Vegan Veggie Kabobs with tofu and Howling Wolf Cranberry Orange BBQ sauce

All of my BBQ sauces and dry rubs are vegan friendly, so they are a great choice when serving up veggies to your meatless friends!  My Cranberry Orange BBQ sauce chars up nicely on the grill, it is the best sauce to use for kabobs of any kind.

Cranberry Orange BBQ glazed ham on grill

Howling Wolf Sweet & Sour Chicken

I live in a small town, with no good Chinese food anywhere close by. That means if I want it, I need to make it myself at home. I was pleasantly surprise to discover my Howling Wolf Cranbery Orange BBQ Sauce , when combined with the red onions and green peppers in this dish, makes an excellent traditional tasting sweet & sour glaze. The flavor combinations this dish creates give you a beautiful, fresh tasting meal, with no MSG, preservatives, or any other unnecessary filler. And it is so easy!

20 oz chicken thighs

1 lg  green pepper

1 lg red bell pepper

1 med red onion

1 bunch green onion

vegetable oil for sautéing

2-3 cups (before cooking) white short grain rice (sushi rice, Rose, Cal Rose)

1/3cup Howling wolf Cranberry orange BBQ sauce

optional soy sauce and sesame oil

Start cooking the rice per the package

Large dice the peppers and onions and set aside in one bowl

Slice the chicken in strips and set aside. Optional lightly coat with the soy sauce and sesame oil.

Heat sauté pan on high and add the chicken and lightly brown. 

Add peppers and onions and heat through.  (you still want them crunchy)

Add the Howling Wolf Cranberry Orange BBQ Sauce and coat the ingredients.  Serve with the rice and top with the green onions. 

Remember for best results,  the whole cooking takes a very short time and is on high heat the entire time. 

The chicken can be substituted with shrimp too 

If you discover a great use for Howling Wolf BBQ sauces or Rubs, please feel free to share!  I love to hear your suggestions.  Be sure to follow me on Facebook to get updates on my new recipe ideas.  http://facebook.com/hwBBQ

Oven Roasted Baby Back Ribs

Cooking baby back ribs in your oven can be a satisfying way to get your bbq fix in the middle of winter or when you don't have a lot of time.  My technique is fast and easy, you will be licking your fingers in no time.

Baby back ribs are very tender ribs, so they do not need to be cooked long in the oven  Cooking them for a long time, other than smoking, will just dry them out.

I also do not recommend  boiling them in any type of liquid first.  Doing this will only rob the meat of flavor and the texture will be all wrong.  Well cooked ribs should have a little pull to them. Technically you don't want the meat to fall off the bone, the meat should pull cleanly off the bone with a little bit of resistance.

preheat your oven to 400 degrees
Season the ribs with salt and pepper or any of my Howling Wolf Dry Rubs, see top rack in first picture for the proper amount. Since baby back ribs are a bit thinner than other types of ribs, you can go easy on the dry seasoning.  Place the ribs on a shallow baking sheet or roasting pan.  You can then decide to slather on a sauce. I prefer my Howling Wolf Cranberry Orange BBQ Sauce for cooking on the meat, or sometimes I roast my ribs with just a rub and dip them in sauce as I eat them.  My Original BBQ and the Extra Spicy work best as finishing/dipping sauces.

cook the ribs for 1 hour - serve immediatly

Howling Wolf BBQ sauces and rubs for breakfast!

My Howling Wolf BBQ sauces and rubs work really well with eggs, especially on  a ham and cheese omelet. Try them all!  What's your favorite?

If you haven't tasted them yet, I'll get you started. I am offering you the Original BBQ sauce for only $5 plus shipping, and I will include a free pack of Seafood rub.  In fact, I'll throw in a free pack of rub with any purchase! (now until Valentine's Day)

p.s.  aren't those eggs beautiful?  They are from my SIL's chickens.  So good!  And the plate?  Made by my wife.  We are a DIY kind of family!

Too Hot to Cook! - A Cool Salad for Hot Weather

It is TOO hot to cook tonight, even outside on the grill, so I made a refreshing cool salad for dinner using my Cranberry Orange BBQ Sauce as a dressing.  It is so good, needs no additions, right out of the bottle.  Think of it like a spicy, slightly thicker, and more flavorful French Dressing. 

On the way home I picked up a rotisserie chicken from the store, and grabbed a few garden essentials.  This sauce pairs well with red onion, peppers, and cheddar cheese, so of course I had to add some 4 year from Widmer's.  Once home, I shredded the chicken, and added it to the other ingredients.  Play around with what you might like.  The corn in this salad was a really nice addition.

Other ideas for ingredients are deli ham, turkey, cucumbers, hard boiled egg, and/or broccoli. 

See here for other salad ideas using Howling Wolf Sauces and Rubs.

Valentine's Day Recipe Idea - Perfectly Cooked Shrimp Cocktail w/ Cranberry Orange BBQ Dipping Sauce

Shrimp cocktail done right can be an easy way to start your romantic dinner for Valentine's Day, however most people make the mistake of not flavoring the shrimp's cooking water. This recipe will give you the most flavorful shrimp you have ever tasted. Give it a try!

Here is what you need ...

2 lbs shrimp (I prefer 16/20 e-z peel, the shells add flavor and keep them moist)
large pot and 1.5 gal water
½ bottle dry white wine
1 cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup pickling spice
1 lg yellow onion
1 med carrot
2 stalks celery
1 head garlic split in half

(optional ingredients)
½ cup gin
¼ cup sugar
chili flake to taste
----------------------------
Rough cut carrots, celery, & onion

Place all ingredients into the pot except the shrimp.

Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 min

Turn heat to high and add the shrimp, stir regularly.

This next step will be perfected with practice, the shrimp will begin to curl and loose their glassy appearance. Watch carefully because the shrimp will be done before the water returns to a boil. I like to pinch a few shrimp to expose the ridge on the back and when the glassy look is gone, they are done. When they are cooked right, they are very tender. If they are over cooked, the shrimp will be a little tough but the flavor will be good. If they are not cooked enough, the shrimp will also be tough and have an unpleasant texture.

Once you have determined the doneness, Drain off 90% of the water and refill the pot with the coldest water you have(add ice if you like). The idea here is to stop the shrimp from cooking without flushing all the flavor off. When they have sufficiently cooled off, drain and place in a container in the fridge.

I like to leave all the vegetables in with the shrimp until ready to serve, they help keep the shrimp moist while chilling completely.

My Cranberry Orange BBQ make a great shrimp cocktail sauce right out the bottle, a nice compliment to this flavorful recipe.

A Good Appetite: Crock Pot Ribs

A Good Appetite: Crock Pot Ribs

Check out this wonderful food blog. They have a great recipe using my Cranberry Orange BBQ Sauce for crock pot ribs.  Using a slow cooker is so easy!

GRAPEFRUIT AVOCADO POMEGRANATE SALAD

Howling Wolfe Cranberry Orange BBQ Sauce

Festive and refreshing.

A salad that will complement any entrée.

Serves 8

3 grapefruit
3 avocados
1 pomegranate
2 tablespoons butter
Splash of olive oil
2 cups slivered almonds
2 heads of Boston lettuce
1 cup Howling Wolf Cranberry Orange BBQ Sauce

Working over a bowl to catch juices, cut grapefruit into supremes (sections without any membrane.) Peel and slice the avocados and put into the bowl with the grapefruit juice. This will prevent darkening. Remove seeds from fresh pomegranate and set aside to top the salad.

Melt the butter in skillet and add olive oil. Add the slivered almonds and toast briefly until just starting to color. Drain.

Arrange lettuce on individual plates or platter. Alternate slices of grapefruit and avocado in a fan shape. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds and toasted almonds over the top.

Drizzle with Howling Wolf Cranberry Orange.

This can be served as a first course on individual salad plates, or presented on a large platter for buffet service. It’s strikingly beautiful either way.

SALMON (or Chicken) SALAD ENTRÉE

Howling Wolf Cranberry Orange BBQ Sauce

Iceberg lettuce is elegant? Oh, yes.

Serves 6

1 head iceberg, chopped
1 bunch romaine, chopped
1 large red onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced into rounds
1 pound cooked salmon, flaked
1 cup Howling Wolf Cranberry Orange BBQ Sauce

On a bed of the lettuces arrange rings of red onion cucumber and red bell pepper. Mound salmon on top. You may substitute with grilled chicken if you wish. Drizzle with Howling Wolf Cranberry Orange.

This is designed as a main course. It might be served with hot rolls and a cup of Earl Grey tea. Très elegant!