No Mayo Chicken Salad

It's summertime, which means it's camping season!   And it's time to start making some recipes that can be made ahead of time and taken with us on our camping trips.  My husband doesn't like mayo, so this was my solution to a dish usually slathered in it.

No Mayo Chicken Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, seasoned and grilled, cooled then cubed
1 (8oz) container of plain yogurt
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
3 stalks green onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp dill
1/8 tsp  celery salt
1/4 tsp sea salt


Combine all ingredients together in a medium sized bowl and stir until thoroughly mixed.  Serve on bread for sandwiches or in a bowl for a nice simple lunch dish.  Serve cold.

This recipe could easily be changed up by adding some hard boiled eggs and some diced baby dill pickles to the mix.  Or another version could have diced granny smith apple pieces and sliced grapes.  Adding toasted walnuts to that would be really good too!  Mmmm, I might have to try that one next time.  :)

Chicken, Provolone & Roasted Red Pepper Panini

Whenever I have leftover meats from the grill I try to do something new so we aren't necessarily eating the same meal again the next day.  I had a leftover grilled chicken breast from the other night and wanted to try my hand at creating a panini.  And I think it just might be a new addiction. I am definitely going to keep checking out this Panini Blog for inspiration!  All paninis, all the time.

Chicken, Provolone & Roasted Red Pepper Panini

Source: Panini Happy, adapted by Amy's New Kitchen
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 loaf ciabatta bread
Hummus
Fresh Dill
1 large Chicken Breast, seasoned and grilled, sliced lengthwise
1 Roasted Red Pepper, sliced lengthwise
6 slices deli-style Provolone Cheese
8 slices Turkey Bacon, cooked (optional)


Slice ciabatta loaf in sections perfectly sized to your liking.  Slice in half and spread a generous amount of hummus onto the inside of each slice.  Sprinkle freshly chopped dill onto hummus on both sides of bread again.  Then layer on the bottom slice of ciabatta, chicken, roasted red pepper slices, provolone then bacon.  Top with the top half of ciabatta bread.


Grill sandwiches for ~5 minutes on each side of bread.  The cheese will melt and nice grill marks should form on both sides of the bread.

Look at that gooey awesomeness!!  I used a cast iron grill pan on my stove top and another cast iron pan on top of the sandwiches weigh them down and keep them in place while grilling.  I'm sure it works better if you have a panini press but my way got the job done.  And since it did work- that means I can make grilled paninis any season of the year!

Sloppy Joes

Now I know where they get their name from! Just try and keep the meat from falling out of the bun, I dare you! But seriously-these are awesome. I don't even know the last time I had a Sloppy Joe, but they're delicious and so easy! They're going in to our summer rotation for sure.

Sloppy Joes
original recipe from Allrecipes.com, slightly adapted by Amy's New Kitchen
serves 4

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp prepared yellow mustard
1 tsp spicy brown mustard
1 tsp soy sauce, low sodium
3 teaspoons brown sugar
1 tsp of your favorite hot sauce
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off any liquids.


Add in garlic powder, ketchup, both mustards, soy sauce, brown sugar, and hot sauce; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

These would be so easy to make and throw in a slow cooker (on warm) for a party or get together. They have a ton of flavor and are incredibly simple. Great for a quick weeknight meal on a budget too.

Italian Beef Sandwiches

My husband absolutely loves beef sandwiches-Chicago style.  So, I made my way through the many internet recipes for italian beef sandwiches and settled on this one.  And I am so glad that I did.  We loved these!

(Pardon me for not recognizing the source-I didn't print it out with the recipe.  If it is yours, please let me know and I will correct that.)

Italian Beef Sandwiches
Serves 6-8


1 4-5 lb rump roast
1 packet italian salad dressing mix
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp. onion powder
1 bay leaf


In a small saucepan, combine the water along with all the seasonings and the dressing packet.  Stir well and bring to a boil.  Meanwhile-put your roast in the slow cooker and pour the mixture over the roast.  Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours.  (You could cook it on high for 4-5 hours.)  Remove bay leaf and shred meat.  


Serve on a hoagie topped with some sort of white cheese (provolone is a popular Chicago option, but we used munster and it was delicious!) and giardiniera.  You could also top with some jalapenos or italian sweet peppers.

These were some of the best homemade sandwiches I've ever had.  This recipe also makes a LOT of sammies so invite your friends people.  There's enough for everyone.  Pair it with some french fries and you've got yourself a delicious dinner that didn't take 10 minutes to prep.