Tag Archives: tomatoes

Grilled Tomato and Brie Sandwiches

July 16, 2012
Shannon
0 comments
brie, food, sandwiches, spinach, tomatoes

I had both a great weekend and yet a terrible weekend. I finished a terrific book that left me in tears at the end (which I love), went to an exciting and fun concert, hung out with a great friend…and both completely crashed my computer and nearly destroyed my iPhone. While I had come to grips a while ago with the fact that I’m way past due for a new computer, I’m praying the Geek Squad can salvage what is left of my 6-year-old, out-of-warranty-computer, and pull the documents, pictures and music I hadn’t yet backed up to my external hard drive. As I stood in line at Best Buy with my precious computer folded into my arms the way a toddler carries a teddy bear, I was reminded of the episode of Sex and The City where Carrie gets the “sad-Mac” and loses everything. Panic, anger, fear, paranoia and sadness all kick in at the same time which is when one really becomes aware of just how attached to their computer they are. And while I was both freaked out about losing some of my files yet elated that this meant I could get a computer that actually keeps up with me, I wasn’t happy to be turning over my credit card to the very nice boy at Best Buy. To top it off, after bring home said new computer, an error occurred while updating my iPhone and after spending over 45 minutes on the phone with Apple Support, I was told everything was gone. The backup, which iTunes had confirmed happened…didn’t. As I’m about to freak out, looking at my blank gray, foreign-looking iPhone, with no contacts, photos, or apps, I unplugged it and plugged it back in, praying for a miracle, and voilà! Everything miraculously showed up. Even the Apple Support person couldn’t explain it. Oh, modern technology, how I love and hate thee.

That being said, in my computer-grieving, financial-impact-of-buying-a-new-computer, and near-panic-attack-from-almost-losing-everything-on-my-iPhone depression, I wanted – no, needed – comfort food. And a quintessential comfort dish to me is grilled cheese. Since I still had some Brie left from last week, I figured now was as good a time as any to make Grilled Tomato and Brie Sandwiches. Nutty, creamy Brie and Dijon mustard are spread over your favorite bread (I used Oatnut which is my favorite but I only allow myself to buy about once a year), and topped with fresh tomatoes and arugula and/or spinach before being grilled to perfection on a grill pan. While I think Brie is best complemented by something sweet, like fruit, honey, or chocolate, this sandwich settled me down just the way comfort food is supposed to. But I might be needing something a little more comforting when I get my credit card bill.

Like Brie? Check out this and this!

The ingredients:

Brush olive oil onto one side of each bread slice and rub garlic over oil.

Turn bread slices over and spread Dijon mustard on each slice. Top each bread slice with cheese, greens, and tomato slices. Top each with remaining 4 bread slices, oil side up.

Place sandwiches on a grill rack, coated with cooking spray, and heated to high heat.

Grill until golden brown, about two minutes on each side.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Baby spinach

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Broken Lasagna with Zucchini-Tomato Sauce

July 2, 2012
Shannon
3 comments
food, pasta, tomatoes, vegetarian, zucchini

Happy July (my birthmonth)! If you live in the United States, most likely you spent this past weekend in some serious HEAT! It’s days like these that all I want to do is stay inside in the air-conditioning or find the nearest pool. Unfortunately, I had no access to a pool so that meant sitting indoors, listening to my A/C struggle to get cooler than 81°. The sunny, warm weather and impending holiday had me craving cook-out food and since the majority of my friends were out of town this past weekend, I took it upon myself to make pasta, baked beans, turkey burgers and milkshakes, all of which I plan to share with you this week in honor of the 4th of July. The first dish I made was Broken Lasagna with Zucchini-Tomato Sauce. To be honest, I made this to eat as a side, like pasta salad, but I’m pretty sure that it’s supposed to be dinner in itself. Whatever! That’s what’s great about making your own food – you can eat it however and whenever you want, right?

Freshly zucchini is grated and squeezed dry before being cooked with grape tomatoes and lemon zest. The whole mixture is tossed with broken pieces of lasagna noodles, parmesan cheese and chives. The tomatoes pop with sweetness, the zucchini provides a light summery freshness and the bright hint of lemon rounds out the whole dish. If you have any other pasta on hand, use it in place of the lasagna since the zucchini and tomatoes are really the stars of this dish. The recipe calls for cherry tomatoes but my grocery store was out so I used grape tomatoes which made a perfect substitute. Eat this hot or cold, alone or alongside your favorite burger and remember, no matter how hot it is outside, it’s summertime. So enjoy it!

Stay tuned tomorrow for a smoky baked beans dish!

The ingredients:

Grate the zucchini and drain in a colander with salt for 10 minutes. Remove from the colander and gently squeeze out any remaining moisture with a paper towel or clean towel.

While zucchini is sitting, break lasagna into piece and cook in boiling water according for 12 minutes. Be sure to reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water before draining the pasta.

Cook tomatoes in butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until blistered and slightly softened, about 4 minutes.

Stir in the zucchini and lemon zest and cook, lightly crushing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the zucchini-tomato mixture to a large bowl and add the pasta and parmesan cheese and toss.

Stir in half of the chives and half of the reserved cooking water, adding more to loosen, if needed.

Season with salt and pepper and top with more cheese and remaining chives.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Grape tomatoes

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Food Network Magazine

Chicken and Green Bean Salad

I’m a sucker for creamy, rich, mayonaisse-laden chicken salad. I love my own homemade chicken salad the best (which I will share with you one day) but I’ve been known to order fattening chicken salad in a restaurant from time to time. No matter how much I might want to eat it, I really try to watch my mayonaisse intake. Having grown up in Central Illinois where everything is made with mayonaisse, this used to be more of a task than it is now. (My dad used to make his own salad dressing with mayonaisse and sugar – ugh!).

After falling in love with and devouring Cooking Light‘s Avocado Chicken Salad, I couldn’t resist trying the mayo-free Chicken and Green Bean Salad. Steamed green beans are mixed with chicken and grape tomatoes and then tossed in a light mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, whole-grain Dijon mustard, and fresh thyme. If you don’t have whole-grain Dijon, regular Dijon will work (it just won’t look as pretty). The recipe calls for cherry tomatoes but I used grape tomatoes (they are smaller and fit onto the baguette slices better). I also quickly grilled up chicken tenders which I shredded with a fork but using rotisserie or precooked chicken will speed up the preparation. Seasoned with salt and pepper, this chicken salad is a great option to take to a picnic or outdoor event. Serve with toasted baguette slices, whole-grain crackers or over a bed of baby spinach and you’ve got yourself a dish good enough for lunch, dinner or as an easy appetizer. And I bet you won’t even miss the mayonaisse!