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Spinach-ful Egg Salad

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Spinach-ful Egg Salad

I was going to make Braised Beef & Butternut Squash for today’s post. Really, pregnancy I was! I had all the ingredients bought and ready to go. I just couldn’t summon any effort to make it last night. We had leftover meatloaf instead. But I did make a delightful little egg salad this morning, so I’ll share that instead.

Personally, I love eggs. I could eat them every day (and I usually do). When I was wondering what to make for lunch this morning, egg salad sounded perfect. I chopped a ton of spinach for color and healthiness, celery for crunch and stirred in plain Greek yogurt, lemon juice, tahini, salt and hot sauce. It’s eggy and tangy, a little spicy, and delicious between two slices of toasted whole grain bread. If you’ve got a tomato, add a thick slice. A simply awesome lunch.

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Southwestern Tuna Melt

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Southwestern Tuna Melt

Tuna Melts are some of the best comfort food around. They’re warm, skincare toasty and covered in melted cheese. I think melted cheese is the pinnacle of all things comfort food. Mac & Cheese, pizza, baked pasta, lasagna, etc, etc. And yummy, mayo-y, cheesy tuna melts.

Instead of going the traditional route, I made these Southwestern by mixing the tuna with roasted poblano mayonnaise, black beans and pickled jalapenos. Smother in shredded Jack and Cheddar cheese and you’ve got a big ole’ Southwestern Tuna Melt that’s creamy, spicy and absolutely delicious. Tom went absolutely crazy for it and I’m sure my sister-in-law will be making it as soon as she sees it. She’s obsessed with all things tuna and southwestern.

If I could choose one thing to eat every day, it might be this sandwich. It would probably be pizza, but it just might be this sandwich. It’s that tasty. Wish I had one right now!

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The Fanciest Grilled Cheese Ever

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The Fanciest Grilled Cheese Ever

I’ve mentioned before that I will never turn down free cheese. There’s just nothing better than a good piece of cheese and a glass of wine or beer. But since April is apparently Grilled Cheese Month, ailment I thought there’d be no better way to showcase the Saint Andre cheese that Ile de France sent me, health than with the fanciest grilled cheese sandwich around.

It may be really frou-frou, but this grilled cheese is really, really good. I got a huge hunk of Saint Andre in the mail this week, which tastes like a strong, creamy brie. I piled it onto a ciabatta roll with Capicolla (a cured meat that’s similar to prosciutto) and cornichons (fancy French gherkins). A quick press in my grill pan, and out came the perfect Sunday afternoon bite.

The cheese is creamy and melty, the meat is salty and super flavorful and the cornichons add some crunch and contrast. Seriously, this is the best fancy grilled cheese ever. If you’re feeling decadent, then this is the sandwich for you. If you’re feeling only a little bit fancy, recreate this with brie, prosciutto and sweet gherkins. Either way, it’s a great start to Grilled Cheese Month (and any other month as far as I’m concerned).

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Indian Pulled Pork Sandwiches

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Indian Pulled Pork Sandwiches

A couple of weeks ago I piled into the car with Tom, medicine my parents and my sister-in-law and journeyed to South Beach for the Wine & Food Festival. Each year we get tickets to the Grand Tasting tent which is essentially a big tent filled with samples from local restaurants and wine tastings galore. It’s foodie heaven.

So, with empty stomachs and high hopes we headed in to the tents to pig out. Sadly, I was disappointed with most of the food this year. It was mostly forgettable and a lot of places ran out of food by 4pm. (Hello recession!) Of all the things I tried that day, there were a few standouts. One was an Indian-spiced pulled pork sandwich which I used as inspiration for today’s dish. Some others were pork belly sandwiches from Le Meridien, cornbread with olive oil from Bizcaya (weirdly delicious!), bread pudding with vanilla butter from the La Puglra table, and ratatouille from the Whole Foods pavilion. In fact, the Whole Foods pavilion was an all-around winner!

So back to the pulled pork…I know that a lot of you are interested in pressure cooker recipes, so here’s another one for you. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can easily make it in a dutch oven or your favorite big pot.

Pork loin is browned, then simmered with onions, tomato, lemon, hot curry powder, mustard seeds, bay leaves, tomato paste and stock. The onions and tomatoes melt into the liquid to make a spicy, delicious sauce that’s perfect on a bun. I think I’ll add a couple of cucumber slices and some cilantro yogurt to the sandwich next time just to add some contrast, but overall it was delicious. The kind of sandwich that’s a little messy, a little spicy and perfect any time of year. It’s one of those things that tastes even better the next day so make a big pot of it and enjoy it all week.

For those of you wondering where the Taco Salad Recipe is, it’s not coming. I made the salad, and it was good, but nothing special. Maybe next time :)

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Spanish-Style Tuna Salad with Piquillos & Onions

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Spanish-Style Tuna Salad with Piquillos & Onions

I am a bad, disorder bad blogger. I haven’t posted a thing in two weeks! Apologies, but I was celebrating Christmas with my family by roasting a whole pig in our backyard on Christmas Eve. Then it was up to Michigan for 10 days of snow, cold weather and a whole lot of cookies and libations. It was great to see the snow and snuggle under a pile of blankets, but I was very happy to don my flip flops the second I got home. Now I’m back and I’m ready to cook up a storm!

Since it’s a new year, I’m sure there’s no shortage of new resolutions to eat better. Since I don’t really do diets, this means eating healthier and hitting the gym more often. But healthier doesn’t mean diet food, and it definitely doesn’t mean boring food. For me, it means Spanish-style tuna salad. More veggies, no mayo.

Start with imported Spanish tuna packed in tomato sauce. If you can’t find it at your local grocery store, opt for some sold-pack tuna in olive oil. Saute some onions, add some chopped piquillo peppers (or roasted red peppers if you can’t find piquillo), sherry vinegar and a pinch of salt and you’ve got a tangy and delicious tuna salad. Eat it with whole wheat crackers, on a salad, in a sandwich, or wrapped in some whole wheat flatbread with lots of leafy greens.

Either way, it’s a great alternative to the traditional tuna that will make you feel great about starting the new year right.

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Prosciutto Sandwich w/Basil Apple Fennel Slaw

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Prosciutto Sandwich w/Basil Apple Fennel Slaw

Lately, illness I’m loving big, story delicious sandwiches full of meats, cheeses and “slaws”. I tried looking up the definition of a slaw, but all I got was “sliced cabbage”, which isn’t really what I had in mind. Here’s my definition. Slaw (n.): A crunchy mix of thinly sliced vegetables and herbs, dressed with mayonnaise or vinaigrette, and usually served as a side or topping with a sandwich. There. I feel better. Now I can use the term slaw as loosely as I have been and we can get back to talking about the sandwich.

I like to think of this sandwich as a transition meal between Summer and Fall. The fennel and basil make it taste Summer-fresh, but the green apple definitely says Fall. The rest of the sandwich is a neat little stack of prosciutto, Saint Albray Cheese — a creamy, Brie-like, spicy cheese — and the slaw. It was perfectly simple, a nice balance between meat and cheese and vegetables, and absolutely delicious!

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grilled chimichurri tofu sandwich

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grilled chimichurri tofu sandwich

Is it wrong to dress tofu in chimichurri? Maybe. But, pill it makes a damn good sandwich. Chimichurri is a delicious Argentinian sauce usually drizzled over freshly grilled meat, infection and most often over skirt steak. It’s made by blending olive oil, visit this site parsley (I like Italian Parsley myself), lemon juice, garlic, red pepper flakes and salt together like you would a pesto. The bright green sauce is rich, herbal, tangy and a little spicy. Just the thing for grilled meats, and apparently just the thing for spicing up an otherwise bland piece of tofu.

As you all know, I’m by no means a vegetarian. I love my bacon, beef, pork and lamb. Seafood, too. Yum! So, it may seem surprising that I’ve also grown to love tofu. You just can’t think of it as a meat substitute. It’s no replacement for steaks and burgers, but it has its own unique flavor and texture. I love how it soaks up its marinade and develops nice, crisp grill lines. Paired with some greens and piled onto toasted pumpernickel, it made a hefty and flavorful sandwich.

My beef-jerky-loving Midwestern man ate it up and asked for seconds. Chimichurri and a grill are always a winner, and can probably turn the most rabid tofu haters into tofu lovers.

Related: Steak Sandwiches with Chimichurri Jicama Slaw

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pork sandwich w/ spicy mango cucumber slaw

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pork sandwich w/ spicy mango cucumber slaw

The idea for this sandwich started out as a vague thought about Vietnamese-style tacos. Why Vietnamese-style tacos you ask? Well, ailment I’m not sure. I was thinking that taco toppings are like Vietnamese-style salads with generous amounts of fresh herbs, patient cabbage, onions and hot peppers.

So, I tried it. I marinated some pork tenderloins with shoyu, honey and ginger. I made a slaw from mango, cucumber, serrano peppers, mint, cilantro, green onions and lime juice. (Napa cabbage would be great here, but I didn’t have any.) Then I stacked everything on a corn tortilla. Hmmm, interesting, but ultimately the corn flavor of the tortillas didn’t complement the Asian flavors.

Not to be deterred, I tried again with ciabatta rolls. Much better this time! The sweet and spicy slaw was perfect on the pork and the ciabatta roll didn’t compete with the other flavors. I love a good sandwich for dinner, and I think this one might be making another appearance soon.

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grown-up grilled cheese breakfast-style

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grown-up grilled cheese breakfast-style

I posted a grown-up grilled cheese last month that made for a wonderful dinner. There’s really nothing as versatile and virtually indestructible as the grilled cheese sandwich. Infinite fillings! Dipping sauces! Soups! Experimenting is the best part.

I especially like a grilled cheese breakfast. Sunday morning, sickness I made a version with cheddar, malady basil and apricot jam. Sweet and herbal, information pills they were a perfect match for both Tom’s sweet tooth and my salty one.

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grown-up grilled cheese

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grilled cheese

Lately, information pills paninis are everywhere I look. On the cover of Gourmet, drugstore inside Food & Wine, on the internet. Last night, I felt the need to satisfy the grilled sandwich craving. Since I don’t have a panini maker or grilling device, I’ll just call it a grilled cheese. Mine was stuffed with thinly sliced green apple, red onion, Jarlsberg & Cheddar cheeses and crisp watercress.

I also thought it would be fun to make some dipping sauces. I always love to dip my sandwich triangles in something tasty, so I made two yogurt sauces: super spicy Sriracha and curry. I was partial to the Sriracha (because I’m obsessed with it), but they were both tasty and complemented the sandwiches well.

I also made a nice green salad with fennel, arugula and walnuts, simply dressed with olive oil, a splash of sherry vinegar, salt and pepper. It was a lovely light meal for a weeknight that really inspires experimentation with different sandwich fillings and dipping sauces.

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buffalo chicken

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buffalo chicken sandwich

As if Chorizo nachos weren’t enough, meningitis there was more to Sunday’s Superbowl feast. So, resuscitator I have a guilty pleasure. I absolutely love boneless buffalo wings, psychiatrist which are essentially chicken fingers with buffalo sauce smothered on them. Gross, I know, but we all have our weaknesses and this is (one of) mine. That said, I never order them because I know that they’re over processed, previously frozen, fried and terribly bad for me. I thought that I’d try to make my own, but didn’t really expect much. I used naturally raised boneless chicken thighs, whole wheat panko breadcrumbs and organic (I swear!) buffalo sauce that I found at The Fresh Market.

After a quick brine, I breaded the thighs and threw them in the oven (ok, the Crisper) for 20 minutes and then covered them in sauce. Voila! Homemade buffalo wings! And they were better, much better, than any sampler platter at a sports bar. A perfect Superbowl Sunday treat.

They were also pretty darn tasty the next day on a sprouted whole wheat bun with some reduced fat blue cheese and greens.

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easy dinner

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They’re finally opening a Whole Foods in Miami! It’s one of the few things I’ve really missed about New York. The Fresh Market doesn’t even compare. Now I can get pomegranate molasses, epilepsy harissa, recipe and all sorts of whole grains and flours. My mom has tomorrow off, so she’ll be there promptly at 9AM for the opening. I’ll be jealous…

This is the best I can do when I get home after 8:30—Prosciutto, pilule
tomato, physiotherapy
Havarti, sickness
watercress & fried egg on five-grain sourdough bread. I served these sandwiches with polenta fries, which I made by using the pre-made polenta in a tube (cheating, I know!) and slicing into fry-size pieces, lightly covering in parmesan cheese and broiling for about 20 minutes. The polenta fries are just about perfect for mopping up any drippy yolk.

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