life & stuff: 14 Days of Frugality- DAY SEVEN

This morning started out with a run at back cove. The air was a little cooler than lately and the breeze off the water felt great. After our run we came home and started thinking about how we were going to spend the day. Jeremy told me that he wanted to make Vietnamese sandwiches (Banh Mi) and I was ecstatic. I put Max down for a nap and then assisted Jeremy with the preparation for the sandwiches. At the time, we thought that we were just going to whip up some sandwiches... that was hardly the case. The Vietnamese sandwiches took us 3 hours to make!!! I am a 30-minute kind of cook. If a recipe is going to take any longer, I am not interested. However, these sandwiches are worth every minute, and can be made faster if some things are prepped ahead of time. Oh yum... I would definitely make then again.

Here is the recipe.

Vietnamese Sandwiches

Marinated Carrots
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
* 1/4 teaspoon (rounded) salt
* 3 cups shredded carrots

Sandwiches
* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 6 garlic cloves, minced
* 4 shallots, chopped
* 2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc nam)
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 2 teaspoons five-spice powder
* 6 large skinless boneless breasts
* 6 6-inch-long pieces baguette, split lengthwise, some of soft centers removed
* Mayonnaise
* 1 cucumber, sliced thinly lengthwise
* 1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
* 12 fresh cilantro sprigs
* 2 jalapeño chiles, thinly sliced crosswise
* Additional soy sauce

For marinated carrots:
Whisk first 3 ingredients in large bowl until dissolved. Add carrots; toss to coat. Put everything in a sealed zip lock bag (push out the air) let sit at room temperature for 2 hours. (Can be prepared 5 days ahead. Cover and chill.) Drain well.

For sandwiches:
Mix first 8 ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken; turn to coat. Let marinate at room temperature in a sealed zip lock bag (push out the air) for 1 hour.

Heat a pan on the stove. Pour the chicken and marinade into the pan. Cook for about 6 minutes per side. When almost done, use two forks to pull the chicken apart into small pieces. Transfer to plate; tent with foil to keep warm.

Grill in the same pan the cut sides of bread until lightly toasted. Spread mayonnaise on bottom half of baguette pieces. Top with cucumber slices. Top each with pulled chicken, marinated carrots, then onion slices and cilantro sprigs. Sprinkle with jalapeño slices, soy sauce, and ground black pepper. Place top baguette piece over, pressing to compact, and serve immediately.

As we were sitting to eat our sandwiches, Max woke up from his nap. We gave him lunch and headed out to the Eastern Promenade for a stroll. The Eastern Promenade is one of the prettiest parks in Portland.