Sweet and Spicy Pulled Pork with Honey Jalapeno Lime Slaw on a Grilled Onion Bun

I've always been told that it's best to leave the crock pot lid on at all times when cooking, so as not to let all the heat escape. Well....it's confession time! I think I l lifted the lid at least 5 times to taste this for quality control because I couldn't resist the smell of it! Of course I waited until after the pork was cooked through, pulled and back in the sauce before the temptation overwhelmed me. I put this in my crock pot when I left for work this morning and oh the joy of coming home to a BBQ pulled pork smell in my house after work, was heavenly. I was so excited to try these tonight for dinner that I actually overloaded my sandwich and was forced to use a fork to eat it, because it was too hard to pick up. But trust me, even with a fork...this sandwich was incredible. There are so  many wonderful tastes and textures that come together to create a perfect blend. Sweet, spicy, crunchy, smooth...just to name a few. So if you are looking for a quick and tasty crock pot meal to throw together, this just might be the right one for you!

For the Pulled Pork:

 

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup fresh or frozen mixed berries ( I used blueberries and raspberries) *Original recipe calls for cherries

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped

1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from the can of chipotle peppers)

1 bottle BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays)

3 lb pork shoulder

2 tsps paprika

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

 

For the Slaw:

 

Juice of 1 lime

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp honey

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1 (10 oz) bag cole slaw mix

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 tsp cumin

Salt and pepper, to taste

 

Directions

Combine first 4 Pulled Pork ingredients in the bottom of the crock pot. Mix in 1/2 of the BBQ sauce.
Season the pork shoulder with smoked paprika, salt, and pepper and place on top of the BBQ sauce mixture. Pour the remaining BBQ sauce on top.
Cook on low for about 6-7 hours, or until the pork is tender and can be pulled apart with forks.
Remove the pork, pull it (use two forks to shred it up), and return it to the crock pot.
Mix everything together in the crock pot and cook on low for an additional hour.
As the pork cooks, prepare the slaw by mixing together all of the ingredients. Cover until ready to serve.
Grill the onion buns by placing a small amount of olive oil in a large skillet. Heat on high. Place the buns (inside down) into the olive oil and grill until golden on the inside. 
When the pork is done, serve warm with slaw on fresh grilled onion buns.




Recipe adapted from: http://blog.hostthetoast.com/sweet-and-spicy-pulled-pork-with-honey-jalapeno-lime-slaw/

Mozzarella and Pesto Panini

If my hubby did not want meat every night with dinner, I could very easily become a vegetarian. This sandwich proved it to me again. Every bite was so amazing and completely satisfying. Since he wants meat, I will just sneak in dinners like this once in awhile for a surprise. He really did enjoy it, but I'm sure he would have enjoyed it more, with a hunk of chicken or beef in it! Oh yeah, come to think of it, I'm actually sure I could NEVER give up sushi! But honestly, I could probably eat this sandwich 3 nights a week and be content.

2 slices sourdough bread
2-3 fresh tomato slices
Pesto sauce
Mozzarella cheese, sliced
Olive oil
Crushed red pepper * Optional

Spread Pesto sauce on both sides of the bread. You can use as much or as little as you would like, depending on how much pesto flavor you would like to come through in your sandwich.

Add cheese slices on top of the pesto sauce. Layer tomato slices on top of the cheese. If you want to add crushed red pepper to your sandwich, then shake some of it over the tomato slices.

Place the other bread slice on the top. Drizzle olive oil on both sides of the bread. Grill on your panini press until the cheese is completely melted and the bread is golden brown. Serve warm and enjoy.

Italian Meatball Sub

I genuinely do not like ground beef. This is about one of the only ways that I can tolerate eating it. Back in the old days I would have just bought a bag of meatballs and a jar of spaghetti sauce to make this sandwich, but not this time. The meatballs and sauce are both home made. There is just something about making something yourself, which automatically makes it taste better. At least that's my opinion. You are probably wondering how I got my mouth around this monstrous thing, but oh don't you worry, food has never stopped me before!
*In this picture you can't see it, but this sandwich is also loaded with melted provolone cheese.
* cooks note: I adapted the original recipe by adding extra salt and italian seasoning, fresh basil, fresh oregano and fresh parsley into the meat portion. For the sauce portion I adapted it by adding fresh basil, fresh oregano, extra salt, italian seasoning, crushed red pepper and an 8 ounce jar of tomato sauce!I also served it with pepperoncini's on the top as a garnish.

Here is the link to the original recipe.
 http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/04/italian-meatball-subs.html

Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese

Another night of "no cooking" cooking? Yes please! Even though the temps have dropped into the 90's it's still too hot for me. I am yearning for the cold weather and the hearty food that goes along with it. Hurry up fall and winter. Well, not that we really get a fall or a winter much in Southern California, but I long for the days of summer to go far, far away!!

Sourdough Bread
Butter
Cream Cheese
Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded
Cheddar, Cheese, shredded
Crushed Tortilla Chips
Whole canned jalapenos (or green chilies)

Butter the outsides of two slices of bread. Layer the grilled cheese ingredients in any order or amount that you would like on the unbuttered side of the bread. Grill in a skillet or a panini press until golden.

Veggie Sandwich

It's not too often that you eat a sandwich and say "WOW". This is what seems to happen to me every time I eat one of these vegetarian sandwiches. The best part about it is that no skills are required. So if you don't like to cook and you want to eat healthy, this ones for you!!
Basically you just put your favorite veggies on your favorite bread and chow down!!
I used Miltons Multigrain bread
Lite Mayonnaise, spread extremely thin
Cucumber, sliced very thinly
Tomatoes, sliced
Red onion slices
Avocado
Fresh alfalfa sprouts
Seasoned salt and Pepper

Grilled French Ham and Cheese

My creative cooking juices were just not flowing today. That's very unusual, but it does happen. I have to admit that I don't like ham at all. I took a couple bites of this sandwich and passed it happily along to John. That's not to say it didn't taste good though. If you like ham, I'm sure you would like this sandwich. It's really easy to make and hardly takes any time at all.

French Bread
Ham Slices
Gruyere Cheese Slices
Butter
2 Eggs
1 Tbsp water
Salt
Pepper

Butter 2 slices of french bread on one side. On the non buttered side of one slice, place ham and slices of cheese. You can use as much or as little as you like. Place the other buttered piece of bread (buttered size out) on the top of the sandwich. In a medium bowl, mix two eggs with water, salt and pepper. Dip the sandwich into the egg mixture and press in a panini press or cook in a skillet for 5 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking process.

Peanut Butter and Banana Panini

This post should probably have been titled the "Elvis Panini" since he loved peanut butter and banana sandwiches. I'm not too familiar with many Elvis songs, but I do know that as busy as I plan to be today, I had to make time to blog this panini, because  IT'S NOW OR NEVER. I didn't create this panini in my BLUE SUEDE SHOES, nor was I in the KENTUCKY RAIN. The question is: ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT? If the answer is yes (or no) try this recipe for some good comfort food. Just please DON'T BE CRUEL if you don't like it. :)
Ok enough of the Elvis songs! This panini really was great. The peanut butter cuts the sweet of the honey and the cinnamon bread just adds a unique combination to the flavors. Next time I might even try putting in a few chocolate chips to add the flavor profile.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Peanut Butter
Honey
1 Banana, cut into slices
Butter

Spread peanut butter onto one slice of cinnamon bread. Spread honey onto the other side. Place sliced bananas on top of the peanut butter and sandwich the breads together. Spread butter on the outsides of the bread slices and grill or put into a panini press.

Grilled Vegetable Panini

What makes a great sandwich? Pesto, vegetables, bread and cheese!! This sandwich was so light and so filling at the same time. John and I both thought it was delicious. Definitely not a dinner for a man that will only eat steak and potato type meals, but fortunately my hubby will eat anything I serve him.

*Sorry the photo has the sandwich in the back. The picture I took with the sandwich in the front, turned out super blurry and by the time I realized it, that sandwich was already making it's way through my intestinal track! ;)

Four Cheese Sourdough Bread (or any kind you prefer. This is also good on Ciabatta bread)
Pesto Sauce ( I used home made but you can use store bought)
Eggplant
Zucchini
Yellow Squash
Red Bell Peppers (You can use green, orange or yellow or all 3 for a colorful sandwich)
Fresh Mozarella Cheese
Basil Leaves

Grill your vegetables until cooked, but not soft. Spread pesto onto the bread slices. Top one half of the bread with grilled vegetables and cheese. Place fresh basil on top. Place the other slice of bread on the top and carefully place on the panini press. Cook until cheese is melted and vegetables are hot.

Italian Panini

After a wonderful day spent with John visiting some friends, grocery shopping together, and running errands, I decided that a quick, but hearty panini was in order for dinner. John loved this one and it was so simple to make. I love that I now can go straight into my backyard and pick fresh basil for this sandwich. Now if only my tomatoes would grow faster, so I could use those also!!! Sorry this picture is so awful, John was hungry and I took this shot before I put the sandwich back on the grill.

Ciabatta Bread
Genoa Salami
Hard Salami
Pepperoni
Cappicola Ham
Tomato slices
Fresh Basil
Mozzarella cheese
Olive oil

Layer meats, cheeses, basil and tomatoes on the bread. Drizzle olive oil on your panini press. ( If you don't have a panini press, you can use a griddle or skillet, but you will need to turn the sandwich over halfway through cooking.) Place the sandwich on the hot press and grill until cheese is melted and meat is heated through.

Heatlhy BBQ Chicken Sandwich

Today called for another simple meal at our household. This was so easy that it almost seems silly to post it on this blog. I'm sure everyone and their mother knows how to make a BBQ chicken sandwich, but here goes anyway......I promised friends I would keep up on this blog, so I guess that means posting even the super simple stuff I make sometimes!

Whole wheat sandwich buns
Chicken breasts (as many as you need or want)
1 bottle BBQ sauce
lettuce
tomato, sliced

Place the chicken breasts in the crockpot and put some of the BBQ sauce on them. I put just enough to cover them to start with. Let it cook until chicken is completely cooked through. Drain the liquid out of the crock pot and place the chicken in a skillet. Add as much extra BBQ sauce as you would like. Cook until the sauce is heated through. Place the chicken in a whole wheat sandwich bun and top with fresh lettuce and tomato slices.

Hummus and Vege Wrap

Who says healthy can't taste great? Not me!! These wraps were so easy to make and you only need to know how to slice and grill vegetables to pull this one off. I love to make my own hummus normally, but today called for playing with my beautiful grand daughter instead of taking time to make home made hummus. It was well worth the time invested in her little life, to just break down and buy store bought hummus. For those of you that do not like to cook and are looking for something simple, healthy and tasty....this one is it!! In this picture, I know you really can't see the inside of the wrap, but trust  me when I say it's stuffed with yummy goodness!

Wraps or Flat Bread
Hummus
Zuccchini
olive oil
salt
pepper
green, red or yellow bell peppers sliced thinly
baby spinach leaves
red onion, sliced thinly
toasted pine nuts

1) Slice the zucchini  into long thin slices. Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill over med heat until softened, but not mushy and slightly browned.
2) Spread hummus onto each wrap, as little or as much as you would like.
3) Layer veges onto the wrap. (zucchini, peppers, onion and spinach leaves)
4) Place a few toasted pine nuts onto each wrap. (To toast pine nuts, place them in a skillet for a couple of minutes and stir over med heat until the toast golden brown.
5) Roll up the wrap and enjoy!

Patty Melt

This week has been a "time off" from my blog while I went back to re-prepare some of the meals I have made and loved. While I enjoyed doing that, I really missed cooking and trying new things. Tonight John wanted me to try something that he cooked. Not being a fan of ground beef, I went into tonight's dinner with trepidation. I have to say that for those of you that like ground beef, I'm sure you would enjoy this sandwich. Me? I love that my hubby prepared it and I love that he took the time to cook this for me, but I could only eat a couple bites of it. I just still have not learned to appreciate red meat. If it had any other meat in it, I probably would have loved it, but then it wouldn't have been a patty melt.

2 slices of rye bread
Butter
ground beef
salt/pepper to taste
diced green chilies
diced onions
pepper jack/ or american cheese

Shape ground beef into patties. Season with salt and pepper. In a skillet, saute onions with green chilies until partially caramelized. Cook ground beef until done. Place ground beef, onnion and chili mixture and cheese onto buttered slices of rye bread. Place buttered slices (butter side out) onto a hot griddle or skillet. Cook until cheese is melted and bread is grilled.

French Dip Panini

I love my new Cuisinart All In One, Griddle/Grill/Panini Press. It works great and I love making Panini's now. Tonight called for a quick dinner because we were busy running errands until late in the evening. So I made a french dip Panini and John really liked it. You really can't see all the meat that was piled on it in this picture, but trust me there was a lot of roast beef.

INGREDIENTS:
1 onion, sliced into rings
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
French bread, thick slices
Roast beef, thinly sliced
Gruyere cheese, grated



In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Season onions with salt and pepper and saute in the olive oil for 15-20 minutes until caramelized. Preheat panini press to medium-high
Top one slice of bread with roast beef, carmelized onions and cheese.  Close the sandwich with another slice of bread.  Grill 7-8 minutes until cheese is melted and grill marks appear.  Serve immediately with au jus sauce. 

Au jus:

• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1 green onion, sliced thin
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 cups of beef broth
• 1 tsp bouillon crystals
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a small pan then add green onion. Saute for 1-2 minutes then add garlic. Cook for one minute, stirring frequently. Add broth, bouillon crystals, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook for at least 15 minutes for flavors to combine.

Turkey Pesto Panini

Tonight seemed like a good night to try my Panini press that I got for Christmas. It worked great and made an amazing sandwich. John and I both loved it and I will definitely be making this one again. If you don't have a Panini press, you could definitely make this by grilling the bread in a skillet and then assembling the sandwich and cooking it in the same skillet you grilled the bread in.

I love to make home made pesto sauce, but I was under time constraints tonight and chose the store bought brand. It was really tasty and I would use it again!

To make this sandwich:
1 loaf french baquette (or I used french rolls)
Original flavored Pesto (store bought is fine)
Mozzarella cheese slices
Turkey slices
Tomato slices
Fresh Basil leaves
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Olive Oil

Lightly brush olive oil on the outside of the bread. On the inside of the bread, spread pesto sauce. On top of the pesto, layer: turkey, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and fresh basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Place sandwich on Panini grill. Push down on grill for approx 30 seconds. Let grill for about 4-5 minutes.

*If you don't have a panini press,  just lightly brush olive oil on outside of bread. Assemble the sandiwch. Place the sandwich in a skillet turned to med-high. Use a plate or something hard to press down on the sandwich for 30 seconds. Let the sandwich cook in skillet for approx 4-5 minutes.

Cuban Steak Sandwich and Broccoli Salad

So I mentioned in an earlier post this morning that I was not going to attempt grocery shopping in the rain today. Well, I did it anyway. My need to have food in the house superseded my need to stay dry and warm. So another week or two worth of menus are planned out and ready to go. Tonight I made Cuban Steak Sandwiches with a side of broccoli salad. I must say that even though I don't care for red meat too much, this sandwich tasted really good. The marinade  that  goes on the meat has a great citrus (lime) flavor and the cilantro and the basil add a pleasant mix to the flavors. The broccoli salad is a side dish I used to make a long time ago and hadn't made it in years. I forgot how good it was. I substituted fat free mayo and made it a little lighter and healthier.

Cuban Steak Sandwich
1 1/2 lb flank steak
1 cup olive oil
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley (Italian parsley, not the curly kind)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
5 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp salt
1 loaf ciabatta bread
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced


Directions:
Place the olive oil, cilantro, basil, parsley, lime juice, garlic and salt in a blender. Mix until smooth. Reserve 1/2 a cup of the mixture for later. Place meat into a large gallon size baggie or into a container you can marinade in. Pour the remaining blended mixture over the meat. Marinade for at least 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 375. Slice Ciabatta in half lengthwise.
Remove the meat from marinade and discard the marinade. Heat a grill to med-high and grill until medium rare, about 4-5 minutes on each side. ( I cooked mine longer as John does not like rare meat). Remove from heat and cover with foil to allow the meat to rest.
Place bread directly on oven rack and toast for about 5 minutes.
Cook onions in 1 Tbsp olive oil, just  until they start to turn brown, but are still crispy. (about 1 minute)
Remove the onions from heat and season with salt to taste.
Take the reserved olive oil/herb  mixture and brush both sides of the halves of toasted bread. Slice steak thinly and place on the bottom half of the bread. Top with onions and then remaining half of bread. Slice into quarters and serve.


Broccoli Salad

2 bunches fresh broccoli florets
1 cup salted sunflower seeds
1 small red onion, chopped
1/2 cup bacon bits

Mix the first four ingredients into a large bowl.

dressing:
1 cup mayo ( I use non fat)
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar

Blend the dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Mix well.