BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

These BBQ pork sandwiches will please any crowd!  We love to freshen it up with this quick and easy coleslaw with homemade dressing.  Make the coleslaw a few hours before serving.

6-7 lbs pork shoulder roast
1 cup brown sugar
4 teaspoons Kosher salt
2 tablespoons cumin
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 1/2 - 2 cups Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce

Put pork roast in crockpot.  Sprinkle brown sugar, salt, cumin and garlic on top of the roast.  Cook on high for 2-3 hours then on low for 6-8 hours, or until meat falls apart.  

Take roast out of juices and shred.  Mix BBQ sauce into hot pork.  Pour juices out of crockpot, and put pork back in, to keep warm.  Add more BBQ sauce if needed.  Serve on gluten free buns or bread, with coleslaw.

Coleslaw

2 (16 ounce) bags coleslaw mix

2 tablespoons finely diced onion

2/3 cup mayo

3 tablespoons canola oil

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine the colelaw mix and onion in a large bowl.  Whisk together the mayo, oil, sugar, vinegar and salt in a small bowl.  Pour over coleslaw and toss to coat.  Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Crock Pot Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce

6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, skin removed* (about 2 and 1/2 pounds)

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 (13.5 ounce) cans coconut milk

2 tablespoons dried basil leaves

2 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon pepper

1 to 1 1/2 tablespoon McCormick curry powder

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 large red onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced (1 tablespoon minced)

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon COLD water

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated or minced

1/3 to 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Remove the skin from the chicken. Salt and pepper each thigh.

Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat.  Add 1 teaspoon olive oil.  When the oil is hot, add 3 chicken thighs.  Cook for about 2 minutes, until nicely browned on the bottom.  Turn the chicken over to brown the other side for about 1-2 minutes.  Remove the chicken to a plate.  Repeat searing process with the other 3 chicken thighs.

Meanwhile, in a crock pot combine coconut milk, basil, 2 teaspoons salt, 3/4 teaspoon pepper, curry powder, and chili powder, to taste.  Stir to combine.

Add the chopped red onions, garlic, and jalapeno.  Add the browned chicken and stir to combine.

Cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours.

Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and transfer to a plate or cutting board. Let cool for a couple minutes.

Add the ginger to the slow cooker.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and 1 tablespoon COLD water. Stir until it's not lumpy. Add this to the crock pot and stir.

Shred the chicken, removing the bones and any tough bits. It should just be falling apart.

Return the meat to the slow cooker and stir.  Return the lid and cook for another 10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Stir in the cilantro.  Serve with rice. 

Hot Shredded Ham Sandwiches

Life has seemed a little crazy lately.  We run from one thing to the next.  We're creating a million memories and having a blast along the way, but sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day.  I was talking with my sweet friend Amber one day and she shared with me this recipe.

  

She loves it because she makes it ahead of time and have very little prep when it's time to eat.  It also makes a giant amount, so it's great for family gatherings!  

My family loves it!  I served it at a large family gathering after church and it was AWESOME!  You definitely have to plan ahead, 12 hours to cook and 8 hours to sit, but it's super nice to have it done when you're ready to eat!  It freezes great too!

7 - 8 lb bone in Butt Ham

water

8 oz bottle of mustard

1 lb brown sugar

Place the ham in a crockpot.  Fill the crockpot with water 1/2 the way up.  Cook on low for 12 hours.  (Yes, 12 hours.)

Drain the meat and shred into a large bowl.  Add the mustard and brown sugar and mix well.  Refrigerate over night or for about 8 hours.  

Warm and serve on GF bread or rolls.  (You can put it back in the crockpot to keep warm.)

Mayo/Mustard Spread

We like to make a mayo/mustard spread to put on the bread/rolls.  They're isn't really a recipe, just mix the two together to the taste you like.  I would guess about 1 cup mayo, and about 3 tablespoons mustard.  I mix it until it's a light yellow color.

Notes:

•  My friend Amber says French's mustard is the best!

•  When I serve it to my non GF family, I buy Walmart's steak rolls.

Sweet Pulled Pork

Who doesn't love Cafe Rio, right?  Well this is a great gluten free sweet pulled pork recipe that those of us with Celiac Disease can safely eat!  Yea!  I love doing the homemade Cafe Rio buffet for my family!  Here's the link where you can find the rest of the recipes.  I have learned that if you're going to shred pork you need to use a pork butt roast because it shreds easily.   

6 - 7 lb pork butt roast
3 cans caffeine free Coke (NOT diet)
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 cup water
1 3/4 cup packed brown sugar, separated
1 10 oz can Old El Paso red enchilada sauce (mild or medium)
1 can diced green chili's


Put the roast in a large bowl.  Pour in 2 cans Coke.  Sprinkle 3/4 cup brown sugar on top.  Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight or for several hours.

Drain marinade and place pork in a crock pot.  Pour in a 1/2 can of Coke and 1/4 cup water.  Sprinkle with garlic salt.  Cook on high for 8 hours.  Remove pork from crock pot, drain liquid and shred the pork.  Put the shredded pork back into the crock pot.

In a blender, combine the following ingredients:  the other 1/2 can of Coke, green chili's, enchilada sauce and 1 cup brown sugar.  Blend well and pour over the shredded pork.  Stir together and cook on low for about 1 hour, or until it's heated through and the flavor of the sauce is infused into the pork.

Crockpot Soft Tacos

One of my quick go-to-recipes is Taco's.  I wanted something quick, but that could make ahead and cook in the crockpot for a few hours, so I came up with this recipe.  It's great!  I made it at 4 pm, stuck it in the crockpot, ran to my son's basketball game and it was ready to eat when we got home!

I was going to use refried beans but I didn't have any in my pantry, so I just used kidney beans and mashed them up.  Use whatever you've got!  It's a little bit spicy, but wasn't too spicy for most of my kids (2 year old was the exception.)  If you want to make it really mild, just substitute a can of diced tomatoes for the can of diced tomatoes and green chilis.

I've found that corn tortillas are delicious if they are heated in a pan on the stove.  I'm not a fan of cold or microwaved corn tortillas - yuck!  Anyway, heat up the tortilla's and assemble your taco with your favorite toppings!  We love it topped with our favorite Guacamole recipe!

1 lb hamburger
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomatoes with green chili's
1/4 cup or 1 package taco seasoning  (I prefer McCormick)

Corn tortillas
lettuce
cheese
guacamole
tomatoes
slice olives

Brown hamburger and season with salt and pepper.  While cooking the meat, drain and rinse kidney beans and put in crockpot.  Smash kidney beans with a potato masher.  Add the following ingredients to the beans in the crockpot:  cooked hamburger, drained & rinsed black beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with green chili's and taco seasoning.  Stir together.  Cook on low for 2 - 3 hours.  Serve with your favorite taco toppings!

Chicken Tikka Masala

I don't know about you, but dinner time at our house is always the busiest!  Talk about craziness!  There's scouts, baseball practice, basketball games, Young Men activities at our church, meetings at the school, not to mention trying to keep the boys on task with homework and chores!  The crockpot has become a tried and true friend!

When I found this recipe from the Table for Two blog I was excited to try it!  It's nice because there's not a lot of prep and it tastes like you've spent hours in the kitchen1  It's also great to find an Indian crockpot recipe!

I used chicken tenders and just left them whole.  If you use chicken breasts, cut them into 1 1/2 inch cubes.  It is a little spicy, but not too much.  If you like it mild just add a dash of cayenne pepper or leave it out completely.  This makes a huge batch!

20 - 24 chicken tenders or 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed (about 3 lbs)
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1 (29 oz) can of tomato puree
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons garam masala
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Chopped parsley or cilantro (optional)

Place chicken in the crockpot.  In a large bowl mix all ingredients from onion down through the cayenne pepper.  Pour on top of the chicken.  Place the bay leaves on top.  Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours.  I used frozen chicken tenders and cooked it on high for 1 hour and low for 7 hours.  When it's done take out the bay leaves.  Whisk the cream and cornstarch in a small bowl then stir into the chicken mixture.  Let it cook for 20 more minutes to thicken.

Serve over rice.  You can top it with parsley or cilantro.

Zesty Barbecue Chicken Crockpot Sandwiches

My family loves these delicious chicken barbecue sandwiches!  It's even better that is a quick and easy crock pot recipe!

5 - 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 18-oz bottle GF barbecue sauce
1/2 cup GF Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons GF Worcestershire sauce

Place frozen chicken in crock pot.  In a bowl, mix the barbecue sauce, salad dressing, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce.  Pour over chicken.  Cover and cook on high for 1 hour, then on low for 6 - 8 hours.  Take chicken out of the crock pot and shred.  Take out 1 - 2 cups sauce.  Put chicken back in crock pot and stir together.  Add back in enough sauce to make it as saucy as you'd like.

Serve on toasted gluten free bread, or gluten free buns.

Crockpot Italian Chicken with Mushroom Gravy

Before my diagnosis of Celiac disease, I used to make a recipe similar to this with canned cream of mushroom soup.  Thanks to my diet I discovered a much tastier recipe!  The fresh mushroom gravy is delicious.  I also like the green chili's in this recipe.  It adds so much flavor!  You can serve this over rice or noodles.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Mushroom gravy – recipe below

1 cup milk

1 can chopped green chili's

1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix

1 package cream cheese, softened and cubed

Put chicken in crock pot.  Pour mushroom gravy on top.  Add green chili's, Italian salad dressing mix and milk.  Cook all day on low.  Stir in cream cheese and cover and cook until cheese is melted.  Serve over rice or noodles.

Mushroom Gravy

Saute:  8 ounces sliced mushrooms

             ½ of a medium onion

             3 – 4 T butter

Add:  1 – 2 T featherlight

           Pinch of xanthan gum

           2 – 3 cups milk

           1 – 2 cubs beef bouillon

When I make mushroom gravy I don't ever measure anything.  I just add enough milk to make it the thickness I want.  I also add the bouillon until it tastes right.  Anyway, just saute the mushrooms, onions and butter.  Add flour and xanthan gum and stir until heated through.  Stir in milk and bouillon and whisk.  Cook until thickened.

Pot Roast with Carrots

This is a our favorite Sunday meal!  It's cooks all day while we're at church.  I serve it with mashed potatoes and gravy.  I use the drippings from the roast, add water and beef bouillon and thicken it with a corn starch and water mixture.

3 1/2 pound beef roast
1 large onion, quartered
salt & pepper
garlic powder
3 bay leaves (optional)
baby carrots

Place the roast in the crockpot.  Season with salt and pepper, and a little bit of garlic powder.  Put 3 bay leaves on the roast.  Add the onion quarters.  Cook on high for 2 hours.  Add the baby carrots, and season with salt and pepper.  Turn down to low and cook for 6 - 7 more hours.  Use drippings to make gravy.

Clam Chowder

My aunt Jeanette would make this every Christmas Eve.  I looked forward to it every year!  Instead of using "wheat" flour like she does, I just substitute it with featherlight.  You don't need any xanthan gum.  It thickens just fine.  You don't have to picky about how many vegetables you add.  Just add about 5 - 6 cups.  If you like it chunky add more, if you like it thin add less.

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup onions, diced

3 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced

2 cans minced clams

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup featherlight flour

1 quart half and half

1 ½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoons sugar

pepper, to taste

2 teaspoons Beau Monde seasoning

2 teaspoons lemon juice

dash GF Worcestershire sauce

Put celery, onion, pototoes and carrots in a large saucepan.  Drain the clam juice into the pan with the vegetables. Set clams aside.  (If you add them now they can become rubbery.)  Add just enough water to cover the vegetables.  Cook until tender, about 20 minutes.  

While vegetables are cooking, make a rue.  In a separate saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter at medium temperature.  Add the flour and whisk.  Stir for just a bit, heating the flour/butter mixture.  Add half and half.  Stir regularly until it thickens and begins to boil.  Take off the heat.

When vegetables are soft.  Pour the thick cream sauce into the pan with the vegetables.  Stir until combined.  Add salt, sugar, pepper, Beau Monde seasoning, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and clams.  Stir and heat another 4 or 5 minutes.  Eat, or keep warm in a crockpot.

Tostadas

1 lb ground beef, browned
2 cans refried beans
1 package taco seasoning
8 ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water

Combine in crockpot.  Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.  Stir occasionally.

Serve on tostada shell with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, guacamole and sour cream.

Note:  My favorite refried beans are Rosarita Green Chili and Lime

Chunky Mushroom Crockpot Chili

1 lb hamburger
1 large onion, diced
1 green or red pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart whole tomatoes
15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed
15 oz can black beans, rinsed
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Pace Picante Sauce (salsa)
2 8 oz cans tomato sauce
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 teas cumin
1 1/4 teas salt
3/4 teas oregano

Brown hamburger, onion, pepper, and garlic, with some salt and pepper.  Drain and pour into a crockpot.  Add the remaining ingredients to the crockpot.  Cook on low for 4 - 6 hours.