The Black & Decker Ultimate Sandwich Contest

If you haven't noticed, I have an affinity for Thai food. 

Ever since baby number five came along, I can't get enough of it. 

When I was given the opportunity to enter Black & Decker's Ultimate Sandwich Contest, my brain went straight to it. I am also from Hawaii and l.o.v.e. Hawaiian sweet bread. Have you had it? You need to.

How do you put Thai food and local Hawaiian fare in a sammy and utilize a fabulous toaster oven? This is definitely a "fusion" recipe where East (Thai curry) meets West (pulled pork) and we get to enjoy the culinary collision.

I was inspired by a number of things. Blog posts, magazine articles, food photography, and here's the result:

Thai Curry Pulled Pork 

(with Fresh Mango and Cilantro Dressing on a Toasted Hawaiian Sweet Roll)

Ingredients:

1 pork rump roast approx. 3 lb.

1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk

1 tablespoon green thai curry paste

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 mango, peeled and sliced in to 1/2" strips

1 small red onion, sliced into thin strips

1 package fresh mixed spring greens 

(I love our local Nalo Spring Greens, from Waimanalo, Hawaii)

1 package Hawaiian sweet roll sandwich buns

Cilantro Dressing:

1 1/3 cups sour cream

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 small bunch cilantro, stems removed

1 package ranch salad dressing mix

1/8 teaspoon Tabasco 

2 cloves garlic

juice of one small lime

Mix in blender until smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix coconut milk, Thai curry paste, red chili flakes, brown sugar, and oyster sauce until well combined. Place pork roast in a crock pot, and pour coconut mixture over it. Turn crock pot on high heat for 6-8 hours or until pork is fork-tender, and pulls apart easily. Shred the pork, making sure to keep it moist. 

In your Black & Decker toaster oven, toast a large Hawaiian sweet roll sandwich bun until golden brown. 

Add pulled pork to the bun, and spoon some of the drippings from the crock pot onto the pork to keep meat moist and flavorful. (and more chili flakes, if desired). 

Add freshly sliced (chilled) mango, red onion, a handful of fresh Nalo spring greens. 

 Add one tablespoon cilantro dressing to the top inside of the bun. 

(A little goes a long way here, trust me!) And if you have picky eaters, this sammy tastes just as good without the cilantro dressing.

Voila!

The ULTIMATE sandwich!

I was not compensated for this post although I did receive a Black and Decker toaster oven to enable the development of my recipe.  Any and all opinions here (and recipes!) are my own.

Enter to Win ecomom's $75,000 Healthy Home Makeover

ecomom is asking moms this question: Does your home need a Healthy Home makeover?  Head over to ecomom on Facebook where you can enter the contest, invite friends to do so, check out the contest prizes ($75,000 GREEN home makeover, ya'll!), and upload pics of your living space in need of a makeover.  Also, if you enter the contest, in the referral field, mention Moana Saves which will qualify us to win $1000 in a referrer's contest.

We have featured ecomom products on Moana Saves here and here.  We love ecomom!  It's the go-to website for consumers (not just moms, peeps!) who shop eco-responsibly and love value!

Your Team Rocks! Rockin’ Refuel Contest

Are your kids playing sports?  Are you raising an athlete or two?  

In order to play like the pros, you’ve got to train like the pros. Rockin’ Refuel wants to give one lucky youth or high school sports team the chance to attend an all-expenses-paid fantasy camp experience at St. Vincent Sports Performance – a premier athletic training facility that trains more than 300 professional and Olympic athletes. 

How to Enter:  In 200 words or less, tell us why your team “rocks.”  How have they proven the true meaning of teamwork, beaten the odds or consistently crushed the                       competition? How does the team fuel up and cool down after games? Why would they benefit from an all-star training weekend? Be sure to include a picture of the team as well. Performance Medicine – Athletic competition is much more complex than just being healthy or not. Top athletic trainers will help assess injuries to make sure each player is at the top of his game.
   

Entries can be submitted on www.rockinrefuel.com/contest

The Prize:  One lucky youth or high school sports team will win an all-expenses paid  trip to St. Vincent Sports Performance in Indianapolis for all team members and chaperones (up to $40,000 in total cost), a premier athletic training facility. There the team will go through a two-day fantasy camp training regimen including: 

• Performance Training – The superb performance specialists and athletic trainers offer cutting edge strength and conditioning programs from speed and energy system development, to Olympic lifting, mobility, pliability and agility.
• Performance Psychology – Competition is about mental toughness as well as physical ability. Sports psychologists will help teams build focus and concentration to help “get in the zone” more consistently.
• Performance Nutrition – What you eat before, during and after exercise is critical and can make or break athletic performance. Sports nutritionists will help athletes reach their fullest potential by decreasing recovery time.
  
  
  Eligibility: Anyone can nominate a team; the athletes must be 14-18 years old. The athletes can participate in any type of team sport.

For more information on Rockin’ Refuel, visit www.rockinrefuel.com.

For more information on St. Vincent Sports Performance, visit http://www.definingsportsperformance.com/