Turkey, feta, spinach and roasted red pepper wrap

We always have sandwiches on weekends but they are generally the same: toasted bun with an assortment of cold cuts, cheeses and vegetables. Not bad but getting a little boring. So I decided to change things up and make a wrap.

I used tortillas and laid 4 slices of turkey down the middle. I covered with spinach and sprinkled with feta. I sliced 2 long strips of roasted red pepper and put one on each side of the turkey. I tightly rolled the tortilla and sliced horizontal down the middle and voila!

Tomato and Cheese Sandwiches on Olive Bread

I had this sandwich at a baby shower and HAD to make it at home. It is so simple and satisfying!



Ingredients:
Olive bread (I bought mine at Loblaws)
Tomato slices
Buffalo mozzarella cheese, sliced
Pesto
Pizza sauce

Directions
Spread pizza sauce on one slice of bread and top with cheese.
Spread pesto sauce on the other slice of bread and top with tomato slices.
Place in the oven under the broiler until cheese is bubbly and slightly golden.
Assemble sandwich and enjoy.

At the shower, these sandwiches were not melted, but I just can't resist melt-y gooey cheese! This would probably be good grilled in a grill pan as well.

Eggplant Provolone

My friend Bella came over for dinner last night, and I taught her how to make eggplant provolone sandwiches. It's pretty much the same thing as Eggplant Parmesean except with delicious provolone cheese!
We documented our cooking with lots of pictures, but for some inexplicable reason, when I tried to upload the pictures they were GONE....wiped clean from the memory card!!! I'm really irritated about it. The sandwiches were soooooooo good and photographed really well. But anyway...please try to use your imagination. The recipe is still worth writing about. This recipe makes 6 sandwiches, and we ate them all between 3 of us!!

Ingredients
1 medium eggplant cut into 1/4 inch rounds
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 tsp dried basil
salt & pepper
6 slices provolone cheese
1 cup marinara sauce, heated (I used Ronzoni's Tomato & Basil, which is my favourite jarred sauce)
6 large fresh kaiser buns, split

Directions
Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet at medium heat.
Set up 2 plates - one with beaten egg, and the other with breadcrumbs mixed with basil, salt and pepper.
Coat both sides of eggplant rounds in egg and dredge in breadcrumbs.
Fry eggplants in hot skillet until golden brown on both sides and soft in the middle (about 4 minutes per side).
Place 1 or 2 rounds of breaded eggplant on kaiser bun, top with cheese and marinara sauce.
We also added my homemade "La Bomba" Antipasto hot sauce to the sandwiches which gave them and extra flavourful spicy kick.

Club sandwich

Have I mentioned that I love sandwiches? One of my favourite classics is a turkey club...perfect for a Sunday afternoon.



Ingredients (for 2)
6 slices bread, toasted
6 slices roasted deli turkey breast
6 slices bacon, cooked
2 slices cheddar cheese
4 slices tomatoes
2 or 3 large leaves lettuce
mayo
mustard
salt & pepper

Directions
Spread mayo on first slice of toast and add a slice of cheese and 3 strips of bacon.
Top with a second slice of toast and add 3 slices of turkey, 2 slices of tomatoes and lettuce. Salt & pepper the tomatoes!
Spread mayo and mustard on third slice of toast and cover sandwich.
Insert toothpicks into the corners and slice on a diagonal.

I like big sandwich pieces so I only sliced it in half instead of quarters. Serve with kosher dills.

Grilled Vegetable and Havarti Sandwiches

My inspiration for this sandwich came from Closet Cooking. I had some vegetables leftover from making the 'La Bomba' hot sauce so I sliced the leftover vegetables and grilled them in the oven (450 F for about 10 minutes per side). Here's what I came up with...


Ingredients
4 rounds of grilled eggplant
4 slices of grilled red peppers
4 thick strips of grilled zucchini
2 tsp la bomba sauce (or marinara sauce)
4 slices whole grain bread
butter
havarti cheese

Directions
Make sadwiches from the grilled eggplant, red peppers, zucchini and havarti cheese.
Spread 'La Bomba' sauce on the inside of the sandwiches.
Butter the outsides of the sandwiches.
Grill sandwiches on a hot grill pan for about 6-7 minutes per side until cheese is melted and oozing and bread is nicely toasted. I put a heavy pan on top of the sandwiches to press like a panini maker would.

Balsamic vinaigrette glazed vegetable pita

Ingredients:

• 1 green pepper julienned
• 1 red pepper julienned
• 1 cup asparagus
• 1 medium onion thinly sliced
• 2 tomatoes finely chopped
• Pitas
• 4 tbsp balsalmic vinegar
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
  

Saute all vegetables with vinegar and brown sugar until soft. Season with salt and pepper. Serve in pitas topped with chopped tomatoes. This is a great Lenten meal! Steve loved it.

Lobster Roll

I saw this on the Food Network and have been craving to make it! Steve thought it tasted exotic!

It was a very easy, quick and light dinner.
I think I would have used more lobster though. Maybe after the recession ;)

Ingredients

• 1 cup Greek yogurt or plain
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons green onion
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 hotdog buns
• Salt and pepper to taste
• **2 lobster tails

** I used 1 lobster tail.

I bought frozen lobster tail yesterday and thawed it over night in the fridge. Today, I steamed it for about 7 min until the tail curled.

In the meantime, I mixed the yogurt, mayo, celery, green onion, lemon juice and salt and pepper together.

Once the lobster was done, I chopped up into fine pieces and folded it into the above mix.

I toasted the bread, spread the mix on and served with some tomatoes on the side.

"Lobster roll"http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/lobster-roll-recipe/index.html March 2009.

Cubanos at Delux Restaurant

Cubanos are HANDS DOWN my favourite sandwiches in the world. Amanda introduced me to them during our trip to Florida. I’ve since had one in Atlanta, Buffalo and finally, Toronto!! They are not as popular here in Canada as they are in the States…in fact, very few people have heard of them. I don’t know why, because they are crunchy, cheesy, melty, pickly, meaty delights. I have tried making them at home, but will try again because I didn’t exactly get the flavours down to my liking.
Anyway, I went out with Marissa this week to Delux on Ossignton, simply because they serve the BEST Cubano sandwiches. I found it a little overpriced, but it's still worth it, since we've been back twice. Inside a cuban sandwich you'll find, Grilled pressed bread with brined pork, ham, swiss cheese, garlic flavoured mayo, mustard and pickles. I'm not exaggerating when I say it's pure heavenly bliss to bite into one. I am going to try to make this at home once again, so stay tuned!

Monte Cristo Sandwiches

I LOVE sandwiches, and i could probably dedicate a whole blog to the delicious and endless combination of ingredients that can go in between 2 slices of bread. Sharl thinks I make the best sandwiches and it warms my heart every time he tells me so as he bites into one of my creations.

I had a sandwich similar to this in Paris in le Marais (called a croque monsieur), but the one I loved most was actually served at Fran's on College St. in the TDot. Basically it's french toast made into a sandwich. It's super easy and really delicious. I decided to re-create it to the best of my memory for dinner last night and it took less than 15 minutes. It's gooey, melty, cheesy, crispy eggy goodness. My recipe serves 2, naturally...;)


Ingredients
4 slices Bread (I used whole multi-grain bread)
Dijon mustard
6 slices Black forest ham (you could also use turkey)
2 or more slices of cheese (I used marble cheese, but you can use what you like)
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 tsp of butter

Directions
Assemble sandwiches with mustard, ham and cheese.
Dip the sandwiches into the beaten eggs so that both sides are well coated.
Melt 1tsp of butter in a skillet under medium-low heat and brown the sandwiches until eggs are cooked, cheese is melted and bread turns golden (about 4 minutes per side)

I served this alongside a simple salad of arugula, tomatoes and cucumbers in a homemade honey-dijon vinaigrette.