Black Pepper and Molasses pulled chicken sandwiches

or another name for this is "the easiest, fastest stovetop BBQ chicken sandwich ever"
from cooking light

another good leftover/keeper. very fast weeknight dinner. and delicious!

3 T ketchup
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 T prepared mustard
1 T molasses
3/4 t chili powder
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t black pepper
1/8 t ground ginger
12 oz skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2 inch pieces
4 sandwich rolls
12 dill pickle chips

1, combine first 9 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook stirring occasionally, 23 minutes or until chicken is done and tender. remove from heat, shred with 2 forks to measure 2 cups. place 1/2 d chicken on half of roll. top with pickles and othe half of roll. serve


we had some easy Dijon POtato Salad (from everyday food)
1 1/2 lb new potatoes, scrubbed and halved
1 T white wine vinegar
1 T dijon mustard (or i guess the regular kind. i like the flavor of dijon better)
s/p
2 T oilve oil
1/2 c freshly chopped parsley


1. boil potatoes until fork tender.

2. in serving bowl combine vinegar and dijon; season with s/p. add hot cooked potatoes; toss let cool tossing occasionally.

3. add oil and parsley to cooled potatoes. toss with salt and pepper.

Couscous with Swiss chard, raisins, and Feta

this recipe calls for Israeli cousous, which i now just love. i was never a huge fan of the regular couscous. i always felt like they rolled around in my mouth and i could never chew them. i think i'll always buy israeli couscous from now on!

from rachel ray

2 T oilve oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/4 c israeli couscous
one 14 oz can veg broth
2/3 cup raisins
s/p
1 bunch swiss chard, stems and leaves chopped separately
one 15 oz can chick peas
2 oz crumbled feta

1. in saucepan heat 1 T olive oil over medium heat. add half of the garlic and the couscous and cook, stirring for 3 minutes. add the veg broth bring to a boil. cover, lower heat and simmer until broth is absorbed, about 10 minutes. stir in the raisins; season with salt.

2. in a skillet, heat remaining 1 T oil over medium heat. add remaining garlic and swiss chard stems and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. add swiss chard leaves, chickpeas, and 1/2 c water. cover and cook , turning unil the chard is wilted 2-3 minutes. season with salt and pepper. serve on the couscous and top with feta.



this keeps well in the fridge and is great for leftovers!

Zucchini, of course

i actually did not plant zucchini this year. i think i got overdosed last year on it. i planted a climbing italian squash instead, which i have enjoyed sauteed with butter. it has a great flavor. i highly recommend it. but, i've got to have zucchini bread at least yearly. so my friend from work who has a plethora of zucchini offered me more than i could ever want/need (this was my secret plan all long). i made this recipe today:



Zucchini Bread from Simply REcipes


Ingredients

2 eggs, beaten
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups grated fresh zucchini
2/3 cup melted unsalted butter
2 teaspoons baking soda
Pinch salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins (optional)
Method

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix in the grated zucchini and then the melted butter. Sprinkle baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour, a third at a time. Sprinkle in the cinnamon and nutmeg and mix. Fold in the nuts and dried cranberries or raisins if using.

2 Divide the batter equally between 2 buttered 5 by 9 inch loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour (check for doneness at 50 minutes) or until a wooden pick inserted in to the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks to cool thoroughly.

Makes 2 loaves.


it's in the oven currently... we shall see how good it is!