Pulled Pork and Guacamole Grilled Cheese

One thing I am not great at (as far as the kitchen goes) is repurposing leftovers.  My husband always manages to come up with these creative things to do with leftovers, but I always get stuck--I can't seem to think of anything beyond what I originally made.  So I have been trying to find more creative uses for our leftovers (like the Beef Brisket Hash from earlier this month).  Enter this lovely grilled cheese sandwich.  You think grilled cheese is pretty basic...it's good and homey, but how stellar can it really be, right?  Wrong.  This sandwich will forever change the way you think about grilled cheese.  Crunchy on the outside, soft and gooey on the inside, a tiny bit spicy, a little bit creamy...I could go on forever.  My brother was in town visiting when I first made these so he got to join my little family of guinea pigs.   He took one bite and was floored.  Major bonus points for me!

Pulled Pork and Guacamole Grilled Cheese

Number of Servings: 4
Time to Prepare: 30 minutes

• 2 avocados, pits and peels removed
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 3/4 tsp sriracha
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• butter
• 8 slices French bread or similar (make and use the Rustic Crusty Bread from Mel's Kitchen Cafe...you won't regret it)
• 8 slices Swiss cheese
• 2 cups pulled pork

In a small bowl, mash avocados.  Stir in lime juice, garlic, cumin, onion powder, garlic salt, and sriracha.  Cover and refrigerate.

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat.  Add sliced onions and cook, stirring periodically, until they begin to caramelize, about 20 minutes.  Stir in pulled pork and cook until it is heated through.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Butter one side of each slice of bread.  With buttered side down, place a slice of cheese on the bottom and top with pulled pork.  Spoon some guacamole onto the pork, top with a second slice of cheese, and place another slice of bread on top (buttered side out).

Using the same pan you used for the onions and pork, cook the sandwiches over medium heat for a few minutes on each side, until bread is golden brown and cheese is melty.

Source: adapted from Life's Ambrosia
Produce Used: Avocado, lime, garlic, onion

Creamy Tex-Mex Quinoa Dip

If you're still a little hesitant about the whole quinoa thing, this recipe is a great place to start.  Honestly, you probably wouldn't even realize there is quinoa in there.  But it does give it a great heartiness.  I like to serve this as a side with Mexican-type main dishes, but it is so tasty and filling, you could have it as a main dish too.  Also, if you're trying to be a little healthier, it is a little different without the cream cheese, but still really tasty (not that I tasted it mid-cooking or anything....).

Creamy Tex-Mex Quinoa Dip

Number of Servings: 4 (as a side)
Time to Prepare: 6 hours 10 minutes

• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 (14.5 oz) can petite-diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 2/3 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 oz cream cheese, cubed
• 2-3 tsp lime juice
• green onion or cilantro, optional

Place the corn, black beans, tomatoes, quinoa, chicken broth, and seasonings in a slow cooker (a smallish one--the 4 quart size is plenty big) and stir well to combine.   Scrape down any quinoa that are stuck to the side.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

Add the cream cheese.  Cover and let sit for 5-10 minutes until the cream cheese is softened, then stir it in until it is well incorporated.  Stir in the lime juice

Garnish with chopped green onion or cilantro if desired and serve with tortilla chips.

Source: adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Produce Used: Corn, tomato, lime, green onion, cilantro

Citrus Brined Chicken Thighs

We never ate chicken thighs growing up.  Or drumsticks.  Or basically anything but chicken breast.   Which I love, but I had no idea what I was missing out on with the thighs.  I still cook with chicken breast a lot more than thighs (you know, better for you, blah blah blah) but I definitely love to throw some great thigh recipes in the mix here or there.  And this chicken...oh, this chicken.  So tender, so flavorful.  You brine it in a citrus-y concoction for several hours, then pop it on the grill to cook and oh boy does that create some beautiful flavor.  And the smell!  The bright, fresh citrus smell that you get while these are cooking is positively mouth-watering.  And when you grill the fruit and squeeze the juice over top at the last minute, it is practically nirvana.  But don't take my word for it--try it yourself!

Citrus Brined Chicken Thighs

Number of Servings: 3-4 (or 2....you're not going to want to stop eating this)
Time to Prepare: 6 hours 20 minutes

• 1 cup hot water
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup lemonade
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• zest from 1 orange
• zest from 2 lemons
• zest from 2 limes
• 1 Tbsp whole peppercorns
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• olive oil
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• 1 orange, 2 lemons, 2 limes (the ones you used for the zest) halved

Combine hot water, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup salt in a 1-quart saucepan.  Bring to a boil and stir until the salt is dissolved, then remove from heat.

Stir cold water, orange juice, lemonade, lime juice, zests, and peppercorns into the salt water mixture.  Let cool for a few minutes.

Place the chicken thighs in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, then pour the brine mixture over the chicken. Seal and refrigerate for 6-12 hours.

Heat grill to medium-high.  Remove the chicken thighs from the brine, rinse, and pat dry with a paper towel.  Brush with olive oil and season lightly with kosher salt and black pepper.   Grill until it reaches 165 degrees in the center (about 10 minutes), flipping halfway through.

Near the end of the cooking time for the chicken, place the halved citrus, cut-side down, on the grill and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly, then squeeze the juice of the fruit over the chicken and serve immediately.

Source:  adapted from Our Best Bites
Produce Used: Orange, lemon, lime

Strawberry Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

Can I just tell you how much I love the look of this dressing?  When you fill a glass bottle with it and you get to see that beautiful pink color with little poppy seed specks everywhere, it almost looks like candy.  The taste is just lovely as well--a little sweet, a little tart, and laced with strawberry goodness.  This is especially good on a green salad that has some sweet and salty items playing off each other--they really bring out the balance of flavors in the dressing.  I like to do some feta and bacon, along with fresh fruit (whatever I have on hand--grapes, apples, berries, etc.)  You could also try making the dressing with blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries--I haven't done it, but I'm thinking it would be just as amazing and beautiful.  I'm planning to try blueberry next time I make this.  You can definitely use fresh berries, but I usually have frozen on hand so that's easier for me.

Strawberry Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

Number of Servings: about 1 1/2 cups of dressing
Time to Prepare: 5 minutes

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 1/2" thick chunk of onion
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 3/4 cup frozen strawberries, thawed (or other berries)
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 3/4 tsp poppy seeds

Combine the vinegar, sugar, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and strawberries (including any juices that accumulated while thawing) in a blender and blend until smooth.  (Alternately, you can use an immersion blender.)  With the blender running, drizzle in the oil and blend until it is well mixed.  Stir in the poppy seeds.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Source: slightly adapted from Our Best Bites
Produce Used: Garlic, onion, strawberry, blackberry, blueberry, raspberry

Cheesy Pretzel Bites

These little pretzel bites are a great little appetizer or side dish.  They have the lovely chewiness you'd expect from a soft pretzel, but they're much softer and better tasting than the usual soft pretzel you'd get at a sporting event.  Do not be tempted to skip the step of poaching the bites in the baking soda solution--that is what gives them the lovely brown color and the nice, thin crust on the outside.  The bit of sweetness in the dough contrasts nicely with the salt on top, and the little burst of cheesiness inside is just the icing on the cake.

Cheesy Pretzel Bites

Number of Servings: 48 bites
Time to Prepare: 3 hours

• 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 cup warm milk
• 2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 6 cups water
• 4 tsp baking soda
• 3 Tbsp butter, melted
• coarse salt

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast, 1 tsp brown sugar, and 1/4 cup water.  Let sit until foamy, about five minutes.

In a liquid measuring cup, dissolve the 2 Tbsp brown sugar in the warm milk.

Add the milk mixture and 2 1/2 cups of flour to the yeast mixture and mix with the dough hook until a soft dough forms, adding additional flour as needed.  Knead for 5 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and turn to coat.  Cover and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Divide into four equal pieces.  Roll one of the pieces into a long rectangle, about 12" by 4".  Spread 1/4 cup of the cheese along one of the long edges.  Roll up tightly, starting with the end that has the cheese on it, so you have a 12" long rope.  Cut into 12 equal pieces and place them on a lightly greased baking sheet (I fit 24 on one baking sheet).  Repeat with the remaining dough and cheese.

Let rest, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large saucepan, bring the 6 cups water to a boil.  Add the baking soda and reduce heat to a simmer.  Carefully poach the pretzels in batches, poaching for about 10 seconds on one side, then turning and poaching for another 10 seconds.  Remove with a slotted spoon and place back on the same baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown.  Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse salt.  Serve warm or room temperature with desired dipping sauce (a honey mustard dipping sauce is great, or they're really good plain as well).

Source: slightly adapted from Sweet Pea's Kitchen

Coconut Flan

Do you love flan?  It kind of seems like one of those things that you either love or hate.  Well as you might have guessed, I love it.  I pretty much grew up on it--my mom has been making flan for as long as I can remember and it is definitely a favorite back home.  I have seven siblings so between the eight of us, a pan of flan always disappeared way too quickly.  Now that I have my own little family, my share of a batch of flan is considerably larger and I cannot even begin to tell you how happy I am about that.  This creamy, custardy, caramel-y dessert is definitely one of my top favorite foods of all time.  So enough of the back story...I had half a can of sweetened condensed milk and half a can of coconut milk in my fridge the other day (leftover from other recipes) and I was trying to figure out what to do with them.  Then inspiration hit me--adapt my mom's flan recipe to make coconut flan.  It's like the angels were singing, I swear.  The idea seemed ingenious and let me tell you, the real thing did not disappoint.

Coconut Flan

Number of Servings: 6
Time to Prepare: 3 hours 15 minutes (including cooling time)

• 3/4 to 1 cup white sugar, divided
• 1/2 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk
• 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla or coconut extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place 1-2 Tbsp of sugar in a small skillet over medium-low heat.  Let it melt, shaking the pan as needed to evenly distribute the sugar.  Watch it carefully because it will burn quickly.  Once all the sugar is melted and caramel colored, pour it into an 8 oz ramekin, making sure it coats the bottom.  Repeat this process five more times so you have six ramekins with caramelized sugar on the bottom.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup sugar, sweetened condensed milk, coconut milk, evaporated milk, eggs, and extract until very well combined (the coconut milk on its own gives the flan a subtle coconut flavor so if you want a more coconut-y punch, use coconut extract). 

Place the ramekins in a roasting pan and fill with hot water about 1" deep.  Bake until custard is set, about 1 hour.  A knife inserted in the center should come out clean (a few custardy bits are ok, but definitely not liquid).  Remove the ramekins from the water bath and let cool for a few minutes.  Run a knife around the edge, place a plate or bowl over the top of the ramekin, and flip over to invert the flan onto the plate/bowl.  Refrigerate for about 2 hours to chill completely.  (Or, you know, try it warm if you have the patience of a three-year-old.  I may or may not have tried it warm on several occasions and you probably won't regret it.)

Source: adapted from my mom's flan recipe

Buttery Cornmeal Crescent Rolls

This is a similar recipe to the Sweet Crescent Dinner Rolls that I posted a while back, but the addition of the cornmeal gives a little extra something.  It's interesting, because I don't know that you would even guess that there is cornmeal in it when you see the finished product, but there is definitely something special about these.  They are gigantic, and so soft and fluffy on the inside that you could practically lay your head down and take a nap on them.  The husband, my favorite critic, literally inhaled these (they are that soft and luscious).  I was planning on making a different roll for Thanksgiving, but I'm now thinking that these are going to have to replace that.

Buttery Cornmeal Crescent Rolls

Number of Servings: 24 rolls
Time to Prepare: 3 hours

• 2 cups milk
• 2/3 cup cornmeal
• 2 Tbsp active dry yeast
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 eggs
• 5 1/2 to 6 cups flour
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

Heat the milk to just below a boil (bubbles should be appearing around the edges).  Slowly whisk in the cornmeal, lowering the temperature if needed so the mixture doesn’t boil.  Cook and stir until thickened--like the consistency of cream of wheat, if you're familiar with that.  Pour the cornmeal/milk mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl and let cool for about 15 minutes.

Dissolve the yeast and 1 Tbsp sugar in the warm water and let sit until foamy, about five minutes. 
Add the yeast mixture, 1/2 cup butter, and 1/3 cup sugar to the cornmeal mixture and stir.  Add the 1/2 cup of flour, the salt and the eggs and mix well.  Add the remaining flour gradually until a soft dough forms.  Knead for 5-8 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl.  Cover and let rise until doubled.

Divide the dough into three portions and roll each into about an 8-10 inch circle. Brush the top lightly with the melted butter (you should have some left after doing all 3 circles--save that for after they come out of the oven). Use a pizza cutter to cut into 8 triangles and roll each one up starting from the wide end. Roll gently but tightly.  Pinch end to seal and place, point side down, on a lightly greased baking sheet, curving the ends in slightly to form a crescent shape.  Cover and let rise until doubled.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned. Brush with remaining melted butter.

Source: adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe