Chicken Torta Sandwiches

Last year while visiting my parents in Arizona they took me to a yummy torta shop, Los Reyes de la Tortas.  I can't believe I had never had one before then.  Since trying it and loving it, I have tried a few times to recreate it at home and am loving this gringo version I came up with.

Chicken Torta Sandwiches
Recipe by Kathee


Ingredients:

2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup salsa verde
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup nacho cheddar cheese sauce (I like Ricos)
1 rotisserie-style chicken, skin discarded and meat shredded OR
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
8 sandwich rolls, split
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
15 oz. can of refried beans
Avocado slices
Lettuce

Directions:

Combine garlic, salsa verde, sour cream and nacho sauce in a skillet.  Add shredded chicken and stir until combined.  Cook on low heat until heated through.  Meanwhile, heat up the refried beans in a pot on the stove.  To prepare the sandwiches, smear a couple of spoonfulls of refried beans onto the top sandwich bun.  Place some shredded chicken on the bottom bun.  Top the chicken with shredded cheese, avocado slices and lettuce.  Top with the refried bean bun and ENJOY!  Of course, half my kids refused to eat this, but they made nachos with the chicken and loved it!

Here is another version that I have tried and also liked very much:


Pulled Chicken Sammies
Recipe from Taste and Tell

 Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped (of course I skipped this ingredient)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 cups salsa verde
1/2 cup sour cream
1 rotisserie-style chicken, skin discarded and meat shredded
4 sandwich rolls, split
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
Directions:

Preheat the broiler. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and honey, then stir in the salsa and heat through. Mix in the sour cream. Add sauce a little at a time to your bowl of shredded chicken. YOU MAY NOT NEED ALL THE SAUCE depending on how much shredded chicken you have. Stir in the sauce to coat.

Pile the chicken mixture on the roll bottoms. Top with the cheese and broil to melt.

Hot Sandwiches

Last night was a fun meal!  Everyone was able to pick out what kind of hot sandwich they wanted, I had plenty of fillings to choose from so there were lots of custom versions.  The bread was so quick and easy, my mind is already spinning around thinking of all the fun things I can do with it.


Hot Sandwiches
Recipe for rolls adapted from RecipeShoebox

Ingredients:

1-3/4 cups warm water 
3 tbsp. yeast 
1/2 cup oil 
1/2 cup sugar or honey 
2 eggs

1 tbsp. salt

5-6 cups flour (I used 5 cups white, 1 cup wheat, and threw in 1 tbsp. ground flax seed for good measure!)

Mix all ingredients together and knead for 10 minutes.

After kneading, divide the dough into four equal sections. Roll out each section of dough and with a pizza cutter slice the dough into 4 pieces.

Place on the dough your filling.  I had roast beef, ham and turkey available for the meats.  For the cheese, we could choose from cheddar, mozzerella, swiss, provolone, american and gouda.  The picture above is my roast beef and gouda sandwich.

Tuck in the fat end and roll towards the narrow end.

Place rolled crescents onto greased cookie sheet, let rise for 10-15 minutes and bake at 400° for 10-15 minutes. Be careful not to overbake. You'll want to catch them just as they're beginning to brown.

I had some dough left over after everyone made their sandwich, so I put some melted butter on it, added some brown sugar and cinnamon, rolled it up and had a yummy sweet dessert!

BBQ Pork in the Slow Cooker

I love the slow cooker when I don't want to deal with the hassle of making dinner in the evening. Are the hours between 3-6pm crazy at your house, too?

BBQ Pork in the Slow Cooker

2-3 lb. Boneless pork roast, cubed
1 onion, chopped
12 oz bottle BBQ sauce (our favorite is Trader Joe's Kansas Style Barbecue Sauce)
¼ cup honey
sandwich rolls

Place meat in slow cooker. Add onions, sauce and honey. Cover. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Use 2 forks to shred meat. Serve on rolls.

Panini with Warm Vegetable Salad and Mud Pie

Monday night is all about the dessert at our house. On Family Home Evening I usually will make a little somethin' and the kids always look forward to it. When Charlie asked what I was making for dessert this Monday I told him I was making Mud Pie. "Really?" He asked, a little confused. A few minutes later he said, "Hey mom, I know how to make mud pies. You want me to go outside and make you one?" Love it!

Monday night I also made paninis. I don't have a fancy panini press, but I have a cast iron press and it works just as well. I usually use the Trader Joe's Cracked Wheat Sourdough for our bread. It's perfect panini bread. For our filling, I grilled some chicken and red onions, fried some bacon, piled it all on and topped with sharp cheddar cheese. Yum.

For our side I made Giada De Laurentiis' Warm Vegetable Salad. Does your husband have a huge crush on Giada, too? Yuck. Put a sweater on, Giada. Okay, okay, my husband doesn't complain about my Jimmy Fallon crush. Don't we all have at least one celebrity crush? Be honest.

Warm Vegetable Salad
from Giada De Laurentiis' Everyday Italian

2 whole red peppers
1 1/2 pound assorted red and white new potatoes (I use purple potatoes, too)
3/4 pounds green beans, trimmed and halved
1 bunch scallions, sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped oregano leaves
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the broiler. Place the red peppers on a foil lined baking sheet.

Place the red peppers under the boiler. Turning every 2 to 3 minutes cook the peppers until the skin is blistered, about 8 to 9 minutes total. Place the blistered peppers in a plastic bag. Seal the bag and allow the peppers to sit for 10 minutes to allow the skin to separate and to let cool.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the potatoes to a cutting board. Add the green beans to the pot. Cook the green beans until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove the green beans to a large bowl. Slice the potatoes in half while still warm and combine them with the green beans in the large bowl. Remove the peppers from the plastic bag. Peel off the skin from the peppers. Slice the pepper flesh into wide strips and remove the seeds and veins. Place them in the bowl with the potatoes. Add the scallions, parsley, and garlic
and toss to combine.

In a small bowl combine the oregano, lemon juice and zest, and white wine vinegar. Whisk in the olive oil. Stir in the salt and pepper. Toss the warm vegetables with the herb vinaigrette. Serve immediately.

Mud Pie

3 squares (1 ounce each) semisweet chocolate (or 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips)
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 chocolate crumb crust (8 inches) (or graham cracker crust)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (or not!)
2 cups cold milk
2 packages (3.9 ounces each) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided

In a microwave or heavy saucepan, melt chocolate; stir in condensed milk until smooth. Pour into crust; sprinkle with pecans. In a small bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Carefully spread 1-1/2 cups of pudding mixture over pecans. Fold 1/2 cup whipped topping into the remaining pudding mixture; spoon over pudding layer. Top with remaining whipped topping. Chill until set. Refrigerate leftovers.

My "I Don't Want to Cook" Go-To Meal #1--BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Yesterday was a bad day. I made the mistake of taking my two-year-old shopping. He ended up making me cry a few times before we finally came home. Then my 3-month-old screamed for 5 hours straight. Five hours! That brought a few more tears. He eventually had a blow out and was then all smiles. Poor guy. After I was done cleaning him up, in comes my before mentioned two-year-old from outside...covered in mud from head to toe. According to his two older siblings he was making and consuming mud pies. Gee, thanks for looking out for your little brother kids. (sigh)

After I cleaned up my muddy guy I looked at the clock and it was already after 5 o'clock. I was in no mood to cook a normal meal, so I went with one of my "I Don't Want to Cook" meals. Everyone should have a dozen or so of those. Thankfully, I bought a rotisserie chicken at Costco earlier in the day so I was able to make this super-fast. My kids love these sandwiches and all you have to do is add a salad (umm...and perhaps some tater tots) and you have yourself a meal.

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

2 cups chopped cooked chicken
¼ cup BBQ Sauce
4 Kaiser rolls, split and toasted
4 slices provolone cheese

Preheat broiler. Toss together chicken and BBQ sauce in medium saucepan; heat through. Spoon chicken mixture on toasted buns and top with cheese. Arrange on baking sheet. Broil until cheese melts. Add tops.

Southern Pulled-Pork Sandwiches topped with Cole Slaw and Summer Beans on the side

Yikes. I'm so behind. Last night I made another of my husband's favorites. This recipe is good even though it's made out of pork (not my favorite). I think I mostly like it because we put cole slaw on our sandwiches (yum). My hubby would like it if I made this weekly, I'm sure. Enjoy.

Southern Pulled-Pork Sandwiches
recipe courtesy of Everyday Food

1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 pounds boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into 4 equal pieces
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 soft sandwich rolls, split
Store-bought barbecue sauce, for serving (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in lower and upper positions. In a small bowl, combine sugar, cayenne, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.
Place pork in a 5-quart Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot; rub with spice mixture.
In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, garlic, and 1/2 cup water; pour over pork. Cover pot, and place in oven on lower rack. Bake until pork is very tender and separates easily when pulled with a fork, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Transfer pork to a work surface, reserving pan juices. With two forks, shred meat. Transfer to a large bowl, and toss with pan juices to moisten (you may not need all the juices). Pile pork on rolls, and top with barbecue sauce, if desired. Serves 8.

Cole Slaw
recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

1 head green cabbage
shredded 2 carrots,
grated 1 red onion,
thinly sliced 2 green onions (white and green parts),
chopped 1 fresh red chile, sliced
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 lemon, juiced
Pinch sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
Several dashes hot sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the cabbage, carrots, red onion, green onions, and chile in a large bowl. In another bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and sugar. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss gently to mix. Season the cole slaw with the celery seed, hot sauce, salt, and black pepper. Chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

Summer Beans
recipe courtesy of Cafe Johnsonia

tomatoes--can use fresh (5-6 large tomatoes) or canned (2 small cans or 1 large)
4-5 Yukon Gold potatoes (or other waxy potato), sliced into 1/4" rounds
1 bag frozen green beans (I like the Haricot Verts from Trader Joe's)
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced or sliced (whatever you like)
Salt and pepper
Drizzle of good extra-virgin olive oil

Cook sliced potatoes, tomatoes, and garlic in a large pot until you can pierce the potatoes easily with the tip of a knife--so there is still some resistance, but the potatoes aren't mushy.Remove the potatoes and tomatoes to a large bowl.Steam the green beans in the same pan you used to cook the potatoes and tomatoes. Add the cooked green beans to the bowl with the potatoes and tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.To serve: * a splash of balsamic vinegar or Worcestershire sauce. OR* a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.