Quick&Easy Pulled Pork BBQ

I had a few days off from what seemed like a long time, so of course I had tons of errands and chores to do. I wanted to make dinner, but didn’t know how much time I would have at the end of the day, so I thought I would make things easy and make a crockpot meal. I have had a craving for pulled pork recently, and happened to come across this Hormel pre packaged pork shoulder. Already marinated and ready to go! All you have to do is get out your crockpot and put in the pork and cook! Instead of using some fattening coleslaw, I decided to try something different to put on my sandwich. I decided to try this corn & jalapeno “slaw” with feta cheese. I lost the recipe so I kind of just made it up as I went (with lots of taste testing) It ended up tasting better than I thought! The sandwich and “slaw” give you an amazing combination of sweet and spicy. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Not only does this meal taste great, it’s super quick and easy and involves very little dirty dishes! (Something my husband was thankful for.)

This is the pork package that I found at the grocery, directions are on the label and very simple! Slow cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. I decided to add some honey on the pork with the pre-marinated sauce which ended up being a very good idea!

After the pork has been cooking for a few hours, take a fork or spatula and shred the pork in the crock pot. Doing this will break up the meat and it’s juices and help the marinating sauce absorb the meat better. I also added more honey at this time and mixed well.

Once the pork is done, take a medium size bowl and get out all of your ingredients for the “slaw”. I bought frozen roasted corn so I didn’t have to buy corn on the cob, cut it, then roast it. It’s a huge time saver and tastes just as good! Cook your frozen corn according to package directions. Take your jalapeno and mince into small pieces. You can use more or less depending on how spicy you like your food. Add your feta, lime, and siracha. (Siracha is spicy, so if you’re not big on spicy foods I would omit it or omit the jalapenos).

I would suggest adding red onion to this recipe, I forgot to buy one at the store and had to do without! Add half a red onion, minced. Once done mixing, place on your sandwich and enjoy a healthier way to eat bbq sandwiches!

What you’ll need:
boneless pork shoulder (pre marinated or you can marinate your own!)
1/3 cup of honey (give or take, I didn’t measure it out)
1 package of whole wheat hamburger buns
For the “slaw”:
1 package roasted frozen corn
1/2-1 jalapeno, minced 
crumbled feta cheese (just go by how much you’d like in your mixture)
juice of 1 lime
1 generous squeeze of siracha sauce
salt & pepper

Organic low-fat breakfast sandwiches

I woke up one morning craving a breakfast sandwich and thought… why don’t I make my own healthy version, way better and cheaper than some McDonald’s greasy fattening sandwich! So I went to my local whole foods and bought me some whole wheat english muffin, organic free range eggs, turkey bacon, and organic cheese. This recipe is for 6 sandwiches, there are only 5 in the picture because I ate one and it was lovely!!! I thought it would be nice to write some inspirational quotes on top to give myself a little pep and a smile to start my day! Who knows, one little positive phrase could make your day so much better!

To get started, preheat your oven to 350°. Beat 4 egg whites and 2 whole eggs in a bowl with the spices listed. Don’t freak out about the color of the eggs, the cajun seasoning makes them look a little funky! Grease 6 spaces in the muffin pan with some Pam. Pour evenly in the muffin pan. Next take a baking pan and place the strips of turkey bacon side by side. Place in the oven for 6 minutes. After 6 minutes, turn the bacon, then place your eggs to bake for 9 minutes. I ended up putting the bacon on the top rack and putting the oven on high broil for a few minutes to get the bacon extra crispy!

While the eggs and bacon are baking, slice up your muffins.

Next up, get your grill pan or panini press and start to heat it. Assemble your sandwiches. Place as many as you can on the grill and press down on each side to total about 5 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and the cheese is starting to melt.

Once done, set aside and get out your wax paper.

Wrap up your sandwiches with the wax paper. And if you choose to label them or make inspirational sayings, add those now. Place in the freezer.

When you’re ready to eat them, place in the microwave for 2-2:30 minutes or until the middle is warm and the cheese is melted. Pair with some fresh fruit or yogurt and you’ve got yourself a great low fat breakfast! I won’t lie, it felt like I was eating some McDonald’s! Next time I will make some breakfast burritos! I used all organic products, but you can make whatever you prefer to use!

What you’ll need:
6 Organic whole wheat english muffins
4 egg whites and 2 whole eggs, Organic and free range
A few dashes of garlic, onion powder, cajun seasoning, and pepper
A package of Organic Turkey bacon
6 slices of Organic American Cheese
Pam

Italian Meatball Sliders

Football time is here! This calls for some hearty warm soups, cheesy fattening dips, and yummy appetizers! I made these sliders for a perfect addition on a Sunday filled with football. Messy, cheesy goodness that you eat with your hands, nothing gets any better! I basically took a favorite meatball recipe and added a cube of fresh mozz in the middle. Made the meatballs super large and turned them into sliders! I was able to use my favorite sauce, LaRosas! This meal is super easy to make, and for a lighter finish serve with an italian salad with some feta cheese, tomatoes, and italian dressing.

To get started preheat your oven to 400°. Take a large bowl and combine the onion, seasonings, Worcestershire, egg, parsley, ketchup,  and bread crumbs. Mix together well (i like to use my hands, washed of course!) and form into large fist sized meatballs. Once formed, take a cube of mozz and place in the middle, then form the meat around the cheese placing the cheese in the center. Repeat this until all of your meatballs are formed. Take a  baking sheet and place parchment paper on top. Place the meatballs on the parchment paper. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until browned on the outside and cheese is melting out.

While the meatballs are baking, place your favorite sauce in a saucepan and heat on med-low. Prevent boiling because it will make a mess! Stir occasionally. Take your slider buns and brush with some olive oil. Sprinkle garlic powder and parsley flakes on both sides. At the last 5 minutes of baking place the buns in the oven to toast them.

Assembly is super easy! Take your bun, add your meatball, top with sauce, then a slice of mozz, then a piece of basil and top with the other side of the bun! And it’s that easy, and sooo good! You’re going to need a whole lot of napkins with this meal! But I find that the messiest  sandwiches are always the yummiest! So next football game, sit back, relax, grab a beer and chow down!

What you’ll need:

1 small (6-ounce) onion, grated
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2/3 cup grated Parmensean cheese
1/3 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
1 large egg
2 tablespoons ketchup
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
16 ounces ground beef
2 ounces smoked mozzerella cheese, cut into 16 (1/2-inch) cubes
slider buns
your favorite spaghetti sauce
basil leaves

(*beer and football is optional)

Pimento Cheese Burgers with Fried Green Tomatoes

So one of the many gifts we received for our wedding was a burger press. You place part of the meat on one side and whatever you want to put in the middle, then the another part of the meat on the other side, press and voila!! It’s truly a must-have kitchen staple. It’s available at Williams Sonoma and you could also probably find something similar at Bed Bath and Beyond.

But seriously… go get it!

Heat up your grill (or have your husband do it like me  ) To get started, take your meat and combine the worcestershire and seasonings in a bowl. Take your meat press, and place a portion of the meat on one side of the press then take the same amount and press on the other side of the press. Take a spoonful of pimento cheese and place in the middle of one side. Then press the two sides together and slide the burger out. If you don’t have a burger press, make a patty with your hands, then add the pimento cheese on top of the burger once it’s cooked.

When the grill is ready place your burgers on the grill and cook to desired wellness.

While the burgers are on the grill, take your green tomatoes and cut thick slices, about 1/4 inch thick. Take a baggie and mix the flours and seasonings. Place a tomato slice and close the baggie, mix well to coat all sides. Repeat until all of the slices are done. Take a skillet with olive oil and turn on med-high heat. Take your tomatoes and cook on the skillet until golden brown on both sides, about 5-10 minutes. Spray with additional olive oil in between batches.

Take your toasted bun and place your lettuce, then burger, then fried green tomatoes. If you don’t have the burger press, add your cheese in between the burger and tomatoes. For a healthier dish, serve with a side salad.

One of the best burgers I’ve had!! The pimento cheese and the fried green tomatoes go perfectly together!! And you don’t need any condiments!

These Southern style burgers will not disappoint!

What you’ll need:
For the burgers:
4 burger buns
4 burger patties, about 1/3 lb each
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp each of garlic salt, dried minced onion, and cajun
salt and pepper
a spoonful of pimento cheese with jalapenos for each burger
a burger press, if available.
For the fried green tomatoes:
1-2 green tomatoes, sliced 1/2 in thick
2 tbsp flour
2tbsp cornmeal
salt and pepper
olive oil

Chipotle Chicken Panini

Deep breath… now wipe the drool off your mouth…
and try not to scream in utter excitement when you realize you can have Panera in your home, all from scratch!

Yes… I am serious, and no it’s not difficult!
Panera is seriously an addiction for me. I could eat there everyday and not get sick of it! My favorite sandwich is their Chipotle Chicken Panini. So, naturally I had to try and best them and make my own! And I was very happy with my results!

I’ll tell ya one thing, you will need either a panini maker, or a grill pan. Everything else is easy peasy and most items you will find already stocked in your kitchen! We purchased this amazing grill pan on clearance at Williams Sonoma, it’s Le Creuset brand (aka. very expensive but totally worth the quality!) and worked just as great as a panini maker would.

I started out by making the chipotle mayo. Take your food processor and place mayo (or greek yogurt for a lighter touch), chipotles, adobo sauce, lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Process until a mayo consistency results, just a brief moment.

Take your chicken and if you didn’t find cutlets, pound your chicken breasts until they are about 1 inch thick, Take your rub and sprinkle over chicken on both sides and gently rub evenly. Heat your grill pan with some olive oil on medium-high. Wait a few minutes until the grill pan is hot. Take your chicken and grill for about 5-8 minutes on each side.

Take your chicken off the pan, and cut into strips. Cut your bread lengthwise, then cross wise into the size of your desired panini sandwich. Spoon your chipotle mayo on the bread, add your lettuce, then chicken, then cheese. Top with second piece of bread. Drizzle olive oil on the pan and turn the heat down to medium. Place your panini on the pan, take a spatula and press down to flatten the sandwich. Press hard for about 2 minutes, then carefully flip over and repeat for another two minutes on the other side.

Enjoy with a side of chips or apple and you’re practically in Panera!

Next time I will try a take on a Pick Two Soup and Half Sandwich so stay tuned!!

Things you’ll need:
 Chipotle Mayo:
1 cup mayo (or greek yogurt)
2 chipotles in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
1/2 juice of a lime
1 clove of garlic
pinch of salt & pepper

Panini:
2-4 boneless skinless chicken cutlets (or breasts, pounded with a tenderizer) 
Chipotle or spicy rub
Chipotle Mayo (see above)
Lettuce 
Cheese of your choice (I used Boar’s Head Chipotle Ghouda.. amazing!)
French Bread 
Olive oil for grill pan 

Southwest Burgers

I hardly ever eat burgers. But every once in a while I will get a craving for one. They are undoubtedly the picture of American food. And the best part is, there are endless options to make them! Burgers are too boring to me when they have meet, cheese, and a bun. You can make California burgers with avocado and bacon, or Mexican burgers with Nacho cheese, salsa, and sour cream! So many options, and so much creativity! My favorite thing about cooking is that it gives everyone an opportunity to be creative and explore the amazing quality of flavors!

Our grill wasn’t working too well at this time, it was small and old and left at our house when we moved in. So with the help of my sister, we ended up making these tasty burgers on the skillet! And you wouldn’t have known the difference!

To start, take a small bowl and make the corn relish. I added a few extras to mine from the recipe I found, and it added the best flavor! If you have a grill, I suggest grilling corn on the cob and then cutting the corn off for this relish. Since we didn’t have one, I turned the oven on 425 and placed the corn and chopped bell pepper on a baking sheet, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Take it out every 15 minutes and stir on the sheet until the corn and pepper are fully roasted. Mix the corn, chopped bell pepper, and red onions with the juice of one lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. I also added a few dashes of red wine vinegar, chopped cilantro and chopped tomato. Mix lightly and set aside.

Next make your ground beef patties! In a medium bowl, mix your ground beef, garlic salt, pepper, onion powder, cajun seasoning, and cumin. Handle into patty shapes, generally about 1 inch in thickness. Place in the skillet or on the grill. If using a skillet, place on medium high. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side. Same goes for the grill. This will be for a medium well burger, just a little pink in the middle is what it should look like when it’s done cooking. Make sure not to press down on the burgers while cooking because the burger will dry out very easily and all of the juices and flavors will go into the skillet or on the bottom of the grill and it will lose its flavors.

While your burgers are cooking, make the sauce. Take a small bowl and add mayonnaise, lemon juice, and minced chipotles. Take out your buns and brush the inside with either butter or olive oil. Place on the grill for a few minutes, or in the already preheated oven on a baking sheet.

When your burgers are done, assemble!! Serve on buns with chipotle mayo, and corn salsa!

What you’ll need:

Corn salsa:
Cup of roasted/grilled corn
Cup of roasted/grilled chopped red bell pepper
Chopped tomato (about half of one)
Chopped red onion (about 1/4 of one)
Chopped Cilantro
Juice of one lemon
Drizzle of olive oil
2 Dashes red wine vinegar
Salt & Pepper

Burger meat:
1 1/2-2 lbs ground beef
A few dashes each of:
Onion powder
Garlic salt
Cajun seasoning
Cumin
Pepper

Chipotle Mayo:
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
1 tbsp minced chipotles in adobo sauce
Juice of one lemon

Burger buns of your liking!

Teriyaki Chicken Salad

Today is the day your teriyaki dreams come true!! This is a new twist on a very common favorite: chicken salad. My future mother-in-law gave me this amazing recipe. She made this for me when I was visiting over Christmas time and came down with a little fever (She’s the best!!)

This is super easy to make, just takes a crock pot and about 4 hours and voila! For about 4 servings worth, (I tend to over due it on the salad portion) you will need 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (trimming fat and rinsing of course!) Place the chicken and all of the ingredients into a slow cooker. Cook on low for about 4 hours. After about 1 1/2 hours you should be able to shred the chicken, this way all of the flavors will blend in together and taste delicious

Once it’s all cooked, drain the liquid remaining and place the chicken into a bowl. Add mayo until it reaches the right consistency for you. And Enjoy on some toast, crackers, whatever you would like!!

What you’ll need:

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup soy sauce

4 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic

1 tsp ginger

1/8 tsp onion powder

1/4 cup olive oil

Slow cooker

Toast (I thought our Honey Wheat bread tasted great with this!)

  

Chicken Gyros

The first time I ever had a gyro was in Perdido Key in FL while visiting my soon to be hubby. We stopped at this po-dunk Greek Stand on the side of the road, talk about creepy. Here is a little glimpse of this marvelous treasure:

Just look at the awning and lawn chair haha. This little place was bursting with flavor and the cooks are a father and son originally from Greece. And don’t ever ask a Greek man for ketchup, he will be insulted, ask RJ about it. Let me tell you, I was in LOVE. RJ had a hard time winning me over after those! It was with lamb meat, cured off of a skewer roasting and turning for hours, let me just say it was oozing with marinade. Tons of flavor! So with this dish, it is important to marinate your chicken for a few hours.

I will admit, I attempted to make my own pita bread, I failed… epically. So luckily I had some pita bread back up from the store, probably wouldn’t have been as good but oh well! I toasted the store bought pita in the oven with a drizzle of EVOO on each side.

For the tzatziki sauce, I go ahead and strain the yogurt using cheesecloth over a bowl.  Let strain for several hours or overnight, if possible, to remove as much moisture as possible. While straining, start the marinade.

To start, I go ahead and make my marinade. Combine the smashed garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl.  Whisk together until mixed well.  Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat.  Cover and refrigerate for a few hours.

 

When the yogurt has been strained, make the rest of the sauce. Shred the cucumber. Wrap in a towel a squeeze to remove as much water as possible.  Mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice with a food processor if you have one, if not just mix with a spoon, but you may want to coarsely chop the cucumber.  Drizzle lightly with olive oil.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to absorb.

Once the chicken has been marinating for at least a few hours, cook it on the skillet only turning a few times to keep the flavor and prevent chewy meat. I had to drain some of the juices from the marinade after cooking the meat for about 10 minutes. After straining, cook another 10 or so minutes until the chicken is no longer pink. Let sit for 5 minutes.

When sitting, prepare your tomatoes and onions. I am going to add shredded lettuce next time as well! (ohhh yes, there will be a next time) Take your pita bread and toast them, mine were too big for the toaster so I put the oven on high broil and drizzled each side with EVOO and kept in for 5 minutes flipping half way through. Now all that’s left is to assemble and devour!

Ingredients:
For the tzatziki sauce:
16 oz. plain yogurt (not nonfat, if possible)
1/2 hothouse cucumber or 1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press (or finely minced)
1 tsp. white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil

For the chicken:
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping tbsp. plain yogurt
1 tbsp. dried oregano
Salt and pepper
1 1/4 lbs. chicken pieces (I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

To assemble:
Pita bread
Fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
Red onion, sliced thin

OPA!!!! I hope you like this dish And as always I got it from my fav. blogger annies-eats.com, who got it from “Elly Says Opa!” You will impress and not be disappointed with this easy meal!

Meatball Subs… ohh yeaa

Big Ole Meatball Subs

When Fall starts rolling in, there are a few things I think of, First off is obviously FOOTBALL SEASON! Second is the beautiful leaves and color changes in the trees, which I unfortunately have to miss this year. Thirdly I think of comfort foods. Any excuse to curl up on the couch and eat some creamy chowder or in this blog’s case, a giant saucy sandwich, I am a happy woman! 

This recipe calls for 4 Sub sandwhiches

What you will need:

I bought 4 loaves of what they called “Sub Bread” at the bakery (If you’re going for big, you can buy larger loaves)

1 cup of shredded fresh Gruyère and fresh mozzarella Cheese

For the meatballs:

One to One 1/2 lbs of your favorite type of ground meat to use in meatballs (I used ground pork)

1/3 cup of grated parmesean cheese

about 1 cup of shredded bread crumbs from your sub bread (See note below**)

1 tsp of Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp onion powder

2 small cloves of garlic, minced

2 tsp italian seasoning

Pinch of red pepper flakes

1 Large egg

Olive Oil (EVOO preferably)

Your favorite Tomato Sauce! (I used 2 cans)

salt and pepper

Carmelized Onions and Mini Bella Mushrooms:

1 whole yellow onion, cut in long strips

1 package of Baby Bella Mushrooms

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tbsp butter

Salt and Pepper

Garlic Butter Sauce

2 tbsp butter or margarine

1 tbsp garlic powder (add to taste)

1 tsp parsley

Place in microwave for 15 seconds, stir and heat again if needed.

Let’s Get Started!!

You want to cut each piece of bread in half leaving one end still attached. Then you want to gently scoop out the bottom of each piece and put the pieces of bread into a food processor to Grind. (If you do not have one, simply just tear into little pieces) Make sure you are gentle when doing this part, you want to keep the bottom of the bread in tact.

Next you will grab a bowl and add the ground bread crumbs, and everything under the meatball section except the tomato sauce and the olive oil! You want to mix these together nicely, use a fork or your hands  

Once mixed, you want to roll these into 2in size balls and place on a tray. 

Heat up a large saucepan or skillet with some olive oil, enough to cover the pan. Cook the meatballs enough to brown on each side, but you don’t have to cook the center all the way through. 

While these are browning, go ahead and grab another skillet and start cooking your onions and mushrooms with the butter and oil (not fattening at all right??) and cook those on medium-low heat. 

By this time the meatballs should be browned on each side. Next, place them on plates with paper towels to absorb some of the grease. Next, if you used a saucepan, drain out the oil and turn the heat on low or just grab a new one. Place the tomato sauce and the meatballs in the pan and close the lid. You want to cook this for 20-30 minutes. 

You know the onions and mushrooms have been caramelized when they look translucent and smell/taste sweet. It will look like this: 

You want to put the oven on High Broil while assembling the subs

First place the meatballs with sauce (I had 3 meatballs per sub) Then place the caramelized onions and mushrooms on top, then place the shredded Gruyère cheese and Fresh mozzarella.

Next take a brush like you would use for basting or grilling, and brush the garlic sauce on the top of each piece of bread.

Place them on a broiler pan or regular pan on the top shelf. This is on broil, so be sure to leave the door slightly open and the light on to see when the cheese is melted and the bread is crusted. 

BELLISSIMO!!!! I hope you enjoy