft and supple.
• The warming spices also pair well with fresh figs, dried dates, or even rum marinated raisins. Yes, that is certainly a must try - especially around the holidays.
• Dark chocolate paired with oranges and chai spices are a match made in heaven.  Delicious topping for festive fall or winter dessert.
• Stir in fresh fruit like mangoes, dragon fruit or berries BEFORE the jello sets.
• Tongue numbing Anise seed spice is a fabulous addition but if you can find that, exchange with a little Chinese five spiced powder as anise is one of the main ingredients.
• Want to make this coconut dessert vegan? Use 2 teaspoons of agar agar which is made from seaweed instead of gelatin that is made from cattle skin, bones, and cartilage.
• Make coconut jelly cubes!

How to make Coconut Jelly Cubes?

1. Spray a little oil into the bottom of an 8-inch x 8-inch non-stick cake pan.
2. Then, line the pan both ways with plastic wrap.  Allow a little plastic wrap to hang over both sides so it is easier to lift out of the cake pan.
3. Pour the strained coconut chai mixture into the pan.
4. Allow to cool and then place in the refrigerator to cool and set - about 4 hours or overnight.
5. Then, using the plastic wrap overhang, carefully remove spicy chai coconut jelly.
6. Cut into cubes or diamond shapes and serve. Dip in shredded coconut flakes, if desired.

Recipe Tips

• Bloom the gelatin first in cold water. This makes sure that the gelatin gets dissolved completely. If you dump the dry gelatin powder directly into the heated coconut chai milk, it will clump up.
• Cook the spiced coconut mixture over medium heat. You will first notice little bubbles forming on the side. Keep your eye on it and keep stirring. Once the mixture starts a gentle boil, immediately remove off the heat.
• Make sure you continue stirring until all the gelatin is dissolved and none is sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• Don't take your eyes off the pan. If you have ever had to clean up the stove top burners after a milk overflow, you will never do that again.
• Be sure to strain the hot coconut chai mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove any of the gelatin that may have not melted and/or whole spices.
• Cover and place in the refrigerator so a skin does not form.
• Best kept in refrigerator until ready to eat as it gets softer when at room temperature.

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)

More Asian Desserts

Easy Mango Sticky Rice

Chinese Pear Dessert Soup

Baked Black Sesame Mochi Donuts

Apple Pie Pot Stickers

Braised Orange Anise Lotus Root

Did You Like Our Recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. Your feedback is always appreciated! Follow us for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for our email list for more free recipes.

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Spicy Chai Coconut Jelly

Silky smooth Spicy Chai Coconut Jelly is a light and creamy Asian pudding dessert.

Course Desserts

Cuisine Chinese, Thai

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8 4 ounce cups

Calories 110kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Ingredients

• ½ cup Cold water
• 5 teaspoons Unflavored gelatin
  (we used a grass fed non GMO unflavored beef gelatin or you could use Knox gelatin)
• 26 ounces Coconut milk
  2 cans (full fat)
• 6 whole Cardamom pods
  bashed whole (or 1 teaspoon dried ground)
• 4 whole Cinnamon sticks
  or 2 teaspoons dried ground
• 2 to 3 whole star Anise or 1 teaspoon ground anise or 5 spice powder
• 2 inch Ginger
  knob fresh peeled and sliced or ½ teaspoon dried ground
• 3 to 4 tablespoons granulated sugar or sugar alternative of choice ( as we only like our delicately sweet, can also use honey, coconut sugar or brown sugar if not watching your carb intake) Taste test and add more if you like yours sweeter.
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon optional if using whole spices
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• canned mandarin oranges, raspberries, etc. other fruit as desired for garnish - optional
• dark chocolate optional - garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Bloom the Gelatin: In a small bowl, add the cold water and unflavored gelatin. Stir and set aside for 1 minute. Do not let it set to long. First the gelatin will turn into an applesauce consistency and then into a firmer gel. You want to work with it while it is in an applesauce consistency OR stir it up really good.
• In a sauce pan, add the coconut milk and spices in either whole or ground version (cardamom, cinnamon, anise seeds and ginger). Then add sugar or sugar alternative and stir.
• Stir the dissolved bloomed gelatin mixture again. Add the gelatin mixture, a sprinkle of extra ground cinnamon (optional if you used WHOLE spices - it gives the dessert a pop of color ), vanilla and a pinch of salt to the spiced coconut milk. Stir continuously over medium simmer heat for about 15 minutes until the gelatin is fully dissolved and the essence of the spices are fragrant.

  Taste and adjust the sweetness level to your liking. (We only like delicately sweet desserts but you may want yours sweeter)
• First, the coconut mixture will start to show little bubbles on the side. Once it starts a very soft boil. Turn off the heat immediately and remove from burner - if you have an electric stovetop.
• Pour the coconut jelly mixture through a fine mesh strainer.
• Then, carefully pour the strained coconut mixture into individual serving cups. If you have any bubbles on top, you can remove them so you have a prettier dessert - but not required. Cover and refrigerate for about 4 hours or overnight. Your Spicy Chai Coconut Jelly will turn into a jello dessert.
• Just before serving garnish with canned mandarin oranges, raspberries or any fruit you desire. Chocolate, although it is not required is so good with the chai spices - highly recommended. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Leftover can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

How to make coconut jelly cubes?

• Spray a little oil into the bottom of an 8-inch x 8-inch non-stick cake pan.
• Then, line the pan both ways with plastic wrap. Allow a little plastic wrap to hang over both sides so it is easier to lift out of the cake pan.
• Pour the strained coconut chai mixture into the pan.
• Allow to cool and then place in the refrigerator to cool and set - about 4 hours.
• Then, using the plastic wrap overhang, carefully remove spicy chai coconut jelly.
• Cut into cubes or diamond shapes and serve. Dip in shredded coconut flakes, if desired.

Recipe Tips

• Bloom or dissolve the gelatin first in cold water. This makes sure that the gelatin gets all the way absorbed. If you dump the dry gelatin powder directly into the heated coconut, it will clump up.
• Cook the spiced coconut mixture over medium heat. You will first notice little bubbles forming on the side. Keep your eye on it and keep stirring. Once the mixture comes to a full boil, immediately remove off the heat.
• Make sure you continue stirring until all the gelatin is dissolved and none is sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• Don't take your eyes off the pan. If you have ever had to clean up the stove top burners after a milk overflow, you will never do that again.
• Be sure to strain the hot coconut mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove any of the gelatin that may have not melted and/or whole spices.
• Cover and place in the refrigerator so a tough skin does not form. Best kept in refrigerator until ready to eat as it gets softer when at room temperature

Nutrition

Serving: 14 ounce serving | Calories: 110kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 155mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 0.3mg

The post Spicy Chai Coconut Jelly appeared first on Healthy World Cuisine

Ingredients 

How to Make 

• Slice the zucchini and summer yellow squash into ¼ inch slices. 

• Toss with olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. 

• Air fry zucchini and squash at 400 degrees F (204 degrees C) for 7 minutes. (We used the air fryer basket not this lined platter to air fry the vegetables. However, to keep the mess down whilst taking the photo, its in this lined platter)

• Turn over halfway through and air fry for another 7 to 8 minutes or until toasty golden. 

• Zest lemon on top, add dried red hot pepper flakes and garnish with basil if desired. 

Equipment  

Cosori Deluxe S 26-qt. 10-in-1 Smart Toaster Oven was used with the basket for air frying. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook in batches. You do not want the squash and zucchini to overlap so that it stays crispy like our Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce. 

Top Tips 

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's) 

More Summer Vegetable Recipes 

Super Easy Grilled Asian Eggplant 

Italian Stuffed Patty Pan Squash

Easy Summer Millet Salad

Caprese Salad on a Stick

Keto Grilled Okra with Tajin

Easy Air Fryer Recipes

Air Fryer Crispy Curry Chicken Legs

Air Fryer Spring Rolls

Banana Spring Rolls (Air Fryer Method)

Air Fryer Ribs (Chinese Style Garlic Ribs)

Did You Like Our Recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. Your feedback is always appreciated! Follow us for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for our email list for more free recipes.

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Air Fryer Zucchini and Squash

Try this easy crispy Air Fryer Zucchini and Squash recipe that no one can stop eating! Just 20 minutes for a healthy low carb side dish with a garlic lemon seasoning.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Diet Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 28kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Equipment

• air fryer

Ingredients

Fried Zucchini

• 1 zucchini small , sliced in about ¼ inch thick
• 1 yellow squash small , sliced in about ¼ inch thick
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic fresh (peeled and minced)
• salt and pepper to taste
• oil spray to prevent sticking on air fryer basket

Garnishes

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest optional but delicious
• dried red pepper flakes optional to your desired level of heat
• 1 tablespoon basil optional - fresh Chiffonade cut
• tomato optional - fresh sliced
• lemon slices optional as garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C).
• Slice zucchini and yellow summer squash in ¼ inch circle slices. Peel and mince fresh garlic.
• Place squash and zucchini slices in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, add the garlic and salt and pepper to taste and mix well.
• Spray air fryer basket lightly with a little oil spray. Lay the prepared zucchini and squash in a single layer in the basket. (If you have a small air fryer, you may have to make this recipe in more than one batch.)
• Air fry zucchini and squash for 7 minutes on one side. Then, carefully turn the veggies over to cook on the other side for another 5 to 8 minutes or until slightly golden and toasty. The exact time required to cook will depend on the size you sliced your vegetables. They should be fork tender but slightly crispy on the outside.
• Place the air fried squash and zucchini on a platter. Arrange in a overlapping circular design, if desired. Garnish with lemon zest, dried red pepper flakes and fresh basil if you like. We also added a few fresh garden tomatoes on the platter for serving.
• Enjoy hot!

Video

Notes

Cooking Tips

• To keep the air fryer squash and zucchini crisp, do not overlap the slices in the air fryer basket. If need be, cook in smaller batches.  
• For optimal results, use the air fryer basket instead of the baking pan. The rationale for this choice is that the convection heat gets to both sides of the vegetables so that they get crisp. If you have a toaster oven style air fryer like us, just line the baking pan underneath the fry basket to catch any drips for easy cleanup. We tested the recipe both ways and hands down, the basket wins.  
• Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C), while you are prepping the vegetables. A high heat prevents the zucchini from getting soggy while it I cooking.  
• Don't use too much oil. A teaspoon or so is really all you need.
• Turn the summer veggies halfway in the cooking process. 
• Keeping the squash and zucchini slices all about ¼ inch thick allows for more even cooking.  

Storage 

Leftovers, if you actually have any, can be kept in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 28kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 265mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 223IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 0.4mg

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Need a quick and easy 20-minute dinner? Try our Hot and Spicy Mandarin Orange Chicken. It's a healthy Chinese stir fry bursting with fresh oranges and a tongue numbing Sichuan pepper sauce. 

Skip the deep-fried coronary artery-clogging chicken loaded up with a sugary sauce. Instead, try our lightened-up version. The quick and easy marinade makes this hot spicy chicken "velvety" tender.  Then, the chicken is quickly stir fried with a light orange sauce just like our Orange Sweet Potato Stir Fry and Braised Orange Anise Lotus Root.  

This hot and spicy Chinese chicken recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free and has only 8 net carbs per serving. In addition, it's the perfect matchmaker's Chap Goh Mei romantic dinner. Read on to find out why and how oranges are used to seduce your soulmate. 

Ingredients

Chicken - we used boneless and skinless chicken breast but it is also delicious with dark meat. The most important step is cutting the chicken against the grain and super thin. If vegetarian or vegan, try swapping out the chicken with tempeh.

Cornstarch - important element to tenderize the chicken and to thicken the mandarin orange sauce. In a pinch, you can substitute with potato starch. 

Sesame Oil - gives this Chinese recipe a lovely flavor and helps velvet the chicken. If you do not have sesame oil, you can add a little mild flavored oil to the marinade. 

Shaoxing Cooking Wine - or cooking sherry adds an aromatic richness to stir fry dishes and removes the odd smell (骚味 or sāo wèi) of raw meat. 

Vinegar - we used apple cider vinegar but you could also use white or black vinegar. Just a little drizzle adds a punch of flavor to the orange sauce. (Sorry, it is not in the photo above)  

Burst of Flavor

Mandarin Oranges - Mandarin or tangerines are best for this recipe as they are sweet, slightly tart and easy to find. You can also use Cutie or Halo clementine's that are a hybrid of the mandarin and orange. In addition, ordinary navel oranges can work too. However, sometimes they are not as sweet and flavorful as a mandarin orange. 

Sichuan Peppercorns (Szechuan peppercorns) - is a tongue numbing spice from the Sichuan Province of China. They are not super spicy. Instead, they numb your tongue and are fragrant. Not only are Sichuan peppers delicious in our tangerine chicken but also in our Mapo Tofu and Spicy Sichuan Hot Pot. You can find Sichuan Peppercorns in Whole Foods, specialty stores, spice stores and Asian food markets.  

Spicy Black Bean Sauce - is a specialty sauce made from fermented black beans and chili peppers. It gives this recipe that delicious umami flavor and a little punch of heat. Leftover sauce can be used in our Baked Cod Parcels with Black Bean Sauce or Beef and Peppers in Black Bean Sauce. Most supermarkets will carry this condiment in the Asian food section. In a pinch, you can substitute with spicy garlic sauce.  

How to make?

• Crush Sichuan Peppercorns. You can do this in a spice blender, with a mortar and pestle or with a heavy item inside a towel.  
• Slice your chicken thinly against the grain. 

• Marinate chicken with cornstarch, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, sugar, soy sauce and white pepper. 
• Zest the mandarin oranges. 

• Juice the mandarin oranges. 
• Make the orange sauce. In a small bowl combine cornstarch, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, vinegar, spicy black bean sauce (or spicy garlic sauce), sesame oil, mandarin orange zest and juice and sugar. Stir well and set aside. 

• Add oil to your wok or pan and over medium high heat add in the Sichuan peppercorns and whites of green onions. Stir fry for just a minute until aromatic. (Vent your windows)  
• Then, add the marinated chicken and stir fry until no longer pink.  
• Make a well in the middle of your wok or pan. Add the orange sauce and let it start to bubble and start to thicken. Stir fry orange sauce and chicken together. Toss in the green parts of the green onion. Enjoy! 

Easy Chinese Recipes

Did You Like Our Recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. Your feedback is always appreciated! Follow us for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for our email list for more free recipes.

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Hot and Spicy Mandarin Orange Chicken

Need a quick and easy 20-minute dinner? Try our Hot and Spicy Mandarin Orange Chicken. It's a healthy Chinese stir fry bursting with fresh oranges and a tongue numbing Sichuan pepper sauce.

Course Mains

Cuisine Chinese

Diet Low Fat, Low Lactose

Prep Time 17 minutes minutes

Cook Time 3 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 257kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Equipment

• Wok or large frying pan
• citrus zester or grater

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns dried and crushed or more if you desire

Marinade

• 1 pound chicken breast or tenderloins boneless and skinless sliced thinly
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon sugar or sugar alternative or sweetener of choice
• 1 inch ginger knob freshly grated or ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 3 cloves garlic
  peeled and minced
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or a dry sherry - optional
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari for gluten free
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• white pepper to taste or about ⅛ teaspoon

Sauce

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons sugar or sugar alternative adjust amount depending on how sweet or sour your oranges are.
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry - optional
• 1 teaspoon vinegar apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  or tamari for gluten-free
• 1 teaspoon spicy black bean sauce
  or spicy garlic sauce if desired
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons mandarin orange zest
  or orange zest
• 9 tablespoons mandarin orange juice
  or orange juice

Stir Fry

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 to 2 whole green onions chopped

Garnishes

• Slices of mandarin oranges optional
• cooked rice as desired - optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Grind Sichuan peppercorns in a spice blender, mortar and pestle or with a heavy object over a tea towel. Set aside.

Chicken Marinade

• Slice chicken thinly against the grain. You can freeze your chicken for 30 minutes up to an hour to make this process easier.
• In a small bowl, combine the chicken slices with the cornstarch, a little sugar to help with caramelization of the chicken, ginger, garlic, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, spicy black bean sauce, sesame oil and white pepper. Mix thoroughly and let marinate at least 15 minutes or up to overnight. This helps tenderize the chicken.

Mandarin Orange Sauce

• Combine and mix cornstarch, sugar or sugar alternative, Shaoxing wine and vinegar. Mix well to remove any lumps. Next, add soy sauce, spicy black bean sauce, sesame oil, mandarin orange zest, juice of mandarin oranges into the cornstarch mixture and set aside.

Chicken Stir Fry

• Add oil and crushed dried Sichuan peppercorns and quickly stir fry until aromatic about 1 minute. Then, add the whites of the green onions.
• Add the marinated chicken and quickly stir fry for about 2-3 minutes until chicken is no longer pick and the juices run clear.
• Move the chicken to the sides of the wok or pan to make a well. Add the mandarin orange sauce to the pan and allow the sauce to start to bubble. (Note: the pan or wok needs to be hot between 95-100°C (203-212°F) to thicken the sauce) Then, quickly stir fry until the sauce is thick and bubbly. Add the tops of the green onion and mix.
• Garnish the Mandarin orange chicken with mandarin oranges and serve with a side of rice and stir fried vegetables. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Sichuan peppers are optional. However, they add that addictive tongue numbing deliciousness.  

Helpful Recipe Hints 

• If you are having difficulty cutting thin chicken slices, place your chicken in the freezer for 30 minutes to one hour. This will make it easier to slice.  
• Vent your home while stir frying the Sichuan peppercorns. They are very strong and can be a bit abrasive on your nose and make your eyes water. 
• Marinate your chicken for at least 15 minutes but even better overnight. 
• Mandarin oranges are more difficult to zest. This is because their skin in not attached to the flesh like on an orange.  Gently hold the mandarin orange. Don't try to squeeze it. Brush the mandarin lightly back and forth to zest.  
• The amount of sugar needed for the sauce is dependent on how sweet or sour your mandarin oranges are. If your oranges are sweet, you can add less sugar. On the other hand, if your oranges are sour, you may need to add more sugar.  
• Don't overcrowd your pan when stir frying. If your chicken is overcrowded due to a small pan size, then cook it in batches. It is important to get a nice sear on all sides as this adds flavor and seals in the juices. When you over crowd the pan, you are steaming NOT stir frying.  
• If you want to make this recipe gluten-free, use tamari sauce instead of soy sauce. In addition, there are gluten free black bean garlic sauces at the market.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 578mg | Potassium: 528mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 98IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Hot and Spicy Mandarin Orange Chicken appeared first on Healthy World Cuisine

Just because you need to watch your carbohydrates or follow a diabetic diet, does not mean that you need to miss out on all the holiday food and festivities. Our Asian Fusion menu is delicious, ketogenic diet friendly, and perfect for any special gathering. 

Do they celebrate Thanksgiving in China?

The world has become a very international place and giving "thanks" brings all of us together.

The Chinese word for Thanksgiving Day is 感恩节 (Gǎn'ēn jié).

• 感恩 (Gǎn'ēn) means to feel gratitude or to feel thankful. 
• 节 (jié) translates to holiday.
•  快乐 (kuàilè) translates to happy.

So, if you put it all together, Happy Thanksgiving Day is 感恩节快乐! (gǎn'ēn jié kuàilè)!

Thanksgiving is not recognized as a national holiday in China or Hong Kong. However, many Chinese have lived in the US or Canada, visited or have friends living there. Many of our Chinese friends love to join in on the Thanksgiving food and festivities too, in their own special way.

Holiday Asian-Fusion Menu

A Chinese Thanksgiving is a delicious Asian fusion meal. It's a melting pot of Asian and Western flavors combined into one. If they are living in the US or Canada, they may enjoy a whole baked turkey with Chinese spices and sauces. On the other hand, if they are without an oven, they may opt for a quick and easy stir fry or Spicy Sichuan Hot Pot instead.

In addition, many may enjoy Homemade Chinese Dumplings, French Canadian Meat Stuffing made with sticky rice, instead of bread, or even a Peking duck with pancakes as a part of the Thanksgiving meal.

Healthier Alternatives

How many of you were planning on wearing your FAT Trousers (pants) on Thanksgiving Day? You probably already know this but the average weight gain during the holidays is about 10 pounds. Crazy, right?

Wouldn't it be better to eat in moderation and enjoy the foods you enjoy all whilst enjoying the holiday season? Many of the traditional Thanksgiving recipes are very HIGH in CARBOHYDRATES. Today, we want to share with you several Asian Keto Recipes that are a little lighter and healthier to enjoy. All the flavor but low in carbohydrates. If you want to learn more, be sure to checkout our post, "What is a Ketogenic Diet?"

If you are ready to take on the challenge, come and join us for a full menu of Asian Keto Recipes for a healthier Chinese Thanksgiving.

Appetizers

You are going to love these easy Chinese style appetizers. Bold in flavors but lightened up. As you know, Asian recipes have that blend of savory, spicy and sweet flavors that we all love. If a recipe requires sugar, just replace with your diabetic friendly sugar alternative of choice to lightly sweeten.

Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce (Air Fryer Method)

Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce is a copycat recipe from Hong Kong's Crystal Jade restaurant made with delicious air fried Asian aubergines and topped with a simple garlic sauce. Ready in 20 minutes!

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Asian Tofu Vegetable Pancakes

Savory vegan, gluten-free Asian Tofu Vegetable Pancakes - a healthy dim sum recipe with 16g of protein per serving. Fun appetizer for Chinese New Year! (Makes approximately 5 to 6 pancakes)

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Air Fryer Ribs (Chinese Style Garlic Ribs)

Delicious finger-licking Chinese-Style Garlic Ribs (Suàn xiāng páigǔ - 蒜香排骨) are super tender pork, air fryer ribs with the perfect little chew.

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Mains

If you have an oven you can try our roasted keto Thanksgiving turkey or whole chicken recipes. However, you can also opt to make a delicious Hot Pot and use ingredients traditionally served at thanksgiving that are sliced super thin. Try slices of low carb turkey breast, shaved Brussel sprouts, mushrooms, etc. for this Asian fusion menu plan.

Roasted Turmeric Spiced Turkey Breast

Roasted Turmeric Spiced Turkey Breast is a succulent bone in turkey breast cooked with turmeric, cardamom, spices and a very fun twist for a holiday gathering.

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Herbed Butter Roast Chicken with Potatoes and Carrots

Discover the ultimate Herbed Butter Roast Chicken one pan recipe! Juicy, crispy and packed with flavor, served with potatoes and carrots.

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Spicy Sichuan Hot Pot [Mild Broth Recipe Included]

Spicy Sichuan Hot Pot is made with a delicious Chinese spicy broth that simmers away while your guests can cook their own thin slices of meats, vegetables, noodles and anything they desire. Fun interactive communal dinner idea!

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Sides

Here is your chance to take the usual fat laden green bean casserole topped with fried onions and serve something light and bright instead. Asian keto recipes are fast and easy and utilize low carbohydrate vegetables.

Garlicky Sesame Stir Fried Green Beans

Garlicky Sesame Stir Fried Green Beans are a quick and easy vegan side dish that is an explosion of flavor with just a handful of ingredients.

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Layered High Sesame Asian Salad

Layered High Sesame Asian Salad is piled high with healthy extra long thin vegetables and a rocking tamari ginger dressing.

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Skinny Spaghetti Squash Egg Roll Ups

Skinny Spaghetti Squash Egg Roll Ups are a low carb anytime snack made with roasted spaghetti squash, vegetables wrapped up in a thin egg pancake with a spicy dipping sauce.  

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Wood Ear Mushroom Vegan Stir Fry

Wood Ear Mushroom Vegan Stir Fry is crunchy, spicy and easy to prepare Chinese recipe that is super healthy and delicious too.

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Desserts

It is just not Thanksgiving without a sweet ending to the holiday meal. Try these lighter keto diet options. Substitute honey or sugar with a diabetic sweetener alternative of choice.

Chinese Pear Dessert Soup

Chinese Pear Dessert Soup is sweet, spiced and works fabulous to calm a cough.

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Spicy Chai Coconut Jelly

Silky smooth Spicy Chai Coconut Jelly is a light and creamy Asian pudding dessert.

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Tranquil Lemon Ginger Tea Recipe

Tranquil Lemon Ginger Tea is the perfect delicious detox tea to help balance your digestive system, boost your immunity and help relieve stress.

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We hope you enjoyed these 13 delicious ways to enjoy an Asian Thanksgiving. Who said this needs to be served at Thanksgiving? Try these recipes for a Keto Christmas or any time you are hosting a special occasion.

LOW CARB Chinese Recipes

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Wishing all of you a safe holiday from our family at Healthy World Cuisine to yours!

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Whether you are hosting a gathering or tailgating before the game, these spicy pepper poppers are a huge crowd pleaser. These cheesy salami wrapped jalapeños have only a handful of ingredients and take about 6 to 8 minutes in the air fryer. What is not to like about that?!

If you are loving your air fryer as much as we are, you might like to also try our low carb recipe for Air Fryer Ribs (Chinese Style Garlic Ribs) or our Extra Crispy Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Jalapeños are a mild pepper, and they rank at 2500 to 8000 on The Scoville scale. This scale is a measurement of the heat of chili peppers and other spicy foods.  To put this in perspective a sweet bell pepper has zero on the Scoville heat units. However, a Ghost Pepper is 1,000,000 + on the Scoville scale. If you do not want the heat, exchange Jalapeños with sweet mini peppers like our keto appetizer for Feta Stuffed Mini Peppers.

• Cream cheese- we used a light cream cheese. If, you have dairy issues or need to keep it vegan there are many vegan cream cheeses on the market. We have tried the brand Violife Just Like Cream Cheese before, and it is not too bad for a vegan option.

• Grated cheese of choice - we used a Colby Jack, but a cheddar, Gouda, fontina, asiago or even a mozzarella all work well. I think any good melting cheese would work fine in here because the cream cheese is so mild. If dairy gives you tummy trouble, try exchanging out the grated cheese for a sprinkle of nutritional yeast instead.

• Salami - yep, we did it! Air fryer salami wrapped Jalapeño poppers rock. So much better than bacon wrapped Jalapeño poppers. Bacon takes a long time to get crispy and let the fat render down. Salami is quick to cook, gets crispy and adds a delicious flavor to this hot appetizer.

• Seasonings are optional but add a nice herb flavor to the mix. Green onions, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper to taste.

When and How to Pick Jalapenos?

When choosing Jalapeño peppers, try to pick ones that are straight, so they are easier to cut and stay flat during the air frying process. Jalapeños should be firm, green and smell fresh just like in the Autumn Kale Salad with a Jalapeño maple dressing recipe. Avoid peppers that have white lines on the pepper.

Do you see the jalapeno in the wooden bowl with white lines? Did you know these white lines are indicative that the plant has been under stress during the growing process? These lines may mean that the Jalapeño is older, and it will be hotter and spicier than you may want.

Chili Pepper Do's and Don'ts

When working with chili peppers, it is best to wear gloves, especially if you have sensitive skin. We find that even if we wash our hands well, there sometimes can be residual chili pepper oil on your hands. Then, you go and wipe your eye or someplace lower (much lower) and oh my word, ayaaah - the burn! Just wear gloves and you can avoid this whole mishap. Do not be touching your face or eyes after touching chili peppers.

Jalapeños are pretty mild peppers but when we are cutting up Thai Chili peppers for our Thai Hot and Sour Prawn Soup or our Prik Nam Pla, we also ventilate the room.

How to Prepare

• Slice Jalapeños in half
• Remove the seeds and the white pith inside to reduce the spice and heat level.

• Mix the cream cheese herby filling

• Slice the salami
• Stuff herby cream cheese mixture into the cavity of the Jalapeño

• Wrap salami slices around stuffed Jalapeño

• Air fry for 6 - 8 minutes on 375 Degrees F (190 degrees C) or until toasty, crispy, cheese is melted, and the Jalapeño is tender.

Is an Air Fryer a Convection Oven?

An air fryer is actually a mini convection oven that can fit on your counter. There is no frying that actually goes on. However, the very hot air is circulated by a fan and this speeds up the cooking process.

We have a have an original Cosori air fryer toaster oven and can fit approximately 10 air fryer Jalapeño poppers on our baking tray. Yours may be different. However, we lined the baking tray with parchment paper for easy cleanup. In addition, we chose the baking tray instead of the air fryer tray as the cheese can start to ooze out over the edges an on to the air fryer. The last thing we want to be doing is more cleaning!

Differences in Equipment

Every brand of air fryer is a little different. Some may only hold a few pepper poppers at a time, and some can hold many. Also, the temperature and cooking time may vary according to your model. Our suggestion is to set the air fry temperature at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) but start checking on them after 5 minutes. Keep a close on them as they can go from cold to done in a matter of minutes.

We made a couple of batches. Both batches were both done between the 6-to-8-minute mark. The goal is for the salami to get crispy, cheese to get melty and the Jalapeño to get tender.

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)

Crowd Pleasing Appetizers

Air fried Jalapeño poppers are quite simple to throw together. If you are hosting a gathering, be sure to also try our Honey Hot Wings , Venison meatballs with Asian zing sauce, Traditional Baba ghanoush or consult our appetizer section to see if something suits your fancy.

Keto Appetizer Recipes

Our air fryer has been life changing. It does not take long to heat up and you don't heat up the whole house like you do with an oven. It's fast and the best part you can make everything healthier and without deep frying.

Did You Like Our Recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. Your feedback is always appreciated! Follow us for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for our email list for more free recipes.

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Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers

These ultimate crispy Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers are stuffed with a cheesy herb filling, then wrapped in salami and air fried for a toasty hot keto snack.

Course Appetizers/ Snacks

Cuisine American

Diet Diabetic

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Total Time 18 minutes minutes

Servings 20 poppers

Calories 44kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Equipment

• air fryer

Ingredients

• 5 whole Jalapeños cut in half and seeds and pith removed
• 4 ounces Cream Cheese light
• ½ cup Colby jack or shredded cheese of choice
• 2 green onions sliced green parts only
• 1 teaspoon Oregano dried (optional)
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder dried (optional)
• salt to taste
• 10 slices Salami cut in half
• ground black pepper to taste (optional)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Air Fryer Instructions

• Preheat air fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Prepare the Jalapeno Poppers

• Wear gloves! Cut each jalapeno in half. Scoop out the seeds and white pith. (If you want to make sure they are mild, go the extra step and rinse and dry well too to remove any excess chili oils).
• In a medium bowl, add cream cheese, Colby Jack or shredded cheese of choice, green onions, garlic powder, oregano and salt to taste and mix well. Set Aside.
• Stack a few slices of salami together. Cut off a small portion of the edges on either side (these are little snacks for the chef). Then cut each salami slice in half to make it easier to place on the poppers. You should have a total of 20 cut in half slices or 2 salami rectangular slices for each jalapeno. You can just leave the salami slice whole but we found this difficult to wrap around the popper.
• Stuff each halved jalapeno with a little of the cream cheese mixture to fill. Do not overfill as this can cause a big mess while cooking. Wrap 2 of the pieces of sliced salami around each stuffed jalapeno pepper. Wrap tightly, so that they cross over in the back and no toothpicks are needed.
• Place prepared poppers in a single layer in the air fryer basket or a lined baking tray (with parchment paper) for the air fryer. Season with freshly ground pepper if desired.

  We have a Cosori air fryer oven toaster style model. We used a lined baking tray (to minimize any cheesy mess) and could fit 10 jalapeno poppers on the sheet at a time.

  (As you can see in our recipe video, we actually doubled this recipe and air fried in 2 separate batches. The first batch was gone in a nanosecond. BOYS! - need we say more)
• Air Fry jalapenos for 6 to 8 minutes or until the cheese is melty, the salami is crispy and the jalapeno is tender. Every air fryer cooks a little differently. We highly suggest you start looking at your poppers at the 5 minute mark and keep a close eye on them because they go from cold to cooked in a matter of minutes. Some air fryers may need longer time to cook as well. Your goal is toasty melty cheese, crisp salami and a tender jalapeno.
• Enjoy while toasty hot!

Oven Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F or 176 degree C
• Line baking sheet and or spray with non-stick spray. Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until jalapenos are fork tender.

Video

Notes

Leftover appetizers can be stored in the refrigerator covered for 3 days or in the freezer for 2 months.

Can you make air fryer Jalapeño poppers in advance?

You sure can! There are 2 different ways to do this. You can stuff and wrap your Jalapeño poppers with salami and then store them in the refrigerator covered for up to 3 days. Then, just air fry when your guests arrive so they are toasty hot. 

Alternatively, prepare and air fry your Jalapeño popper appetizers in advance. Then, allow them to cool and then freeze if a freezer safe container for up to 2 months. You will want to lay them flat and not touching so they do not stick together.

How to cook frozen Jalapeños in the air fryer?

Preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Then, place the prepared frozen Jalapeño poppers in your air fryer basket or linen air fryer baking tray (if you don’t like a lot of clean up). Air fry Jalapeños between 6 to 8 minutes or until the cheese is melty and the topping is crisp. Some air fryers may take longer or less time so keep and eye on them starting at the 5 minute mark. 

How to prepare Jalapeños to remove the heat?

First make sure you are wearing gloves as chili peppers can cause skin irritation. Next, slice in half and remove all the seeds and the white pith as this is where all the heat is. Additionally, you can rinse the Jalapeños well to get any remaining oil off the chili pepper. Allow them to dry well before using in your recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 44kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 149mg | Potassium: 41mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 80IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg

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Save the Seeds!

Whether you are carving an epic Halloween design into your pumpkin or roasting your pie pumpkins to make Thai Pumpkin Curry, SAVE the SEEDS! Seriously, you have no idea what you have missing out on! Roasted pumpkin seeds are crunchy, savory, and super addictive. Try them as a low carb snack, as a crunchy topping on a Roasted Butternut and Carrot Ginger Soup or as a fun topping to your salads.

Our time saving method for roasting pumpkin seeds in the air fryer does NOT include any messy soaking or rinsing to remove all the pulp. Why wash off all the delicious flavors? We added Cajun spice for a super easy healthy snack that family and friends are going to love.

Simple Ingredients

Fresh pumpkin seeds - We used seeds from our pie pumpkins.  Also delicious are seeds from your carved Halloween Jack O Lantern pumpkin, or other squash seeds too. Did you know that you can also roast winter squash seeds too? Some examples are acorn, butternut and kabocha. These are pumpkin seeds with the shell. If you are looking for a "hull free" pumpkin seed, try our recipe for Easy Roasted Pepitas.

Olive oil - We prefer a heart healthy oil. You can also use avocado oil.

Salt - kosher salt or try Mrs. Dash or salt substitute if you need to keep it low sodium.

Spices - we chose garlic powder and Cajun Seasoning. We buy ours already prepared or your can make your own salt free Cajun Seasoning at home. If you have leftover Cajun Spice, be sure to try one of our easiest popular recipes, Cajun Blackened Cod.

Air Fryer Instructions

• Preheat air fryer
• Cut the top off your pumpkin or squash
• Scoop out the seeds. Separate pumpkin seeds from the pulp. Remove the big pieces of pumpkin flesh and strings but the small pieces can stay.

• Drizzle on a little olive oil
• Season with salt, garlic powder and Cajun seasoning.

• Lay pumpkin seeds out in a single layer on a parchment lined air fryer basket or baking sheet.
• Air Fry for 10 to 16 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Stir halfway through.
• About the same time, it takes you to carve your epic design on your pumpkin, your roasted Cajun seeds will be ready to eat.

Don't worry if you do not have an air fryer. We have also included oven directions for baked pumpkin seeds in the recipe card below.

Seasoning Variations

Did you know that you can spice up air fryer roasted pumpkin seeds in a zillion different ways? Well, we might be exaggerating just a little.

If you do not have to watch your sodium intake, a little salt with each kind of seasoning mix is very nice. However, do be mindful as some seasoning blends contain salt as part of the mix.

Here are some of our favorite ways to spice up the humble pumpkin seed.

1. Salt and lots of fresh cracked Pepper might sound too easy but sometimes the simplest things are the most delicious.
2. Mrs. Dash or other salt alternative seasonings.
3. Seasoned salt
4. Taco Seasoning
5. Ranch powder
6. Everything bagel seasoning
7. Lemon pepper
8. Curry powder
9. Garam Masala powder (Indian Spiced)
10. Moroccan Spice Blends
11. Italian spice blends
12. Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese spice blend)
13. Chinese 5 spice powder
14. Baharat (Middle Eastern spice blend)
15. Sweet version with Cinnamon, sugar and maybe even a little pumpkin spice.

We think you are getting the idea. We have just topped the surface of the many ways to combine pumpkin seed seasoning. The amounts do not even need to be perfect but adjust to taste.

Helpful Cooking Hacks

• The number of seeds in every pumpkin varies by breed of pumpkin or squash and the size of the pumpkin. Our little pie pumpkins had about 1 cup of seeds per each pumpkin for a total of 2 cups of seeds.
• If you are from the camp that thinks that washing your seeds are required before baking, please carry on but make sure that your seeds are extra dry before seasoning them and placing them in the air fryer. Some feel that washing them makes them easier to digest. However, according to a study performed by Petroski and Minich, they found that seeds that contain phytates may actually act as a beneficial antioxidant. To wash or not to wash...we will leave the decision up to you.
• Please note that if your pumpkin has a lot less or a lot more seeds, you may have to adjust the time in the air fryer accordingly. If fewer seeds or smaller seeds, you may need to reduce the time in the air fryer. However, you may have to increase the time if seeds are extra large or more of them.
• In addition, if your pumpkin has a lot more seeds, you will have to increase the amount of seasoning required.
• Every air fryer brand has a different size basket or tray. We have a Cosori brand air fryer. We were able to fit the seeds all on the parchment paper lined baking sheet. If yours is smaller, you may have to cook in separate batches so they do not overlap and can cook evenly.
• We used the special baking tray that comes with the air fryer. A basket with holes will not work out for all the obvious reasons.
• Toss pumpkin seeds midway during the cooking process so that they cook evenly on all sides.

How to Serve

If you pumpkin seeds are small to medium size you can eat the whole thing shell and all. However, if your pumpkin was super large and extra large seeds, these may be too tough to eat the shell. Just bite into them and enjoy the seasoning and eat the inner seed and do not eat the shell. Please take note that a serving size is about ¼ cup per person.

We love to eat as a snack. However, these spicy roasted pumpkin seeds are also delicious as a topping to our Nutty Ginger Tamari Quinoa Salad, soups or even wrapped up as little gifts during the fall season.

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)

More Pumpkin Recipes 

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Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds

Try our crispy spicy air fryer pumpkin seeds for a quick and easy keto snack or savory Halloween treat.

Course Appetizers/ Snacks

Cuisine American

Diet Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Vegan

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 96kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Equipment

• air fryer or oven

Ingredients

• 2 cups pumpkin seeds from fresh pumpkin (DO NOT WASH SEEDS, just knock off the large pieces of pumpkin flesh)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
  
• 1 teaspoon cajun spice
  
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  dried ground
• salt to taste (if want to keep cardiac friendly exchange with Mrs. Dash salt alternative)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Air Fryer Method

• Pre-heat air fryer to 360 degrees F (182 degrees C). Line your air fryer baking tray with parchment paper for easy clean up.
• When you are ready to carve your pumpkin, do not throw out the seeds. Instead just separate the big parts of pumpkin flesh from the seeds. Do not wash the pumpkin seeds as the little bit of pumpkin pulp on the seeds will add to the flavor. (If you have sensitive skin wear gloves.)

  Use a sharp knife and be very careful. We like to use a butchers knife with a pointed end to get it started and then cut through the pumpkin keeping your fingers away from the knife to cut the lid off of the pumpkin/squash.
• Place your pumpkin seeds in a bowl. Add the olive oil, Cajun spice, garlic powder and salt to taste and toss well. If you want to keep it cardiac friendly just exchange the salt with a little Mrs. Dash or salt alternative. If you want your seeds more spicy add a little bit of cayenne pepper.
• Lay your seasoned pumpkin seeds in a single layer on your lined air fryer tray. (If desired, add a little shake of salt on top) If you have a small air fryer, you may have to roast the pumpkin seeds in 2 separate batches so that they are not overlapping and get extra crispy.
• Place the pumpkin seeds in the air fryer and roast for 5 mins. Stir pumpkin seeds so that they get toasty and crispy on all sides or shake the air fryer basket and access.

  The amount of time needed to get your pumpkin seeds perfectly toasty and crispy depends on many factors; size of seeds, size of air fryer and how many seeds you have placed on the air fryer sheet/basket at one time. Pumpkin seeds can go from pale to burned in just a minute so therefore you are going to need to keep a close eye on them after the 5 minute mark.

  Every few minutes, give your pumpkin seeds a toss or turn. Our pumpkin seeds took 15 minutes to get toasty. Yours may take on 7 or 8 minutes. So keep an eye on them.
• Once your air fried pumpkin seeds are toasty and golden brown on all sides, remove from the air fryer. Enjoy!

Oven Method

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (148 degrees C). Line your baking pan with waxed/baking paper just so that clean up is a snap.
• When you are ready to carve your pumpkin, do not throw out the seeds. Instead just separate the big parts of pumpkin flesh from the seeds. Do not wash the pumpkin seeds as the little bit of pumpkin pulp on the seeds will add to the flavor.
• Place your pumpkin seeds in a bowl. Add the olive oil, Cajun spice, garlic powder and salt to taste and toss well. If you want to keep it cardiac friendly just exchange the salt with a little Mrs. Dash or salt alternative. If you want your seeds more spicy add a little bit of cayenne pepper.
• Place your seasoned pumpkin seeds on your baking sheet in a single layer. Do not overlap as you want the pumpkin seeds to get toasty on all sides. Bake for about 45 minutes or until your seeds are toasty brown on all sides. (VERY IMPORTANT- make sure that you turn and toss your pumpkin seeds every 10-15 minutes so they get toasty brown on all sides. Every oven cooks a little differently so keep and eye on them.
• Remove from the oven and enjoy!

Video

Notes

• Cajun Spice is a simple mixture of dried paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, pepper and oregano. However, feel free to try any kind of spice variation you enjoy like; Moroccan, taco seasoning, ranch, everything bagel, etc. Have fun! 
• Once cooled, store in sealed container for up to 2 weeks. Do not refrigerate. 
• Serving size is about ¼ cup.
• The number of seeds in every pumpkin varies by breed of pumpkin or squash and the size of the pumpkin. Our little pie pumpkins had about 1 cup of seeds per each pumpkin for a total of 2 cups of seeds.
• Please note that if your pumpkin has a lot less or a lot more seeds, you may have to adjust the time in the air fryer accordingly. If fewer seeds or smaller seeds, you may need to reduce the time in the air fryer. However, you may have to increase the time if seeds are extra large or more of them.
• In addition, if your pumpkin has a lot more seeds, you will have to increase the amount of seasoning required.
• Every air fryer brand has a different size basket or tray. We have a Cosori brand air fryer. We were able to fit the seeds all on the parchment paper lined baking sheet. If yours is smaller, you may have to cook in separate batches so they do not overlap and can cook evenly.
• We used the special baking tray that comes with the air fryer. A basket with holes will not work out for all the obvious reasons.
• Toss pumpkin seeds midway and often during the cooking process so that they cook evenly on all sides.
• If you have a skin sensitivity, wear gloves while removing the pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin.

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 96kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 140mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 126IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds appeared first on Healthy World Cuisine

Topped with fried garlic, green onions and chilis for an irresistible appetizer, dim sum, or dinner idea. Ready in ⅓ the time compared to traditional fried ribs with half the mess.

You know it is going to be good when a recipe includes the word "garlicky" in the description. Right? This Chinese pork ribs recipe is a huge crowd pleaser just like our Pressure Cooker BBQ Ribs. Doubling this easy recipe is highly recommended.  These Cantonese Style ribs disappear in a flash at tailgating events and family-style Chinese dinners.

You are going to learn how to tenderize ribs and marinate them with everyday items you probably have in your house right now. This recipe can easily be made gluten-free too. So, let's get to the recipe!

Ingredients and Substitutions

pork ribs (排骨) - We used baby back ribs (or pork loin back ribs) for this air fryer recipe. If you choose spareribs, these will take a little longer to cook. It is always best to remove the fascia from the back of the ribs to keep them tender.

egg whites (蛋清) are used to marinate the rib meat to make it tender. Velveting is a very common Chinese cooking technique where egg whites and cornstarch are used before stir frying. However, you can get the same effect by mixing egg white, Shao Xing rice wine, salt, and sugar to marinate the ribs before popping them in the air fryer.

garlic powder (大蒜粉) and fresh garlic (大蒜) - We used both garlic powder and fresh garlic in this recipe and lots of it. 7 cloves of fresh to exact and they were huge. There will not be any vampires bothering us today! If you are a garlic lover like us, be sure to try our Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce and our 5 Minute Stir Fried Garlic Pea Shoots as side dishes.

sugar or sugar alternative (糖) - This is an important ingredient that gives these air fryer ribs that special sweet flavor to complement the savory. We used coconut sugar, but you can substitute with a low carb sugar alternative of choice to keep it diabetic friendly.

green onion (葱) or you can also use small leeks finely chopped.

Shao Xing Wine (cooking wine) (料酒) or a dry cooking sherry to keep it gluten free.

Sesame oil gives it that lovely toasty flavor but if you do not have this just replace with a little light flavored oil, just so it does not stick on the air fryer basket.

White pepper is one of those quintessential Chinese ingredients and has a nice kick of spice. Of course, you can use black pepper as a substitute to taste.

ginger (姜) - fresh is best but if in a pinch you can add just ¼ of a teaspoon of dried ginger powder to the fried garlic and green onion dry topping.

chili - totally optional but our family loves that little kick. We used fresh mild Chinese chili peppers.  You may want to substitute with a jalapeno, mild pepper of choice or even a dash of dried red chili flakes.

How to Marinate?

This air fryer ribs recipe is best marinated at least 1 hour or overnight. However, we are going to let you in on a little secret. We only let these ribs marinate 15 minutes. Why? Because we like to shoot our food photography in natural light, and we were about to lose sunlight. 

This little test was a very happy accident. These air fryer baby back ribs were still tender with that delightful little chew. Just perfect. If life ever gets in the way and you need to get them in the air fryer without the full time to marinade, you are still good to go.

• First remove the membrane on the back of the ribs. Then cut each rib separately.
• Place the individual ribs in a large bowl and add the egg whites, salt, garlic powder, sugar, rice wine, sesame oil and white pepper and stir well.
• Marinate for one hour or up to overnight covered in the refrigerator.

Fried Garlic Topping

These Chinese spareribs are finger-licking delicious all on their own.  If you want to kick it up a few notches, be sure to add on this quick and easy topping made with fried garlic, green onion, ginger, and chili. Super easy but so delicious.

This is just the way that they served this dish in Guangzhou, China. All you need to do is add a little oil in the pan. Then, pan fry for just a minute or two or until the herb and spice mixture becomes aromatic. Do not burn the garlic or it will be bitter!

The Chili peppers are completely optional. We used a mild Chinese chili pepper for this recipe. If you like your dishes mild, leave it out. The one item that is not optional is GARLIC! Yes, we used 7 huge garlic cloves on one rack of ribs because that is how we roll.

Cooking Hacks

• Before you start, line the air fryer baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup and place this under the air fryer rack just like we did in our Banana Spring Rolls (Air Fryer Method). We have a Cosori Air Fryer. This may be different for each air fryer brand but ours has three pull out tray options. We place the air fryer basket in the middle tray section and the lined baking tray under that to catch any grease.
• Spray a little oil on the air fryer tray and on the ribs themselves to prevent the ribs from sticking. We used this method of our Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms and it works well to prevent sticking on the tray.
• Preheat the air fryer to 385 degrees F (196 degrees C).
• Place the garlic ribs meat side down first on the tray and air fry for 20 minutes. Then turn over and cook with the bone side up for another 10 minutes.  Baby back ribs have quite the curve on them. Therefore, you must be patient. Stack them next to each other to get the bone side bottom of the ribs brown.  The ribs tend to want to fall on their sides. However, that's okay as your goal is to eventually get all sides golden brown.
• Then for another 5 minutes, we cranked the air fryer up to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C) and kept turned the ribs on all sides to make sure all sides were golden brown. We were very attentive these last 5 minutes to make sure we did not burn the ribs.
• Technically speaking, ribs are safe to eat once they hit 145 degrees F (63 degrees C) but they would be super tough. Cooking your ribs until they hit about 195 to 203 degrees F (90 to 95 degrees C) will give the ribs a chance to let the fat render and the muscle fibers to relax for a tender bite.
• Every air fry device cooks a little differently. If you know your air fryer cooks extra hot start out at preheat of 380 degrees F and start checking on your ribs sooner.
• If you are cooking larger spareribs, they are going to need a longer time to cook. So set the timer and keep your eye on them and add additional time as needed.

No Air Fryer? No Problem!

The traditional way to make Suàn xiāng páigǔ in the Guangdong region is to make deep fried ribs. If you decide to deep fry, you need to marinate your ribs overnight to make sure they get tender.

You will just need enough mild flavored oil so that your ribs can be submerged in the oil in a wok or deep pan. To check the temperature of the oil, place your wooden chopsticks in the oil. If bubbles form, then your oil I ready to deep fry. Carefully fry just a few ribs at a time and cook for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. We will include these directions in the recipe card below.

Alternatively, you can make baby back ribs in the Instant pot. Pressure cook the marinated garlic ribs for 24 minutes on high pressure and then natural release for 10 minutes. To finish off these Chinese pork ribs, set the oven to 385 degrees F (196 degrees) and allow to brown on all sides.

How to Serve?

• When game day is here, all you need are a few napkins and a few cold ones, and you are done.
• Air fryer baby back ribs are also delicious served as part of a dim sum. Try our Air Fryer Spring Rolls or any of our recipes for our Easy Chinese New Year Recipes.
• If you want to serve as a main for a family style dinner, be sure to make a little Hong Kong Fried Rice and try our Spicy Garlic Cucumber Refrigerator Pickles and Stir Fried Romaine Lettuce on the side.

Storage

Really?  Do you think you are going to have leftovers? If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, they can be stored in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to 3 days or stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)

More Delicious Chinese Recipes

Did You Like Our Recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. Your feedback is always appreciated! Follow us for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for our email list for more free recipes.

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Air Fryer Ribs (Chinese Style Garlic Ribs)

Delicious finger-licking Chinese-Style Garlic Ribs (Suàn xiāng páigǔ - 蒜香排骨) are super tender pork, air fryer ribs with the perfect little chew.

Course Appetizers/ Snacks, Mains

Cuisine Chinese

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Marinating Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Calories 874kcal

Author HWC Magazine

Equipment

• air fryer

Ingredients

Ribs and Marinating

• 1.5 pounds pork ribs
  baby back (排骨)
• 2 egg whites
  beaten (蛋清)
• 2 teaspoon salt (盐)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  dried ground (大蒜粉)
• 2 tablespoon sugar
  or sugar alternative (糖)
• ¼ cup rice wine
  (shao xing wine or a dry sherry) (料酒)
• ½ teaspoon white pepper or to taste
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil or other oil of choice (油)
• oil spray oil air fryer rack lightly to prevent sticking

Fried Garlic Topping

• 1 tablespoon oil to fry the garlic, ginger and green onion
• 2 teaspoons ginger freshly grated (姜) in a pinch you can add just ¼ of a teaspoon of dried ginger powder to the fried garlic and green onion dry topping.
• 7 cloves garlic fresh peeled and minced (大蒜)
• 5 whole green onion finely minced or leek (大葱)
• chili peppers garnish- finely chopped chili peppers to taste - optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Remove the tough membrane fascia from the back of the baby back ribs. (Watch our video to learn how to do this)
• Cut each rib into individual pieces.
• In a large bowl place ribs, beaten egg whites, salt, garlic powder, sugar, white pepper, sesame oil and rice wine.  Mix well and marinate 1 hour to overnight covered in the refrigerator.
• If you were marinating your ribs in the refrigerator, take them out and allow them to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes.
• Pre-heat air fryer to 385 degrees F (196 Degrees C). Spray your air fryer tray with a little oil and the ribs to prevent sticking. (If your air fryer has more than one shelf, line the bottom shelf with parchment paper for easy clean up.)
• Place your marinated Chinese ribs meat side down on the air fryer tray and cook for 20 minutes.
• In the meantime, finely mince ginger, garlic and green onions and set aside.
• In a pan place 1 tablespoon oil and fry ginger, garlic and green onions until just aromatic about 1 minute. Then remove and set aside. (Do not burn garlic as it will turn bitter)
• At the 20 minute mark, turn your ribs over so that the meat side is up. Baby back ribs have that curve so they like to fall on their side. That is okay as the goal is to get them golden brown on all side. Set the timer for another 10 minutes on the air fryer. (Every air fryer cooks a little differently, so keep and eye on your ribs and turn often as needed)
• Increase the temperature to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C) on the air fryer. Stand by and keep turning the ribs so they get golden on all sides.

  Technically speaking, ribs are safe to eat once they hit 145 degrees F (63 degrees C) but they would be super tough. Cooking your ribs until they hit about 195 to 203 degrees F (90 to 95 degrees C) will give the ribs a chance to let the fat render and the muscle fibers to relax for a tender bite.
• Remove ribs from the air fryer and place on a plate and top with your fried ginger, garlic and green onion mixture. Garnish with mild chili peppers if desired and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Nutrition facts are based on each person eating approximately ½ rack of ribs for a dinner sized portion. 

• Before you start, line the air fryer baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup and place this under the air fryer rack. We have a Cosori Air Fryer. This may be different for each air fryer brand but ours has three pull out tray options. We place the air fryer basket in the middle tray section and the lined baking tray under that to catch any grease.
• Spray a little oil on the air fryer tray and on the ribs themselves to prevent the ribs from sticking.
• Every air fry device cooks a little differently. If you know your air fryer cooks extra hot start out at preheat of 380 degrees F and start checking on your ribs sooner.
• If you are cooking larger spareribs, they are going to need a longer time to cook. So set the timer and keep your eye on them and add additional time as needed.

Storage

If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, they can be stored in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to 3 days or stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Deep Fry Cooking Method

If you decide to deep fry, you need to marinate your ribs overnight to make sure they get tender.

You will just need enough mild flavored oil so that your ribs can be submerged in the oil in a wok or deep pan. To check the temperature of the oil, place your wooden chopsticks in the oil. If bubbles form, then your oil I ready to deep fry. Carefully fry just a few ribs at a time and cook for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Instant Pot - Oven Method

Pressure cook the marinated garlic ribs for 24 minutes on high pressure and then natural release for 10 minutes. To finish off these Chinese pork ribs, set the oven to 385 degrees F (196 degrees) and allow to brown on all sides.

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1½ rack ribs | Calories: 874kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 70g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Monounsaturated Fat: 28g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 191mg | Sodium: 2572mg | Potassium: 709mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 26IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 3mg

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