BBQ Pulled Pork

BBQ Pulled Pork
some magazine - feel free to call me out

2 medium onions, cut into thin wedges
1/2 cup water
1 2-2 1/2 lb boneless pork sirloin roast
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup ginger
1/4 cup cumin

In a slow cooker, combine onions and water.  Trim fat from meat.  In a small bowl. combine chili powder, pepper, garlic powder and 1/4 cumin.  Sprinkle mixture evenly over meat and rub in.  Place all in slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low heat for 8-9 hours or 4-4 1/2 hours of high.  Using a slotted spoon, remove meat and onions to a cutting board.  Using 2 forks, pull apart meat.  In a large sauce pan, combine barbecue sauce, vinegar, honey, ginger and 1/4 tsp cumin.  Heat through.  Add shredded meat and toss gently to coat.  Serve on buns with the onions, if you want (I discard them).

Guacamole Salsa

This was soooooooo good!  My family was here for Father's Day and I wanted to have a light snack to serve before dinner.  This was delicious!  My brother even added a little dab to his Italian sub and it was also really good.  Nice to be so versatile!

And - BONUS!!  Photo by Dad!!  I wish I'd served more stuff for him to photograph while he was here.

Guacamole Salsa
from Six Sisters' Stuff

1 lb  tomatillos

1 jalapeno pepper

1/3 bunch cilantro

1 thick slice of red onion

1/2 garlic clove

1 avocado, roughly diced

1 tomato, roughly diced

1 tsp salt

Peel and wash tomatillos, cut into quarters, add to food processor.  Slice jalapeno and add to food processor.  Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse to combine. 

*The more tomatillos you use, the thinner the salsa is.  I used too many, but it was still really good.

Summer Macaroni Salad with Zucchini and Tomatoes

I recently found out I like pasta salad and this is one of three that I throw into heavy rotation in the summer.  The only complaint I've heard is that it doesn't have any meat.  I don't think it needs it, but feel free to get creative.

Summer Macaroni Salad with Zucchini and Tomatoes
from Skinnytaste

16 oz. cooked elbow pasta
4 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half
2 cups zucchini, sliced and quartered
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
7 tbsp light mayo
2 1/2 tbsp fat-free plain Greek yogurt
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste

In a large bowl, toss everything together and mix well.

Balsamic Grilled Vegetables

I am so eager for our local farmer's market to really get going this year!!  There was a lady there last year who sold ENORMOUS zucchini and yellow squash for a quarter a piece!  Also for 25 cents, you could buy cucumbers, green bell peppers, eggplant, and all of those weird looking squash that I have to learn to do something with.  Most of those veggies are 10 for $10 at the grocery store ($1 each), so I think the farmer's market is a huge bargain, plus it's fresh and locally grown!  Last summer we ate roasted or grilled veggies with every meal and this summer is shaping up to be the same way.

Balsamic Grilled Vegetables
from The Lean Green Bean

mixed sliced veggies - zucchini, yellow squash, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, onion, etc.
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
black pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a resealable bag and shake to coat.  Marinate at least 30 minutes.  Skewer the veggies and add to preheated grill over direct heat.  Grill to desired done-ness.

Baked Avocado Fries

I am in love with the avocado fries at On the Border and never thought to try them at home!  What's even better is that these are baked.  The process is a little tedious, but the outcome is so worth it!  I served mine with blue cheese dressing, but ranch would also be great (we were out-weird).

Baked Avocado Fries
from The Kitchen Life of a Navy Wife

2 ripe avocados, peeled and sliced into wedges
1/2 cup flour
salt & pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup panko
1 tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Heat oven to 400F.  Line baking sheet with foil and top with a wire rack.  Spray heavily with cooking spray.  Place flour and a dash of salt and pepper into a shallow dish and blend.  Place eggs in a second shallow dish.  In a third, combine panko, butter, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper.  Roll each avocado in flour (brush off excess), roll in egg, then in the panko mix, squeezing lightly to coat completely.  Place each on the wire rack.  When done, spray the slices with cooking spray.  Bake 20 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes and serve.

Bacon and Blue Cheese Stuffed Burgers

This is one of my favorite meals, ever.  It's so easy to throw together and it's so tasty.

Bacon and Blue Cheese Stuffed Burgers
adapted from Low Carb Friends

1 lb ground beef
to taste:  onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper
4 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
crumbled blue cheese

Combine the beef with onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Mix well.  Divide the beef into 6 even patties.  On top of 3 of the patties, place generous scoops of bacon and blue cheese.  Take a plain patty and place it on top of the topped patty, pushing down slightly and pinching the edges to seal.  Flatten slightly, so there's no bump where the filling is.  Grill until desired doneness.


We don't usually eat burgers with buns, but we still top it with cheese slices.  Sometimes we add lettuce and tomato, or whatever regular burger toppings you're into.

Prosciutto Chips with Feta Dip

Prosciutto Chips with Feta Dip
from Betsy Life

Proscuitto
Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 400F.  Cover baking sheet with parchment and spray with cooking spray.  Place prosciutto on parchment, not overlapping at all.  Bake 10-12 minutes until crisp.

6 oz feta cheese
2 tbsp Greek yogurt
1 large handful of fresh parsley, chopped
1 large handful of fresh mint, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
pepper

In a food processor, mix feta, yogurt, parsley and mint until well blended.  Add olive oil one tablespoon at a time until you've reached the desired consistency.  Sprinkle with pepper.



So I didn't really measure this very well and I ended up with a green dip.  It wasn't bad, but we didn't really want to eat it by the spoonful.  It was a good compliment to the prosciutto in small doses.