The Costco Connection

THECOSTCOCONNECTION Find tasty ingredients to make creative homemade sliders at your local Costco.

BAGEL BREAKFAST SLIDERS 

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

12 everything mini bagels or slider buns 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese ¾ cup pesto

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

2 medium cucumbers, sliced

4 medium ripe tomatoes, sliced 2 avocados, sliced ½ cup capers, drained

1½ teaspoons salt

1½ teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a griddle or skillet over medium
heat. Split the bagels in half and place, cut side
down, in the melted butter. Cook for about a minute
or so until the bagels are golden brown and toasted.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Spread each half of the buns with cream cheese. Top
the bottom halves with a spoonful of pesto, plus a
few slices of red onion, cucumber, tomato, avocado
and capers. Season lightly with salt and black pepper.
Sandwich together with the top halves, and skewer
with a long toothpick. Serve at room temperature.
Makes 12 sliders.

All recipes adapted with permission from The Slider Effect by Jonathan Melendez (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2016).

BLACKENED SALMON SLIDERS 

2 tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper ¼ teaspoon dried thyme ¼ teaspoon dried basil ¼ teaspoon dried oregano

4 (6- to 7-ounce) salmon fillets,
skinned and deboned
¼ cup olive oil, divided

12 black pepper or store-bought biscuits ½ cup roasted garlic aioli or mayonnaise

6 lettuce leaves, cut in half

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

2 medium avocados, sliced

3 Roma tomatoes, sliced

In a small bowl, mix together the paprika, cayenne, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, thyme, basil and oregano until fully combined. Brush both sides of the salmon fillets with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture evenly on both sides of the fillets, making sure to fully coat them.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, and pour
in the remaining olive oil. There should be enough
to coat the bottom of the skillet. Once the oil is hot,
cook 2 fillets until blackened, about 2 to 5 minutes.
Turn over and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes until
the second side is blackened as well. Transfer to a plate
and let rest. Cook the remaining fillets in the same
way. Cut the blackened salmon into 12 even pieces.

To assemble the sliders, split the biscuits in half and spread each half with garlic aioli. Top the bottom halves with a piece of salmon, lettuce, red onion, avocado and tomato. Sandwich together with the top halves and secure with a long toothpick. Serve immediately. Makes 12 sliders.

SHREDDED BARBECUE CHICKEN SLIDERS 

4 (6-to-8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 cups chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth

1 (18-ounce) jar barbecue sauce

1¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided

1¼ teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper, divided

1 (12-ounce) package broccoli slaw

1 small red cabbage, finely shredded ½ cup plain Greek yogurt ¼ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

12 braided challah rolls or dinner rolls ¼ cup spicy honey mustard ½ cup pickle chips, drained

Place the chicken and chicken stock in a large pot and set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, decrease the heat to low, cover and simmer until the chicken reaches 165 F, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the stock, reserving about 1 cup, and let rest on a cutting board. Once the chicken is cool to the touch, shred it with your fingers or two forks.

Pour the barbecue sauce, 1 cup reserved stock,
1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper into a
large saucepan and add the chicken. Stir until evenly
incorporated. Set over low heat and cook until heated
through, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together the broccoli slaw, shredded red cabbage, yogurt, mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper until evenly combined. Cover and chill until ready to use. This can be made a day or two in advance.

To assemble sliders, cut the challah rolls in half and spread each half with spicy honey mustard. Place a mound of shredded barbecue chicken on the bottom half of the buns, followed by some broccoli slaw and a few pickle chips. Sandwich with the top halves of the buns, and skewer with a long toothpick to hold in place. Serve immediately.