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Better than takeout, this Healthy Orange Sauce Recipe is free from Gluten, Preservatives, and Refined Sugar! Use it with your favorite protein source for a tasty and easy dinner.
Goodbye, takeout. And hello, Healthy Orange Sauce!
Sweet, Sticky, and oh-so-flavorful, Orage Sauce is one of those things that is justsosatisfying. Whether you’re going out to eat at a Chinese restaurant or chilling with a takeout box while watching Netflix, I’m pretty sure most of us have enjoyed it at one point or another.
The one thing I really don’t like about Orange Sauce? The ingredients —oops. Okay, let’s clarify: I’m all for the yummy Orange, salty Soy, and tangy Garlic flavors, but the refined sugar and preservatives? Yeah, I’ll pass on those.
That’s why I created thishealthy Orange Sauce recipe to share with you all! This version is refinedsugar free,but still tastes just like the original condiment we all know and love. Plus it’s made from only10 plant-based ingredients!
I also tested two different varieties of this sauce – one usingMaple Syrup, and the other usingMedjool Dates as the natural sweetener. As you can see in the image below, the Maple Syrup (left) version looks a lot more like a traditional Orange Sauce, while the version sweetened with Dates (right) is a lot thicker. I personally preferred the sauce made with Maple Syrup, but have included both versions in the recipe below!
Whether you’re using this sauce in some Orange Tofu Buddha Bowls, or just using it as a condiment with some steamed veggies and rice, you’re sure to love this recipe! It’s great for Meal Prep too – make a batch of it at the beginning of the week, and it’ll keep well in the fridge for up to 10 days.
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it onFacebookorInstagram, don’t forget to tag me@FromMyBowl+ #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
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Healthy Orange Sauce (Refined Sugar Free)
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★★★★★4.9 from 9 reviews
Better than takeout, this Healthy Orange Sauce Recipe is free from Gluten, Preservatives, and Refined Sugar! Use it with your favorite protein source for a tasty and easy dinner.
Author:Caitlin Shoemaker
Prep Time:2 minutes
Cook Time:15 Minutes
Total Time:17 minutes
Yield:~ 2 1/2 cups
Ingredients
Scale
½ cup Maple Syrup (see notes for option with Dates)
1 cup Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice, with pulp (about 4–5 oranges)
1 tbsp Cornstarch, Arrowroot, or Tapioca powder (I used Cornstarch)
Instructions
Add all ingredients, except for the Cornstarch, to a blender and process for 60 seconds, or until smooth.
Pour the Orange Sauce into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring if the sauce starts to “bubble over.”
Mix the Cornstarch with a small splash of Water in a small bowl.
Once the Orange Sauce starts to boil, reduce the heat to low-medium, keeping a simmer.
Pour the Cornstarch mixture into the saucepan, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until noticeably thickened. Stir the mixture frequently to prevent anything from sticking to the bottom of the pan. (Note: Keep in mind that the sauce will thicken more as it cools!)
Once the sauce reaches room temperature, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days.
Notes
To make this sauce with Medjool Dates instead, omit the Maple Syrup and add 1 cup of pitted & packed Dated to the blender with the remaining ingredients. The resulting sauce will be a lot thicker, so you do not need to cook it on the stovetop. I would, however, suggest that you heat it up with your veggies or protein before you use it, to cook off some of the raw garlic and onion flavors.
Orange Juice from a carton may be used instead of Fresh Orange Juice, but this will affect the final flavor.
Tamari may be substituted with Soy Sauce (not GF), Liquid Aminos, or Coconut Aminos.
Want to save this Healthy Chinese Orange Sauce for later? Pin the recipe to your Pinterest boards:
How to make the orange chicken sauce. The orange sauce is made from a mixture of the orange juice and zest, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and rice vinegar. This is bubbled up in the wok until slightly thickened. The chicken is then added back in, and tossed in the sauce until fully coated.
To thicken the sauce, pour it into a small saucepan on the stove over medium-high heat. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water to make a cornstarch slurry. Once the sauce starts to bubble in the pan on the stovetop, add the cornstarch slurry and stir to combine.
Orange tofu is a Chinese-style vegan meal made of breaded firm tofu baked in the oven and coated in a sweet, sticky spiced orange sauce. It's a plant-based version of the classic Chinese orange chicken recipe, also healthier as the authentic recipe deep fry the proteins.
You can tell if orange sauce has gone bad by checking for visible molds, discoloration, or an off smell. If the sauce has separated or changed color, that's another sign that it may be time to discard.
Duck sauce (or orange sauce) is a condiment with a sweet and sour flavor and a translucent orange appearance similar to a thin jelly. Offered at American Chinese restaurants, it is used as a dip for deep-fried dishes such as wonton strips, spring rolls, egg rolls, duck, chicken, fish, or with rice or noodles.
Orange chicken is a popular item at Chinese restaurants. It consists of small cubes of chicken that are breaded, pan-fried, and coated in an orange sauce. The orange sauce is sweet with a little tang and a hint of spice. It's mainly known for its orange flavor (as you can guess from the name).
In most countries in the western hemisphere, the names "orange chicken", "orange peel chicken", "orange-flavored chicken", and "tangerine chicken" are typically used for this particular dish. This dish may have originally come from the "tangerine chicken" dish from Hunan, China.
Almost the same as orange sauce but used more as a dipping sauce as opposed to a glaze. The main difference is the fruit used. Duck sauce is typically apricot or peaches instead of oranges.
It was time for the secret weapon: lemon juice. Turns out, the acidity of the juice acts as a thickening agent, which reacts with the proteins in the dairy to increase the viscosity. It's a similar concept to adding vinegar to milk to make buttermilk, said Clark.
Combine 2 tablespoons flour with every 1/4 cup cold water and whisk until smooth. Add the mixture to your sauce over medium heat, and continue to stir and cook until you've reached your desired consistency. Test with a spoon.
So Nick and Marcos rely on two 4.5 gallon blenders to combine a mixture of onions, tomatoes, garlic and a particular variety of dried red chile, among other family-kept ingredients, to create their signature sauce.
"It's a very nutritious food," said Dr. Qi Sun, an associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. Tofu, sometimes called bean curd, is mostly soybeans and water, plus a coagulant such as calcium sulfate, that's pressed into a block.
Much of tofu's early use in East Asia was as a vegetarian substitute for meat and fish by Buddhist monks, especially those following Zen Buddhism. The earliest Japanese document concerning tofu refers to the dish being served as an offering at the Kasuga Shrine in Nara in 1183.
Sweet and sour chicken has a tangy, sweet, and slightly sour taste due to the combination of vinegar, sugar, and ketchup in the sauce. On the other hand, orange chicken has a distinct citrusy, sweet, and slightly spicy flavor from the use of orange juice and sometimes chili flakes in the sauce.
Introduction: My name is Mr. See Jast, I am a open, jolly, gorgeous, courageous, inexpensive, friendly, homely person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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