Grilled Ham, Pepperoni and Italian Cheese Sandwich

Have you ever used turkey pepperoni before? If not, give it a try. I like it quite a bit. It’s just as good and far less greasy than the regular type.

Grilled Ham, Pepperoni and Italian Cheese Sandwich
For even more flavor, tuck a few peppercinis or a couple thin slices of tomato into your sandwich before grilling. Print Recipe

Sliced buttermilk bread
Butter
Black Forrest Deli Ham
Turkey Pepperoni
Shredded Italian cheese

Heat up a skillet or sandwich press to medium high. Butter outsides of bread. Make sandwiches with ham, pepperoni and cheese to preference. Grill until golden brown.

By Laura Flowers.

Goat Cheese, Toasted Walnut & Tomato Panini

My friend Tina tortured us recently when she posted a picture of a similar sandwich to her Facebook. I don’t know where she got it, but I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

It always amazes me when something so simple can be this flavorful and satisfying.

Goat Cheese, Toasted Walnut & Tomato Panini
Print Recipe
This is the time to enjoy those summer tomatoes, especially delicate and flavorful heirloom varieties.

2 five-inch pieces French bread
4-ounce package herb coated goat cheese
2 ounces walnut pieces
1 cup arugula
Ripe tomato slices
Drizzle of olive oil

1. Preheat Panini press to medium-high. Toast walnut pieces on a plate in the microwave for 45 seconds. Set aside.

2. Cut bread to make two hoagie type sandwiches. Take some of the stuffing out of the center of each slice. Just enough so you have a tunnel to place ingredients.

3. Spray the outside of bread with cooking spray. Spread 2-ounces of goat cheese on each sandwich. Divide and layer on the rest of the ingredients. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and sandwich bread together.

4. Grill until cheese is warmed through and bread is toasted.

Serves 2.

Calories 603. Fiber 5g. Fat 36g. Carbohydrates 50. Sodium 733mg. Protein 23g. Chol 26mg.

Recipe inspired by friend Tina. Photo and recipe from Laura Flowers.

Grilled Chile Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Apple Chutney and Leftover Sandwiches

Here’s a healthy dinner idea with a recipe for leftovers.

This week, because I love this book so much, I’m almost entirely cooking out of “Cooking Light Way to Cook”.

I decided you need this book too. So I’m going to give it away to the person who gives me the best answer. I’d like to know how you’re becoming or staying healthy and how this book can help you.

I’m trying to be healthier too and need your support. I’m hoping your thoughts will get me through these stricter life changes. Please leave a comment. I’ll let the winner know on Friday the 22nd, so leave me a way to contact you.

Grilled Chile Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Apple Chutney
Printer Version, all three recipes.
This recipe was so much fun to make and tasted fantastic. The directions originally called for chops, but I doubled the spice rub and made two pork loins. There was plenty of chutney for both. You can make chops instead if you prefer, but reduce the rub by half.

Apple Chutney
1 tablespoon butter
3 apples
1/4 cup dried cranberries
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons minced peeled ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried mustard
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1. Core the apple and cut it into slices. Cut those slices into thin wedges about 1/4 inch thick.

2. Melt butter over medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet and add the apples. Saute for about 5 minutes or until the apples are lightly browned.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook until the liquid is gone and the apples are tender.

Grilled Chile Pork Tenderloin
1 to 2 pork tenderloins (I get them in a package of 2 at the store)
1 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper or adobo chile pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Cooking spray

1. Turn the grill to medium-high. Rinse pork loins and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, mix together all of the spices. Spray the pork with cooking spray and rub all over with spice mixture.

3. Grill, flipping once, until a thermometer reads 160 degrees in the center. Remove pork from the grill and rest for 10 minutes.

4. Cut pork into rounds and serve covered with chutney.

Haricots Verts (Green Beans)
If you green beans are pretty thin and young you can use this method to pan fry them. If they are thick, boil them for a few minutes and drain well before starting this recipe.

2 teaspoon olive oil
About 12 ounces green beans
2 to 3 thinly slices garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the beans and cook for about 5 minutes. Turn the heat down if they oil starts to splatter.

2. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and cook until the garlic is lightly browned.

Spiced Pork Panini with Apple Chutney & Havarti on French Bread



This is my favorite part of this meal. These sandwiches are incredible and I’m so sad I’m out of both pork and chutney. If you anticipate leftovers, grab a loaf of thinly sliced French-type bread and some Havarti. If you don’t have a panini press, just grill in a skillet. Just be careful your fillings don’t fall out when you flip the sandwich over.

Thinly sliced French-style bread
Leftover pork, sliced in 1/2 inch thick rounds
Leftover apple chutney
Havarti cheese
Butter

Preheat your panini press to medium high. Lightly butter the outsides of bread. Place one slice butter side down and spoon on chutney. Add some Havarti, then pork and a little more Havarti. Top with another slice of buttered bread. Grill to melty-gooey happiness.

Pork recipe & green beans adapted from Cooking Light Way to Cook. Sandwich & photographs by Laura Flowers.

Chickpea Chicken Pitas

I hope you’re having a nice 4th of July weekend. I’m visiting family, but I admit I’d love to sneak onto the nearest post or base and see how our military is celebrating this year.

My very favorite 4th of July memory is the year I was on lockdown at basic training. For one special night we were allowed a little supervised freedom to celebrate this important holiday with our platoons. I’ll never forget that moment of clarity, finally understanding how important being an American was to me. To this day I never fail to be moved by a patriotic act.

So if you have sons, daughters, husbands, wives, brothers or sisters in basic training this holiday don’t worry, they’ll be on a field somewhere watching the fireworks and drinking that giant soda they’ve been denied for weeks!

Of course, they won’t be eating a healthy salad pita like this one. You can bet it’s pizza night on post. Ah, memories of being able to eat whatever I wanted!

Though this is a nice salad for a picnic, a healthy lunch or a fast 4th of July meal. For a vegetarian version substitute a peeled, seeded and chopped cucumber for the chicken. For a vegan meal, do the same but add vegan mayonnaise in place of the standard fare.

Chickpea Chicken Pitas
Printer Version
This is so quick and easy I don’t want you to think about measurements. Just mix it all together to your taste preference.

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 can chicken breast, rinsed and drained
1 small can corn, rinsed and drained
1 small can sliced black olives, drained
3 to 4 roasted bell peppers from a jar, chopped
Salt & pepper, to taste
Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Seasoning, to taste
Mayonnaise, to taste (Light is fine)
Romaine lettuce, chopped (the bagged stuff works great)
1-bag whole-wheat pitas

1. In a large bowl, mix together the garbanzo beans, chicken breast, corn, olives, and peppers. Season with salt, pepper and Mrs. Dash seasoning to taste. Mix in just enough mayonnaise that the salad is coated.

2. Wrap the pitas in a couple paper towels. Place them on a plate and microwave until warm, about 30 seconds. Place some romaine lettuce in each pocket and fill with salad mixture. Serve immediately or wrap in plastic and pack away for a picnic.

Recipe and photograph by Laura Flowers.

Chili Boat Salads

My dietitian tells me salads are healthy. So if I stick a childhood junk food favorite on top of a bunch of greens that definitely qualifies.

Ok, I’m not cool enough to have a dietitian, but if one saw my version of a chili boat I’d like to think they’d approve anyway.

I used a spicy bison and pork chili, but choose your favorite. A can of chili works as well.

Chili Boat Salads
Printer Version
With all these toppings you’ll find there’s no need for salad dressing. For a vegetarian version use a homemade meatless chili or a canned product like Amy’s Organic Spicy Chili.

Lettuce of choice, lots
Warm Chili, preferably the spicy type
Onion, thinly sliced
Sliced black olives
Cheddar cheese, a small handful
Fritos, a small handful

Layer a dinner plate with lettuce, a good sized portion of chili, sliced onion to taste, black olives, cheddar cheese and Fritos.

By Laura Flowers.

Philly Cheesesteaks

I did something crazy.

Insane.

I enrolled back into college at the age of thirty-four to start working toward my PhD in food science.

Why didn’t I do this earlier? Because I have a phobia. A horrible fear of big math, and to get into this program I have to face this dastardly subject.

Starting about seven years ago, I watched the university catalog come and go. I noticed when the school of food science merged with the neighboring school to expand their program. I noticed four years ago when they began offering an undergraduate degree in wine.

Then two days ago, I noticed that first class of wine students will be graduating next month.

Lastly, I noticed I let all this time pass by and allowed fear to stop me from accomplishing my dreams over a few scary math classes.

Not anymore, I’ve signed up. I’m going to finish those crazy classes and apply to the PhD program. It might take while, but in the meantime I’ll take every single food class on the list. Food processing, cheese making, wine classes, nutrition courses and on and on.

Or, I’ll fail out of math miserably but learn a lot of foodstuff. OK, I’m NOT going to think about that! I can do this!

I hope.

Philly Cheesesteaks
Printer Version
So easy! Why don’t I make these more often?

3 to 4 hoagie rolls
1 white onion, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 pound good quality deli roast beef, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Sliced provolone cheese or warmed Cheese Whiz
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper
Mayonnaise

1. Heat oil in a large cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and bell pepper and season with salt and pepper. Cook until vegetable soften and start to brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

2. Heat another tablespoon of oil in the skillet. Add the chopped deli meat and cook until no longer pink. Add the peppers and onions back in and toss to warm through.

3. Smear mayonnaise on the hoagie rolls. Place a slice of provolone on the side if using. Spoon in the hot beef mixture. Smear with Cheese Whiz if using.

Recipe and photograph by Laura Flowers.
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Chicken Apple Salad Sandwiches with Ginger

December was so much fun I’m finding it difficult to get back into routine. Sadly, the decorations are packed away and my house is a bland, empty shadow of it’s holiday glittery self.

I’m also paying for all the wonderful, but not so healthy food I enjoyed from Thanksgiving until New Years. Like migas from heaven made with a bacon grease base. On one of the more exciting weekends, my Texas-Montana-transplant-friends Cliff and Mari came to visit and make us their favorite breakfast. Migas.

Now, I make migas at home. Well, I make northwestern migas; chopped corn tortillas fried up with a little extra light olive oil tossed with eggs, sautéed peppers and onions and a light sprinkle of cheese. They’re decent, but Cliff’s migas are a whole heck of a lot better than mine, probably because he’s a real Texan, instead of a wannabe like me. Or maybe it’s the bacon grease that wins.

I’ll share Cliff’s recipe in the next day or so, but be forewarned. It isn’t diet food! Unlike this little sandwich, which I’m going to be eating for the next month while I lumber away on my treadmill.

Chicken Apple Salad Sandwiches with Ginger
Printer Version
An easy lunch option, serve as a sandwich on good whole grain bread or over a bed of spinach.

12.5 ounce can of chunk chicken breast, drained and rinsed
1 stalk celery
1/2 granny smith apple
2 tablespoons Spectrum Eggless Vegan Light Canola Mayo or Reg. Mayo
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Place chicken in a medium sized bowl and cut up any large chunks with a fork. Slice celery into three long thin strips then cut sideways into a dice. Cut apple into very thin sliced then into bite size pieces. Place celery and apples into the bowl.

2. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and salt and pepper to taste. Serve on bread or over a bed of spinach.

Recipe and photograph by Laura Flowers.

Creamy Shrimp & Bacon Salad

I better just open this up with my internal dialog: “Ooo why buy just one can of shrimp when I can get four at Costco? Have I ever purchased canned shrimp before? No. Well ok why would I buy it now? Because dummy, you get four cans!” Makes sense right?

Please don’t insert logic here. You’ll crush my heart.

Ok, so I get strange tiny shrimp home. Now what? Um, hmm. I could donate it to the food bank. Or I could make salad with micro mini sized shrimp.

So salad it was. Tasty, salty, bacony, creamy salad. We had it on greens the first day and as a sandwich the next.

Creamy Shrimp & Bacon Salad
Printer Version
This salad makes a nice change from typical brown bag lunch fair. When served as a sandwich, you might find yourself looking forward to lunch at your desk.

Sauce
1 cup mayo
1 tablespoon horseradish
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Salad
4 (4 ounce) cans East Point Tiny Shrimp (Found at Costco, but deli shrimp work too.)
3 boiled eggs, diced
5 slices cooked bacon, chopped
1/2 a red onion, minced
2 stalks celery, diced small
Salt as needed

1. In a bowl, mix the sauce ingredients together. Store in the refrigerator while prepping salad ingredients.

2. Toss the salad ingredients and sauce ingredients together in a large bowl. Taste for salt and add to taste if needed. Serve on bread as a sandwich or on top of mixed greens.

Recipe & photograph by Laura Flowers

Slow Cooker Sockarooni Meatball Subs with Horseradish Cheddar

It seems like forever ago I submitted a request to participate in Foodbuzz’s Family Bites, but this week is my turn for sharing what I made with the sauces Newman’s Own sent to me. Now that the recipes are up, I can share some of them with you.

I try not to take on too many offers for these kinds of things, but Paul Newman gave so much of himself to others, I thought it would be nice to give a little something in return.

I had a great time playing with products I’d never purchased before. Especially the zesty Sockarooni sauce, which I’ve been buying on a regular basis since.

Slow Cooker Sockarooni Meatball Subs with Horseradish Cheddar Printer Version
A short and simple recipe, these subs make a great lunch.

1 jar Newman’s Own® Sockarooni Pasta Sauce
1 bag frozen Italian meatballs
1 bag hot dog buns
8 slices horseradish cheddar (found in the deli at Safeway)
1 cup onion, diced

Place the meatballs and sauce in a slow cooker. Turn the slow cooker to high and cook for 4 hours or until heated through.

Place the cheese and meatballs on warmed hotdog buns and top with diced onions or other condiments as desired.

Serves 8
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours

Recipe & photograph by Laura Flowers.

Golden Chickpea and Artichoke Salad

Things I like about this recipe: It’s fast, healthy, nutty, cheap, tastes awesome, and makes a great lunch.

Things I don’t like about this recipe: It’s gone. All gone.

Now, I am sad.

Golden Chickpea and Artichoke Salad
From Lauren Ulm’s book Vegan Yum Yum. This recipe makes enough for only one person as a main dish, but it’s a cinch to double or triple. As a side it serves about three.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (15 ounce) can chick peas, drained and rinsed well
5 to 7 artichoke hearts, drained and sliced lengthwise (canned or frozen both work fine. I like to rinse the canned ones.)
¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted if desired
1 teaspoon lemon juice (I used more to taste)
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (I used 1 teaspoon dried)

1. Heat oil in a seasoned wok or cast-iron skillet. Add the chickpeas and cook on medium-high for 10 minutes, stirring only occasionally to prevent burning, until the chickpeas are golden brown all over. When done, put them in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

2. Add more oil to the pan and cook the sliced artichoke hearts until browned. Add them to the bowl of chickpeas.

3. Toast the almonds in a dry skillet (if desired) and then grind them in a food processor. Add the almonds to the artichokes and chickpeas. Season the salad with lemon juice and salt and stir in the chopped parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature, adjust the seasoning if needed.

Visit Lauren Ulm’s beautiful blog Vegan Yum Yum. Recipe from Lauren's book Vegan Yum Yum. Picture by Laura Flowers.

Radiatori with Sautéed Brussels Sprouts

I love Brussels sprouts, but as a child I thought they were the nastiest stinkiest vegetable in existence. Probably because steamed was the only way I’d experienced them. I still believe most steamed or boiled vegetables are not edible. Though, as an adult, or as a big kid as my husband refers to me, I'm able to suck it up and eat what I'm served while my taste buds scream silently in protest.

 Or at least I don't spit them out impolitely anymore.

Nowadays I have a rule. The only darn vegetable I’m allowed to boil or steam is a potato! Ok, sometimes broccoli too. Everything else has to be grilled, sautéed, or roasted.


So my question is, WHY??? Why ever in the world did humans steam these things? They are so fantastic roasted, sautéed, or grilled. I wasted my childhood running from vegetables, but my own 8-year-old loves them now that I know what not to do.



I still try to choke down steamed vegetables when I visit my parents. I don’t think changing their ways is likely at this point anyway.

Radiatori with Sautéed Brussels Sprouts
2 pounds Brussels sprouts
1 lemon, divided
1 pound Radiatori pasta or other shape, plus 1 cup reserved pasta water
¼ cup fresh breadcrumbs, (Pulse some bread in a small food processor)
½ teaspoon and 1 tablespoons butter, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of coarse sea salt
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup shredded Pecorino Romano or Asiago cheese
Freshly cracked pepper plus more salt to taste

1. Prepare a bowl of cold water with juice of ½ a lemon (I threw in the lemon half with the water too), save the other half for the recipe. Rinse the Brussels sprouts and peel off the outer leaves. Cut about ¼ of the base off and discard. Slice into quarters and toss into the lemon water. Repeat with remaining sprouts.

2. Meanwhile bring heavily salted pasta water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water at the end of cooking time.

3. At the same time melt 1 teaspoon butter in a large nonstick skillet and add the breadcrumbs. Cook until golden and toasted. Remove from skillet and set aside.

4. Next, add the olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter, and ½ teaspoon salt to a large nonstick skillet and heat over medium-high heat until butter is melted. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook for a couple minutes until they start to shrink a bit. Add the onion slices a pinch of red pepper flakes and cook until the vegetables start to caramelize stirring often. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute until fragrant. Turn off the heat and squeeze the juice half a lemon over the vegetables.

5. Toss the hot vegetables together with the pasta, bread crumbs, and cheese. Add enough of the pasta water to make it a nice consistency. Add more salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Recipe based off a Brussels Sprout Pasta from Alice Waters' "Chez Panisse Vegetables". Photograph by Laura Flowers.

Emergency Chile Verde Soup

This is total cheater recipe. Though you’d never know it when you took a bite. Comforting with deep rich Mexican flavors, this stew-like soup tastes like it’s been simmering over the stove for hours. In reality, it’s been simmering over the stove for about 10 minutes.

Sometimes even a food blogger like me needs a break from cooking.

Emergency Chile Verde Soup
1 (29 ½ ounce) can Juanita’s Chile Verde Pork & Green Chile Sauce
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies & spices
1 (15 ounce) can black beans

Condiment Ideas
1 (3/4 ounce) can El Pato Salsa de Jalapeno
Sour cream
Shredded cheddar
Crushed tortilla chips
Flour or corn tortillas

1. Rinse and drain the black beans and place them in a large saucepan. Drain the diced tomatoes and add them to the black beans. Add the chile verde and cook over medium high heat breaking up the pork with a spoon and stirring occasionally until warmed.

2. Ladle into individual bowls and top with condiments of your choice. Serve with tortillas.

Recipe and photograph by Laura Flowers.

Red, White & Green Pressed Sandwich with Dry Cured Olives

For me, dry cured olives in this sandwich give a much needed punch of acidity. A sort of wake up call to the mellow mozzarella, tomatoes and bread. I found the olives at my local Co-Op, but am guessing you can find them at some olive bars.

If you can’t find dry cured olives, any favorite good quality olive should work. If you don’t like olives, you could try a drizzle of red wine vinegar instead.

Ingredients
1 baguette
2 balls fresh mozzarella, sliced
2 ripe Roma tomatoes, or any favorite variety, sliced
A couple handfuls of fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup seeded & chopped dry cured Greek Thasos olives (or any favorite olives)
Olive oil, or basil olive oil
Red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
Salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions
1. Heat up a Panini or sandwich press to medium high.

2. Slice the baguette into manageable sandwich size pieces, then cut the pieces down the middle.

3. Drizzle the insides of the bread with olive oil.

4. Top one half with olives, tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Top with the other half of the bread.

5. Press the sandwich until the bread is toasted and the cheese starts to ooze. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches.

Makes 3 to 4 sandwiches

Recipe by Laura Flowers

Southern Cob Salad with Pimiento Cheese Dressing

I noticed a version of this salad in June’s BHG magazine. I love cob salad and variations on the theme are a happy sight. I’ve streamlined the recipe for weeknight preparation. I don’t like to spend a ton of time on salad prep, and prefer to quickly get to the eating part.

Pimiento Cheese Dressing
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar, (I used Tillamook Vintage White)
½ cup mayonnaise (Low calorie is fine)
½ cup milk
2 ounce jar diced pimientos
A few good shakes of Frank’s Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce to taste
Salt & freshly cracked pepper to taste

In a small food processor puree the ingredients together for a minute until it starts to thicken. Pour into a serving container and set aside. The dressing can be made ahead and refrigerated until ready to use.

Salad
4 hard boiled eggs (Make ahead for faster preparation)
½ cup pecans
About 1 pound boneless breaded chicken tenders from the deli, KFC, or other fast food (Or cook and slice up a package of MorningStar Farms Chik'n Patties for a vegetarian version.)
2 prewashed packages of lettuce, any type you prefer
1 (15.8 ounce) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1 red bell pepper, cut into short strips
1 avocado, diced
1 recipe Pimiento Cheese Dressing
Salt & Fresh cracked pepper to taste
Paprika to taste

1. Cut the hard boiled eggs in half. Scoop out the yolks into a bowl, mash with a fork, and stir in just enough pimiento cheese dressing in to make creamy. Add salt, pepper, and paprika to taste. With a cookie scoop, scoop the mixture back into the eggs. Go sparingly so you don’t run out of yolk mix. Sprinkle with paprika and set aside.

2. Place the pecans on a plate and microwave in 30 second increments until toasted. About 1 to 1 ½ minutes.

3. Cut the chicken into slices. Warm in the microwave on medium heat for a short time if needed. Set aside.

4. Arrange the lettuce on the plates. Top with a little of each topping in small piles around the plate. Sprinkle with a small amount of salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste. Drizzle with the pimiento cheese dressing.

Recipe by Laura Flowers with inspiration from BHG magazine.

Open-Faced Veggie Sliders

These were supposed to be little closed sandwiches, but the men around here gobbled them up so quickly I had to make due with open faced ones. I should also mention they scarfed them down only after eyeing them suspiciously, making fun of this “non-man food”, and then rapidly proceeded to inhale them in one bite. Dishboy Scott proclaimed them the best thing he’s ever eaten. While this is a high compliment, it’s the term he uses when he likes any food really well

Hence, they were good and lasted all of about two minutes. At least I got a photograph before the rest were snatched off the tray.

1 baguette, sliced
2 short and chubby zucchinis, cut into rounds
4 Roma tomatoes, sliced into rounds, ends discarded
Red onion slices, cut small to garnish
Spinach leaves, long stems removed (small ones look nicer)
Hummus, any favorite variety or make your own
Olive oil
Garlic powder
Salt & freshly cracked pepper

Turn the grill to medium high. Coat the zucchini slices with olive oil, a sprinkle of garlic powder, salt and freshly cracked pepper. Grill on both sides just until light grill marks form. Set aside.

Salt and pepper the tomato slices. Set aside.

On a baguette slice spread a semi thick layer of hummus. Top with spinach leaves, a tomato slice, a zucchini slice, and a couple small red onions. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches. Top with another slice of bread if desired.

Notes: I made my own red pepper hummus. Someday I’ll write the recipe down, but to me hummus is like peanut butter and jelly. I just throw a little of this in, and a little of that in, until it tastes “right”. This drives Dishboy Scott’s scientific side insane, which makes my ornery side very happy.

Recipe by Laura Flowers

Mango Bacon Wrap

I wasn’t going to photograph this wrap, and certainly wasn’t going to write down this recipe. I told myself this is lunch; you don’t have to take a picture. Well it turned out lunch was especially colorful, and it tasted so good that I forced myself to stop eating to grab a quick shot.

Maybe I’ll try it with a few avocado slices next time.

Makes 1 wrap

4 thick cut slices of bacon
Zucchini, cut in half and thinly sliced (About 1/3 cup)
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt & fresh cracked pepper
1 Mango
Several small slices Pecorino Romano cheese
A little red onion, cut into thin slices
1 Burrito size flour tortilla

1. Cover a plate with two paper towels, layer on the bacon, and then cover with another paper towel. Microwave for three minutes. Carefully flip the bacon over and microwave for another three minutes or until crispy. Mop up grease with the paper towels.

2. Heat a skillet on medium high and add a small drizzle of olive oil. Add zucchini and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Sauté until tender crisp.

3. Skin and slice mango. (Mango slicers are fantastic)

4. Warm the tortilla in the microwave for about 10 seconds. Top with all the ingredients and roll together.

Recipe by Laura Flowers

Sweet, Salty, and Savory Panini

Here’s another sandwich thrown together from food that needed to be used up in my kitchen. Sandwiches are a great medium for invention, and it’s a good thing we like them, because we eat a lot of them.

Makes two sandwiches.

Ingredients
4 slices of your favorite bread(Or see recipe link below)
Maple butter for spreading (Recipe Below)
Scant 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
10 slices pre-cooked Canadian bacon
½ Apple, thinly sliced
Fresh cracked pepper
Drizzle of honey
1/4 cup bleu cheese or gorgonzola

Heat up the panini press to medium high.

Brush the outsides of bread with maple butter. Layer on the cheddar, Canadian bacon, apple, fresh cracked pepper, a drizzle of honey, and bleu cheese. Top with other slice of bread.

Grill until crispy on the outside and the cheese is melted.

Maple Butter
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup maple syrup
Pinch of salt

Place in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer until well mixed.

Notes: The bread recipe from the picture can be found at http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Simple-Whole-Wheat-Bread/Detail.aspx. I make all three loaves at a time, brush them with butter, let them cool, wrap them in foil, and freeze the extras. They thaw beautiful, and keep for almost a week in my bread box without drying out.

Recipe by Laura Flowers

Fancy Pants Pressed Ham, Egg & Cheese Sandwich

Sandwich construction around here usually starts off like Dagwood out of a Blondie comic. I pull everything useable out of the fridge and start throwing ingredients together. This sandwich is no exception, and it came together rather resembling a croque madam. If the croque madam lived in America that is!

4 slices garlic stuffed French bread
1 Tablespoon butter, melted
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons mayonnaise
2 slices Swiss cheese
6 slices ham
1 hardboiled egg, peeled and sliced
A few spinach leaves
Salt & pepper

Warm up a sandwich press or nonstick frying pan to medium high heat.

Mean while mix together Dijon and mayonnaise. Then brush the outsides of the bread with melted butter, and insides with the Dijon mixture. Break the Swiss cheese in half and place on the inside of each bread slice. Top two halves with ham, egg slices, salt, pepper, and spinach. Top with the second slice of bread and cheese. Press or grill until golden.

Serves 2

Recipe by Laura Flowers