Adventure Begins in the Kitchen
Bite-sized banh mi might just be the most adorable food to ever come out of my kitchen. Inspired by an Asian-themed tea party, these tasty, little sandwiches are filled with tender meat, crisp vegetables, and spicy mayo.
And other than the bit of muscle this recipe requires for chopping vegetables, it really only involves some slow cooker and assembly action. Banh mi are definitely not as intimidating as I imagined {which is usually the case}.
Array
Have you ever been such a busy bee that when you came home from the grocery store you realized, not only did you forget something, but you brought home another thing that already had fair representation in the fridge? Like cilantro. I’ve purchased cilantro three times in less than a week. Not good.
Luckily my roommate’s gym schedule is about an hour behind my yoga schedule. And since we both go to the grocery store on a daily basis {I wish I was joking}, I knew he could pick up that onion that slipped my mind. And as far as the boat loads of cilantro? I’d just whip up a batch of super summery chicken salad and pretend the overstock was all on purpose.
And then I’d be thankful. Because chicken salad with cukes, red onions, cilantro, lime, and homemade mayo is such a darn good combo. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of cayenne pepper and man oh man, you’ve got yourself something special.
Array
You know those people who take forever to eat salads because they want a bit of every ingredient with each and every bite? That’s me to a tee, which is why I can’t get enough of shredded meat lately. It’s a totally lazy way to make sure you get some meat in every bite.
I crock potted up about 3 pounds of boneless chuck roast with 4 cups of water, 1 chopped onion, 3 chopped celery stalks, 3 sliced garlic cloves, and salt and pepper on low for about 8 hours. And after shredding with two forks, I did something I hadn’t ever done before, and reduced the stock in a saucepan on high heat for about 20 minutes until it was thick and flavorful. Game. Changer.
After the meat soaked up the bulk of the reduction, I spread a thin layer of it on a plate and topped with a heaping scoop of red cabbage slaw. And that slaw… was really the highlight of this meal.
I used a mandolin slicer to achieve super thin and delicate slices of cabbage. Then added mild veggies, cilantro, citrus, and homemade mayo to create a light slaw that’s perfect for summer {especially a Texas summer}. I’m so looking forward to coming home to these leftovers tomorrow!
Array