Sandwich Archives - The Tasty Fork

Asian Chicken Burrito with Sriracha Peanut Butter Sauce

May 16, 2013 by admin · 13 Comments

Ever wonder what to do when you have one piece of chicken left in a package? If you live with more than one person, looking at one chicken breast and trying to figure out dinner can be a challenge. I guess you could freeze it, but I dare you to look into your fridge and see how many frozen pieces of chicken you already have. For me, I have probably about 6. I don’t need to make it 7. And I’m glad I didn’t take the easy route… because I came up with Asian Chicken Burritos with Sriracha Peanut Butter Sauce. And turned one chicken breast into 4 meals.

I went to Hawaii in January 2012. It was wonderful. Beautiful. Breathtakingly beautiful. We spent a majority of our time on Kauai, the garden island. Since I’m constantly thinking about food, months before we left for our trip, I had already scouted out places to eat. And I’m talking about places were the locals go. I looked like a tourist by taking over 700 photos, but I didn’t want to eat like one.

I did my research and found a local place called Kilauea Fish Market which was off of the beaten path. They’re known for their huge burritos stuffed with local produce and brown rice…and some of the best ahi tuna you can find in all of Kauai. This picture doesn’t give it justice.

So here I am, over a year later, still thinking about a burrito I had in Hawaii. I’m crazy, I know. I have no idea when I’ll get back to Kauai. The next best thing I can do is try to recreate what I ate in my own home.

Let’s start with the meat of this dish. I chopped up the one lonely chicken breast into bite sized pieces and cooked it in a skillet with fresh garlic and ginger. I made a marinade of soy sauce, sriracha, honey and orange juice. It wasn’t spicy at all and really paired nicely with the ginger & garlic. You can really taste the orange juice and soy. I loved it.

I think I was able to stretch this recipe into 4 servings by adding an 8 oz package of sliced mushrooms to the skillet. Anytime you can go the extra mile with meal by adding vegetables, I’m all for it. Of course, its not a burrito with out some rice, so I took the easy route and used 90 second microwaveable brown rice. (Might be the best invention ever.) Brown rice goes on to a large spinach tortilla first, then chicken and mushrooms, top with fresh veggies like carrots, cucumbers, cilantro, purple cabbage and red peppers. Then it’s time for the best part – Sriracha Peanut Butter Sauce. You guys, I can’t even get over this stuff. It might sound strange at first, but just trust me.

In a bowl, mix peanut butter, sriracha, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce and brown sugar. Microwave it for 60 seconds. I grabbed a piece of cucumber and dipped it in to the sauce. The soy sauce cuts into the peanut butter taste, so it isn’t too sweet. And the sriracha really brings some heat. I added more to my burrito but I’m a spice freak. Drizzle this sauce all over the top of the ingredients, roll up the burrito and serve. And serve some on the side. The sauce might be gone before you finish the burrito

In general, I rarely have met a burrito I didn’t like. Sadly, my favorite burrito stand resides in Hawaii. However, by taking my everyday ingredients, trying to use up one last piece of chicken and wanting an Asian flair in my dinner, I came up with a very satisfying burrito. And considering I’m not a leftovers girl, it speaks volumes that I ate this easy Asian chicken burrito for dinner 2 nights in a row! I hope you’ll give it a try and tell me all about it.

Asian Chicken Burrito with Sriracha Peanut Butter Sauce

Ingredients

Burrito Filling:

1 tbsp sesame oil
1 chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
3 green onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tbsp sriracha
2 tsp honey
8 oz package sliced mushrooms

Peanut Butter Sriracha Sauce:

1.5 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1-2 tbsp sriracha
splash apple cider vinegar

Burrito Toppings:

1 package microwaveable brown rice (90 second kind)
1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
2 carrots, shredded
1/2 cucumber, skin & seeds removed
1/2 purple cabbage, shredded
Cilantro sprigs
4 large spinach tortillas

Instructions

In a large skillet at a medium heat, pour sesame oil. When it's warm, add chicken, green onions, garlic and ginger. Cook and stir until chicken is done, about 8 minutes. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, OJ, sriracha and honey. Pour into skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and stir in mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are soft.
Make peanut butter sriracha sauce by mixing all ingredients into a bowl. Place bowl in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Set aside.
To make burrito, place 2 tbsp brown rice in the middle of the tortilla. Top with chicken and mushroom mixture. Place vegetables and cilantro on top. Drizzle peanut butter sriracha sauce over burrito filling. Roll tortilla to form burrito. Cut in half and serve with additional peanut butter sriracha sauce. (Repeat steps with the remaining 3 tortillas.)

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Filed Under: Chicken, Healthy, Recipes, Sandwich · Tagged With: Asian Burrito, Asian Chicken, Asian Chicken Burrito, easy dinner, easy recipe, Healthly, Peanut Butter Sauce, recipe, Sriracha Chicken, Sriracha Peanut Butter Sauce, Sriracha Sauce

Bacon, Pear & Smoked Gouda Panini

April 29, 2013 by admin · 12 Comments

There aren’t too many things that make me excited for a Monday. After the beautiful weather and fun weekend I had, the Monday morning alarm came too quickly. Especially since the only grocery store trip I made was to pick up ingredients to make brownies for my Monthly Pinterest Party. So there wasn’t much in the fridge Sunday evening when I was trying to come up with dinner.

I took a peek into my fridge and wondered, “What in the world can I eat right now??” I’m rummaging through the shelves and just when I think I’ll have to eat carrots and cheese, I came across bacon. Angels start singing. How did I not remember using bacon earlier in the week?? How did I not use all of it in one meal? Bacon hardly lasts more than one day in our house.

Working with what I have in my kitchen, I scanned the area to find good matches for my bacon. Of course, EVERYTHING goes well with bacon, so at least I was off to a good start. I had some pears which finally ripened, a bag of baby arugula and some leftover ciabatta bread from the bakery. And then there was the smoked Gouda cheese I had bought just because there are times in my life when I want cheese, crackers & wine for dinner. Looks like I had all of the ingredients to make a Bacon, Pear & Smoked Gouda Panini.

I love a good sandwich but I wanted to take this panini up a notch. Have you ever made flavored oils? I LOVE to mince up some garlic, add it to warm olive oil and let it seep for a few minutes. Brush the garlic oil all over the inside of your sandwich bread – it’s a sure way to get extra flavor depth into a super easy meal.

Easy & tasty – that’s how I like my recipes. This panini falls into that category. The bacon and smoked gouda are the savory stars of the sandwich. I like how the pear adds a sweet flavor and lightens up the meal. Arugula is a peppery green and works well with the savory & sweet elements in this sandwich. Some kind of rustic, crusty bread is required for a panini. I had ciabatta on hand, but use whatever kind of bread you like…just make sure it’s “strong” enough to keep the panini together.

I hope you guys liked my on the fly panini. I truly believe in making recipes your own. So if you don’t have pears, use apples. Or if you’re looking for a lower calorie option, dismiss the bacon and use deli turkey instead. Feel free to make substitutes to fit what you like!

So why was I looking forward to Monday?? Because I’m totally making this sandwich again for lunch…and maybe even dinner.

Bacon, Pear & Smoked Gouda Panini

Ingredients

(Makes 2 hearty sandwiches)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 slices of your favorite artisan bread, such as ciabatta
8 slices of bacon, cooked
1 pear, thinly sliced
¼ cup shredded smoked gouda
½ cup baby arugula

Instructions

To make Garlic Oil – In a small sauce pan, add olive oil & garlic. Bring it up to a boil and remove from heat. Let the garlic sit for 10 minutes. The garlic can be strained or just leave it. It’s up to you!
On the ciabatta bread, spread the garlic oil on both sides. Start to layer the sandwich by adding bacon, pear slices, smoked gouda and baby arugula. Top with the other piece of bread and place in a preheated skillet or grill pan. (Or a panini machine if you have one!) I put my cast iron skillet on top of the sandwich so it would press the sandwich.
On a medium-low heat, cook the sandwich until cheese is fully melted; 3 to 5 minutes per side. Serve immediately while cheese is still warm.

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Portobello Sandwich with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. Recipe at The Tasty Fork #vegetarian

Portobello Sandiwch with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

mediterranean-turkey-sandwich-the-tasty-fork

Mediterranean Turkey Sandwich

Five Ingredient Slow Cooker Ranch Seasoned Beef I thetastyfork.com #5ingredients #slowcooker #dinner

5 Ingredient Slow Cooker Ranch Seasoned Beef

Filed Under: Entree, Pork, Sandwich · Tagged With: bacon recipes, dinner, easy meal, easy recipe, easy recipes, recipe, sandwich

Crock Pot Meatball Sliders with Peach Chipotle BBQ Sauce

April 25, 2013 by admin · 9 Comments

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I’m often asked, “How did you come up with that recipe?” or “Why did you select those flavors?” I wish I had some super sophisticated answer to share, but I don’t. What I make everyday is usually based on cravings. I have a book to write down all of my recipe thoughts. Somethings get made and sometimes I even wonder what in the world was I thinking when I came up with that idea.

So this easy recipe, Crock Pot Meatballs with Peach Chipotle BBQ Sauce, was inspired by one of my favorite obsessions. Chips and salsa. If you looked inside my fridge at this moment, you’d see at least 3 different salsa jars. I have a serious problem which I don’t care to kick. I LOVE salsa. One of the jars I recently devoured was a mango chipotle salsa. It was perfectly spicy but with a kick of sweetness. That salsa barely lasted a day in my house. It was so good.

Unlike me, my husband won’t eat just chips and salsa for dinner. So I started brainstorming the ways I could bring the sweet and spicy kick from the salsa into an actual meal.

BBQ Sauce has a lot of the same ingredients as salsa, it’s just handled a little bit differently. By adding some peach preserves and chipotle peppers to a standard BBQ sauce, I’d be able to recreate the taste from the salsa. And meatballs make my husband happy, so that was a no brainer. But to make things easier for me, I decided to brown the meatballs in a skillet and then cook them in a slow cooker.

Who doesn’t love sliders for dinner?! This recipe is perfect for a busy work week, a kick off to the weekend dinner or as a game day appetizer. These little sliders will be eaten and gone in no time. The meatballs are made with ground turkey and pork, so they’re healthier than the average ground beef meatball. The BBQ sauce is made from scratch, so there aren’t any preservatives or ingredients you can’t pronounce in it. Plus, you can totally make the BBQ sauce your own by adding your favorite kind of jelly. I picked peach because I had some on hand.

I can hardly wait to make these Crock Pot Meatball Sliders again. They’re way more satisfying than chips and salsa.

Crock Pot Meatball Sliders with Peach Chipotle BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground turkey
1 egg
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1.5 tsp cumin
1.5 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup beer or broth

For the Peach Chipotle BBQ Sauce

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup peppers and sauce from canned chipotles in adobo, minced
2/3 cup ketchup
1/4 - 1/2 cup beer or broth
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp molasses
1/2 cup peach preserves
Salt, to taste
Slider Buns/Rolls

Instructions

For the meatballs: In a large bowl, add the first 10 ingredients and mix with your hands. Once the ingredients are combined, shape into meatballs. You can use a medium sized cookie scooper or 2 tablespoons would work. Add olive oil to a large skillet at medium heat. Brown meatballs on all sides, do not over cook. You just want to give the meatball a nice sear. Cook meatballs in batches - don't over crowd the skillet. Add cooked meatballs to a slow cooker coated with cooking spray. Once all of the meatballs are in the slow cooker, pour in beer or broth. Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.
For the sauce: In a sauce pan set at medium heat, add oil & onions. Cook until the onions are translucent. Add garlic and stir. Cook until fragrant. Add chipotle peppers and sauce. Stir until combined with onion & garlic. Stir in the ketchup, vinegar, water, mustard, molasses, and peach preserves. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Taste and add salt if needed.
Once the meatballs are cooked, remove from slow cooker. Drain out the liquid. Return meatballs to slow cooker and cover with BBQ sauce. Turn slow cooker setting to warm and cover with lid. Let the meatballs sit in the slow cooker for at least 10 minutes. Serve BBQ meatballs on slider rolls.

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Cheesy Meatball Lasagna

Pork Banh Mi Inspired Sliders

BBQ Meatball Sliders

Filed Under: Appetizers, Crock Pot, Entree, Game Day, Pork, Recipes, Sandwich, Slow Cooker, Turkey · Tagged With: chipotle bbq sauce, chipotle peach bbq, homemade bbq sauce, meatball slider, meatballs, peach bbq sauce, pork meatball, turkey meatball

Portobello Sandwiches with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

March 25, 2013 by admin · 20 Comments

Last week I said from Thursday at 11am till Sunday night, I’ve got college basketball brain. I know most of my readers don’t care for sports, so I won’t bore you with my bracket standings. But I will express these past few days have been so fun.. lots of good games and eating lots of food! Oh and my Indiana Hoosiers are still in it to win it! And that makes me very happy.

You know what else makes me happy – a hearty veggie sandwich. We’ve all been out to eat with that one friend who orders the vegetarian sandwich…and the sandwich is the SADDEST thing you’ve ever seen. I’d never pay a restaurant to feed me sprouts, cucumber and tomatoes smashed between bread and call it a meal. I’m getting depressed just thinking about it.

So if I’m going to share a veggie sandwich, it’s going to be good. And let me tell you, this recipe is man approved. We ate this Portobello Sandwich twice in 24 hours. That’s a big deal for 2 reasons. One, I’m not a fan of leftovers unless if I can turn it into a different meal. Two, my husband didn’t even complain. He was happy to be meat free for another meal.

Honestly, if you make this sandwich, you won’t even miss the meat. I think portobello mushrooms are very filling and the roasted pepper sauce is so flavorful. I could’ve had a meal of bread with the roasted pepper sauce and been content. This sandwich is also loaded with grilled onions, fresh basil, spinach and goat cheese. It really brings those other veggie sandwiches to shame.

Portobello Sandwiches with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, Cooking Light April 2013

Ingredients

4 Portobello mushroom caps
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves
2 thick slices of onion
Salt
1 loaf of crust ciabatta bread (enough for 4 sandwiches)
1/2 cup bottled roasted red bell peppers, rinsed and drained
A few basil leaves
1 tbsp dry roasted almonds, chopped
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup goat cheese crumbles
1 cup fresh baby spinach
12 basil leaves

Instructions

Preheat broiler to high.
Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Remove gills from mushrooms using a spoon; discard gills. Combine 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and half of garlic. Add mushrooms & onions to a resealable bag and pour in olive oil. Make sure mushrooms and onions are equally coated. Place mushrooms and onion slices in pan, and cook for 5 minutes on each side or until tender. Remove from heat. Sprinkle mushrooms with salt. Separate onion slices into rings.
Place bread slices on a baking sheet. Broil for 1 minute or until bread is lightly browned.
Place remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, remaining garlic, roasted red peppers, basil, almonds, and vinegar in a food processor, and process until smooth. Taste & season with salt and pepper if needed. Spread red pepper sauce evenly over each bread slice; top 4 bread slices evenly with cheese, 1 mushroom, onion rings, spinach, and basil. Top with remaining 4 bread slices, sauce side down.

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Recipe from Cooking Light, April 2013 Issue

Filed Under: Appetizers, Healthy, Recipes, Sandwich · Tagged With: Cooking Light, easy recipe, healthy recipe, quick meal, Vegetarian, vegetarian sandwich

Asian Style Sloppy Joes

March 18, 2013 by admin · 11 Comments

Who doesn’t like an easy dinner meal?? Who doesn’t like sloppy joes?? Well my friends, today you’ve stopped by the right blog. I’m sharing with you Asian Style Sloppy Joes.

At least 5 days a week, I’m in the kitchen making dinner. There are days when I don’t mind cooking and can spend hours creating a meal. But most days are not like that. Making dinner as quick as possible is a usual goal for me after a long day.

I’m sure you have a sloppy joe recipe which is popular with your family. Soooo I wanted to switch things up a bit. Use different flavors than your everyday sloppy joe. I’ve picked out my favorite Asian flavors to create a delicious sauce for the sandwiches. This is a quick, easy & tasty meal your family will love!

So get out your hoisin sauce and ginger, it’s time for some Asian Style Sloppy Joes for dinner!

Asian Style Sloppy Joes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped celery
3 tablespoons Sriracha
2 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 lb ground chicken
1 lb ground pork
1 cup hoisin sauce
1 cup drained canned diced tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
8 hamburger buns
Spicy pickles (optional)

Instructions

In a large, deep skillet, heat the canola oil. Add the onions, celery, Sriracha, garlic & ginger. Stir occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes. Season with salt & pepper.
Add the ground chicken and pork and cook, until no pink remains. Stir in hoisin, tomatoes and lime juice and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve on hamburger buns. Top with pickles if using.

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Recipe from Food & Wine.

Filed Under: Recipes, Sandwich · Tagged With: easy dinner, easy meal, easy recipe, quick & easy, sloppy joes

(5 Ingredient) Slow Cooker Ranch Seasoned Beef

February 18, 2013 by admin · 41 Comments

Happy Monday! How was everyone’s weekend??

I was happy to see the return of Shamrock yumminess.

On Saturday morning, I took my first spin class in like 10 years. Can someone PLEASE tell me why do they make the most uncomfortable seats for spin bikes??! I mean, it took me a good 20 minutes to get over the fact how much pain my hiney was in. I looked around the class to see if anyone had any remedies, like a seat pad or a towel, and no one did. Looks like I have a wimpy butt.

And then on Saturday night, my car battery died when we went to pick up take out pizza…Oh, and I parked illegally in a tow zone. Luckily we have AAA — but it was going to be a 90 minute wait. So the hubby & I ate pizza in the car and then went into Forever Yogurt to wait for the AAA guy to come save us. I was happy to eat this while we waited and people watched…and prayed not to get a parking ticket.

I’m happy to report Sunday was a drama free day. We went out for brunch, wandered aimlessly through the hardware store and sat on the couch judging other Big 10 basketball teams. (“other” meaning all teams except Indiana. )

My favorite part about Sunday is dinner. Growing up, we would always have a home cooked meal on Sunday nights. It was usually something meaty – like hamburgers, meatloaf or steaks. These days, I still love staying in and making a hearty dinner. It’s way better than sorting through take out menus at 6pm trying to figure out what to eat.

A Sunday meal doesn’t get any easier than this – (5 Ingredient) Slow Cooker Ranch Seasoned Beef. It would be great to eat like a pot roast with some potatoes or you can shred the beef and serve it as a sandwich. I decided to go the sandwich route…mainly because I wanted to top it with cheese. YUM!

The marinade for the beef is super easy and you probably have all of the ingredients in your pantry. To make this slow cooker meal, all you need is an onion, distilled white vinegar, a Hidden Valley Ranch Packet & 2 garlic cloves. Mix everything together and pour over the beef. Cook on low for 8 hours.

I loved how flavorful this beef tasted! The vinegar helps to break down the meat to make it tender and gives the beef some tang. And of course, Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning is the best thing ever invented. I decided to use the seasoning packet to cook with the beef so every bite was infused with a ranch kick!

Since this meal is so easy, it would also be a great week night meal! Just put everything in the slow cooker before heading off to work and when you’re home, dinner is ready.

I like my Sunday’s to be pretty effortless, and that includes making dinner. I wish all of my meals only required 5 ingredients!

(5 Ingredient) Slow Cooker Ranch Seasoned Beef

Ingredients

Cooking Spray
1 Onion, sliced
3lb Chuck Pot Roast, Boneless & seasoned with Salt & Pepper
1/3 cup Distilled White Vinegar
1 Hidden Valley Ranch Packet (1.0 oz)
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 tbsp water
6 French Rolls, sandwich size (optional)
6 slices of Mozzarella (optional)

Instructions

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Add sliced onions and place beef on top. Mix vinegar, ranch packet, garlic and water. Stir and pour over beef. Cook on low for 8 hours.
To make sandwiches - shred beef and place in french rolls. Add cheese on top of beef. Broil in the oven until cheese is melted.

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Filed Under: Beef, Crock Pot, Entree, Recipes, Sandwich, Slow Cooker · Tagged With: beef dinner, crock pot, Hidden Valley Ranch, ranch seasoned beef, sandwich recipe, shredded beef, slow cooker, sunday dinner

Mediterranean Turkey Sandwich

December 20, 2012 by Miss Tasty · 3 Comments

Quick post today! First off, I will not be doing my usual #FollowFriday post tomorrow. Instead, I’ll be participating in Cookies & Crafts for Sandy Hook. Crazy for Crust has organized a way for the blogging community to show support and give tribute to those effected by the shootings last week. (I’ve copied and pasted part of her post from her blog below.)

On Friday, December 21, 2012, we are going to honor the victims, families, and community of Newtown by doing a post in their honor. Cookies and Crafts for Sandy Hook will be one way we can show support in the aftermath of this unimaginable event.

On Friday, December 21, write a post sharing a cookie or a craft and a tribute to Sandy Hook Elementary School. There is no specific requirement…just do or make something to show your support. Maybe something you would make for, or with, your children.

Please spread the word about this united effort wherever you can. You can use the hashtag #BloggersforSandyHook.

Don’t have a blog? That’s okay. You can still share something for Sandy Hook. Take a picture and post it on your Facebook wall, your Twitter feed. Share on Instagram or your Google+ or wherever you can to unite us in our tribute.

So please come back tomorrow to see what treat I’ve made. I still have no idea what to do. I tried making cookies yesterday and it was a total epic disaster. I used to think it was my oven’s fault, but now that I see a pattern, it’s probably just me.

Mediterranean Turkey Sandwich The Tasty Fork

Do you love turkey? How about turkey sandwiches? I sure do but doing the typical turkey, mustard and cheese thing gets pretty boring for me. I came up with a Mediterranean sandwich spread, almost like a tapenade, to switch up the everyday turkey sandwich. The spread consists of artichokes, roasted red peppers, onions, banana peppers, balsamic vinegar & extra virgin olive oil. Add to a blender or food processor, and then you have a low-calorie and flavorful sandwich spread. You won’t miss the mayo or mustard with this sandwich!

If you’re having guests in town for the holidays, this sandwich is great for everyone and it’s a little different from what you can get anywhere else. Pair it with some sweet potato fries and you’ve got a filling meal.

Mediterranean Turkey Sandwich

10 oz can artichoke hearts, drained
1/2 cup roasted red peppers
1/4 cup onion
1/2 banana peppers, mild
1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Dash of red pepper flakes
8 sandwich rolls
1 lb deli turkey
reduced fat feta cheese crumbles
lettuce
shredded carrots

Directions:

In a blender or food processor, add artichokes and the next 6 items. Blend until is a paste consistency.
Warm sandwich rolls in the oven. Split and spread both sides of bread with the artichoke mixture.
Top with turkey, feta cheese crumbles, lettuce and shredded carrots.

Filed Under: Healthy, My Kitchen, Sandwich · Tagged With: artichoke sandwich spread, food blog, healthy, low calorie, mediterranean, mediterranean sandwich, recipe, sandwich, sandwich spread, The Tasty Fork, turkey sandwich

BBQ Meatball Sliders

December 5, 2012 by Miss Tasty · 11 Comments

BBQ Meatball Slider The Tasty Fork

I may have a slight obsession with meatballs…but can you blame me? I have yet to meet a meatball I didn’t like.

Meatballs are easy to make. You can mix & match ingredients and know it’s always gonna taste good. My favorite part about making home-made meatballs — they bake fast and clean up is easy as long as you remember to line your baking sheet with tin foil. (please don’t forget this step!)

BBQ Meatball Sliders @ The Tasty Fork

I made BBQ Meatball Sliders for dinner the other night, but sliders are the perfect party sized snack! All of the prep work can be done before guests arrive and the meatballs go under the broiler for just 12 minutes.. so they’re super quick to pass around when guests are getting hungry. Not to mention, I’m sure you’ll get a lot of enthusiastic “oohs and aahs” when offering this slider to party goers. Let’s give two scenarios – The Everyday Slider vs. BBQ Meatball Slider.

Scenario #1

You – “Hi Uncle Bob. Would you like to try this slider?”

Uncle Bob – “Oh sure. Thanks.”

Scenario #2

You – “Hi Uncle Bob. Would you like to try a BBQ Meatball Slider.”

Uncle Bob – “BBQ Meatball Slider??!! I love meatballs! Ooohh my!”

Obviously, scenario #2 will generate the praise every party host wants and you can be happy you’ve made an amazing party snack people will talk about for years. Ok, “for year”s might be slightly over exaggerated but I’m sure you’ll get requests to make BBQ Meatball Sliders again.

Or you can be like me and eat BBQ Meatball Sliders on a random Monday just because they taste good.

BBQ Slider The Tasty Fork

BBQ Meatball Sliders, makes 12 meatballs

For the meatballs:

1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 onion, cut into wedges
1/2 cup parsley
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 lb ground beef
1 egg
Salt & Pepper

Coleslaw Recipe:

2 cups shredded cabbage mix
4 scallions, sliced
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/8 tsp celery seed
Salt & Pepper

Additional Ingredients:

Cooking Spray
You favorite BBQ Sauce
12 dinner rolls or slider buns (I used Hawaiian Bread Dinner Rolls. Perfect size for a slider!)

Directions:

For the Meatballs:

Combine the bread, onion, parsley, and garlic in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl, add the milk and Worcestershire, and let stand for 5 minutes.
Add the beef, eggs, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and gently combine. Form into 12 meatballs (about 1.5 tablespoons each)
To cook immediately: Place the meatballs on foil-lined baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Broil for 10-12 minutes, or until no longer pink.

For the Coleslaw:

Toss the cabbage and scallions with the mayonnaise, cider vinegar, and celery seed; season with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Set aside.

When you’re ready to assemble the slider, place meatball on the slider bun and top with BBQ sauce & coleslaw.

Inspired by Real Simple

Filed Under: Beef, Burger, My Kitchen, Sandwich · Tagged With: dinner, food, food blog, holiday, Holiday food, meatball slider, meatballs, party food, party snack, recipe, sliders, The Tasty Fork

Pork Banh Mi Inspired Sliders

November 8, 2012 by Miss Tasty · 4 Comments

One of the things I love most about living in Chicago is the food. Always a new restaurant to try, creative food concepts and lots of diversity. Strangely enough, I never had a banh mi sandwich until this weekend… in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

My husband and I were out running errands on Saturday afternoon. I saw a wine tasting going on in a parking lot. My husband noticed a food truck. We both went to our areas of interest. I finished my wine by the time he had a duck banh mi sandwich.

At first, I wasn’t interested in his little sandwich…but I watched him take a couple bites and he looked so darn happy. He noticed I was staring at meal and offered me a couple bites. I wasted no time and went in for a huuuge bite. I could hardly believe how delicious this sandwich tasted and I was floored it came from Fort Wayne!

So in the spirit of my “inspiring others to stop ordering carry out” blog, I decided to recreate this sandwich at home. I can’t say this is completely traditional but it was very good! I did a quick pickling of veggies and made a spicy BBQ sauce. The pork patties are a mixture of ground pork and pork sausage. I made sliders, but I can totally see myself having this as a big ol’ burger.

I’m happy I tried something new and even more thrilled I re-created the sandwich at home. Whats your favorite restaurant inspired food you like to make at home? If you’re a blogger and you’ve got a recipe posted on your site, share it in the comments. I’d love to see it!

Pork Banh Mi Inspired Sliders, makes 10 patties

4 medium carrots, sliced into matchsticks
1 cucumber, sliced into matchsticks
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
4-5 large radishes, sliced into matchsticks
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
1 scant teaspoon sea salt
A handful of cilantro
1 lb ground pork
8 oz pork sausage
1/2 red onion, grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch ginger root, grated
Vegetable Oil
Salt & Pepper
1/4 cup honey
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Sriracha
1-2 long french bread baguettes, split

Directions:

Combine the carrots, cucumber, onion and radishes in a shallow dish. In a small saucepan, heat 1/2 cup water, sugar, vinegar and salt until dissolved. Pour the hot dressing over the vegetables, then let cool until ready to serve. Combine with the cilantro.
Make the pork patties – Combine the ground pork and sausage in a large bowl. Grate onion and ginger over the bowl. Add garlic cloves and Salt & Pepper. Mix with your hand and create 2 oz patties. (about 1/4 cup size) At medium heat, warm up skillet with vegetable oil. Cook patties 5 minutes per side.
While patties are cooking, make the spicy BBQ sauce. In a saucepan, combine honey, soy sauce and sriracha. Once it reaches a boil. Turn off the heat.
When the patties are almost done cooking, drizzle bbq sauce over each patty.
To make sliders, slice bread according to the size of the pork patties. Put BBQ sauce on both pieces of bread. Place veggies mixture on one side of the bread,top with pork patty add the top piece of bread. Enjoy!

Filed Under: Burger, My Kitchen, Pork, Sandwich · Tagged With: banh mi, burger, dinner, food, food blog, pork slider, recipe, slider, spicy bbq

Slow Cooked Root Beer Pulled Pork with a kick…

October 31, 2012 by Miss Tasty · 22 Comments

I’m pretty sure most people like me because of this pulled pork recipe. I’ve brought it to football parties, potlucks and picnics. It’s always a hit and I rarely have leftovers. As someone who complains about leftovers, I get a little sad when all of the pulled pork is devoured.

I made Root Beer Pulled Pork for The Bears Monday Night Football game last week. I was looking forward to having a lazy night on the couch and eating a couple pulled pork sandwiches. I got a call from my hubby mid-morning asking if he could have a couple of friends over for dinner. I hesitated slightly. I wasn’t worried about not having enough pork, but I wasn’t totally thrilled about not having a pork sandwich for lunch the next day. But I decided to put my greediness aside and said of course he could have friends over. I love entertaining and pulled pork is perfect for a Monday night meal.

However, I didn’t get enough pulled pork for my liking. So over the weekend, I made more. It was a nice break from the massive cheesy meatball lasagna I made on Friday night.

I know there are a lot of root beer pulled pork recipes out there… but dare I say, this recipe is the best. Root beer provides some flavor, but I want more. So I like to add additional spices to turn things up a notch. Trust me, you don’t even need BBQ sauce. (but you still can if you want. I won’t judge you.)

And since this is made in a crock pot, it’s the perfect meal for any day of the week. It requires no attention until it’s time to shred the pork.

So to all of my friends, here is my recipe. I guess I’ll need to come up with another recipe to get me invited to shindigs.

Slow Cooked Root Beer Pulled Pork

1 cup root beer, additional might be needed
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp grill seasoning
1-2 tsp salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, sliced
2 lb boneless supreme pork roast
4 to 8 buns
BBQ sauce, if needed

Directions:

Pour root beer into slow cooker. Add all the spices, seasonings and garlic. Gives everything a good stir. Add onions and pork. Add more root beer if needed. You don’t want the pork to be submerged, just nicely floating.
Set the slow cooker on the lowest setting. Cook for 5-6 hours.
When the pork is cooked, shred meat in the slow cooker. Turn the setting down to warm and let the shredded pork hang out for 20 minutes. Serve on buns and BBQ sauce.