Roasted Pepper and Mushroom Sandwich

from Cheap, Healthy, Good

Sometimes Ben and I talk about becoming vegetarians. Meat can be expensive, both in terms of money and environmental costs, plus ethically we feel guilty about mass produced animal farms and uncomfortable with the conditions that these animals are raised in. 

But on the other hand. We both really love meat. The occasional steak or salmon or sushi... mmmmmm... What to do?

Well, I guess baby steps in the right direction is better than none at all. I've tried to cut our meat consumption down to once or twice a week - and when we do splurge and get a cut of something I try to make it a really quality cut of something special, not just hot dogs or McDonalds. But that leaves 5 nights a week of vegetarian meals, which has me thinking a little out of the box to keep out of a cooking rut.

Anyway, I have turned to the blogosphere for help, with mixed results; while some sites look great they will use all sorts of exotic (read: expensive!) ingredients that in reality are only found half wilted in some whole foods shop in California. Not always available here at the corner market in Austria. But there have been some good recipe sites, my favorite being Cheap, Healthy, Good - a site that focuses on all of the things I care about (included in the title) while keeping the recipes simple, satisfying and still with lots of variations.

This was a sandwich recipe I saw a few weeks ago, and they were great and easy to pull together. With so much flavor, it was easy to forget that it was meatless and makes the whole vegetarian push a little easier.

Makes about 2 big sandwiches

1 red bell pepper
quality bread. Enough for 2 sandwiches.
3 tsp olive oil
8 oz cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, sliced (about 1 cup)
3 Tbsp feta
lettuce
tomato (optional)
salt and pepper

Wash and dry the bell pepper. Place entire pepper on a baking pan or broiler pan and broil, turning every 2-3 minutes (use tongs) until all sides of the pepper are charred and black. Then remove from heat and cover. Once cool, cut off the top and remove seeds. The skin should peel easily from the flesh. Slice the pepper flesh into large strips.

Cut your bread in half, brush one side of each piece with olive oil and place oil side down in a hot pan. Heat until golden. Then remove onto a plate, toasted side down. Sprinkle Feta on the fresh side of the bread and set aside.

Heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium high heat. Add mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook until the mushrooms have released their moisture and it has mostly evaporated, stirring frequently.

Once mushrooms are done, divide evenly between sandwiches, placing them directly on top of the feta. Layer red peppers on top, and add lettuce and tomato if desired. Top with other half of bread and serve.

The Copycat Caputo

When we lived in Salt Lake City, Ben's favorite restaurant there was Caputos. An Italian deli with amazing sandwiches. He and his work buddy Russ would routinely spend many dollars and hours eating there. The sandwiches were pretty amazing.

Fast forward 5 years later, Caputos is far away, but Italy itself is now in our backyard. Even better! Many of these specialty meats and cheeses are at every corner market and so Ben has been recreating this sandwich on a daily basis for lunch -- for a fifth of the price!

Here it is, Ben's version of "The Caputo"

fresh rolls (we use semolina)
provolone cheese
mortadella cheese
prosciutto
salami
lettuce
tomato
a fresh roll
balsamic
olive oil
pepperoncini
salt and pepper
gourmet olives

Slice up ingredients and generously layer inside the roll. Drizzle with a little olive oil and balsamic on the inside before finishing the sandwich. Having a bowl of olives is not optional. It really brings out the flavor of the sandwich and makes it ten times better.

Cranberry Brie Sandwich

I had this grilled cheese sandwich at a restaurant in Edinburgh called "Two Thin Laddies" and it blew my mind. So the first thing I did when I got home was recreate it. Easy and warm with such interesting flavors, perfect comfort food.

Quality bread

cranberry sauce (or any tart berry jam)

brie

2 meduim onions, cut thinly

about 1 Tbsp butter

salt and sugar

Saute the onions on low for 10 minutes, add a sprinkle of salt and sugar and keep stirring until they begin to caramelize. Butter the bread and set a layer of brie, cranberry sauce and a scoop of the caramelized onions. Put the other bread on top and toast the sandwich on low heat until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted. Then be prepared to swoon.

BBQ Pork Sandwiches

I LOVE slow cooker recipes. They are impossible to screw up and people think you are just amazing in the kitchen. If they only knew how easy it was, they wouldn't be so impressed! For the Fourth of July, we wanted to make something uniquely American and this was just the ticket. The sandwiches were so good, juicy and delicious.

I made my own sauce because it is hard to find good BBQ sauce in Finland. But feel free to experiment with different flavors of the bottled kind.

Pork

3-4 lbs pork (could easily switch to beef or chicken)

3-4 cups (about 25-30 ounces) BBQ sauce (homemade or bottled, it doesn't matter. You just need enough to mostly cover the pork)

1 medium onion, minced

3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced

salt and pepper to taste

Homemade BBQ Sauce

1 cups ketchup

1 cup water

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup brown sugar

5 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp paprika

2 Tbsp chili powder

3 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp cayenne powder

Also needed:

Buns, pickles, coleslaw and some people like mustard...

Combine all sauce ingredients and simmer for about 15 minutes in a pan until sauce is thickened. If using a bottled sauce, skip this step.

Put the Barbeque sauce in a deep pot (or crockpot) and add the minced onion and garlic, salt and pepper. Put in the pork and be sure that it is mostly covered with sauce or those bits will be dry. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours (overnight) or 4-5 hours on high. Scoop off excess fat, and shred the beef. Add a little water or extra sauce if it looks dry. Put the lid back on and cook on low for an additional 1-2 hours. Stir occasionally. Serve warm on split buns and let the compliments roll on in.

Divine Tuna Sandwiches

Ben and I love tuna fish sandwiches. They are so filling and light and can be made in a snap.


Bread
2 cans tuna
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup pickles, chopped
Swiss cheese
lettuce
spicy mustard
tomatoes, sliced
avocado, sliced

Mix the tuna, mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, pepper and pickles. Spread mustard on one side of the bread and cover with a little cheese. Toast the bread until the cheese melts. Put together the sandwiches and serve.

Spicy Sloppy Joes

This is one of those childhood classics that I remember as a child. They are cheap, easy and liked by kids everywhere. As an adult I prefer my Joe a little spicier, but feel free to ease up on the heat according to the tastes of your guests.

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic
1-2 Tbsp spicy mustard
1 stalk celery, sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1-2 Tbsp brown sugar
3/4 cup ketchup (or tomato sauce)
dash of chili (adjust to your tastes)
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil
sandwich buns

Heat oil in a skillet and saute onion, garlic, bell pepper and celery, seasoned with salt and pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes, then add beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain off fat. Add ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and sugar to beef mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, then scoop into sandwiches and serve.

Rachel Sandwiches

Ben is a real sauerkraut man, so this is one of his favorite sandwiches.
Pickles on the side are a must!

Rye Bread (we used whole wheat this time, but Rye is proper.)
Pastrami
Swiss Cheese
Sauerkraut
Thousand Island Dressing
Mustard
Pickles

Lay the bread open faced on a cookie sheet. On one half of the sandwich, place meat and cheese, on the other put sauerkraut and mustard. Toast in the oven until crunchy, then put a layer of Thousand Island in the middle and enjoy.

Egg Salad Sandwiches

As Easter winds down, there is always the question of what to do with all of those lovely hard boiled eggs. This is a recipe earned through trial and error recipe, though feel free to experiment for personal preference.



8 hard boiled eggs
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 Tbsp mustard
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dill
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

Quality bread (best toasted)
Lettuce
Tomatoes, sliced
Pickles **MUST have pickles.

Mix up egg salad ingredients, put a nice wedge of it on the bread with lettuce, tomatoes and pickles. I don't put together the sandwiches until right before I eat because there is nothing worse than soggy bread.

Turkey Cranberry Sandwiches

This is my favorite fare to make with Thanksgiving leftovers, but sometimes you just have a hankering for it in March, so here we are.



quality bread
turkey slices
plain cream cheese
cranberry sauce (or in a pinch, lingon berry jam)
lettuce

Toast the bread and spread the cream cheese on real thick. Then add the turkey and a generous ooze of berry sauce. Eat immediately and repeat.

Croque Monsieur Ham and Cheese Sandwich

from Elise Simply Recipes

After months of being in awe of the multitude of cheeses available at the local market, I decided to try a few recipes that call for something different than cheddar, swiss or gouda.  These sandwiches have great flavor and are a great treat.   

2 Tbsp Butter

2 Tbsp Flour

1 1/2 cups Milk

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

6 oz Gruyére Cheese, (about 1 1/2 cups grated)

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

8 Slices of French or Italian loaf bread

12 oz Ham, sliced

Dijon Mustard

Preheat the oven to 400.  First make what is called a Béchamel sauce:  Melt butter in a small saucepan on low heat until it starts to bubble.  Then stir in flour until smooth and cook for about 2 minutes.  Slowly add the milk, whisking continuously and cooking until thickened.  Remove from heat, add salt, pepper, nutmeg, Parmesan Cheese and about 1/4 cup Gruyére Cheese.  Combine and set aside.

Lay out the bread slices on a baking sheet and toast them a few minutes on each side (feel free to butter the bread for extra flavor)  Lightly brush mustard on each slice of bread on one side.  Add ham slices and sprinkle the Gruyére, topping off with the other slice of bread.  Lastly, spoon the Béchamel sauce to the tops of the sandwiches.  Sprinkle whatever remaining cheese on top and bake the sandwiches for 5 minutes, then turn on the broiler and broil for another 3-5 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and browned.  

Makes 4 sandwiches