Healthy and Easy Breakfast Sandwich

This is no extraordinary recipe or sandwich, but it is easy and healthy way to start out your day.

• 2 Slices of Whole Wheat Sourdough
• 2 eggs
• 2 slices of Turkey Bacon
• 1 Tbsp Shredded Cheese (I like Cheddar/Jack)
• 1/2 Tbsp Butter
• 2 Slices of Tomato (optional)

Toast the Slices of Bread use half the butter for the toast.
In a small skillet melt the remaining half of butter. Once Butter is fully melted cook eggs in the way you prefer with the cheese.
In another skillet cook turkey bacon until crispy and let drain on paper towels. Drain grease from skillet reserving about 1/2 Tbsp.
Cook Tomato slices in same skillet as bacon (with reserved bacon grease) until they turn golden.
Stack the eggs, bacon, and tomatoes in between the slices of toast and enjoy with a glass of your favorite juice or milk.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

1 cup drained canned black beans
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped Green Onions
Juice of 1 1/2 Limes
Zest of Half Lime
1/4 cup Minced cilantro
1 tsp minced Jalapeño Pepper
Pinch of Kosher salt

Step 1: Mix beans, corn and olive oil together in a microwave safe bowl and heat on high for 1 minute or until tender with a slight crunch

Step 2: Add all other ingredients to bowl and stir to combine, let sit in refrigerator for at least an hour to let the flavors meld together.

Step 3: Serve chilled or reheat in the microwave for a warmer salsa.

For a sweeter salsa add 1/4 cup of chopped pineapple and 2 tbsp of canned pineapple juice to the salsa

Greasing the Pig

Pork is a wonderful meat. The flavor and juiciness simply can not be compared with anything else and with the vast array of ways to flavor it, from dry rubs to sauces, it is in and of itself a culinary wonder. Today I will be focusing on sauces which can be used with pork to give you a different flavor experience and make your taste buds stand up and realize that pork is far superior in flavor to that other white meat.

All recipes are given for 8 ounces of meat. All of these recipes easily scale up for accommodate larger portions of meat.

Mustard Sauce:
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
2 Tbsp Plain Yogurt
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
2 Cloves minces garlic

Mix the ingredients together in a large bowl, reserving half of the vinegar. Let the mixture set for several minutes to allow the flavors to meld. If the sauce is too thick add more of the vinegar until you get a creamy sauce, the consistency of Caesar salad dressing is what your looking for. Use as a marinade or final sauce for your pork.

Carolina Barbecue Sauce:
1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/8 Tsp Hot Sauce
1 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 Cup Sugar
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Black Pepper

Mix the ingredients together in a 2 quart pot and simmer for 15 minutes. Let Mixture cool and use as marinade and final sauce for your pork.

Note: In North Carolina it is traditional to serve this type of barbecue as pulled or shredded pork.

Asian Inspired Sweet and Spicy Sauce:
1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 Cup of Honey
1/4 Cup Orange Juice
2 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Teriyaki Sauce
1/8 Cup Chopped Scallions
2 Cloves Minced Garlic
1/4 Tsp Ginger
1/4 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes

Mix ingredients together in 2 quart pot and simmer for 15 minutes. Let Mixture cool and use as marinade and final sauce.

Pork is not the only dish these sauces can be served on. Try them on chicken and beef as well. And the Mustard sauce makes a great alternative for Buffalo wings. The key to great food is do not be afraid of experimenting some. You may be surprised with what you pull out of your oven.

Pull of the Pork

Fresh, hot pulled pork is one of my favorite foods. The juiciness and flavor is a combination that few other dishes can compare to. Best of all you can have it as spicy, savory, or sweet as you like. The method to cooking the pork is the same, but the sauce is where the gloves come off.

In this entry I will be concentrating on Boston Butt Pork Roast. This is the from the upper shoulder of the front leg, so no need to worry about eating from the business end of the pig at this point.

To cook a Boston Butt Pork Roast to the be perfectly moist and tender takes time and preparation, but don’t fret if you don’t have an entire day to fix your dinner with my recipe you will be eating your pulled pork in a matter of a four hours instead of tomorrow like some recipes.

Start by choosing your roast carefully, and have the butcher at your local grocery store cut it down to about 4 inch cubes for you. This will save you a ton of time as since the pieces are smaller they will not only marinade faster, they will also cook in much less time. Anywhere from an hour to two hours before your ready to cook you need to place your meat in a marinade. This can be anything from Apple Cider vinegar to Beer. Although I prefer to use the sauce (recipes to come in the next installment) that I plan on serving the pork roast with. Place this inside of a 1 gallon zip top bag and removes as much air as you can as this will let the marinade fully envelop the meat. Place the big in a large bowl and sit in your refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. After 2 hours though the marinade will have permeated the meat fully, the extra 2 hours will simply help to tenderize the meat a bit more. When your ready to start cooking the roasts, pull the roasts out of the refrigerator and preheat your grill or grill pan on high and allow it to come up to full temperature. If you don’t let the meat come up to room temperature, at least a bit, you will cook the inside before you get the nice caramelized grill marks that are so prized by many because they add not only a pleasing look to the eyes but a depth of flavor as well. When your grill is good and hot and your meat is up to or near room temperature place the meat on the grill and step back. Drink a beer, flip through the paper, wash some dishes, whatever you need to do that keeps you from touching the roasts for 5-10 minutes (depending on your grill) so that you can get those beautiful grill lines. Rotate the roasts 1/4 turn and then wait again and so forth searing all 4 sides. Now if you are using a actual grill then wrap the roasts in double thick Aluminum foil and and leave on the grill and turn down the heat to medium low, if using charcoal grill move the coals to one side of the grill and place the roasts on the opposite side. If you using a grill pan then wrap your roasts in double thick aluminum foil and place in a 250 F oven. Let the roasts cook for another 1 1/2 hours. Pull the roasts out of the heat and let rest in the aluminum foil for 15 minutes before serving. Top with your sauce of choice and enjoy the perfect “quick” Boston Butt pork roast.

The Beginning

Well this is the beginning to the Cheap Ass Chef blog. My plans are to offer eventually weekly if not daily recipes and bits of advice for cooking meals on the cheap. Eventually I would like to have this also open up into a Video Cast where I will show some actual recipes of mine being cooked. I hope to have this up and running soon, and in full swing.