Cantaloupe Soup with Prosciutto and Mozzarella Sandwiches

Everyone knows that cantaloupe and prosciutto go well together. Those prosciutto-wrapped cantaloupe balls leave me longing for a melon baller, but it's not exactly dinner. But a chilled soup and a baguette sandwich? Add a glass of white wine, and we are definitely talking. It helps because Joe doesn't think he likes cantaloupe. Too many bland, hard chunks of cantaloupe in generic fruit salads will do that to you. This was a local melon, full of juice and sweetness brought out ever so slightly by the salt. The recipe is easily halved, which I did. This is also a great summer meal because it doesn't use any heat (provided you don't bake your own baguette). Cool, crisp, and quick to make.

Cantaloupe Soup with Prosciutto and Mozzarella Sandwiches

source: Real Simple 

Ingredients
2 baguettes
2 8-ounce balls fresh mozzarella, thickly sliced
1/2 pound sliced prosciutto
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cantaloupes, chilled, halved, and seeded
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
16 fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced

Preparation
Cut each baguette in half lengthwise, then in thirds crosswise. Layer the mozzarella and prosciutto on the bottom of each baguette portion. Drizzle with the oil and sandwich with the baguette tops; set aside.
In a blender, puree the cantaloupe and salt. Pour into bowls and sprinkle with the pepper and mint. Serve with the sandwiches.

Open-Faced Sandwiches with Ricotta, Arugula, and Fried Egg

When I was at boarding school in Michigan, I survived on sandwiches. I loved my sandwiches, particularly when dinner was less than palatable, and I got ideas from my peers. One of them introduced me to pita with mushrooms and a slice of provolone on the top. Melted in the microwave, it was as close to gourmet as I was going to get. But it was nothing like this. Whole wheat bread toasted, spread with ricotta and topped with arugula and a fried egg. When that yolk runs and mixes with the arugula, ricotta, and bread, it is heavenly.

Open-Faced Sandwiches with Ricotta, Arugula, and Fried Egg
source: May 2010 Cooking Light
Yields 4 servings

Ingredients
4 slices whole-wheat country bread
Cooking spray
2 cups arugula
1 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
4 large eggs
3/4 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

Preparation
1. Preheat broiler.
2. Coat both sides of the bread with cooking spray. Broil 2 minutes on each side, or until lightly toasted.
3. Combine arugula, 2 tsp oil, lemon juice, 1/8 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Toss gently.
4. Heat remaining 1 tsp oil in a skillet over medium heat. Crack eggs into pan, and cook two minutes. Cover pan with lid and cook a remaining 2 minutes or until whites are set. Remove from the heat.
5. Combine 1/4 tsp salt, ricotta, parmesan, and thyme. Spread over bread slices. Divide arugula mixture and eggs over bread slices. Sprinkle with remaining 1/8 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and serve.

Chili Burgers

Occasionally, I have a debate in my head about my favorite kind of bean. The winner is often whatever bean I am eating or cooking with, though I do think my all-time favorite is probably black beans. But these burgers make a good case for dark red kidney beans. My fear with bean burgers is that they won't stick together, but these did a decent job considering that there is no egg or anything used. The oats do a fine job as a binder, and the mustard and ketchup keep the burger moist. For some reason, this burger reminded me of meatloaf, if it were vegetarian and in burger-form. And that's a good thing, flavorful but not spicy. I served this topped with cheddar cheese and greens.

Chili Burgers

source: A Year in the Kitchen

Ingredients

1/2 yellow onion, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 carrots, shredded

1 tsp. dark mexican chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 15 oz. can dark red kidney beans, drained

1 tbsp. dark brown mustard

2 tbsp. worchestershire sauce

2 tbsp. ketchup

1/2 c. quick cooking oats

Preparation

Heat a large skillet over medium low. Spray with nonstick spray, saute onion, garlic and carrots for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

While veggies cook, drain beans, and add to a bowl. Mash with a potato masher.

Add mustard, worchestershire, ketchup, chili powder, cumin and oats.

Scrape veggies out of pan, add to bean mixture.

Mix burgers thoroughly, form into 4 patties.

Heat same skillet over medium-high. Spray with nonstick spray.

Drop patties into skillet, cook for 5-6 minutes per side.

After flipping, add cheese, cover to melt.

Serve on a bun with condiments.

Nutritional Information

serving size: 1 patty

Calories: 274.1

Total Fat: 1.7 g

Total Carbs: 51.1 g

Dietary Fiber: 17.1 g

Protein: 14.3 g

Chicken Parmesan Burgers

I really like different kinds of sandwiches. The different interplay of ingredients sandwiched between bread is something I particularly enjoy. It's even better if a recipe takes something that isn't particularly healthy and, using the same flavors, transforms it into something healthy, quick, and delicious. A few other people have made these burgers around the food blogosphere, and there have been nothing but rave reviews. I cooked mine in our George Foreman instead of using the broiler, but there are a lot of options in terms of the method you use.

Chicken Parmesan Burgers
source: Elly Says Opa

Ingredients
1 lb. ground chicken
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1 clove garlic, finely minced or pressed
1 shallot, finely diced
salt and pepper

1/2 cup pasta sauce
4 slices mozzarella or provolone (or 1/2 cup shredded)
sauteed mushrooms (optional)
4 buns

Preparation

Lightly mix together all the ingredients for the burgers. Form into 4 patties. I like to make them about 30-40 minutes ahead of time, to let the flavors meld a little bit.

Preheat & spray the broiler with a little oil (or use the grill, or a pan). Broil the burgers for about 4 minutes on the first side, then flip and broil for 3 minutes. Top each chicken burger with 2 Tbsp. pasta sauce and a slice (or about 2T) of cheese. Place back under the broiler for 30-60 seconds, until cheese in melted and burger is cooked through. Top with mushrooms, if desired. Place the buns in the broiler for about 10 seconds, just until toasted.

Turkey, Apple, and Brie Panini

My goal lately has been to make flavorful meals that a) don't heat up the kitchen and b) come together very quickly. I kept running into the turkey-green apple-Brie combination. Initially on a sandwich at Bread & Company I believe, and then on a flatbread at Urban Flats. One morning while I was making pancakes, I discovered I had yet to use the panini plates for my George Foreman and an idea was born.

I've noticed now, that when I eat at restaurants, I am much more attentive to flavor combinations as influences for meals I might make at home. I think it is so frustrating to go to a restaurant and only find things on the menu that you could make yourself! Like a chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese and sundried tomato is not exactly a ground-breaking flavor combination.

Because there are so few ingredients, the quality really matters. The tartness of the apple plays against the bite of the Dijon mustard beautifully, and the creaminess of the Brie ties everything together. I served these with sweet potato fries for a quick, satisfying dinner for two!

Turkey, Apple, and Brie Paninis
High-quality bread (I used homemade.)
Sliced turkey breast deli meat
Thinly sliced green apple
Dijon mustard
Thin slices of Brie

Spread a thin coat of Dijon mustard on each slice of bread. Layer turkey, Brie, and then apple. Heat George Foreman with panini plates or panini press. Spray with cooking spray and cook until bread is browned and cheese is melted. Cut diagonally in half and serve.

Elly's Black Bean Burgers

The first time I was introduced to black bean burgers was at boarding school in Michigan. Most of our cafeteria dinners bordered on inedible, save for a few nights within the rotation. The black bean burgers had so much more flavor than the normal cardboard-textured veggie burger patties. And now that I can make my own, I like experimenting with different ways of putting them together. Last time, I made this version from Epicurious but had problems with it staying together and wanted to try some other recipes. I knew Elly had a version on her blog, and I definitely trust her recommendation.

The only change I made was to puree the whole drained can of beans with the egg in the food processor. At first, I thought the patties might be too gloppy, but they cooked up great and stayed together very well. I liked the addition of the jalapeno and the cornbread to accentuate the Southwestern flavor. I served these with some provolone cheese and sliced avocado.

Elly's Black Bean Burgers
source: Elly Says Opa

Ingredients

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 egg
1 jalapeno, minced
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1/4 cup grated or finely diced onion
1/4 cup cornmeal
salt and pepper to taste

Place about the can of beans and the egg in a food processor and pulse until combined.

In a bowl, place the remaining beans and mash lightly with a fork. Stir in processed beans, jalapeno, oregano, cumin, garlic, onion, cornmeal and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until just combined.

Form the mixture into 4 patties. Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium heat and spray with cooking oil. Cook the patties approximately 3 minutes per side or until browned and heated through.

Curried Egg Salad

When I was in elementary school, there was this one boy who we all ruthlessly made fun of because he brought egg salad sandwiches for lunch, and egg salad was WEIRD to the rest of us with our Lunchables and PB&J sandwiches. So, imagine my shock when a few years later I discovered that I really liked egg salad. I still feel guilty for making fun of that kid all the time.

I woke up Wednesday morning and realized I had nothing to take to work for lunch. After doing an inventory of the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry, I was still at a loss. Then I went through my saved recipes and discovered this egg salad recipe that I had saved back in December. I third-ed the original recipe, which made just enough for sandwiches for the rest of the week. I also added grated carrots. Next time I would lessen the amount of mayonnaise because the carrots added some extra moisture, and the salad was a little gloppier than I would've preferred today.

Curried Egg Salad
adapted from Cate's Kitchen

Ingredients

4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup minced scallions
1/4 cup grated carrot
3-4 tbsp light mayonnaise
1/2 tsp curry powder
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Snobby Joes

To say that it rained on Thursday night would be a gross understatement. Instead of normal rain, we got torrential spring downpour, tornadoes, and flash foods. So when the power went out in the middle of eating dinner, we just shrugged and lit some candles so we could see our food, which didn't make these Snobby Joes any less sloppy to eat.

I actually can't recall ever eating Sloppy Joes outside of a school cafeteria, but these are way better and obviously healthier. The lentils are packed with protein, leaving us full but not stuffed. I had pre-cooked the lentils earlier in the day since Thursdays are one of my late days, and the most time-intensive part of putting the meal together was chopping the onion.


I highly recommend these for people on a budget who are trying to make more meatless meals but are wary of tofu. It would be great for kids (lessen the chili powder to taste), and the leftovers are just as good the next day. This is delicious, hearty comfort food that's vegetarian!

Snobby Joes
source: Branny Boils Over
Yields at least 3 sandwiches

Ingredients

1/2 cup lentils boiled in 3 cups water, with a bay leaf
8 oz tomato sauce
1 T maple syrup
2 t spicy mustard
1 t oregano
1.5 T chili powder (or more if you're like me and accidentally dumped in a bunch much to Joe's delight)
1/2 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 t salt

Saute onion and garlic and add to drained boiled lentils. Add spices and tomato sauce and simmer 10 minutes. Then cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Simmer a little more to reduce to the liquid if too soupy. Serve on buns or as desired with your favorite sandwich sides.

Black Bean Burgers

Before Lent started, I wanted to be prepared for going pescatarian so I went to Epicurious and searched for easy vegetarian dinners. The funny thing is that I've hardly made any of the ones I tagged because I've had so many options! I went back this week for some ideas and found these burgers, involving Mexican flavors, always a hit in our house.

When I was at boarding school, we had very limited appealing options in the cafeteria, but oddly enough, there are some things that I still find myself craving. One of those things being black bean burgers. So not only were these a quick weeknight dinner, but for me, they were also nostalgic.

This quick dinner was made even faster because I had made the patties before going to work. When I walked in the door at 7:30, Joe was cooking the patties, had the coleslaw made, and the steak fries in the oven. He hadn't even seen the recipe, but I think he's watched me cook enough that he knew exactly what to do!

I served these on Arnold's Sandwich Thins, which are 100 calories a bun and were recommended by my mom, with a little sharp cheddar cheese and salsa. With coleslaw and steak fries on the side, I don't think Joe even minded that they were vegetarian. And, for my taste, they were a lot more flavorful than a regular meat burger.

I had a little trouble getting these to stay together and might add an egg to the mixture. I also pureed more of the beans because the whole beans were not incorporating well into the patties.

Black-Bean Burgers
source: Epicurious

Ingredients

3 cups cooked black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1/3 cup plain dry bread crumbs
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 soft hamburger buns
Accompaniments: sour cream; salsa; lettuce

Pulse 2 cups beans in a food processor with mayonnaise, bread crumbs, cumin, oregano, and cayenne until a coarse purée forms. Transfer to a bowl and stir in cilantro and remaining cup of beans. Form mixture into 4 patties.

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Cook burgers until outsides are crisp and lightly browned, turning once, about 5 minutes total. Serve on buns.

Spicy Pork Po-Boys

Occasionally I pick up a bunch of ground pork at the grocery store on manager's special, so I had bookmarked this recipe for one of those times. Like I said, I love sandwiches, so this seemed perfect for a relatively quick meal. I skipped the instructions for the spread and just used mustard and mayonnaise. I also don't have a grill pan, so I just cooked them in a skillet. I also halved the recipe to only make two sandwiches.

I loved the spiciness of the pork patties. When Joe took the leftovers to the hospital for dinner, he said that everyone was asking him what he was eating and where he got it, so I guess it smells pretty good also!

Spicy Pork Po-Boys
source: Liz's Cooking Blog

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground pork
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 1/4 teaspoons dried thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 medium kosher dill pickles, very finely chopped
• 1/2 small shallot, minced
• Four 8-inch soft baguettes, split
• 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce (I used green leaf lettuce.)
  
• 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
• Hot sauce, for serving

Instructions:

1. Preheat a grill pan. In a large bowl, using your hands, mix the ground pork with the paprika, thyme, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Form the pork into twelve 1/2-inch-thick patties. Grill the pork patties over moderate heat, turning once, until they are cooked through, about 8 minutes total.
2. Meanwhile, mix the mayonnaise with the Dijon mustard, pickles and shallot and season with salt and pepper. Spread the mayonnaise on both sides of the baguettes.
3. Place 3 pork patties on the bottom of each baguette and top with the lettuce, tomato and a few splashes of hot sauce. Close the sandwiches and serve.

Cornmeal Crusted Catfish Sandwiches with Lime Butter

I absolutely love sandwiches. In fact, I would even say that a good sandwich ranks highly on my list of all-time favorite foods. When my parents informed me that they were coming over for dinner on Wednesday before the Vanderbilt basketball game, it was easy for me to double the amount I was planning to make.

These sandwiches turned out deliciously. The catfish had just enough crunch and spice while still being healthy. I have to admit that I couldn't taste the lime butter and would probably just use light mayonnaise on these next time. The original recipe calls for tilapia, so any mild white flaky fish would work. I just love the taste of fried catfish without all the calories!

I served these with roasted sweet potato rounds, but Joe was asking for coleslaw, which would go great with these sandwiches.

Cornmeal Crusted Catfish Sandwiches with Lime Butter
adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 4 (6-ounce) catfish fillets
• Cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon grated lime rind
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• 4 (1 1/2-ounce) whole wheat hoagie rolls
  
• 4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices tomato
• leaf lettuce for 4 sandwiches
  

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a shallow dish or pie plate, stirring to combine. After coating both sides of fillets with cooking spray, dredge them in the cornmeal mixture.
3. Coat a broiler pan with cooking spray and place fish on the pan. Broil fish for 10 minutes or until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
4. Combine butter, lime rind, and lime juice in a small bowl, stirring well.
5. Spread butter on top half of rolls. Place fillet, tomato slice, and lettuce on the bottom half. And close sandwiches.