Grilled Shrimp Po Boys

Have you ever had shrimp a po boy? If you haven't, you are surely missing out. I experienced my first po boy in New Orleans and it was love at first bite. My love for shrimp knows my bounds and this sandwich hits the spot perfectly. If you love shrimp, this is the recipe for you!

Traditionally, the shrimp is fried and piled high on buttery toasted baguettes with a flavorful aioli and either lettuce and tomatoes or a spicy slaw. I have recreated the traditional po boy into a healthier alternative by grilling the shrimp, rather than frying it. A spicy aioli sauce is the perfect finishing touch.

Start with medium shrimp, peel and devein

Make sure you make your baguettes with the freshest baguette you can find. Great bread and fresh shrimp is what makes a great po boy

Ingredients

Bamboo skewers that have been soaked in water 15-30 minutes

1 pound medium shrimp cleaned and deveined

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon creole seasoning

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 lemon juiced

1 tablespoon hot sauce

2 french baguettes slice lengthwise in half

Shredded romaine lettuce

2 small tomatoes sliced thinly

For the spicy aioli

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon cajun seasoning

1 -2 teaspoons siracha (or your favorite hot sauce)

Directions: 

Place 4-5 shrimp on each skewer. Combine oil, seasonings, lemon and hot sauce. Mix well and pour over shrimp. Let the shrimp marinate for 30 minutes. Preheat grill to medium heat and grill shrimp 4-5 minutes. Flip once and cook on each side a little over 2 minutes.

Add the sliced baguette to the grill. You can spread the baguette with a light layer of butter for more flavor, or cook on grill dry to toast the baguette.

 Remove shrimp from skewer, spread baguette with spicy aioli or serve on the side. Add lettuce and tomatoes and pile the baguettes high with shrimp. Now take a bit bite.

Repeat

So good

Bon Appetit!

Sweet Spicy MotherCLUCKERS

These sweet and spicy chicken slices are mother-clucking good! They are the perfect sandwich to serve at your next party, get together or gathering of friends. The chicken is cooked in the crock pot and is sweet and savory. The pickled onions at great texture and the Serrano peppers really bring the heat. Remove the seeds and you will have a nice hint of heat that does not incinerate your taste buds, but if you like it HOT, leave the seeds in the pepper.

You can prepare the pickled onions the day before or start them in the morning and then you can let your chicken cook in the crockpot while you relax or go run a few errands. 

If you have never had pickled onions, they are absolutely delicious on sandwiches, tacos, as a topping on your favorite meat and poultry dishes and pretty tasty on salads. They are pretty flavorful on just about anything.

These peppers really add that extra something to these sliders

Sweet Hawaiian Rolls balance the flavors perfectly, but these are also great on toasted dinner rolls, baguettes or torta rolls. The bread you use is only limited to your imagination.

You can assemble these sliders and serve on a platter, or leave the fixings out and let your guests build their own.

Whether you like a little heat...

or a lot

These  sliders hit the spot. Just one bite and you will say in your most incorrect english: "commere you sweet spicy muthaclucka"

Ingredients

1 Package of Hawaiian Dinner Rolls

1 red onion

1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar 

1 cup water

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1 Serrano Pepper

Sweet n Spicy Pulled Barbecue Chicken (recipe below)

For Sweet n Spicy Pulled Barbecue Chicken 

6 Boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 12 ounce bottle barbecue sauce

1/2 cup Italian Salad dressing

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 Tablespoon Siracha

Directions:

Place chicken in crock pot. combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken. Cook on high for three hours. Take a fork and shred the chicken, reduce heat to low and cook for one more hour.

For Pickled Onions

1 red onion thinly sliced

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup warm water

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 

Directions:

Whisk together vinegar, water, sugar and salt until well combined and sugar is dissolved.  Place sliced onions in a jar and pour the liquid on top and let sit for 1 hour in covered jar. The flavors are better if you put in refrigerator and wait one day. These will keep for a few weeks in your refrigerator.

To assemble sliders:

Slice rolls in half, top with a generous serving of the chicken, top with pickled onions and sliced de-seeded peppers. 

Servings: 16 sliders or  six regular size servings

Bon Appetit!

Teriyaki Chicken Sliders

 Sliders are all the rage these days and rightfully so. They are small and pack a lot of punch. These are perfect appetizers or a great meal when served with delicious sides and a nice icy drink:-) These are great when entertaining too. Just put on a nice platter and pass around to your guests. These Teriyaki sliders have a hint of sweetness and if you cook them on the grill, a hint of smokiness.

I have tried these sliders with lettuce and tomato, and I have experimented by putting a cabbage slaw on them.  They are absolutely delicious either way. I really love sliders and who can resist something so tiny and cute? 

Ingredients 

4 medium chicken breasts 

1 bottle Teriyaki marinade

1 Tablespoon honey

1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes

fresh pineapple chunks or rings

Cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup canola oil

Green leaf lettuce washed and dryed

Red Onion

Kings Hawaiian Dinner Rolls

Pound chicken breasts until 1/2 inch thick. Cut Chicken breasts in half. Combine Teriyaki sauce, honey and red pepper flakes. Reserve 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup. Place the rest of the mixture in a bowl or resealable bag. Marinate chicken for at least 2 hours.

Preheat grill to 350 degrees. Remove the chicken from the bag and discard marinade. Brush grill with oil and place the chicken directly on grill and cook 5-8 minutes on each side or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165. Remove from grill and brush with reserved sauce.

To build your slider, simply add sliced red onion, leaf lettuce and tomato and garnish with pineapple.

 The sliders have a great flavor when cooked on the grill. That hint of smokiness and the sweet sauce are a great combo. It is delicious cooked in the oven too, but will not have that smoky element you can only get from cooking on an open flame on the grill.

Bon Appetit!

Turkey Sloppy Joes

 

Do you like Sloppy Joes? I love them!  My first time eating one of these tasty sandwiches was in the school cafeteria, so I get a little nostalgic when I have one.  I know Manwich makes a great meal, but I wanted to know what a Sloppy Joe would taste like made from scratch with pure ingredients like back in the day. This was pretty darn good and um sloppy, LOL

This time of year I love filling comforting foods like a great sandwich, a hearty soup or chili. The classic Sloppy Joe is made with ground beef, but I tend to try to be healthier and substitute ground beef with turkey in almost everything I would use ground beef for and it is just as tasty.  If you ate Sloppy Joes as a kid, this recipe will bring back great memories and if you have never had one, you are in for a treat:-)

Ingredients

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 cloves minced garlic

1 cup ketchup

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon dry mustard

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 cup water

1/4 chopped red or green bell pepper

1 tablespoon butter 

Burger Buns or Kaiser rolls and butter for grilling buns

Directions

Add butter to a large skillet and lightly saute onion, pepper and garlic until soft and cook, add the ground turkey and cook until brown.  Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl or directly in skillet. Simmer for 15 minutes on a low heat.

For buns, spread with softened butter and brown in a skillet or on a griddle. Spoon a generous amount of sloppy joe meat on bun.

so good!

Bon Appetit!

Gruyere Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Melty, buttery, crispy grilled cheese. There is something comforting about two slices of bread slathered with creamy butter and grilled to perfection with  a blanket of delicious cheese between them.  The sweet nutty undertones of Gruyere cheese is a refreshing change from the traditional cheddar cheese most of us grew up eating.   

 Everything must grow up, even  grilled cheese sandwiches and taste buds. This grown up grilled cheese sandwich  will tickle your taste buds with anticipation of each delectable bite.  Mice will be so  jealous of anyone indulging in this perfect trifecta of flavor with artisan bread, gourmet cheese and fresh creamy butter. 

A grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup are the perfect marriage of flavors and textures  Together they are the perfect comfort food.

Gruyere Grilled Cheese

Ingredients

1 cup grated aged Gruyere Cheese

4 slices sourdough bread

3 tablespoons butter

Butter each slice of bread. Place two of the slices on the griddle or in a skillet. Divide the cheese evenly on each piece. Top with the other slice of buttered sourdough. After a couple of minutes when bread is golden brown, flip to other side and cook until golden brown and cheese is melted. 

Tomato Soup

Ingredients

4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes

1 large chopped onion

4 garlic cloves chopped

2 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon sugar

½ cup heavy cream

½ teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

(olive oil) 

Directions

In a stock pot over medium heat, saute onions and garlic in olive oil until tender. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add chicken broth and everything except the flour, cream and butter.. Boil gently for 20 minutes.

Let cool slightly and put in blender or use immersion blender to make tomato mixture smooth.

In the now empty stockpot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux, cooking until the roux is a medium brown. Gradually whisk in a bit of the tomato mixture, so that no lumps form, then stir in the rest. Add cream last. Season with sugar and salt, and adjust to taste.