Smoked Turkey Kielbasa Burnt Ends

Smoked Turkey Kielbasa Burnt Ends

adapted from Food Network

Burnt ends are savory, caramelized nuggets of smoked meat, usually the fatty point end of a beef brisket or pork belly. Using kielbasa pull the meal together in significantly less time. Turkey kielbasa reduce the fat and calories.

Partially slicing the kielbasa before smoking allow the smoke to penetrate better.

Makes 3 servings                                                                12 WW pts / serving

1/2 tsp. dry ancho chile powder
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. Truvia brown sugar blend™
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 link (13 oz.) kielbasa sausage
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1/2 cups Barefoot Contessa barbecue sauce or your favorite BBQ sauce

2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. butter

1. In a small bowl, combine the ancho chile powder, salt, brown sugar blend, granulated garlic, onion powder, black pepper and cayenne; Set aside.
2. Preheat a smoker to 225F.
3. Place 2 wooden spoons on a cutting board; Place the kielbasa between the spoons and partially slice the kielbasa in 1 1/2-inch intervals, keeping the pieces connected. (The spoons prevent you from going all the way through.
4. Using a brush, coat the kielbasa in the yellow mustard, then sprinkle with the spice mixture.
5. Place in the smoker until the sausages are nicely browned, about 1 hour.
6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F.
7. Cut the kielbasa all the way through and place in a medium skillet.
8. Mix with the barbecue sauce with the water then mix with then add to the skillet and toss to combine.
9. Dot the kielbasa with butter and place in preheated oven. 
10. Roast, uncovered, stirring a couple times, until the kielbasa has a deep hue, another 35 minutes. 
11. Let cool for 5-7 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Cheeseburgers with Charred Green Chiles and Onions

Cheeseburgers with Charred Green Chiles and Onions

adapted from Bon Appetit©

Kicking off  the unofficial start of grilling season with burgers.

Ground turkey would make a fine substitute for beef in these Southwest-style burgers.

Makes 2 servings + extra sauce  

2 WW pts for cheeseburger + 1 WW pts / Tbsp. sauce

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Barefoot Contessa's BBQ sauce or your favorite BBQ sauce
2 4 oz. lean beef patties
1/2 tsp. Montreal Steak seasoning

2 1/2-inch-thick onion slices
Cooking spray
1/2 poblano chiles

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 thin slices American cheese

1. Whisk mayonnaise and barbecue sauce in small bowl to blend: Cover and chill.
2. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). 
3. Thread the onion slices on a metal skewer horizontally.
4. Coat the onion slices and chile lightly with cooking spray. 
5. Transfer onions and chile to barbecue
6. Grill onions until softened and browned, about 5 minutes per side. 
7. Remove skewers from onions. Chop onions; transfer to small bowl. 
8. Char chiles until blackened; Place in plastic bag for about 10 minutes before peeling, seeding and chopping
9. Add chopped chiles to the onions; Season to taste with salt and pepper.
10. Season the beef patties with the Montreal Steak Seasoning.
11. Grill burgers until cooked to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium. Top each burger with 2 cheese slices during last minute of cooking. 
12. Divide chile-onion mixture among rolls; Place cheeseburgers on top of the chile-onion mixture. 
13. Serve, passing the sauce.

Enjoy!

Barefoot Contessa Barbecued Chicken

Barefoot Contessa Barbecued Chicken

adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook©

One of the things I like about Ina Garten's recipes is that she makes real food without hard to find ingredients.

This can be cooked in the oven or on the grill.

Makes 6 servings

6 lbs. chicken thighs
1 recipe Barefoot Contessa's BBQ Sauce

1. Marinate the thighs in 1-2 cups of the barbecue sauce overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat the oven to 375F
3. Arrange the chicken in  ne layer on two rimmed baking sheet.
4. Cook in the preheated oven 30 minutes; Rotate sheets and cook another 25 minutes.
5. Turn on the broiler.
6. Slather the chicken with additional BBQ sauce. Place each sheet under the broiler to char, about 5 minutes per sheet.
7. Serve with additional BBQ sauce on the side.

Enjoy!

Barefoot Contessa's BBQ Sauce

Barefoot Contessa's BBQ Sauce

adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook©

Ina Garten is one of my favorite chefs. I wish I could have gotten to Long Island before she sold The Barefoot Contessa store in 1996.

Makes 1 1/2 quarts

1 1/2 cups chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup tomato paste 
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cup hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1. In a saucepan on low heat, saute the onions and garlic with the vegetable oil until the onions are translucent but not browned, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the tomato paste, vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes. 
3. Simmer uncovered on low heat for 30 minutes. 
4. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Asian Fondue

Asian Fondue

adapted from Cooking Light Annual Recipes 1997

Fondue is a fun way to have a family dinner. Skewering pieces of chicken, shrimp and vegetables and simmering them in an Asian Court-bouillon leads to a tasty dinner.

Feel free to use any vegetables of your choose and mix up the proteins, just remember to adjust the point value.

Makes 3 servings                                                    2 WW Blue points / serving

1 cup broccoli florets

1 cup cauliflower florets

1 cup Napa cabbage pieces, about 2 inches each

1/2 cup thin diagonal carrot slices

1/4 cup sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup sliced celery

3/4 lb. chicken in 1-inch pieces

3/4 lb. jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 recipe Asian Court-bouillon

3 Tbsp. Asian BBQ Sauce

3 Tbsp. Remoulade Sauce

1. Lay out the vegetables on a large platter.
2. Put the chicken and shrimp in different bowls.
3. Bring the Court-bouillon to a boil on the stove; transfer to a fondue pot and maintain a simmer.
4. Encourage your family to spear the food and cook in the fondue pot to desired doneness.
5. Serve with 1 Tbsp. each of the Asian BBQ Sauce and Remoulade Sauce per person.

Enjoy!

Asian BBQ Sauce

 Asian BBQ Sauce

adapted from Food & Wine March 2000

This sauce has a little bit of a kick. If you prefer a sweeter BBQ sauce replace the Sriracha with 1 1/2 tsp. honey.

Makes  about 1/2 cup                                                    1 WW Blue point / Tbsp.

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce

2 Tbsp. ketchup

1 Tbsp. Sriracha sauce

1. Combine all ingredients and wish to combine.

Enjoy!

MYO BBQ Chicken Bowl

 Make Your Own BBQ Chicken Bowl

A fun way to serve a meal is MYO (Make Your Own). People can serves themselves the ingredients all mixed together of separately depending on their person taste and style.

This recipe will work with any type of leftover chicken that is mild or fits with a BBQ theme.

 

Makes 4 servings                                                    3 WW Blue points / serving

1 lb. chicken, poached

1/4 cup  Carolina Blonde BBQ Sauce

1 recipe Smokey Black Beans

1 recipe Poppy Seed Coleslaw

1. Serve each item in individual bowls and allow your guests to assemble their BBQ Chicken Bowls as they see fit.

Enjoy!

Carolina Blond BBQ Sauce

Carolina Blond BBQ Sauce

adapted from Cooking Light Annual Recipes 1997

Less vinegar and more ketchup than a usual Carolina BBQ sauce. Serve with BBQ chicken or pork.

Makes 1 cup                                                              1 WW Blue point / Tbsp.

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup water

2 Tbsp. cider vinegar

1 Tbsp. dried minced onions

1 1/2 tsp. Truvia brown sugar blend

1/2 tsp. yellow mustard

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. Slap Ya Mama Hot Sauce or your favorite hot sauce

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1. Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan. Whisk to combine.
2. Bring mixture to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 4 minutes to allow flavors to meld.

Enjoy!

The Sloppy Turkey Sandwich

 The Sloppy Turkey Sandwich

Last night my husband and I were watching Diners, Dive Ins and Dives. One of the featured restaurants, Front Range Barbecue  in Denver, CO has a "Sloppy Pig Sandwich". Pulled pork, bacon, kielbasa, coleslaw, BBQ sauce and smoked cheddar. I decided to make a healthier version today for lunch. 

Serves 1                 9 WW Blue points

3 oz Pulled Turkey  

1 Tbsp Mission BBQ Tupelo BBQ Sauce or your favorite sauce

2 oz. turkey kielbasa, pan seared

1 slice turkey bacon, cooked

3 Tbsp Red coleslaw

1 Schmidt Old Tyme 647 roll, toasted

1. Heat the pulled turkey in the BBQ sauce.
2. Place on the toasted roll.
3. Top with bacon, kielbasa and coleslaw.

Enjoy

BBQ Burgers with BBQ Caramelized Onions

I like to experiment with burgers. The sauce in the meat made it a bit of a challenge to grill but it was worth the effort.

BBQ Cheese Burger
adapted from Bon Appetit June 2000

2 lbs ground beef
5 Tbsp BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays)
2/3 tsp garlic powder
2/3 tsp kosher salt
2/3 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Mix together and form into 6 patties. Grill to desired doneness.

BBQ Caramelized Onions
adapted from Bon Appetit June 2000

1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp beef broth
1/4 cup BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays)
1 3/4 tsp apple cider vinegar

Cook the onions with the salt and pepper in the olive oil until beginning to brown, stirring frequently to prevent them from burning. Add the broth, BBQ sauce and vinegar. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens. Serve on top of the burgers

Sweet Baby Rays Deviled Eggs

Well before I started on the last blog post, I made lunches again at 3 AM. More deviled eggs for my hubby. If anyone has thought on how I could sleep past 3 AM, i am all ears.

My husband and son love Sweet Baby Rays ™ Sweet and Spicy Barbecue Sauce so why not add a little to deviled eggs to give them a little zip.

Sweet Baby Rays Deviled Eggs
adapted from Food Network Magazine April 2011

2 hard-boiled eggs
2 tsp reduced fat mayonnaise
1 tsp yellow mustard, 
a dash of Road Kill Garlic ™ Garlic habanero Hot Sauce 
1 1/2 tsp Sweet Baby Rays ™ Sweet and Spicy Barbecue Sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper 
Sliced scallions for garnish
Paprika, for garnish

Cut the eggs in half and remove the yolks to a small bowl. Mash the yolks with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, hot sauce and barbecue sauce. Mix well to combine. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Fill the egg whites with the yolk mixture; top with sliced scallions and paprika. Serve.