smoky bbq pulled chicken.

I've been neglecting this space which makes me sad.   This doesn't mean I haven't been cooking - I've been cooking a lot (the produce is utterly outstanding this year).   Yet most of what I've been making are those thrown together meals I'm known for.  Broccoli tacos (don't knock it till you try it),  sauteed cherries (best served over ice cream or even yogurt), kale pesto (superb with fresh mozzarella and the first heirloom tomatoes of the season) and clean out the fridge pasta dishes.  Tyler refers to these as my best meals and always encourages me to share them here, but when you're rushing to get dinner together, it's not easy to keep track of how many teaspoons of ancho powder you just added to the pot.  

Which isn't to say I don't have a small pile of recipes scattered around the apartment that are begging to be made.  I finally tackled a few earlier this week.  BBQ pulled chicken has been on my mind for a while now as I keep looking for ways to feel as if I am BBQing even if I don't have access to a grill. This recipe can be made in the comforts of your own home and tastes just as good as chicken made on the grill.  I recommend  serving it on potato rolls with homemade pickles (my favorite recipe here) and a side of corn - it's outdoor cooking for the indoors.  

Smoky Pulled Barbecue Chicken

Recipe adapted (slightly) from Serious Eats 

The chicken itself is amazing.  Tender, moist, and succulent.  The sauce while good, was a little sweet for my tastes and not quite vinegary enough (though Tyler loved it).  I suggest dialing back the sugar by starting with the lesser amounts of apple juice, brown sugar, and honey.  Taste (before bringing to a boil and simmering), and add more as necessary.  If you have similar tastes to me - add some extra hot sauce and apple cider vinegar. Then slather on everything all summer long.      

For the Chicken and Rub

1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt

1 ½ teaspoons hot smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 whole chicken, halved and backbones discarded or reserved for another use

For the Sauce

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion (about 1 small onion)

1 teaspoon freshly minced garlic (about 1 medium cloves)

3/4 cups ketchup

1/3 - 1/2 cup apple juice

1 -2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 -2 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons molasses

1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon hot sauce

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sandwich rolls and pickles, for serving (optional)

For the Chicken and Rub: Mix together salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Season chicken halves all over with rub and refrigerate for at least 6 and up to 12 hours.

For the Sauce: Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned around the edges, about 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in ketchup, apple juice, brown sugar, honey, vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, soy sauce, and hot sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Puree sauce with an immersion blender, or transfer sauce to the jar of a standard blender, and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. If not using right away, transfer to a jar and store in refrigerator.

Fire up smoker or grill to 225°F. Add wood chunk to smoker following manufacturer's instructions, or set wood chunk on top of embers if using a grill. Place chickens in smoker or on grill over indirect heat, and cook until breast meat registers 160°F on an instant read thermometer, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove from smoker and let chickens rest until cool enough to handle.

This can also be done in the oven.  Preheat the oven to 225 degrees.  Place chicken in an ovenproof dish and cook for about 1 ½ hours or until the breast meat registers 160°F on an instant read thermometer. 

Using hands or two forks, pull chicken into thin strands, discarding skin, cartilage, and excess fat.

Measure out 3/4 cup of barbecue sauce and set aside. Reheat remaining barbecue sauce in a large saucepan. Stir shredded chicken into hot barbecue sauce and cook until chicken is warmed throughout. Serve immediately on sandwich rolls with reserved barbecue sauce and pickles, if desired.

sesame-spiced turkey meatballs with chickpea salad.

In an effort to streamline weekday evenings, I've taken it upon myself to turn Sunday into a full blown day of cooking.  This usually involves a big batch of something that can be transformed into other meals throughout the week.  This concept is nothing new (I mean Rachel Ray did have an entire show about this) but it takes a lot to have the foresight to plan out a whole week. I've found it helpful - it makes me less stressed and less overwhelmed and it ensures we don't eat every night (just some nights) until 8.  

This is why I've been scouring my large inventory of recipes as of late - looking for things that can be made in big batches and transformed throughout the week.  I've been relying a lot on beans (why don't beans get the respect they deserve?!) but this past week I tried something new with these spiced turkey meatballs.  

Middle-eastern flavors are the way to my heart so the second I spotted these in my ever reliable Smitten Kitchen cookbook, I knew they had to be made.   These are easy-peasy. So easy in fact that you could make them in the middle of the week and still get dinner on the table in under 30 minutes. They are chock full of flavor (so many spices!), protein-packed, and fairly healthy.  Really, what is there not to love?

Sesame-Spiced Turkey Meatballs with Chickpea Salad

Recipe adapted from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Me being me (and considering I was serving this to adults), I upped all the spices (and added some new ones), I don't think Deb would mind.  

Serves 4 – 6 depending on the individuals and the appetites

For the Meatballs

1 pound ground turkey

⅔ cup fresh breadcrumbs 

¼ cup water

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 large egg

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
¼ teaspoon sumac
1/4 teaspoon Zatar

Pinch of cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

For the Chickpea Salad

1 15 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

½ cup pitted green olives, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon ground sumac

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon Zatar

1 garlic clove, minced

Pinch of cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Olive oil

For the meatballs: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all the meatball ingredients in a medium bowl and mix with your hands. Form into 1½" balls and arrange on a baking sheet lightly greased with olive oil or nonstick spray.

Bake meatballs for 20 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Serve with chickpea salad.

For the chickpea salad: Combine all the salad ingredients except the olive oil in a medium bowl. Very lightly smash the chickpeas with a potato masher or fork, leaving small bits. Drizzle with olive oil and stir to combine.

vietnamese chicken salad.

One of my personal goals this year has been to figure out a way to take all the odd's and end's leftovers we seem to possess at the end of each week and turn them into AN ACTUAL MEAL.   Not hodge-podge of assorted bites but rather something new and different and special.

Nothing like being forced to think creatively.

This new goal has forced me to Google things like "What to do with leftover INSERT ITEM HERE" because by Friday my head hurts, I am exhausted, and thinking about making dinner involves more work then I am capable of at that moment .  This is why I need the good people at Google to tell me what to do with leftover cabbage, some roasted chicken, and any other pantry items they think I should use.  My faith in them proved to be a good thing as my search led me to Vietnamese Chicken Salad.

I generally shy away from shredded foods (to this day I refuse to order sandwiches with shredded lettuce) but as I am nearing 30, I feel it's time I branch out a bit more.  What's life without trying something new? And you know what - this was one of the best (and easiest) things I've made all month.

Leftover roast chicken is tossed with shredded cabbage and carrots (and some peanuts for crunch!) and dressed in a funky dressing that is both sweet, spicy, tart, and bright.  It's the perfect dish for January when the winter doldrums have hit and you are craving something bright.

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Serves 2 Generously

For the Salad
1 1/2 cups roasted chicken, diced (white, dark, or a combination of both works!)
1/2 head green cabbage, thinly sliced (shredded)
2 carrots, shredded
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup roasted salted peanuts
2 Thai chiles, minced

For the Dressing
2 tablespoons sugar
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil

In a small bowl, combine all of the dressing ingredients and stir to combine.

Toss all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl.  Pour the dressing over the ingredients.  Toss to combine. Eat immediately.

turkey zucchini burgers with sumac sauce.

I realize I am 29 going on 30 and that at my age I shouldn't be looking for ways to sneak more vegetables into the foods I eat.  I should eat more vegetables willingly.

But in every 29 year old there lies a bit of their 5 year old self and for that reason I still look for ways to trick myself into eating more vegetables. (Because more vegetables is always a good thing.)  

The easiest way to add more vegetable deliciousness into your life is by combining vegetables with something that people love.  Tacos will always and forever be my favorite vegetable vehicle (you can stuff anything in a tortilla and have it taste awesome, true fact) but meatballs and burgers are a superb alternative when you are looking to try something new.  Vegetables, especially grated vegetables, manage to melt into the meat as it cooks which means they become practically invisible to the eyes of those that hate green things.  

These turkey zucchini burgers may be one of the greatest things ever. There is one whole zucchini packed in there along with a plethora of herbs and spices which helps to create one incredibly moist and delicious patty. They are pretty excellent on there own but when smothered in sumac sauce they become positively addicting. 

Turkey Zucchini "Burgers" with Sumac Sauce
Recipe from Jerusalem: A Cookbook 

For the Meatballs

1 pound (300g) ground turkey
1 large zucchini, coarsely grated (scant 2 cups/200g)
3 green onions, thinly sliced (chives also work brilliantly as I was out of green onions)
1 large free-range egg
2 tablespoons chopped mint
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
About 6 1/2 teaspoons sunflower oil (canola oil will work too)

For the Sauce

Scant 1/2 cup (100g) sour cream
Scant 2/3 cup (150g) Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, crushed
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon sumac
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Make the  sauce by placing all the ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well and set aside or chill until needed.

Preheat the oven to 425F/220C. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs except the sunflower oil. Mix with your hands. Using a tablespoon (or a regular spoon), scoop about 2 tablespoons of the turkey mixture and shape into about 18 patties.  Place patties on an oiled baking sheet.  

Pour enough oil into a large frying pan to form a layer about 1/16 inch thick on the pan bottom. Heat over medium heat until hot, then sear the meatballs in batches on all sides. Cook each batch for about 4 minutes, adding oil as needed, until golden brown.

Carefully transfer the seared meatballs to a baking sheet lined with waxed paper and place in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until just cooked through. Serve warm or at room temperature, with the sauce spooned over or on the side.