Monday, April 29, 2019

Slow-cooker Mu Shu Chicken Wraps

(This photo isn't mine...it's borrowed off the internet until I take one of my own.) The recipe is inspired by one in Better Homes & Gardens I think. To my taste it was too salty; I reduced the salt and added a little honey to balance the flavors. And BH&G's version called for broccoli instead of cabbage, but I wanted the extra crunch.

Ingredients
2 lbs boneless chicken thighs (or 2-3 lbs with bones)
½ C water
2 T soy sauce
2 t sesame oil
1 t ground ginger or 1 T fresh grated
½ C honey
2 t corn starch
'cole slaw' cabbage mix
8 flour tortillas
hoisin sauce
sliced green onions
salt & pepper to taste

Directions
Place chicken thighs in slow cooker; season with salt and pepper. Combine water, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and honey in a small bowl; pour over chicken pieces. COver. Cook on low 6-7 hours, or on high about 3 hours.

Remove chicken pieces onto a cutting board. If necessary, remove bones. Using two forks, pull chicken into shreds.

Add just enough cold water to corn starch to make a slurry; whisk into juices in slow cooker to thicken. Return shredded chicken to slow cooker; heat through.

While chicken is reheating. Warm tortillas - ideally, toast them over an open flame. Spread hoison on each tortilla, then layer with cabbage shreds; top with Mu Shu chicken and a few green onions.

Thursday, April 18, 2019

Caribbean Jerk Wraps with Lime Mayo (Dressing)

Ingredients
1½ lb boneless pork, chicken or beef
      bone-in cuts work too, just account for the weight of
      the bones; you want 1½ lbs of meat
1½ T jerk seasoning
1 C water
juice of 1 lime (at least 2 T)
s & p
8  10" tortillas
2 C torn or shredded lettuce
1 red bell pepper, small diced
1 C diced mango, or pineapple
½ C mayonnaise or salad dressing (Miracle Whip)
¼ C minced shallot
½ t lime zest
1 clove garlic, minced

Directions
In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise (or salad dressing), minced shallot, lime zest, 1 T lime juice and minced garlic. Cover and refrigerate until ready to prepare wraps.

Sprinkle mean with jerk seasoning, massaging it with your fingertips. Place meat pieces in a 3 - 4 quart crock pot (slow-cooker); add water. Cover and cook on low-heat 8-10 hours, or high heat 4-5 hours until meat is tender enough to pull apart with forks (and falls off the bone easily, if bone-in cut is used).

Remove meat from crock pot; pull into shreds using forks. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with remaining lime juice (at least 1 T). Season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed.

Toast tortillas briefly on stovetop, if desired.

Prep each wrap: line with lettuce, add approximately ¼ lb shredded meat, diced pepper and mango (or pineapple), top with lime mayo. Roll up securely.

Delicious warm or cold.