Sandwiches

Chicken Salad Melts

Why is lunch such a pain? Breakfast is easy. Dinner is usually easy. But lunch? You need something to keep you going that won’t fill you up so much that you can’t get through the rest of a long afternoon. Do you need a super easy, super quick lunch? Well I do! I’ve been working from home lately but that doesn’t mean I’m left with all kinds of time to sit and have a nice long lunch. Between meetings, conference calls and a lot of work to do, I need something fast.  These Chicken Salad Melts are perfect for a quick little bite that won’t take up a lot of time and won’t leave you needing a nap right away.

Precooked rotisserie chicken (a busy girl’s lifesaver) is mixed with fat-free Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, dill, and scallions. The mixture is covered in cheddar cheese and broiled until melted and gooey. Thin slices of fresh apple and leaves of Bibb lettuce round out this little sandwich which can be easily made ahead of time and wrapped up to-go (just heat up the cheese in a microwave or leave it off completely). I have to admit, I’m not the biggest fan of using Greek yogurt in chicken salad but if there is a nice balance with some light mayonnaise, it can actually provide a nice little tang that you wouldn’t normally get. Give these a try. I mean, it beats yet another boring can of soup or unsatisfying frozen meal!

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Preheat broiler to high. Combine chicken, yogurt, mayonnaise, dill, salt, pepper and scallions in a medium bowl; stir well.

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Place 1/3 cup chicken mixture on bottom half of each muffin. Top evenly with cheese. Broil 1 minute or until cheese melts.

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Top sandwiches evenly with apple, lettuce, and top halves of muffins.

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Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

  • Light mayonnaise

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Cooking Light magazine

Italian Sausage Hoagies

I really look forward to the fall and football season every year. I love when the weather gets a little cooler and I can throw together a pot of chili or soup on the stove while I watch my team play. This past weekend was the first weekend I’ve actually had since football season started to actual do whatever I wanted and make some food. It has been beautiful and warm the last several days in the Philadelphia area so I haven’t been quite ready to break out the soup recipes. I had a open house at my place on Sunday so I did all of my cooking for the week on Saturday and decided that these Italian Sausage Hoagies would be perfect for watching a little football.

Sweet turkey sausage, red peppers, onions and marinara sauce are combined and piled into hollowed out toasted hoagie rolls. Shredded mozzarella cheese is added and the sandwiches are broiled until the cheese is melted and golden brown. It’s not often that I eat hoagies like this so this was a real treat for me. I even ate my leftovers as open-faced sandwiches which I liked even better. These sandwiches are so easy to make, healthier than your typical sausage hoagie, and perfect for a tailgate or game.

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Preheat broiler to high. Hollow out top halves of rolls. Arrange rolls, cut sides up, on a baking sheet. Broil 1 1/2 minutes or until toasted. Set aside.

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Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage to pan; cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add onion and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add marinara, bell pepper, and black pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 6 minutes or until bell pepper is crisp-tender.

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Arrange about 3/4 cup sausage mixture over bottom half of each roll; sprinkle each serving with about 2 tablespoons cheese.

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Place on a baking sheet; broil 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Top with top halves of rolls.

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Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light magazine

Ginger Teriyaki Sliders

As you may have noticed, I haven’t been posting much the last two weeks because my life is changing and I’ve got a lot of good things going on so I’m stretched a little thin. I intend to keep up with this blog as best as I can so THANK YOU for hanging in with me! Anyway…you guys. These Ginger Teriyaki Sliders. OMG. Please try them.

Ginger, scallions, and mushrooms are chopped in a food processor and added to ground turkey (the recipe uses pork so use whatever you like!). Teriyaki sauce and panko crumbs are added and then formed into little patties and broiled – who knew?! – until perfectly cooked (use a meat thermometer when it comes to turkey and pork to make sure they are fully cooked). A little mixture of mayonnaise, more teriyaki sauce and a pinch of sugar are smeared onto slider buns with sprinkles of scallions, all of which add yet even more flavor. Seriously, I’m embarrassed to tell you that I ate all of these sliders almost in one sitting. Luckily I had two friends over on Saturday and they each had a few but yes, the rest are in my tummy. Embarrassing. But these sliders are insanely ridiculously good.

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Heat broiler. Line a baking pan with foil; coat foil with nonstick cooking spray. Wrap rolls in foil and place in lower part of oven to warm. In a mini chopper, combine mushrooms, 2 of the scallions and the ginger. Pulse until finely chopped.

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Transfer to a medium-size bowl and add pork or turkey, 1/4 cup of the stir-fry sauce and the bread crumbs. Stir to blend. Shape mixture into 12 equal-size patties, a scant 1/4 cup for each. Place patties on prepared baking pan; broil 4 inches from heat for 6 minutes, turning once, until instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted into center of burgers.

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Meanwhile, stir together mayonnaise, remaining 1 teaspoon teriyaki stir-fry sauce and the sugar in a small bowl.

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Split rolls and top each with a burger. Spread 1 teaspoon teriyaki mayonnaise on each roll; sprinkle with scallion.

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Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

  • Ground turkey
  • Whole wheat panko

Overall Rating: Love it

Source: Family Circle magazine

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