Pulled Chicken Sandwich

For the Rub:
1 T. each garlic powder, brown sugar, and chili powder

For the Chicken:
1 boneless skinless chicken breast
4 chicken thighs, skin removed
2 T. olive oil
1 1/2 c. Barbecue sauce
4 kaiser rolls, toasted

For the Barbecue Sauce:
1 c. ketchup
1/3 c. cider vinegar
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 T. yellow mustard
1 T. lemon juice
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
2 t. soy sauce
1 t. cayenne pepper
1/2 t. each kosher salt and black pepper

For the Apple Cucumber Slaw:
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 T. cider vinegar
2 T. sugar
2 t. prepared horseradish
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
1 c. thinly sliced cucumber rounds
1 granny smith apple, cored, quartered, and thinly sliced
1/2 c. thin cut strips red bell pepper
2 T. fresh parsley, chopped

For the Barbecue Sauce:
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

For the Apple Cucumber Slaw:
Whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, horseradish, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl.
Toss with cucumber, apple, bell pepper, and parsley. Chill slaw until ready to serve, at least 30 minutes.

For the Chicken:
Preheat grill to medium high heat.
Combine garlic powder, brown sugar, chili powder, salt and thyme for the rub in a small bowl.
Place chicken breast and thighs on a large tray and toss with oil. Pat rub mixture on chicken until pieces are thoroughly coated.
Reduce heat on one side of the grill to low. Grill breast and thighs, covered, over low heat until chicken browns and crisps, about 10 minutes. Use tongs to flip chicken over. Continue grilling until chicken breast reaches an internal temperature of 165 and thigh reach an internal temperature of 175. Transfer chicken to a large bowl.
Shred chicken using two forks to pull apart meat while it's still hot, discarding bones from chicken thighs. Add barbecue sauce to bowl with shredded chicken; stir until chicken is coated. Divide meat evenly among four rolls. Top each sandwich with apple cucumber slaw.

Makes 4 sandwiches. Total time 45 minutes.

Verdict:
We ate these twice in a week. I used the short cut version though...Instead of cooking the chicken I used a rotisserie chicken. I pulled the chicken off of the bone and then put it into a pan and sprinkled it with the rub spices. Then I heated the chicken with the spices for a few minutes then added the barbecue sauce. Easy peasy and good.

Tilapia and Quinoa With Feta and Cucumbers

Ingredients:
1 c. Quinoa
2 1/2 t. olive oil
1 lb. boneless, skinless tilapia fillets
3/4 t. paprika
1 c. cucumber, diced small
1/3 c. fresh dill, roughly chopped
2 t. lemon juice

Directions:
In a small saucepan, bring quinoa, 2 c. water and 1 t. salt to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium simmer and cook until water evaporates, about 15 minutes. Transfer quinoa to a bowl and let cool 5 minutes.
In a large nonstick skillet heat 1 1/2 t. olive oil. Pat fish dry and season with salt and pepper; sprinkle with paprika. Cook fillets until opaque throughout, about 4 minutes, flipping half way through.
Stir cucumber, dill, feta, 1 t. oil, and lemon juice into quinoa. Season with salt and pepper.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 30 minutes.

Verdict:
I love finding new things to try. I also love when they are good for you. Win/win. The fish had a good flavor for not having a lot of things on it. I also liked the quinoa. I will eat just about anything that contains dill and feta, to be honest. Blake liked both. The kids wouldn't touch the quinoa, they just picked out the feta.

Pork Satays With Cucumber Salad

For the satays:
1 jar hoisin sauce (8oz)
1/2 c. chili garlic sauce
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. rice vinegar
2 T. Asian sesame oil
1 pork tenderloin, trimmed

For the cucumber salad:
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. rice vinegar
1 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
2 c. cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
1/2 c. red onion, thinly sliced

For the satays:
Preheat grill to med-high.
Combine hoisin sauce, chili garlic sauce, honey, rice vinegar, and sesame oil in a large bowl.
Prepare pork, trimming it of fat and silverskin. Then cutting it into thirds lengthwise to make 12 strips, each 4-6" long. Toss the strips in the marinade. Let sit for a 10-15 minutes, then thread on skewers.
Arrange satays on the grill. Cover and cook 3-4 minutes. Flip satays, baste with marinade, then grill until cooked through, 3-4 more minutes.

For the cucumber salad:
Combine sugar, vinegar, salt, and pepper flakes in a bowl. Add cucumber and onion; toss to combine. Chill until ready to serve. (Can be made up to 1 hour ahead.)

Makes 12 satays. Total time 30 minutes.

Verdict:
These are a favorite at our house. I think they are so yummy. They do have a little kick to them but nothing that should scare you. When you BBQ them make sure that the edges are blackened slightly, it makes them.

Tandoori Chicken With Peach-Ginger Chutney and Cucumber Raita

For the chicken:
1/4 c. plain low-fat yogurt
2 t. lemon juice
1 t. each brown sugar, ground cumin, garam masala, paprika, and ground turmeric
1 t. each minced garlic and minced fresh gingerroot
1/4 t. each kosher salt and cayenne pepper
2 chicken breast, boneless, skinless

For the chutney:
1 ripe peach, pitted and diced (about 1 c.)
1 T. scallions, sliced
1 T. peach preserves
1 T. rice vinegar
1 t. fresh gingerroot, minced

For the raita:
1 c. cucumber, seeded, and sliced into half moon slices
2 T. plain low fat yogurt
1 T. fresh mint leaves, minced
1/2 t. honey

Directions:
Combine 1/4 c. yogurt, lemon juice, brown sugar, cumin, garam masala, paprika, turmeric, 1 t. garlic, 1 t. gingerroot, salt and cayenne in a bowl. Add chicken; stir to coat. Cover; refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
Combine peach, green onions, preserves, vinegar, and 1 t. gingerroot for the chutney; transfer to a small saucepan. Simmer chutney until liquid is nearly evaporated, 5 minutes; chill.
Combine cucumber, 2 T. yogurt, mint and honey for the raita; chill.
Preheat grill to high; when it is hot, oil grill well. Remove chicken from marinade, reserving marinade. Grill chicken, covered, over direct heat for 5 minutes; brush with reserved marinade. Turn chicken; grill 5 minutes more or until the chicken is cooked through.
Serve chicken with chutney and raita.

Makes 2 servings. Total time 1 hour.

Verdict:
It was a little dry for my liking. The chutney was good and that is mostly what the kids wanted to eat. I used peaches that I had sliced and frozen so the chutney was a little more saucy than it is suppose to be. The raita was OK.

Asian Ragu With Rice Stick Noodles and Quick Pickled Cucumbers

For the ragu:
8 oz. dry rice-stick noodles or rice vermicelli
2 T. peanut oil
1 c. shallots, diced
2 T. garlic, minced
2 T. ginger root, minced
1-2 tsp. red curry paste, or chili garlic sauce
1 lb. ground beef
3/4 c. chicken broth
2 T. fish sauce, or soy sauce
1 tsp. brown sugar
fresh basil and mint
chopped dry roasted peanuts

For the cucumbers:
1/2 c. rice vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
kosher salt and red pepper flakes to taste
2 c. cucumbers, thinly sliced


For the ragu:

Cook rice sticks according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water.
Heat oil in large saute pan over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic, and ginger to pan. Saute until shallots are translucent, 3-4 min.
Stir in curry paste until combined with shallot mixture.
Add ground beef to pan and cook until browned breaking up bigger pieces.
Whisk together broth, fish sauce, and brown sugar until sugar dissolves. Stir into meat mixture. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 min. Serve ragu over cooked rice stick noodles.
Top with basil, mint and peanuts.

For the cucumbers:

Whisk together vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper flakes for the marinade. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
Add cucumbers to bowl . Toss and chill until ready to serve.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 30 minutes.

Verdict:
First off I used red curry paste and soy sauce. I only used 1 tsp. of the curry paste because I didn't want it to be too spicy. I should have used less. It still was too spicy for my kids to eat or like. This was really good besides that. The cucumbers on the side took away some of the heat and added a nice fresh flavor. I will make this again...but I will only use 1/2 tsp. curry paste.