Sweet and Zingy BBQ Sauce

Today I had the privilege of helping my dad celebrate his birthday!  I love family gatherings because no matter what stage in life you're in, you always come together and have a good time.  Doesn't it seem like with certain friends it's hard to get together if your life stages to line up?  Yes, with true friends some things never change and it doesn't seem to matter.  But with "convenient" friends, a change in the friendship is bound to happen.  Once you're married, dynamics often change around friends that aren't married.  Once you have kids dynamics usually change around friends around friends without kids.  It's just a part of life.  With my family, on the other hand, this NEVER happens.  They are always absolutely thrilled for each new stage of life that I enter, and I them.

Then there's the food.  I absolutely love food, and it makes it even better to eat it with those I love.  So, tonight, we did exactly that.  We all loaded up to my mom and dad's house, where my mom had prepared an amazing meal.  It was really much more of a feast.  Oh the bountiful goodness of all the food and fun that surrounded us.   

On the menu:

Fruit Salad- cantaloup, honey dew, strawberries, pineapple, grapes

Salad- lettuce, cucumber, carrots, tomatoes with a variety of dressings (I chose olive oil/vinegar)

Broccoli and Carrots- boiled and lightly salted

Parsnips- boiled, cooled, then sauteed with olive oil, salt, and pepper

Coleslaw (Not legal for me, but looked good)

Bread (Again, looked good, but not on my plate)

French Fries (I had just a few)

Chicken- marinated in olive oil/vinegar, garlic and herb seasonings

Baby Back Pork Ribs- cooked to melt-in-your-mouth status in the crockpot, sitting in an this amazing

                Sweet and Zingy BBQ Sauce, with extra on the side to smoother the ribs in.  

Brownies and Ice Cream for dessert (I graciously passed, although they smelled incredible!)

I, perhaps, ate a little too much as we started eating before 6 p.m. and it is now 9:03 and I am sitting her still full to the brim.  But oh goodness.  The sauce was great on the ribs and on the chicken.  It was one of those sauces where it would have been a very sad thing to see even the smallest amount left on the plate.  Every drip really needed to be eaten.  So, I did my duty and soaked up the last of it with some more broccoli, carrots, and parsnips.  What is the recipe for this sauce?  Well, let me first say that my mom is the genius behind this one.  She knows that I love ribs.  She also knows that my hubby doesn't love them as much as I do, so I don't cook them very often.  Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce, although very tasty, is not a good choice of sauces for me to eat.  So, she decided to be amazing and make one up that I could have--on Whole30--and it tasted IN.CRED.I.BLE.  

Without further ado, Mama J's amazing recipe:

Sweet and Zingy BBQ Sauce

1-15 oz. can tomatoes

1-8 oz. can tomato sauce

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1/4 c. onion, diced

3/4 t. paprika

3/4 t. cayenne pepper

2 T. olive oil

2 T. vinegar

1/2 c. diced pineapple

1/2 c. diced apple

Combine all the ingredients and simmer on medium-low for about 30 minutes.  Blend, in a blender or with a handheld immersion blender, until smooth.  Serve over ribs, pulled pork, chicken breasts, chicken wings, or any other meat you would pair with BBQ sauce. Oh, and make sure to enjoy and lick those fingers clean.

Karissa's Zesty Tomato Coconut Sauce

This is an easy sauce to put together with very few ingredients.  I suggest that you enjoy sooner rather than later.

Karissa's Zesty Tomato Coconut Sauce

1 lb. tomatoes, blanched to remove skin
1 can coconut milk
1 can Rotel
1 can tomato sauce
1 T. Italian seasoning
1 t. garlic powder
salt
pepper
dash of cayenne pepper

(Italics not in Karissa's original recipe.  I added them to the batch I made.)

Combine all ingredients and blend well until smooth.  Bring to a gentle simmer and thoroughly heat through.  If you would like, let reduce until desired consistency is reached.

Serve over Spaghetti Squash or Zucchini "Pasta", along with Karissa's Meatballs, and enjoy!

Go ahead and make a large batch and put some in the freezer to go along with the extra meatballs you have!  Or you could enjoy a week of easy lunches for work.  

Mayonnaise

Dear Mayonnaise,

How I thought you would be easy... especially if I followed the directions EXACTLY.  Well, you didn't end up working that way.  You ended up being kind of tricky.  I know you like to go slow, and you really like to take your time when mixing your eggs and your oil.  I now know that going slow is not the only thing I have to do.  I have to really pay close attention to how you two are getting along.   You need just the right amount of eggs (and lemon) to just the right amount of oil for the relationship work and not break apart.  If one over-powers the other, it just doesn't work.  You won't come together into one perfect union.  You break up and become an oily-gloppy mess.  I think I'm understanding this better.  Thanks for the learning experience.

Sincerely,
Me

The recipe I initially used (from "It Starts with Food", and can also be found on whole9life.com) said to use:

1 egg
2 T. lemon
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. dry mustard powder
1/4 + 1 c. light-tasting olive oil

Well, from my experience, there is just too much oil.  The first time I made it, I didn't wait the full thirty minutes, so I thought it was my fault.  The second time I timed everything and poured the oil extremely slowly.  At one point, I thought to myself, "It doesn't seem to be mixing as well any more." About 3 seconds later, the mixture broke leaving an oily-gloppy mess.  I was pretty sure I had it figured out now, so I tried one more time.

Olive Oil Mayonnaise

1 egg + 1 yolk

1 T. lemon

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. dry mustard powder

1/4 + 2/3-3/4 c. light tasting olive oil

Place the egg and lemon juice in the blender.  Cover for 30 minutes.  (After looking at a few different sites, I gathered that this step is to allow the acid in the lemon juice to kill off potential bacteria found in the raw egg.  The egg should also be at room temperature to emulsify with the oil more effectively.)  

Add salt, pepper, and 1/4 c. oil and blend until all the ingredients are combined.

While the blender is on at medium speed, take the remaining 3/4 c. oil and pour in as small of a stream as possible into the mixture.  Allow it to fully combine.  At the point at which you think you see the oil starting to settle at the top and not mix well, stop pouring the oil.  I had definitely added more than 2/3 c. more, but not the full 3/4 c. The varying amounts probably has to do with various sizes (slightly) of eggs, the temperature of the eggs and the oil, the speed at which you pour, etc.  It might take a couple of batches, but it really isn't difficult to make it.

Use the mayonnaise in:

Coleslaw Dressing

Ranch Dressing

Guacamole (add 1-2 T. to make it EXTRA creamy and smooth) 

or in any other way you would typically use store-bought mayonnaise

Mexican Spice Blend

Mexican Spice Blend can be used as a rub for chicken, a spice blend to add a twist to your morning eggs, or to flavor soup, such at the Paleo Mexican Chicken Lime Soup.  It is super simple to make!

1 T.     Paprika
2 t.      Cumin
2 t.      Oregano
2 t.      Onion Flakes
1 t.      Garlic powder
1/2 t.   Coriander powder
1/4 t.   Cayenne pepper (more if you want it spicier)

(Note: There is no salt in the recipe, so add salt to taste depending on what you are using it for.)

Mix it all together.  You can make it in a big batch to save it for later.  (A single batch is used in a single batch of the Mexican Soup.)

Pizzazzy Marinara

The hubby and I have one particular Pampered Chef recipe that we really enjoy: Penne Al Fresca.  It's a super easy recipe that is made the the Deep Covered Baker in the microwave.  It's pretty flavorful, but the sauce can also be somewhat watery. I was going to make that tonight, but then I decided that I wanted to add a little something extra to the sauce... a different flavor... and I wanted to cook it down so it would be a little bit thicker, so this is what I came up with. 

a little oil

2 c. tomato

4 cloves garlic

2 t. Italian seasoning

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1/4 c. white wine, water, or chicken stock

1 c. chicken or vegetable broth

2 T. tomato paste

3/4 c. 1" diced red and yellow bell peppers

2 T. fresh basil

1/4 c. grated fresh parmesan cheese (optional)

First put the oil, tomatoes, and garlic in the pan over medium heat.  Cook the tomatoes down and use a potato masher to break them up.  Add Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, wine, broth, tomato paste, and bell peppers to the sauce.  Simmer for 1/2 hour or so to allow some of the liquid to evaporate and let the flavors meld together.  Add the basil and the parmesan cheese.  Simmer until desired consistency is reached.  Serve over favorite type of pasta or, even better, Spaghetti Squash or Zucchini "Pasta". 

I wasn't very good about taking pictures tonight... but it was indeed delicious.

Enjoy!