Category Archives: Sandwiches
Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Sandwich
Sometimes the most simple ingredients result in a delicious bite to eat. I had made garlic bread the other day- which I sometimes do and keep in the fridge. I love having it on hand to serve with pasta or a roast chicken or sausages, etc. It can also be used to make a delicious sandwich. I love garlic on everything so for me a sandwich made with garlic bread is heaven.
The lunch hour was approaching and I went into my backyard to harvest a few tomatoes and a bunch of fresh basil. I sliced the cherry tomatoes in half, washed the basil and took out the chunk of fresh mozzarella sitting in my fridge. My husband loves anything topped, stuffed or made with fresh mozzarella. I decided on making him a sandwich with the garlic bread, the fresh mozzarella, basil and my sweet delicious tomatoes. That was it- I toasted the bread, spread some mayo on it and placed the other ingredients in there and created a delicious sandwich. Some baked chips and a beer later, everyone was happy….
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Brie and Fig Grilled Cheese served with Sweet Potato Fries
I made this dish after eating at Food restaurant in Summit, NJ. I took a friend out for lunch and ordered a brie and fig grilled cheese with sweet potato fries.
Before going there I spoke to the summit patch editor to see if she would be interested in a recipe replication with an article. She was fascinated and said yes.
As I looked through the menu, this particular dish stood out to me. I love sweet flavors mixed in with savory. I also love any kind of fries- especially sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are extremely healthy and I try to incorporate them into my diet as much as I can.
The original dish was good but a bit too rich for my taste. It was clearly cooked it butter and had too much fig jam in it. I started with whole wheat sour dough bread and added a fig compote instead. The fig compote is less sweet and a bit more savory. I also added peppery arugula to the mix.
Overall, I ended up with a delicious, healthy sandwich and fries. I of course made the sweet potato fries in the oven and added my favorite ingredient- smoked paprika.
Try the brie and fig grilled cheese with sweet potato fries for lunch next time…
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Turkey and Pesto Panini
This is a quick lunch on the weekend or even a quick dinner through the week. My husband loves turkey sandwiches but I usually don’t end up making too many sandwiches at home and so he end up eating them for lunch at work. I am not sure why- but sandwiches don’t come to mind when I think of lunch- and then I wonder why my daughter doesn’t like them. I never gave her a sandwich while she was a baby- so she never got used to one.
I bought sliced turkey since I had a large loaf of bake at home baguette in the fridge. I planned on making turkey pesto sandwiches for my hubby. My initial thought was to bake the bread first and then assemble the sandwich- but then I thought of assembling it first and then cooking it on a grill pan. I used another heavy pan to press down on the sandwich while all the ingredients melted together. Speaking of melting- I also had mozzarella cheese in the fridge which went perfectly with the pesto and the turkey.
I served a few potato chips and a green salad with the delicious sandwich. It was really good- I had a few bites…
Next time you are in a bind and don’t know what to make for lunch- try a turkey and pesto panini.
- 2 teaspoons extra light olive oil
- One (6 inch) piece of bake at home baguette
- 3 thin sliced herb turkey
- 3 thick slices of mozzarella cheese
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon basil pesto
- 4 to 5 fresh basil leaves
- Fresh black pepper
Heat a grill pan with the olive oil. Slice the baguette in half. Spread the mayonnaise and pesto evenly on both sides. Spread the cheese and turkey slices. Add the basil leaves and black pepper on top. Place the second slice on top and place it on the grill pan. Press the panini down with another heavy pan or anything heavy. Brown the sandwich on both sides pressing well for 5 minutes each. Cut in half and serve.
Roast Chicken Sandwich
I roasted three pieces of chicken last week out of which I made the sweet corn chicken soup as well as the asparagus and chicken fried rice. I had one piece left in the fridge. We had gone out for a very heavy lunch yesterday and so there were no dinner plans. I decided to skip dinner all together and settle down with a bowl of cereal ( I find it a real treat at night). My husband on the other hand wanted to eat something light- maybe a sandwich he said. I thought of the chicken breast, olive bread, slices of asiago cheese and basil hanging out in the fridge- perfect, I thought! I toasted two thick slices of olive bread with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and spread a thick layer of olive oil mayonnaise- my husband loves mayo! I then added a layer of fresh basil, cut up some delicious looking grape tomatoes and added on top. In the meantime, I sliced the chicken breast into thin slices, placed them on a small cookie sheet and drizzled some salt and pepper and extra virgin olive oil and warmed it up in my toaster oven. I then added a slice of asiago on top of the chicken and baked it until the cheese was soft and gooey. I then placed the warm chicken slices with the cheese on top of the tomatoes and basil and the olive bread. It looked so pretty that I didn’t really want to serve it- so I took a picture! He ate the sandwich with some sun dried tomatoes and balsamic vinegar chips and a beer! I had a bite and it was quite delicious!
- 2 slices of olive bread toasted with a drizzle of olive oil (any bread will do)
- 1-2 slices asiago cheese (or any other will do)
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 roasted chicken breast, sliced thin
- 5-6 basil leaves
- 3-4 grape tomatoes, sliced
- Salt and pepper
Place the sliced chicken on a small cookie sheet and drizzle olive oil, salt, pepepr and toast till the chicken is warm and soft. Next, add the asiago slice and toast till the cheese has melted. Spread the mayonnaise evenly on both of the toasted slices. Add the basil and tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Once the cheese is melted, place the chicken on the tomatoes. Place the other slice on top and cut into half before serving.
Chicken Parm Sandwiches
This meal is a favorite one in our house- well one of the favorites amongst many! My husband loves chicken parm in all forms. He loves it with spaghetti and as a sandwich. My daughter loves the chicken cutlets I make for the chicken parm. I love making it as well as eating it. I love cooking marinara sauce at home. It makes the house smell warm and cozy, especially on a cold evening. The mixture of tomatoes, onions and garlic makes me really happy! Good thing about making a big batch of marinara sauce is that I can re-use it for other meals that week or freeze it for later. I usually make pasta primavera with the leftover marinara. The chicken cutlets are very versatile as well. I usually make extra since my daughter loves them so much- she says the cutlets taste just like the chicken nuggets she used to have when she was younger. The chicken tastes extra delicious because of the marinade I use before breading it.
I love using really fresh crusty rolls for the sandwich part of this dish. In this case, I found rosemary focaccia rolls. I thought they would go really well with the chicken and the sauce and they did! I also like to toast the rolls with a little drizzle of olive oil. The other flavor enhancer I use is a whole clove of garlic. Rubbing the garlic on the toasted roll gives it a mild and subtle garlic flavor! The sandwich was bursting with flavor! I served it with mixed greens and beer!
Chicken
- 4-5 pieces boneless skinless chicken breast
Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4-inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.
Marinade
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt and pepper
Mix the ingredients in a small bowl and marinate the pounded chicken breast for 4-5 hours.
Breading
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 extra-large eggs
- 1 tablespoon water
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/4 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups homemade marinara sauce
- 1 cup shredded low moisture part skim mozzarella cheese
- 4 Rolls- sliced in half
- 1 garlic clove- whole
- Olive oil to drizzle on the rolls
Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water and a pinch of salt. On a third plate, combine the breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts.
Lay the cooked chicken pieces in an ovenproof casserole. Ladle spoons of marinara sauce over all the chicken pieces. Add the shredded mozzarella on top and bake for 5-10 minutes in a 350 degrees oven until cheese is melted. In the same oven, place the open rolls drizzled with olive oil. Toast for 3-4 minutes and rub a clove of garlic on all the rolls. Once the cheese is melted, place the chicken pieces on the toasted rolls and serve!