Easy Crock Pot Barbeque Pulled Chicken

Have you ever made your own barbecue sauce? I find it a fantastic alternative the most bottled sauces, which often contain high fructose corn syrup and/or preservatives. This recipe is extremely simple (and delicious!) despite the fact that you are making your sauce. Just mix together, throw into a crock pot, and wait. Crock pot meals are always fantastic because they won't heat up your kitchen like an oven, and they make your house smell amazing for hours.

Ingredients
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
1/4 C honey
1/4 C apple cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 large chicken breasts
rolls

Directions
1. In a large bowl, mix together tomato sauce, honey, vinegar, garlic, cumin, ground mustard, and salt.
2. Put chicken in the crock pot. Scatter onion pieces on the top, and then pour the sauce on top of that.
3. Turn crock pot on low for 8 hours. (Or high for 4 hours, if you're short on time.)
4. Scoop the chicken out of the crock pot and into a bowl. Shred it with 2 forks. Return the shredded chicken back into the crock pot and stir into the sauce.
5. Serve meat in rolls, sandwich style, directly before serving.

Serves 6

Honey Barbecued Chicken

Barbecued Chicken is one of my favorite dinners. In the past couple years I have decided it is easy to make my own with out a lot of effort. I enjoy trying new versions. This was no exception. This recipe requires a little prep time ahead, for the best flavor. It was tasty with a little bite to it. Which I really liked. This is a winner!

Ingredients:
Rub:
2 T grape seed oil or olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 T honey or 2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp thyme
2 minced garlic cloves
2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp ground pepper
1 1/2 to 2 lbs of chicken tenders
Sauce:
honey glaze
1/4 C honey
1 T soy sauce
1 T ketchup
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp chili garlic sauce or chili paste

Directions:
1. Wash off chicken and pat dry with paper towels.

2. Mix together ingredients for rub in a small bowl. Rub the mixture on the chicken. Place in Pyrex and cover with foil. Put in fridge for a couple hours. At least 1 hour.

3. Prior to taking the chicken out of the fridge mix the ingredients for the honey sauce in a small bowl. Take out 1/4 cup.

4. Baste the remaining sauce on the chicken. Make sure it gets completely covered.

5. Heat up the barbecue. on low. Cook on both side approx. 6 min. or till nicely cooked. Remove from the grill.

6. Pour or baste the remaining sauce on the chicken. Serve

*Would be wonderful with a side of quinoa or brown rice or green salad or fresh cut up vegetables.

Grilled Asparagus

I couldn't pass up a batch of fresh asparagus in the grocery store this past week. But I wanted a different way to prepare it. This was delicious, different, and easy. Just what I ordered. And--it's socially appropriate to eat it with your fingers.


Ingredients

1/2 pound asparagus
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon black pepper


Directions

Mix all the ingredients together and pour into a gallon-sized zip lock bag. Add the asparagus.

Let the asparagus sit in the mixture for 30 minutes.

Take asparagus out of the mixture and put it on your warmed grill.Watch it closely! It burns easily. After about a minute, roll the asparagus to the other side.

As the outside starts to caramelize, take it off the grill. Serve warm.

Tasty Homemade Hamburgers

Put your mouth around that one!

It was was youngest sons birthday yesterday. He is 15 years old. My baby is far from being a baby. My family is growing up. It is all good. It is a wonderful time of life. I decided to make one of his favorite meals, homemade hamburgers. I have found that the pre-made patties are not as good. as the ones you make yourself. I also like adding a little extra to the meat. This is the recipe I did last night. I need to make homemade buns next time. I was not thrilled with the selection, that was at the store I went to. It is hard to find buns that are truly wholegrain.

Ingredients: Made 16 patties you can cut recipe in half.

2 C whole grain bread crumbs (3 pieces of toast and then put in the blender a couple of min.)
1 1b natural ground turkey chub 85-15
3 lbs natural lean ground beef 93-7
1 egg beaten
1 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp steak seasoning
3 T dried onion minced
3 T worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper


Directions:

1. In a big bowl combine all the ingredients together, until all combined.

2. Heat up the barbecue

3. Form the meat into patties. Cook on the barbecue. I have found the best way to keep them juicy is to only cook them on each side once. Make sure it has cooked enough inside. I put a small slice of cheese on too.

4. Put on your favorite toppings. Barbecue season is here! Yeah!

Lemon and Dill Marinated Steak

I got this recipe from a friend years ago and have never made it. I had my husbands birthday party this past weekend. It was a perfect time to give it a try. We even used the barbecue in the middle of Dec. It felt and looked like a spring day. Yeah! I started marinating it the night before. It was very juicy and tasty. I usually put A1 on my steak but this time I just liked the steak the way it came. It was so good.

Ingredients:

1- 2 lbs of Sirloin Steak (It was on sale last week at Smith's 1.99 A lb family pack)
Marinade:
1/4 C sliced green onions
1/4 C water
1/4 C apple cider vinegar
1/4 C soy sauce
1 T Worcestershire
1/2 tsp celery seed
3 T lemon juice
2 T olive oil
1 tsp dried dill weed
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:
1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Place meat in the bowl cover and refrigerate.Marinade 6-24 hours/
2. Heat up barbecue. Grill on hot barbecue. Happy Grilling. Who said you can't barbecue in Dec. =)

Yummy Barbecue Chicken!

Oh, I love Barbecue sauce on foods. In the past couple years I have really enjoyed making homemade instead of store bought, they taste sooo much better to me. This recipe is no exception. I Loved it! My family did as well. They went back for seconds. That is a really good sign. =) I liked the spices in it. I will be making this again soon. It would be great on pork too.

Ingredients:
2 T Honey
1 T Paprika
1 T Chili Powder
1 1/2 tsp ground Cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 C Ketchup
1/4 C Cider Vinegar
2 T Molasses
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 T Liquid Smoke
2 1/2-3 lbs uncooked chicken

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce together in a bowl.

3. Grease 13x9 inch pan. Place chicken in the pan and pour on sauce. Make sure it is all covered.

4. Cover the pan with foil. Place in the oven. Bake about 30 min. Check for doneness

5. Then uncover the pan and place back in until completely cooked. It should be about 15-20 min longer.

I served it with this dish .
It was a yummy meal! =)

Grilled Lemon Salmon with Cilantrro

I continue to read the benefits of Salmon. Last time we made it we all enjoyed it. So I decided to try a new variation for the barbecue.

Ingredients:
1.75lb Wild Salmon Fillet
1 T Soy Sauce mixed with 1 T Water
Juice from 1 Lemon
1 T Lemon Zest
2 T Ginger grated (I used my zester )
2 T Cilantro Chopped in small pieces
1 T Molasses Mixed with 1/8 C Water
5 or 6 Green onions chopped in small pieces
1 tsp. Liquid smoke

Directions:

1. I pulled the fillet out of the freezer and just put each ingredient on separately. You could mix them all together and pour it on at the same time. Either way works. marinade for 2 hours.

2. Preheat barbecue on medium high heat. Lightly oil grill.

3. Put Salmon on grill skin side facing up. Cook about 8 min.

4. Turn over apply a little more marinade. Turn down to medium and cook another 6- 8 min. Cook until it flakes with a fork.

5. Some great sides would be Quinoa, Brown Rice, or Barley. I have also mixed all 3 together they go well together. :) Here is a recipe for a grain side.

I served it with a Brown Rice 2/3 and 1/3 Millet, and had Cucumber cut in slices, with fresh pineapple slices. We Squeezed fresh lemon juice on it after it was cooked. Nice healthy meal Yeah!

Healthy Mexican Pizza on the Barbecue

This is another pizza that I made on the barbecue. Find the original crust recipe and procedure here, and then add these easy toppings and sauce:

Sauce
For the sauce I used salsa. Use the ingredients found in Picco de Gallo here, but instead of chopping them up small, pulse them in a blender until slightly smooth. Spread a thin layer on crust.

Toppings (for about 2 pizzas)
Mexican cheese (or preferred flavor)
1 lb. ground turkey
2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
2 Tbsp. dried onions
1/4 c. water
4-5 tomatillos, chopped*
5 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, chopped

Brown turkey in frying pan. Add taco seasoning, onions, and water just as it is finishing cooking. Mix in tomatillos. Cover pizza crust with a layer of cheese.

Cook pizza in barbecue following the directions found here.

Top with fresh tomatoes and avocado.

*optional

Pizza on the Barbecue

(It's not as greasy as it looks! I had to use a flash to take the picture.)

I have always wanted to make pizza on the barbecue, so when we got our new barbecue, I gave it a try. The results were fantastic! :) I made 2 kinds of pizza--barbecue chicken and pepperoni. I liked the way the crust was nice and crispy. My son-in-law raved about it and said it was the best homemade pizza I ever had made. That was nice of him. :) The crust didn't have any white flour and everyone loved it. I liked not heating up the kitchen too. I will do it again.

Crust

4 c. warm water
2 T yeast
1 or 2 T honey
6-8 c. flour mix (I used was 5 c. spelt, 1 c. Kamut, 1 c. brown rice, and 1 c. oat groats)
2 T olive oil
1 tsp Kosher salt

1. Mix all ingredients together. Add enough flour so the dough pulls away from the bowl. Knead about 4 min. I let it rise for an hour. You could do it for less time, just let it double if possible.

2. Preheat the grill. Roll out onto your greased pizza pan. I greased the dough with some olive oil to roll out. Put on sauce and toppings.

3. Get 3 cans about 15 oz size. (empty with labels taken off) Put them in a triangle on the preheated grill in the center. Heat to highest heat and then turn to medium high. I turned the two side burners a little lower. You will have to play with your grill to get it just right. Put the pan on top of the cans. I got this idea online and it worked great. My pizza cooked in about 10 minutes, but I would suggest checking on it sooner.

Sauce for Pepperoni Pizza


1 onion, chopped in small pieces
1 T minced garlic
1 T olive oil
2 15 oz cans of whole tomatoes
1 T Balsamic vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 T dried parsley
1 T basil or 3 basil leaves (I actually put in both because I love basil)
1 T pizza seasonings*

1. Cook the onions and garlic in olive oil in a skillet till tender.

2. Chop up tomatoes in the blender.

3. Add the remaining ingredients along with tomatoes to onion and garlic. Cook until nicely thickened. It turned out great.

*I found pizza seasoning in the bulk spice section at Winco. Optional.
*I usually opt for healthier toppings for our pizza. :)

If you are interested in the barbecue sauce pizza toppings and sauce that I used, see that recipe here.