I decided I wanted to do a "trip" around the United States. Splitting it into different taste regions. So I started with something Southern.
ALABAMA PULLED PORK SANDWICHES WITH WHITE BARBEQUE SAUCE
Serves 12 or so (2 pork sandwiches, 1/4 cup pork and 2 1/2 teaspoons sauce)
Ingredients
Sauce:
1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon coarsely ground fresh pepper
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Dash of salt
Pork:
1 1/4 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Biscuits:
2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato (about 3/4 pound)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2/3 cup fat-free milk
Cooking spray
I also made coleslaw to go on the side.
CREAMY COLESLAW
Serves about 6
3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
3 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon caraway seed, or celery seed (optional)
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
Pre-cut coleslaw mix (with red cabbage, green cabbage, and carrots)
I will have to say that the serving sizes were a little off with both the pork sandwiches and the coleslaw. Matt finished the pork for dinner during the weekend and there wasn't really that much left. I did use a 1 lb 8 oz pork though (from Hormel). But it shouldn't have made that much difference...who knows! I am going to preface these recipes though by saying that the white BBQ sauce...not a fan. And the coleslaw...also not a big fan. I add the caraway seed and it didn't taste right. Live and learn though! It's all about your taste preferences! Anyway...
The first thing I did was get the pork going. Now you can see there are a lot of spicy type spices in it. I will tell you that it wasn't spicy at all. First you cut the pork lengthwise and then again crosswise or so. Just so it cooks quicker.
Next combine the apple cider vinegar and the next seven ingredients through the garlic powder in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the pork into the mix, cover and reduce the heat. Simmer for 1 hour or until tender.
The next thing I did was mix the white BBQ sauce together. Which is easy. Combine all the ingredients into a bowl, mix, cover, and refrigerate.
Next...the coleslaw. Also easy!! I took the premixed coleslaw mix. Combine all the ingredients and toss with the coleslaw mix. Cover and refrigerate.
In this recipe, you also get to make your own biscuits! Which turned out great and in fact Matt loved the biscuits so much, I decided that I'd just keep the recipe for the heck of it and make them again. (Preheat your oven to 425 at this point!) I first cooked the sweet potato. I used only one big one. I peeled it, cut it into chunks and then boiled it until done. Then I mashed them and begun the biscuits.
First, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into a large bowl. In another bowl, combine the potato, sugar, butter, and milk, stir well and then pour over the dry ingredients. Stir this until a soft dough is formed. It's going to be sticky! Just an FYI!
Turn the bowl onto a very well floured surface, knead a few times, and roll out into a 10-inch circle. The dough will make about 24 biscuits. I used about a 2-inch cup to cut out the biscuits since I don't have a biscuit cutter...that I know of. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray and bake at 425 for about 12 minutes or until golden. They are super tasty! Seriously.
When the pork is done, take it out of the pot and shred it with two forks. Some people on the reviews cut it into big chunks, but the shredding was really simple. It turned out sooooo tender!!! And tasty! Pour the liquid over the pork after you are done shredding.
Now we are ready to eat! I place everything out on the island for a build your own sandwich thing. I did have a salad as well. No surprise there.
As I said before, they were a hit besides the white BBQ sauce and the coleslaw in my opinion. Matt tried it with regular BBQ sauce and of course it was really good too. But the total calorie count for the sandwiches was 211 per serving. Yep...that's right. For 2 sandwiches..even the biscuits included!! The coleslaw was 49 calories for about a 3/4 cup serving. Not too bad! I loved the pork and the biscuits. And I think you will too!! :)
Onto the next! So this recipe wasn't a United States one, only because I need to do more research. But I've been wanting to make it for a while. And can I say, I love chicken tenders. They are so easy to cook up and great for fast cooking. They always turn out so tender. I did a smaller recipe for this past Tuesday because I knew Matt was going out of town and honestly, the most I do with leftovers is put the meat over some sort of salad; which guess what my lunches/dinners will be this weekend! :)
QUICK CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA FOR TWO
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
2 teaspoons garam masala (I found this at Whole Foods!)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
8 ounces chicken tenders
2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small sweet onion, diced
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
This was really good and it was a faster version of tikka masala which was great!
First stir together the garam masala, turmeric, and salt in a small dish. Next sprinkle the mix (reserving a bit for later) over the chicken tenders on each side.
Place the flour in a shallow dish and coat the chicken tenders in it.
Heat one teaspoon of oil over medium high heat and cook the chicken until browned. Remove to a plate or bowl. In the same pan, heat the remaining teaspoon of oil.
Add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook, stirring often, for about 3-5 minutes. Add the reserved spice mix until fragrant which is about 30 seconds to a minute.
Then add in your 1 1/2 teaspoons of flour and stir until coated. It'll start to thicken.
Add the tomatoes with their juices and bring to a simmer. Cook them stirring often for about 3-5 minutes.
Action shot!! |
Bring everything to a simmer and cook about 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Once done, garnish with the cilantro.
I also made jasmine rice. I love this rice. It's boil in a bag and always comes out super fluffy!
I served this with the rice and a salad. My only suggestion to this yummy recipe was adding salt at the end before serving. It was a little bland with no salt added. I'm usually not all about salt, but for this recipe it really brings out the flavors.
The total calorie count for this was 300 calories for a serving of 2 1/2 cups. I don't think that's too bad! It was creamy and very lovely. I could only eat about 1 1/2 tenders. Matt laughed because I guess my eyes were bigger than my stomach. He told me that I "really loaded my plate there..." :) Since it was just me I put my leftovers into the leftover container. I don't mind. :) All in all, I loved this recipe. It was fast, easy, and very tasty! I highly recommend it!
Here are the recipes:
Alabama Pork Sandwiches
Creamy Coleslaw
Quick Chicken Tikka Masala for Two
I hope if you try them that you enjoy! Well it's late and I'm off to bed. Until next time!! :)
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