WHAT DO YOU DO WITH ORANGE JUICE CONCENTRATE?

Orange juice concentrate is made by heating the juice at a high temperature and then pasteurizing it. The end product is a thick condensed juice with an extended shelf life.

People usually keep orange juice concentrate in the freezer until they are ready to use it. To make it into orange juice, mix the concentrate with water. It has similar vitamin C, vitamin A and potassium contents as fresh orange juice. The juice made from the concentrate can be just as healthy as long as you a choose a product that has no added sugar or other additives. Read the food label and the ingredient list carefully. The undiluted orange juice concentrate adds intense orange flavor in baking, cooking, sauces and salad dressings. Thus, it is a good budget friendly product to keep on hand.

I like oranges in all shapes and forms: eating them as fresh fruits, canned fruits, and drinking them as juice. I also enjoy its flavor in baked goods, dressings or other dishes. I just love oranges and orange flavor! So, this month I want to share with you the recipes I created using orange juice concentrate.

If you need something quick and easy to grab in the morning or as a snack, you will love my orange oatmeal muffins recipe. These muffins have a hint of ginger and coconut flavor from the ground ginger and coconut oil. You can use cinnamon instead of ground ginger if you prefer. If you want that coconut flavor, be sure to use unrefined coconut oil. Otherwise, refined coconut oil or regular vegetable oil will work too. You can always add more ingredients such as nuts, seeds or even chocolate chips. You can make these delicious muffins in less than 30 minutes from start to finish. They can be your breakfast, snack or even dessert! Use the leftover orange juice concentrate to make orange juice. Absolutely no waste here.

Can you believe you can make a light, refreshing and healthy frozen creamsicle yogurt sandwich with orange juice concentrate? The best part is that you only need 4 ingredients with this recipe: orange juice concentrate ice cubes, plain Greek yogurt, sugar and honey graham crackers. Full fat plain Greek yogurt works the best when making this recipe. The full fat content in the Greek yogurt provides the creamy texture and helps prevent ice crystals from forming in the freezer. Using granulated sugar also helps with that issue as well. In addition, granulated sugar brings out that orange flavor more than other sugars I have tried. You can add a layer of melted chocolate on the graham crackers to prevent the crackers from getting too soft in the freezer. After you taste this frozen creamsicle yogurt sandwich treat, you may never buy store bought frozen treats again! By the way, the amount of leftover orange juice concentrate is the perfect amount for my orange sesame chicken recipe. So, do not worry about what to do with the leftover over orange juice concentrate here!

My orange sesame chicken is a finger licking good chicken dish. I use chicken drumsticks but chicken thighs will work as well. To make this recipe, make sure you thoroughly coat the chicken with seasoned flour. I add a pinch of salt and black pepper to the flour to add flavor to the chicken coating. Brown all sides of each drumsticks in a frying pan so that sweet tangy sauce will stick to the chicken. Simmer the chicken with the sauce on a medium low heat until the chicken is cooked. This dish is great to eat when hot, but also tastes good when it is cold. Leftover chicken meat makes a great chicken salad too. Don’t worry about what to do with the leftover over orange juice concentrate here. The amount of leftover orange juice concentrate is the perfect amount for my frozen creamsicle yogurt sandwich recipe.

Let me know if you try any of these recipes. Please share your own recipes too.

Happy Eating!