bbq Archives - Ari's Menu

BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad

September 2, 2013 · by Ari · 20 Comments

Hi friends! Did you guys have a good 3 day weekend? I had to work a little bit this evening, but I had most of the day off, and we had a great time on Sunday having friends and family over, grilling, eating tons of food, and later on playing Cards Against Humanity. It was my first time ever playing, and now I’m pretty much in love with the game. Everyone had a great time, and I got lots of compliments on the 5 new recipes I created for our get together.

But now I have to go back to real life, and it’s almost Tuesday, and Tuesday after a 3 day weekend is even worse than a regular Monday. But at least it’s a short week. And I do actually really enjoy my job, but I also really enjoy lounging around the house getting caught up on How I Met Your Mother.

So, let’s talk about this salad. Whenever people ask me what my tips are for staying healthy, one thing I always say is to make lunch over the weekend that you can take to work 4 out of the 5 days of your work week. Pick a day and go out to lunch because it’s fun, and it will help you from getting sick of eating the same thing, but I find that just making a lunch for the week keeps me on track–I know exactly what I’m going to eat, and I create something healthy and delicious that I’m excited to eat multiple days in a row.

That could not be more true about this salad. Sweet and spicy slow-cooked bbq chicken with plenty of veggies, creamy Greek yogurt, and bold cilantro make this salad absolutely irresistible. In fact, I found myself trying to eat it for lunch, dinner, and once even breakfast! It’s got tons of lean protein and healthy, whole grain carbs, with a good amount of veggies thrown in there too (and you can always add even more veggies!). You won’t even want to go rogue and hit up Subway if you have this stuff around!

BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 5 hours

Total Time: 5 hours, 20 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad

Ingredients

For the bbq chicken:

1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1 lb low sugar bbq sauce

For the salad:

2 cups dry whole grain penne (brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat, etc.)
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
2 red or orange bell peppers, chopped
handful fresh cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

Instructions

Place chicken and bbq sauce in a slow cooker. Cook over low heat for 5 hours.
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse.
Remove chicken from slow cooker and use to forks to shred. It will come apart very easily.
Place shredded chicken, cooked pasta and all remaining ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. If desired, spoon in a little extra bbq sauce from your slow cooker. Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to one week.

Notes

You may use rotisserie chicken or any cooked chicken breast and approx 1/3 cup bbq sauce if you don't want to use a slow cooker.

http://www.arismenu.com/bbq-chicken-pasta-salad/

Spicy BBQ Chicken Marinade

August 22, 2013 · by Ari · 12 Comments

Hello from Oregon! I know, I know, I just got back from Oregon like 3 weeks ago, but I can’t stay away. I actually contemplated staying the 3 weeks in between for a hot minute, but I came right back to starting a new job and there was no way I could just take the first 3 weeks off, so I sucked it up, spent the last 3 weeks hating everything about Phoenix in the summer, and bought a plane ticket back to my favorite place.

I’ve actually been pretty quiet about the fact that I am running Hood to Coast. Mostly because I had no idea how my training would go. I started running again in May beginning with literally 1 mile at a time. Actually, that’s a lie. I was allowed to run (shuffle) for 10 minutes, and I was so out of running shape that I believe my first time I only got to .87. It’s been a very slow build up in mileage from there with plenty of obstacles along the way, but it is happening. This weekend I will run/walk/crawl my total of *gulp* 20 miles over 3 legs from the top of Mount Hood to the gorgeous Oregon coast. I can’t think of a more beautiful location to run. Not to mention I get to be with an amazing group of people.

Okay, so let’s talk about chicken. We eat a lot of chicken in my house. My husband is definitely a “meat guy”. When I try to tell him a portobello mushroom can be a burger, he raises an eyebrow in judgement. He likes his dinners to be meat with a side of meat, and since chicken is an easy, healthy option, we eat a lot of it.

I actually, can’t even really take credit for this recipe. While I was gone in Oregon the last time, I’m pretty sure Steve lived off grilled chicken, pork chops and Chipotle. When he came up to visit at the end of my time in Portland, we were grilling with friends, and he couldn’t wait to share his latest marinade secret.

Ummm, it was AWESOME. Way to show up my cooking skills. Thanks, Steve. But really, it was. It’s so simple with only 3 ingredients, but it just works, and it creates the most flavorful, juicy chicken you will ever taste. We didn’t do a thing with the chicken in these photos other than grill and marinate, and they were absolute perfection. Dinner doesn’t get much easier than tossing some chicken on the grill and cooking up some veggies to go along side. You will love how this simple marinade transforms chicken from a boring dinner to something you will want to make again and again!

Spicy BBQ Chicken Marinade

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

Serving Size: 1 6-8oz chicken breast

Spicy BBQ Chicken Marinade

Ingredients

2 6-8 oz chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups low sugar barbecue sauce
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp Sriracha (use less if you don't like a lot of spice)

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a gallon freezer bag. Seal and lightly shake to coat.Refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 1 day.
Grill chicken over medium heat until cooked throughout, about 3-4 minutes per side.

http://www.arismenu.com/spicy-bbq-chicken-marinade/

Roasted Corn Black Bean Salad

June 5, 2013 · by Ari · 13 Comments

You guys…it is HOT here. Have I mentioned that? Complained about highs of 110*?? Wahhhh, I live in Arizona and 5 months out of the year, I strongly question my life choices.

It’s okay though, because I’ve only got an other 10 days of this madness before I head to the northwest for SIX WEEKS!!! I’m starting with a little vacation in San Francisco to visit my friend Karisa with my New York Husband, then working at a theatre camp in Portland for 5 weeks. I went last summer, and this actually marks my 11th summer between my time as a first student, then counselor and now teacher. I love it. It’s my happy place, and this time of year I always need the recharge of a new environment to remind me why I love what I do.

Anyway, I guess you were maybe here to read about food? Well, I swear the heat relates to the food. You see….it’s hot (redundant, part of 1), and I don’t want to eat anything that doesn’t taste like summer. You know what is, like, the most summeriest food??? CORN!!!!

I just used the words “most summeriest”. Honestly, sometimes I’m not sure why you guys read a word a say. Oh yeah….the food.

This salad is light, refreshing and filled with “most summeriest” flavor. Fresh roasted corn, cherry tomatoes, crunchy cucumber, sweet red peppers, spicy jalapeno and protein-packed black beans come together with just a little olive oil, vinegar, some honey or agave (I love honey, but my bee loving friends are free to use agave!), fresh lime juice, and of course, my favorite food–cilantro! So many of my favorite things in one summer salad. I also love that with all the protein, it can be used as a meal, or a side dish–your choice. I’ve been eating it on the side with my 5 billion different burgers, but I also like it for lunch. However you eat it, you will love the light, fresh taste and bold flavor profile!

Roasted Corn Black Bean Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Yield: approx 16

Serving Size: 1/2 cup

Roasted Corn Black Bean Salad

This simple, easy, vegan and gluten-free summer salad is refreshing, and easy to put together in bulk for lunches, dinner sides or a BBQ!

Ingredients

3 ears corn, husked
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil, divided
3 tsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp honey or agave
1 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 red bell peppers, chopped
3 persian (or 1 large) cucumbers, chopped
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
2 16 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin
generous pinch each salt and pepper

Instructions

Drizzle corn with 1 tbsp olive oil and roast at 400 until golden, about an hour.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, rice vinegar, honey/agave, and lime juice. Set aside.
Cut kernels from cooked corn and place in a large bowl. Add onion, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, jalapeno, black beans and cilantro. Season with cumin, salt and pepper. Add prepared dressing and toss lightly. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.

http://www.arismenu.com/roasted-corn-black-bean-salad/

The Great American BBQ and Beer Festival

March 26, 2012 · by Ari · 1 Comment

Saturday evening after the race, Jason, Nacho and I met up with Bethany to head over to The Great American BBQ and Beer Festival in downtown Chandler. It was a beautiful day to be spending outside! I love this time of year in Phoenix.

This place was packed with BBQ stands, and local beers. Perfection. Nacho thought we were at the Renaissance Festival and bought a turkey leg.

Umm, good choice Nacho! This thing was delicious! We all picked at his food while waiting in the bbq line.

After we got food and drinks (I had some super yummy bbq sandwich, which is totally something I would never order, but I was glad I did!), we went to the lawn by where the bands were playing.

Nacho & Me. We match.

We were waiting for Bethany and Jason to get more beer, so we played Scrabble on his iphone and took a ridiculous amount of pictures.

We still match. In case you forgot.

Fiiiinnnaaalllllyyy, our friends returned!

I have a confession to make that may surprise you. Back in the day, I used to think I was “punk rock”. I had piercings (eyebrow, labret AKA below the lip, and nose), I hated bands that were “sell outs” like Blink 182–I loved them, then they got popular and I talked a lot of crap about how they sold out and now I only liked their old music. I was special. Anyway, Bethany and I used to actually go to punk shows together–like in the mosh pit! My fav bands were Greenday (even though they sold out–my aol email was ARiLuVsGrEeNDaY….oy!!) and Less Than Jake, and Bethany’s favorite band was Face to Face. I still have some of that old music on my ipod, and honestly, I do still enjoy a lot of it, but definitely don’t get into the punk rock culture these days, unless being punk rock means being ready for bed by 9pm, and sipping a beer off to the side lines of a concert. Let me tell you folks, I am one exciting lady.

Anyway, the entire reason we decided to go to this event was because Face to Face was playing.

One time Bethany and I had even driven to Northern California (about 14 hours straight) to go to a Face to Face show. Well, I don’t know how long we sat around in the stupid grassy area listening to crappy bands before we realized we were in the wrong place and had missed most of their concert thinking we were waiting for them to come on! Total bummer. We set out to the other side of the festival, and Bethany started full on running to make it there. It’s funny, she’s generally so reserved, but every once in a while she gets super excited about things, and this was one of those times.

We didn’t get over there until near the end of their set, but we still got to hear a few songs, and it was really fun! I enjoyed seeing them more than I expected, and Bethany really had a blast!

That, ladies and gentlemen, is my best friend. I love her. We couldn’t be more opposite, but she cracks me up and we get each other. Like Meredith and Christina (yes, I LOVE Grey’s Anatomy and you can judge me all you want).

This was one of the funnest evenings I’ve had in a long time. It was really great to spend some time with some of my favorite people, and get out to do something fun and different! The event was a little pricey ($10 to just get in, then $5 drink tickets, and approx $8-$10 a plate for food–doesn’t seem like much, but adds up quickly), but it was well worth it, in my opinion. I would definitely go back next year!

BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad

Spicy BBQ Chicken Marinade

Roasted Corn Black Bean Salad

The Great American BBQ and Beer Festival

Featured Here

Member Of…

Archives