BBQ Kalua Pork Sandwich

Take the barbecue pulled pork sandwich concept, throw in a little Hawaii flavor flair, and you end up with an amazing sandwich that you just can't stop eating.

You should have all the ingredients on hand, except maybe for the kalua (pit-smoked) pork, which is readily available in Hawaii supermarkets or online.

And, there's a minimum of prep and mixing involved, unless you have a special cole slaw recipe and make an incredible potato salad. I'll leave those up to you.

You'll notice there are no amounts given in the ingredient list. Just use what you have, as much or as little as it takes to make enough sandwiches to feed your horde. A carton or package of kalua pork makes 3-4 sandwiches.

Ingredients 

• SESAME SEED HAMBURGER BUNS, 1 or more packages
• BUTTER, quite a bit, softened
• PACKAGED HAWAIIAN KALUA PORK, 1 or more
• BARBECUE SAUCE, store-bought or homemade.
• SWEET ONION SLABS, 3-4" diameter, ¼" thick, one per sandwich
• COLE SLAW, store-bought, KFC, or homemade

Directions 

1. Break up the kalua pork in a pan, squirt in a more-than-adequate amount of your favorite barbecue sauce. Mix and heat through.
2. Butter the insides of the buns and pan toast them until golden brown. Remove them to your cutting board.
3. Cover the bottom of a bun with an onion slab.
4. Pile the BBQ kalua pork high on onion.
5. Top with a ridiculous amount of cole slaw and the bun's top half. Try to keep the sandwich from toppling over.
6. Serve with potato salad and a dill pickle spear (or 2, or 3), and plenty of napkins. Goes great with beer or an ice-cold Coca-Cola®.

Rachel Khoo's Balsamic Onion Hot Dogs with Fennel-Apple-Red Cabbage Slaw

I first heard about this when Food Network cooking show host Rachel Khoo posted a video on Facebook that she’d also posted on her YouTube page.

It seemed intriguing, so I gave it a try.

You know what? Everybody liked it as it was ‘way different from the usual mustard, onions and pickled relish we usually put on our hot dogs.

This is Rachel Khoo's recipe:

Ingredients 

• SAUSAGES, 6
• BUNS, 6
• RED ONIONS, 2
• BALSAMIC VINEGAR, 4 tablespoons
• OLIVE OIL, 1 tablespoon
• SALT, pinch 

For the slaw 

• RED CABBAGE, small head, ½
• APPLE, 1 crunchy, cored
• FENNEL, ½
• LEMON JUICE, 1 lemon
• OLIVE OIL, 3 tablespoons
• SALT, to taste 

Directions 

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Cut onions into quarters and separate.
3. Toss in the balsamic vinegar, oil and salt.
4. Place in a baking dish, then in the oven for 30 minutes or until the onions have softened.
5. Ten minutes before the onions are done, throw the sausages (prick the sausages to stop them from exploding) into the baking dish to roast.
6. Make the slaw: Thinly slice (by knife or mandoline) the cabbage, fennel and apple.
7. Toss together with the olive oil and lemon juice. Taste for salt.
8. Place the buns into the oven for a couple of minutes to warm up.
9. To assemble: stuff the sausages and onions into a bun, with the slaw on top.

Tuna Melt

I’m almost embarrassed to post this. Almost, but not quite.

You know how to make a tuna sandwich, right? Open a can of tuna, drain it, add some mayonnaise and pickle relish, maybe some chopped onions, and voila! Tuna salad. Put it between two slices of bread and there you have it – a tuna sandwich.

Next time, try this: Butter a slice of sourdough bread, heat it up for a minute or so in a toaster oven, slather on the tuna salad mix, top with some slices of tomato and American cheese, then put it under the broiler.

Keep an eye on it and when the cheese starts to bubble, take it out.

You now have an open-faced tuna sandwich with melted cheese on top – a tuna melt. Enjoy!

Crabby Egg Salad Crostini

Who doesn't like egg sandwiches? Who doesn't like crab salad? Who doesn't like toast? Why not combine all three in this easy pleasy open-faced tasty, crunchy munchy lunch?

Ingredients

·         EGGS, 3, hard-cooked, yolks and whites chopped separately

·         CRAB MEAT, lump, 1 cup chopped

·         MAYONNAISE, 1/4 cup

·         DIJON MUSTARD, 1 tablespoon

·         PICKLE RELISH, 2 tablespoons

·         RED or SWEET ONION, 2 tablespoons minced

·         TOMATO, 1 medium, skinned and seeded, chopped

·         FRENCH BAGUETTE, sliced on a bias into 1-inch thick crostini

·         OLIVE OIL, couple of tablespoons or so

·         CHEDDAR CHEESE, shredded

·         GARLIC SALT, to taste

·         BLACK PEPPER, freshly ground, to taste

Directions

1.       Roughly chop the egg whites, set aside.

2.       Combine the egg yolks, mayonnaise, mustard, pickle relish and red onion in a bowl.

3.       Add the egg whites and crab, mixing carefully so as not to break up the pieces.

4.       Salt and pepper to taste.

5.       Sprinkle bread with olive oil and shredded cheese, and toast slightly under the broiler until top is crisp. Remove and let cool for a minute or so.

6.       Heap egg/crab filling on top, sprinkle with chopped tomato.

Tarragon Chicken Salad Sandwiches

One day, while waiting in the supermarket check-out line, my eyes fell upon a little recipe book in the “impulse” rack next to the tabloids. I gave in to the impulse and bought it.

I don’t remember what other recipes were in the book, just this one.

Although the recipe calls for poaching fresh chicken, you can use any chicken you have on hand. It’s a good way to use up leftover chicken. I have to say, however, that poaching it with the onions and tarragon does give the chicken extra flavor.

Ingredients

• CHICKEN BREASTS, 3 halves on bone
• ONION, 1 medium, cut into chunks
• CELERY, 1 cup thinly slices
• SEEDLESS RED GRAPES, 1½  cups, cut into halves
• RAISINS, ¾ cup
• NONFAT YOGURT, ½ cup
• MAYONNAISE, ¼ CUP
• SHALLOTS, 2, finely chopped
• TARRAGON LEAVES, 2 tablespoons, freshly minced
• SALT, ½ tablespoon
• WHITE PEPPER, 1/8 teaspoon, freshly ground
• LETTUCE
• SESAME KAISER ROLLS, 8
• BUTTER

Directions

1. Poach chicken in 1 cup water, along with the onion and any tarragon leaves and stems left after saving the 2 tablespoons called for later.
2. Poach at medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center.
3. When chicken is done, remove from pan and discard the onion and tarragon pieces.
4. Save the broth for another use.
5. Refrigerate chicken until cold, then de-bone and cut into small chunks.
6. Combine chicken, celery, grapes and raisins in large bowl.
7. Combine yogurt, mayonnaise, shallots, tarragon, salt and pepper in small bowl.
8. Spoon over chicken mixture and toss lightly.
9. Cut Kaiser rolls in half, making buns. Butter cut sides, then place on cooking sheet, buttered sides up. Place under broiler until the buns are toasty and slightly crunchy.
10. Place lettuce on bun bottom. Spoon the chicken salad onto the lettuce, then cover with the bun top.