Mozzarella, Raspberry and Brown Sugar Panini (Giada de Laurentis)

Mozzarella, Raspberry and Brown Sugar Panini


***Susan's Note: Both Ben and I love this, we have been making it over and over lately. We use our indoor George Foreman Grill.


Yield: Makes 8 servings (serving size: 1/2 panini)

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
8 (1/2-inch-thick) slices bakery-style white bread
1/2 cup raspberry jam
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, drained and patted dry
Salt (optional)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Preparation
1. Preheat panini press or grill pan.

2. Using a pastry brush, brush oil on both sides of bread. Spread jam evenly over 1 side of each slice of bread; sprinkle with rosemary. Cut mozzarella into 8 slices; place 2 slices of cheese on each of 4 bread slices. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over cheese, if desired; top with remaining 4 slices of bread, jam side down. Sprinkle tops with brown sugar.

3. Grill panini in a panini press until cheese has melted and bread is golden and crispy (about 3 minutes). If you do not have a panini press or indoor grill, use a ridged grill pan: Put sandwiches in pan (in batches, if necessary); place a weight, such as a brick wrapped in aluminum foil or a heavy cast-iron skillet, on top to press them down. Brown the first side (about 2-3 minutes), flip the sandwich, replace the weight, and brown the other side (about 2-3 minutes) to finish melting the cheese. Cut paninis in half; serve.

Nutritional Information
Calories:
269
Fat:
14g (sat 5g,mono 7g,poly 1g)
Cholesterol:
23mg
Protein:
7g
Carbohydrate:
29g
Fiber:
1g
Iron:
1mg
Sodium:
188mg
Calcium:
41mg
Adapted from Giada at Home by Giada De Laurentiis.

, Health, DECEMBER 2010

Proscuitto, Fresh Fig, and Manchego Cheese Sandwiches

Proscuitto, Fresh Fig, and Manchego Cheese Sandwiches

***Susan's Note: When I saw this recipe in Cooking Light, I thought, "This looks so yummy!" I had never bought prosciutto, fresh figs, fig jam, plain arugula or manchego cheese before. Wegmans to the rescue! Go to the deli counter and ask for slices of Wegman's prosciutto, find the fresh figs in Aug-Sept in plastic cartons in the fruit salad area of the produce section, the fig jam was by the gourmet cheeses, which is where I found the manchego cheese. The fresh arugula is by the baby spinach, etc., and it was my FAVORITE part of the sandwich. I never realized how yummy and peppery it is. We also used Wegmans 7 Grain Sourdough for the bread. I really liked this a lot, though the ingredients were expensive. The figs have a light flavor.***

Prosciutto and fresh figs are a classic Italian combination. Here, along with the cheese and jam, they create a sweet-savory sandwich that's simple yet memorable.

Total: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich)
Ingredients
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
8 (3/4-ounce) slices Italian bread, toasted
1 cup baby arugula
2 ounces very thin slices prosciutto
2 ounces Manchego cheese, shaved
8 fresh figs, cut into thin slices
2 tablespoons fig jam
Preparation
1. Spread 1 teaspoon mustard over 4 bread slices. Arrange 1/4 cup arugula over each bread slice. Divide prosciutto evenly over bread slices; top evenly with cheese and fig slices. Spread 1 1/2 teaspoons jam over remaining 4 bread slices. Top each serving with 1 bread slice, jam side down.

Kitchen Notes
Great ingredients make all the difference here, so look for a fine loaf of artisan bread and quality prosciutto. Use a sharp vegetable peeler to shave the Manchego, a Spanish cheese similar to pecorino Romano (which you can substitute).

Nutritional Information
Calories:
295
Fat:
5.3g (sat 2.6g,mono 2.1g,poly 0.6g)
Protein:
11.5g
Carbohydrate:
52.3g
Fiber:
4.2g
Cholesterol:
18mg
Iron:
1.8mg
Sodium:
805mg
Calcium:
114mg
Lorrie Corvin, Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2010

Matt Romero's Eggplant "Sandwiches"

Matt Romero's Eggplant "Sandwiches"

***Susan's Note: Can you tell I'm on summer vacation? 2 cakes and these 'sandwiches' all in one day? :) I loved the look of these sandwiches in Real Simple magazine, especially because I'm a big fan of good eggplant and goat cheese. These are NOT healthy! But they were great. I used roasted red peppers instead of tomatoes because my husband doesn't like them. Make sure you SALT your eggplant, and use garlic herb goat cheese - much tastier than plain.***

Serves 4
Hands-On Time: 30m
Total Time: 30m

Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 medium eggplant (1 to 1 1/2 pounds), cut into eight 1/2-inch-thick rounds
1/2 cup canola oil
kosher salt
4 leaves romaine lettuce, torn in half
2 medium beefsteak or other tomatoes (about 1 pound), sliced
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
4 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Directions
Place the flour, eggs, and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Dip the eggplant slices in the flour, then in the eggs (letting any excess drip off), and finally in the bread crumbs, pressing gently to help them adhere.
Heat half the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook half the eggplant until golden brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes per side; transfer to a paper towel–lined plate. Wipe out the skillet and repeat with the remaining oil and eggplant. Sprinkle the hot eggplant with ½ teaspoon salt.
Layer the eggplant, lettuce, tomatoes, basil, and goat cheese to form 4 "sandwiches," with the eggplant on the top and bottom of each stack.
By Matt Romero, July 2010

Kosher salt enhances the flavor of foods rather than making them salty.
Nutritional Information
Per Serving
Calories 549
Fat 40g
Sat Fat 9g
Cholesterol 128mg
Sodium 448mg
Protein 15g
Carbohydrate 36g
Sugar 7g
Fiber 7g
Iron 2mg
Calcium 126mg

Spicy Chicken Sandwiches with Cilantro Lime Mayo

Spicy Chicken Sandwiches with Cilantro Lime Mayo

***Susan's Note: I made these last night for my husband and parents (and my dad is not a "spicy" guy) and we all loved it. I made a few changes - I used regular corn tortillas instead of baked, I used less hot sauce (about 1 TBSP or less of Frank's red hot), and I used Potato Rolls, not Kaiser. Also, I pounded the chicken breasts to flatten them a little bit and I only marinated them for 1/2 hour.

Spicy Chicken Sandwiches with Cilantro-Lime Mayo

Mayo:
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced

Chicken:
1/4 cup egg substitute
3 tablespoons hot sauce (such as Tabasco)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
4 1/2 ounces baked tortilla chips (about 6 cups)
2 tablespoons olive oil

Remaining ingredients:
4 (2-ounce) Kaiser rolls, split
12 (1/8-inch-thick) red onion slices
4 lettuce leaves

1. To prepare mayo, combine the first 4 ingredients.

2. To prepare chicken, combine egg substitute, hot sauce, oregano, and salt in a large zip-top plastic bag. Cut chicken breast halves in half horizontally to form 4 cutlets. Add chicken to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 2 hours or up to 8 hours, turning bag occasionally.

3. Place tortilla chips in a food processor; process 1 minute or until ground. Place ground chips in a shallow dish.

4. Working with one cutlet at a time, remove chicken from marinade, allowing excess to drip off. Coat chicken completely in chips. Set aside. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken and chips.

5. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned and done. Spread mayo evenly over cut sides of rolls. Layer bottom half of each roll with 3 onion slices, 1 lettuce leaf, and 1 chicken cutlet; top with top halves of rolls.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich)

CALORIES 419 (28% from fat); FAT 13.2g (sat 1.7g,mono 6.1g,poly 3.4g); IRON 3.2mg; CHOLESTEROL 49mg; CALCIUM 101mg; CARBOHYDRATE 46.8g; SODIUM 759mg; PROTEIN 28.1g; FIBER 2.6g

Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2008

Slow Cooker Sausage, Peppers, & Onions

***Susan's Note: I made this in the crock pot today with sweet turkey sausage instead of the "hot Italian sausage" that's listed - yum! I used red and orange peppers, potato rolls and topped with shredded mozzarella.

4-5 lbs hot italian sausages
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce (I used Francesco Rinaldi Tomato Basil)
1 large onion, sliced thin (Vidalia preferred)
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, sliced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, sliced
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar (I used light)
Rolls, split open
Provolone cheese, sliced (optional)

1. Combine ingredients (not rolls and cheese) in CrockPot. Cook on Low 8-10 hours or HIGH 4 to 6 hours.

2. Place mixture on rolls, top with cheese if desired.