RSS

Tag Archives: no mayo coleslaw

A Week of Quick Meals: Easy Chicken Teriyaki and No-Mayo Slaw

I am trying to get everything together this week so that we can go away on vacation on Saturday, and Michelle is working late most of the week, so that means trying to make, quick, easy meals with whatever we happen to have around the house. Last night, the quick meal was a fast chicken teriyaki recipe that I found in Cook’s Country. The original recipe serves it with pineapple rings, but since I didn’t have any pineapple around, they got left out of this one.

Grilled Chicken Teriyaki with Pineapple

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons mirin

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon cornstarch

3 pounds bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed

1 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rings

Whisk the soy sauce, sugar, mirin, ginger and cornstarch together in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until it is thickened, about 2 minutes.

Grill the chicken skin side up over a medium-hot fire, covered, until the underside is browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Flip the chicken and grill, covered, until the skin is well browned and the meat registers 175 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about another 6 to 8 minutes. Brush the chicken all over with half of the sauce and continue to grill, uncovered and flipping often, until the sauce begins to caramelize, about 2 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil.

Brush the pineapple rings with half of the remaining sauce and grill, uncovered, until lightly charred on both sides, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. transfer to the same platter as the chicken. Pour the remaining sauce over the chicken and pineapple and serve.

I served this with a simple white rice and some broccoli. I also had made a quick recipe for a no-mayo coleslaw, which I like better this time of year for barbecues and parties because you don’t have to worry about it sitting out in the sun or anything. This one just uses a few ingredients and can be made in minutes if you choose to use a bag of coleslaw mix instead of shredding cabbage and carrots yourself. I always keep a bag of coleslaw mix around as it makes a great quick side dish that you can throw together fast.

No-Mayo Coleslaw

1/4 small red cabbage

1/2 small green cabbage

1/2 carrot, peeled and shredded

zest of 1/2 lemon

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Remove any of the tough outer leaves from both of the heads of cabbage. Trim the core and any tough stems from the cabbage and thinly slice to shred it. Add the cabbage to a bowl with the shredded carrot, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, salt and black pepper. Toss well to combine.

Serve right away for more of a salad dish or store in the refrigerator overnight for a coleslaw that is more pickled.

As I said, I skipped the first couple of steps and used coleslaw mix and I think it turned out great. The coleslaw picture is actually one I took from lunch with a chicken salad sandwich. I loved the lemony flavor of the dish and the honey gives it just a hint of sweetness. it went really well with the chicken as well, and the glaze on the chicken was quick and easy to make and tasted great. This is a great recipe for a weeknight when you need something done fast and I think you could do it just as well in the oven any time of year by putting the chicken in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes or so before you start to glaze it.

That’s all I have for today. Check back again to see what else comes up this week. I am not quite sure what I will be making; it really depends on what I pull out of the freezer. I did take some ribs out for tonight and found a recipe for that, so you can check back tomorrow for that one. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

3 Comments

Posted by MikeG on August 13, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, Fruit, Grilling, Poultry, Sauce, Side Dishes

Tags: chicken salad sandwiches, chicken teriyaki recipe, Cook's Country, grilled chicken teriyaki, grilled chicken teriyaki with pineapple, grilled pineapple, no mayo coleslaw, quick easy meals

It’s Never Too Hot for Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

17 Jul

With the ungodly heat we have been experiencing here in the northeast part of the country, I have had to find some alternatives to using the oven. I had bought a large pork butt last week to make pulled pork, but there was no way I was turning the oven on if I could avoid it. Thankfully, I was able to pull out the trusty slow cooker and use this recipe from America’s Test Kitchen so I was able to make some tasty pulled pork sliders for dinner instead.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sliders

Salt and pepper

6 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons liquid smoke

1 (5-pound) boneless pork butt roast

1/4 cup yellow mustard

2 tablespoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

6 cups barbecue sauce

Cider vinegar

Hot sauce

Hamburger buns

Bread and butter pickles

For the pork: Dissolve 1/4 cup of salt, 1/4 cup sugar, and 3 tablespoons of liquid smoke in 2 quarts of cold water in a large container. Submerge the pork in the brine, cover and refrigerate for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

While the pork brines, combine the mustard and remaining 2 teaspoons of liquid smoke in a bowl and set it aside. Combine 2 teaspoons of salt, 2 tablespoons of pepper, the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, paprika, and cayenne in a second bowl and set aside.

Remove the pork from the brine and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels. Rub the mustard mixture over the entire surface of the pork. Sprinkle the pork with the spice mixture to coat well.Place the pork in the slow cooker and pour the barbecue sauce over the pork, cover, and cook, on either low or high, until the pork is fork tender and falling apart, 10 to 11 hours on low or 7 to 8 hours on high.

Transfer the meat to a large bow and let cool. Let the cooking liquid settle for 5 minutes, then use a wide spoon to skin the fat off the surface. Season the sauce with the cider vinegar, hot sauce and salt and pepper to taste. When the meat is cool enough to handle, shred it using your fingers or two forks., discarding any extra fat or gristle.

Toss the shredded meat with 1 cup of the cooking sauce, adding more as needed to keep it moist. Serve, passing the remaining sauce separately, with hamburger buns and pickles to make the sliders.

You can use any store-bought barbecue sauce you like for this recipe, or you can quickly use this recipe below and triple it to make enough sauce for this pulled pork.

Barbecue Sauce

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup ketchup

5 tablespoons molasses

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon hot sauce

Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds.

Stir in the remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cool to room temperature before serving, about 1 hour. The sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up yo 1 week or frozen for up to 2 months.Bring it to room temperature before serving.

Of course, no pulled pork sandwich is complete without some coleslaw. I am always on the lookout for new coleslaw recipes that do not use mayonnaise so they are better for the summer. I found this one from Food Network and it tasted great.

Gourmet Cole Slaw

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

3 ounces granulated sugar

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon chopped shallots

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 head green cabbage, julienned

1/4 head red cabbage, julienned

1/2 red bell pepper, julienned

1/2 green bell pepper, julienned

1/2 yellow bell pepper, julienned

1 carrot, peeled and julienned

1 green onion, green part only cut into 1-inch lengths

1 teaspoon dry oregano

Salt and pepper

Whisk all the vinaigrette ingredients into a bowl. Mix all the vegetables together in a large bowl. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables, toss and chill for 1 hour or until you are ready to serve.

It is simple and refreshing. You can always use a bag of coleslaw mix instead of handling all the vegetables yourself. I usually have a bag on hand during the summer so that is what I used this time and this recipe has a nice, light flavor to it that will go well with all types of sandwiches and dishes.

That’s all I have for today. Check back again next time to see what recipes come along. I have tried a few things out recently to post, such as a new roasted chicken recipe, french bread pizzas, a new burger recipe, and more. Check back and see what comes up next. until then, enjoy the rest of your day, try to stay cool and enjoy your meal!