Thai Style Peanut Pulled Chicken in the slow cooker served with an Asian Slaw

I know, another slow cooker recipe! But I can't help it! This is the season for cozy meals, and cozy meals that cook themselves... need I really say more? This recipe I have been developing for a little while now. And it is finally ready to be shared with all of you. It combines so many of my favorite things in one dish:

pulled chicken

Asian Flavors

my beloved peanut butter (Mmmmmm)

crunchy slaw to balance the creamy chicken

and lots of cilantro- which is optional. But I highly recommend it!!!

These two recipes go hand in hand together and balance the flavors of one another perfectly.  A match made in Heaven, really.  And goodness are they versatile!!  They taste delicious pretty much any way you heart moves you!  In the photograph above, you see them all wrapped up together in a flour tortilla. Super good, and perfect for a lunch on the go. But we also enjoyed them stacked onto sandwich thins, pilled onto a nice crisp salad, and tossed with udon noodles, or over a bed of basmanti rice.  One day of cooking with endless options. I love recipes like that!

Thai Style Peanut Pulled Chicken in the Slow Cooker

3 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, breasts or a combination of the two
1 medium onion, halved and quartered
torn cilantro leaves and crushed peanuts for garnish

for the sauce
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup chicken stock (or warm water)
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon chili flakes

Puree all ingredients of the sauce in a blender for two minutes, or until smooth.  Set off to the side.

Place the onions in the bottom of the slow cooker and lay the chicken on top.  Pour the prepared sauce over the top of the chicken.  Place the lid back on and cook on high 3-4 hours on HIGH or 6-8 on LOW.

About an hour to 40 minutes before your final cooking time*, very carefully, because the chicken will be hot, remove the meat from the slow cooker and place on a large cutting board. Using two forks, shred the chicken by pulling away from each other. The meat should be very tender by this point. Place the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker, stir well and continue to cook for that additional 30 minutes to an hour. This will make the chicken nice and juicy because it will soak up some of the peanut sauce.

*I have found that if I cook the chicken on high, at two hours into the cooking time is when I remove the chicken and shred it. Then replace it and cook for that additional 30 minutes to an hour. At this point the chicken is cooked, you just want the chicken to get nice and saucy.

You could also choose to just chunk the chicken if you are serving the meat over rice or tossed with noodles.  If doing so, I have found that it is good to cut up the chicken at this time instead of initially.  It retains the juiciness of the meat this way.

Once ready to serve, remove from crock pot and garnish with lots of cilanto and crushed peanuts.  Be sure to serve alongside extra peanuts and chopped cilantro if your family is anything like mine!  These two components truly bring out and enhance the flavors of the dish.

Don't forget the Asian Slaw!

Asian Slaw

1 bag of shredded cabbage, preferably added veggie variety (it has lots of carrots and red cabbage mixed in)
1 english cucumber, sliced into matchsticks
1 carrot (about 1 cup), sliced into matchsticks
1 cup bean sprouts
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

For the Dressing
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons fish sauce (this can be omitted if you don't have any on hand)
4 Tbsp sesame oil
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp grated fresh ginger or 1/2 tsp ground
salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients except the olive oil in a small bowl with a pinch of salt. Slowly while mixing with a whisk, add in your olive oil to emulsify. Taste and readjust seasoning as needed.  Add your salt and pepper.

Combine all the veggies in a big bowl and pour the dressing on top.  Add the sesame seeds.  Mix with a big spoon.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.  Put in the fridge until ready to be used.


To make the Wrapped sandwich pictured above
Place on large lettuce leaf on top of your flour tortilla.  Spread chicken over the lettuce and tortilla, leaving about 1/3 of the tortilla bare. Top it with asian slaw and a lot of cilantro leaves.  Wrap tightly, jelly roll style, from the chicken side to the bare part of the tortilla.  With the seam side down, cut the wrapped sandwich in half on a diagonal.  Wrap in parchment or plastic wrap until ready to be eaten.

Greek Pasta Salad with a Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette

I love a nice chilled pasta salad for a summer lunch and they are obviously the perfect side dish for any picnic or BBQ.  But I am not always all that crazy about those that are doused in mayo.  Talk about wasted calories! I would much rather have an extra glass of sangria then mayo-laden pasta salad.  This is a lovely alternative. Totally guilt free and absolutely bursting with flavor.  I used my sister's Roasted Tomato Salad Dressing and it went perfect with the feta and olives.  So yummy!  And actually I felt that the salad tasted even better the next day after all of the flavors got to hang out with each other a bit.  If I was making this for a party, I would definitely put it together the night before.

print this recipe

Greek Pasta Salad with a Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette 

For the vinaigrette:
Roasted Tomato Dressing
Container of cherry or grape tomatoes
Small red onion (I used 3 chopped green onions, since that is what I had on hand.  Any onion would work really)
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 1/2-2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
Salt & freshly ground black Pepper

Preheat oven to 400.  Empty and entire container of tomatoes on a baking pan. Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil, salt & pepper. Roast in the oven until they start to split, about 15 min. While roasting, mince a small red onion & put in large bowl. Take roasted tomatoes and juice from the pan and put in bowl with the onions. Mash the tomatoes with potato masher or fork. Stir in dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar. In a slow steady stream, stir in olive oil while stirring with a whisk or a fork.  Stir until well blended, add salt & pepper to taste.

For the pasta salad:
1/2 box cavatappi pasta, cooked according to directions on box (or another ridged pasta; penne, fusilli or gremili would be nice)
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 english cucumber, sliced into rings and then cut into fourths
1 can black olives, sliced into rings
1 block feta, crumbled
a bunch of fresh parsley, chopped

Cook pasta to al-dente, according to directions printed on the box.  Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.  Set aside to allow to cool down.  This is a good time to make up your vinaigrette.  Once your vinaigrette is made, combine all ingredients for the salad in a large bowl.  Pour dressing on top and mix well.  Chill for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to combine.

I have a hard time waiting to eat this yumminess, but I have to admit it tastes best chilled.

You could definitely add cooked chicken or shrimp to make this more of main course.  It would be delicious!

Tuna Niçoise Salad

This weekend was full of beautiful ladies, gifts and delicious food for the celebration of my friend Lane's wedding shower.  I wanted to bring a nice salad for lunch and thought that a Tuna Niçoise would be the perfect elegant choice for such a party. The Niçoise is very similar to the American Cobb Salad, where each ingredient is placed separately on the platter.  The only main difference is that it uses tuna, potatoes and green beans where the chicken, avocado and bacon would be. Traditionally in Nice, France (where the salad originated from), the Niçoise Salad is served with canned tuna that has been packed in oil and then drained.  More and more recently it is common to see grilled tuna as well.  For my own ease of preparation, I went the traditional route and used high quality canned tuna.  Once all presented on the platter, the salad looks incredibly impressive, but it is actually quite simple to prepare.  It is colorful, full of flavor and the perfect dish to serve for any summer party.

Tuna Niçoise Salad

Salad
4 cans high quality Tuna packed in oil, drained
1 lb baby red skinned or fingerling potatoes, scrubbed and halved (or quartered if too large)
3/4 lb green beans, ends trimmed
8 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and quartered in wedges
2 heads Romaine or Bibb lettuce, washed, well dried, and chopped into 1" pieces
1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp capers
1/4 cup niçoise olives (I used an assortment of marinated olives)
several anchovies (optional)

Vinaigrette
1/2 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot, minced
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, minced
2 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, minced
2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine lemon juice, shallot, thyme, basil, oregano, and mustard in medium bowl. Slowly whisk while pouring the olive oil in a steady stream to emulsify.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

Bring potatoes and 4 quarts cold water to boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and cook until potatoes are tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer potatoes to a medium bowl with a slotted spoon (do not discard boiling water). Lightly coat warm potatoes with vinaigrette; set aside.

While potatoes are cooking, toss lettuce with 1/4 cup vinaigrette in large bowl until coated. Arrange bed of lettuce on a serving platter (I used two serving platters, so everything would fit nicely on each). Mound tuna in center of lettuce. Arrange reserved potatoes in a mound on the lettuce.

Return water to boil and add green beans. Cook until tender but crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain beans, transfer to reserved ice water, and let stand until just cool, about 30 seconds; dry beans well. Toss beans in 3 tablespoons vinaigrette and salt and pepper to taste; arrange in a mound on the lettuce. Next arrange the cherry tomatoes in another mound on your lettuce. Place the hard boiled eggs around the outside of the salad and lightly drizzle them with the vinaigrette.  Sprinkle entire salad with the red onion, olives and capers. Place the anchovies (if using) on the top of the salad. I bought anchovies that were rolled around capers. They looked very pretty on the plate and I felt they were much less intimidating served this way.

Serve Immediately.

Red Lettuce with Balsamic Onions Salad

The first time I tasted this wonderful salad was on Christmas Day when my mother-in-law, Sandy made this to go along with our dinner.  Being as I have an obsession with sauteed onions, it was love at first sight.  Top the salad with some creamy, buttery blue cheese and it is a little taste of Heaven.  I could easily eat this salad every single day and not even begin to tire of it.  It has easily turned into one of my top favorite recipes of all time- and to think, it is a salad.  Not that I don't love salads, I really do.  But I haven't yet met one that would rank up there with lobster, a good steak, pad thai, or a rare, juicy cheeseburger.  That is until this one.  Many thanks Sandy for turning me onto this little gem!  We all agreed that this salad would be wonderful topped with grilled flank steak.  I am totally trying it that way the next time I make it.

3 small red onions

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good balsamic vinegar

1 cup good olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 tablespoons minced shallots (2 large)

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/4 cup good red wine vinegar

2 heads, red leaf, washed and spun dry, and torn into pieces

container of good quality blue cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut the onions in half and slice into 1/4 inch think, place on baking sheet and toss with:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Bake 12-15 minutes, until onions are tender.  Remove from oven and toss with 2 more tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and cool to room temperature.  

Whisk together the shallots, mustard, red wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.  While whisking, add 3/4 cup olive oil until emulsified. 

Too assemble, spread lettuce out onto a large platter, top with onions and crumble blue cheese on top.  Serve the dressing on the side.  

**this recipe was altered slightly from Ina Garten's original recipe.

Fridays, Feasting With Friends- Featuring Bonnie Stenger

“One of the delights of life is eating with friends, second to that is talking about eating. And, for an unsurpassed double whammy, there is talking about eating while you are eating with friends.”

~Laurie Colwin 'Home Cooking'

Welcome to the very first segment of Fridays, Feasting with Friends.  Each and every Friday I will feature a different friend or family member, chat with them a bit in a little interview and then feature one of their favorite recipes that they wanted to share with us.  I thought that this would be a fun way to learn some new things about each other and in turn gain some great new recipes!

Bonnie Stenger

She is always the perfect hostess!

Even if I could have hand-picked my very own sister, I couldn't have done a better job then what I was already blessed with.  Bonnie is not only my sister but also my best friend, the one who makes me laugh the hardest, the one I can count on to lift me up- her glass is always half full, and I have to add, one darn good cook!!

What is your favorite thing to cook?
Pasta dishes. I like to try different sauces & pastas. I try and be creative because you really can add pasta with anything ie: elbow macaroni with chili, pad thai, fresh tomatoes, herbs with angel hair pasta, linguini & clam sauce...the list is endless.

How about your least favorite thing to cook?
Baking and the reason being is that I am more afraid of it than anything. I am learning and have come a long way. It's because you have to be precise when baking and that is what I have to get better at. I make great cinnamon rolls though!

What is your favorite local restaurant and what is one you are dying to try out?
Goodness, this question is hard...I'm a foodie and love so many different things at different restaurants that I wish I could take the best thing from each of them and make one GREAT restaurant but that would be impossible. So if I had to pick one it would probably be Dashin. I "love" sushi and it's the one thing I won't make at home because it's such a special treat to eat such artwork. I would rather have it made by the professionals. My husband, Neil took me there when we were first dating and I had never eaten sushi in my life- let alone ever saw what it looked like, but that was 15 1/2 yrs. ago. Dashin used to be in Westlake off Center Ridge Rd. (wish it was still there) but has since moved to Great Northern area. It's consistantly good and holds a special place in my heart as well.

There are not many places I am dying to try right now, maybe Michael Symon's 2 new restaurants The B Spot and Bar Symon.

You are hosting a dinner party, what are your top 5 Dinner Party Songs?
Hmm, this one has me thinking....Depends on the dinner party, the season, if it's outside or in, who's invited etc... I like to put some Bob Marley on in the background. If it's an outside bbq, I made a mix cd with fun island party songs that is always a good one to fall back on. It has all the good sing-a-long on it.

What would you choose to be your last meal on earth?
Okay, hands down it would have to be lobster! Split in half, grilled with a garlic butter sauce poured over top, roasted potato, asparagus, a great garlic bread & my mom's chocolate mousse. I had this meal, minus the chocolate mousse, in Negril Jamaica at a roadside restaurant called Cloggies sitting outside on the beach under a thatched roof. I don't think it could have gotten better than that.

What are you currently reading?
A couple of things...The Power of a Positive Mom by Karol Ladd & Making Your Children Mind, Without Losing Yours by Dr. Kevin Lehman. Going to be picking up the book, Water for Elephants.

What is your favorite Kitchen Gadget?
I am lucky enough to have a mom who loves kitchen gadgets. Sooo because of that, she gets ones she likes for us as well as for herself. I can't name just one so here are a few of my favs: my gravey maker, my wine opener, egg separator, apple corer, pizza dough roller and not sure this is considered one but my dual egg maker (which makes hard, soft & poached eggs with ease!)

Do you have a signature go-to dish?
Chili or Brushetta Pasta (only in summer with garden tomatoes).

What is your favorite thing about Cleveland?
Being able to say I live within 15 miles of one of the Great Lakes (Lake Erie) & having the West Side Market so close. Not many other cities have a market like that.

Do you have a favorite meal from your childhood?
My mom's Thankgiving turkey dinner. NOBODY makes dressing (stuffing) like my mom's and every other dish that is involved with that meal...my dad's red cabbage, grandma's cranberry chutney, the turkey and the gravy just to name a few.

Top 3 Movies of all time?
Sorry, I only have 2: The Godfather I & II - best movies of all time.

Where do you do your grocery shopping?
This will probably disappoint a lot of folks but to be honest, my everyday grocery shopping is done at Super Walmart or Marc's. I would love to say I go to Trader Joe's, Heinen's or The West Side Market but I just don't. You can't beat the prices at Super Walmart or Marc's. That's not saying I don't frequent the other stores because I do, I just can't say I do most of my shopping there.

What is your favorite guilty pleasure when it comes to food?
Chips & dip. Best chip ever is Doritos my dad's chip dip recipe that I will never reveal but anyone who tastes it, can't get enough of it!

Do you have Culinary Resolutions that you would like to accomplish this year?
To become better at baking. Would love to learn how to make Babchi Bread (grandma's famous sweet bread) on my own without my mom's assistance.

Roasted Tomato Dressing
Container of cherry or grape tomatoes
Small red onion
Olive oil
Dijon Mustard
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt & Pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400

Empty and entire container of tomatoes on a baking pan.  Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil, salt & pepper. Roast in the oven until they start to split, about 15 min.  While roasting, mince a small red onion & put in large bowl. Take roasted tomatoes and juice from the pan and put in bowl with the onions.  Mash the tomatoes with potato masher or fork. With a wisk, stir in olive oil, about half cup.  Then stir in dijon mustard about 1/4 cup. Drizzle in about 2 tbsps of balsamic vinegar.  Stir until well blended, add salt & pepper to taste.

Play around with it and add more or less of whatever you wish. I have even roasted a whole head of garlic along side the tomatoes and mashed that up with it...so good. You could add some herbs of your choice as well.  Put this on your favorite salad as the dressing, low fat for sure! I also like to use it as a sauce for pasta or a topping on some crusty bread like bruschetta for an appetizer. This is one of my "go to" recipes that can be used so many different ways.
Enjoy!

Thank you so much Bonnie for being my first guest on Fridays, Feasting with Friends! I always can count on you to be an excellent guinea pig, letting me test out new ideas, recipes and always my #1 fan.  Love you Bon!!  And I can attest to the absolute wonderfulness of this Roasted Tomato Dressing.  It is actually addictive it is so good.  Makes you want to eat more salads, just so you can use the dressing!  Which in my book is always an awesome thing!  Please be sure to come back next Friday, January 22nd, to read all about my amazing mom, Judy Trapp for segment two of Fridays, Feasting with Friends!