chicken or mushroom barbecue sammies

yummy pulled rotisserie chicken sandwiches with homemade barbecue sauce from Rachael Ray

banh mi sandwich

Combination of recipes from Sunset magazine (July 2012) and allrecipes.com.  Serves 4.


For the pickled veggies:
Bring to boil in saucepan until sugar has dissolved, about 1 minute:
0.5 cup rice vinegar
0.25 cup water
0.25 cup white sugar


Let vinegar mixture cool, then pour over:
0.25 cup carrots, cut into thin strips
0.25 cup white onion, thinly sliced
0.25 cup white (daikon) radish, cut into thin strips
Let stand for at least 30 minutes, then drain off the excess liquid.


For the meat:
1.5 - 2 pounds chicken breast, in strips
Coat with:
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
0.5 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
Can grill or broil the chicken until no longer pink in the middle, about 10 minutes, turning once.
Cut the cooked chicken into bite-size pieces.


Sauce:
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce (optional)


Assemble the sandwiches:
4 sandwich rolls
Mayonnaise, on the bottom side
Fill with bite-size cooked chicken
Top with pickled veggies.
Add arugula, cucumbers, jicama slices, chile slices (whatever you want!)
Drizzle sandwich with sauce.


YUM!

italian wedding soup

Based on Ina Garten's recipe from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics (2008)


Meatballs:
Combine in a bowl:
1.25 pounds ground chicken or turkey
3 garlic chicken bratwursts, casings removed
1 cup fresh white bread crumbs (one hot dog bun does the trick)
0.25 cup dried parsley leaves
0.25 cup grated Parmesan cheese
0.25 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
4 Tablespoons milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
0.5 teaspoon black pepper
(2-3 cloves garlic if plain sausage or bratwursts are used)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  
Drop bite-size meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with foil or parchment paper.  
Bake for 20 minutes until cooked through and lightly browned.
Use about 40 meatballs in the soup, save the rest for another meal!


Soup:
In heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
Saute about 5 minutes, until softened.


Add:
10 cups chicken stock
0.5 cup dry white wine
Bring to a boil, then simmer.


Add:
1 cup small pasta (kids like alphabets!)
Cook 6-8 minutes until pasta is tender.


Add:
up to 0.25 cup minced fresh dill
Add the meatballs.
Stir in 12 ounces fresh washed spinach, until wilted.


YUM!!  Tastes even better over the next couple days.