Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Sandwiches

We have been making a lot of sandwiches lately due to various health issues and other things taking up a lot of our (my) time. Here is another keeper:

Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 1 jar roasted red peppers, sliced
• 2 tablespoons EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Ciabatta buns
• 4 oz.  herbed goat cheese (or add Italian seasoning and “herb” it yourself)
• 8 to 10 large basil leaves
• Red onion, sliced
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Cut the ciabatta buns in half and toast them.
2. Spread goat cheese and garlic on toasted buns.
3. Add peppers, onions and basil leaves.
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Sunflower Veggie Sandwich

Oh boy. This sandwich is just going to wow you. I absolutely love sunflower seeds, so perhaps that’s why I’m so addicted, but either way. YUM!

Sunflower Veggie Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 2 pieces wheat bread (toasted) – choose a special bread for this – something from the bakery section
• Herbed cream cheese (we used plain and added fresh rosemary and Italian seasoning)
• Roasted and salted sunflower seeds
• Shredded carrots
• Cucumbers, sliced (skin on)
• Yellow onion, sliced
• Tomato, sliced
• Fresh sprouts (be sure to wash and dry with paper towel)

Directions:

1. Toast the bread so it’s slightly browned, but not too crunchy. About a 3 or 4 on a toaster.
2. Add herbed cream cheese to both slices.
3. Slice cucumbers thin enough so they don’t bulk up the sandwich too much (I used 4 sliced per sandwich).
4. If you are shredding your own carrots, us a food processor – otherwise, buy it shredded – and add on top of cucumbers.
5. Add yellow onion, to your liking.
6. Add tomato slices – again thinly sliced – 4 per sandwich (if using roma).
7. Add sprouts and top with sunflower seeds.
8. The toughest part is flipping the sandwich together.
9. Enjoy – because the flip was so worth it!

Note: If you shred your own carrots, they will be more moist and softer than store-bought, pre-shredded. Just and FYI. Did I also mention that it is cheaper to shred your own?

Turkey Lasagna with Zucchini “Pasta”

If you love lasagna and you love zucchini, you will love this. I first say this idea on Pinterest and decided to try it and make it my own. It takes a little while to prepare, so be sure you start with plenty of time.

Turkey Lasagna with Zucchini Pasta (modified from Skinny Taste)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 teaspoon EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)
• Salt (as needed)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 (14.5 oz. can) diced tomatoes (no salt added)
• 3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• 3 zucchini, sliced 1/8 inch thick
• 15 oz. part-skim ricotta cheese
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 8 oz shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded (part reserved for topping)
• 1 egg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and brown the meat. Season lightly with salt. Remove meat from pan.
3. Add olive oil and saute onions and garlic – about 2 minutes.
4. Return meat to the pan and add tomatoes, basil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer on low for about 30 minutes, covered.
5. Meanwhile, slice the zucchini and lightly salt and set aside. After about 10 minutes, blot the zucchini with paper towels to remove excess water.
6. Grill the zucchini on a stove-top grill pan (or saute pan if this is not available) – about 1-2 minutes per side. Place back on paper towels to remove excess moisture.
7. In a bowl, mix ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning and egg.
8. Using a 9×12 glass baking pan, spread some sauce on the bottom and layer with zucchini. Add ricotta cheese mixture and top with light layer of mozzarella. Repeat process until all ingredients used up. Top with sauce and cover with left over mozzarella and/or extra Parmesan cheese.
9. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

Steamed Carrots

Steamed carrots are so good that they deserve their own post. I generally make these with any meal that just needs a little extra something: Pizza, lasagna, chicken, soup, sandwiches, pasta, you get the picture!

Steamed Carrots

Ingredients:

• 5-6 carrots
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

1. Wash and peel carrots, cut into large pieces (pictured).
2. Add water to pot and place carrots in steamer.
3. Steam for about 10-12 minutes or until tender.
4. Add salt and pepper.
5. Some people like butter, but I personally think the butter takes away from the great taste the carrots have to offer. Try first without the butter. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Chicken Enchilada Soup (in the Crockpot)

I was honestly pretty sick when I made this soup, so from what I could taste, it was good. Carlos really liked it, so I’ll take his word for it until I make it a second time. This recipe was really easy (assuming you have a crockpot).

Chicken Enchilada Soup

(from Dainty Chef)

Portobello Mushroom Burgers

I can still smell the delicious balsamic glaze cooking on the stove top. We went to Signatures last night for dinner while Carlos’s dad was in town. Carlos and I had vegetarian sandwiches with beets. While we ate them, we thought about how good those would be with mushrooms. And here were are tonight, making just that. We paired these with home-made fries.

Portobello Mushroom Burgers

(modified from Prevention RD - check out this site if you have time to marinade the mushrooms)

Ingredients:

• 2 Portobello mushrooms (1 per burger)
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons pesto
• Handful mixed greens
• 2 oz. white goat cheese, separated into small pieces
• 2 large ciabatta or foccacia buns
• Cooking spray or extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Heat vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Allow liquid to boil – let simmer 15-20 minutes until reduced by half. Set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes to thicken.
2. Heat stove-top grill pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
3. Spray the cut side of each bun (with cooking spray or apply olive oil with basting brush) and place cut-side down on the grill pan until warmed and slightly browned. (You can toast the other side briefly if you desire.)
4. Spread pesto on both sides of buns, add mixed greens to bottom side, add the mushroom (upside down), top with goat cheese and drizzle with balsamic glaze. Finish with other half of ciabatta.
5. Drizzle balsamic glaze on top of mushrooms and goat cheese.

Linguine with Zucchini, Grape Tomatoes, and Creamy Lemon-Yogurt Sauce

I just love Greek yogurt. There are so many things you can do with it! This is a frequent request from friends when they stay with us, however, I must admit, it’s been a while since I have made this recipe.

Linguine with Zucchini, Grape Tomatoes, and Creamy Lemon-Yogurt Sauce

(add about 1/4 teaspoon salt or as needed)