Ham and Manchego Panini with Dipping Sauce

Most of my cookbooks and cooking magazines are boxed up and ready to go into my storage space next week (and the following week...and the week after that...), but while sorting and packing them, I started flipping through a few issues of Everyday Food from 2005 and 2006. I came across a lot of yummy-looking and easy-to-make recipes that I missed the first time around. I came across this recipe for Ham and Manchego Panini with Dipping Sauce in the October, 2006 issue, and I knew that I had to try it. (This sandwich had me at dipping sauce.)

This is a really good sandwich. I liked the slightly salty, slightly sharp taste of the Manchego cheese. There were three different maturities of Manchego cheese at Whole Foods...3 months is the most mild, 6 months is more sharp, and 12 months is the sharpest. I bought the 6 months (middle-of-the-road) Manchego, and I would do so again. I also used Boar's Head Deluxe Ham. It would be really easy to adapt this sandwich with your favorite kind of bread, sliced meat and cheese. I really liked the dipping sauce with it. However, I'd like to make this again (sans dipping sauce) and add either some sliced dill pickles (for sourness) or rings of red onions (for zing and a slight crunch) to the sandwich. I think the taste of the sandwich could definitely be kicked up a notch (Emeril, anyone???) by adding either of these.

I ate this sandwich along with Cucumber Salad with Rice Vinegar Dressing from the current issue of Cooking Light. The recipe is here. I'll review the recipe and post a picture tomorrow. (Hint: It was a yummy, too!!!)

Ham and Manchego Panini with Dipping Sauce

Source: Everyday Food – October, 2006, p. 158

4 slices country bread
4 ounces thinly sliced ham
2 ounces Manchego cheese, coarsely grated (1/2 cup)
4 teaspoons olive oil
3 tablespoons apricot jam
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Top each of 2 bread slices with ham, Manchego, and remaining slices. Brush tops of panini with 2 teaspoons oil.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat remaining oil over medium-low. Place panini in skillet, oiled side up. Cover; cook until golden brown and cheese has melted, 5 to 8 minutes per side, pressing down with a spatula 3 to 4 times during cooking.

Meanwhile, make dipping sauce: In a small bowl, mix together jam and Dijon. Serve panini with sauce on the side.

Serves 2.

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Easy (and Cute) Mini-Bagel Sandwiches

I usually don't refer to food as "cute", but how can any sandwich made with a mini-bagel not be cute? I was looking for two things tonight when deciding what to make for dinner. First, I wanted to use up 4 oz. of cream cheese in my fridge. Second, I wanted something simple that didn't require any cooking or baking. This recipe for Roasted Red Pepper on Mini-Bagel Sandwiches fit the bill. These are really yummy. They aren't anything out of the ordinary, but they taste good and they're easy to make. And don't forget...they're cute.

This would be a good finger food to take to a picnic or serve at a party.

Roasted Red Pepper on Mini-Bagel Sandwiches

Source: Adapted from Cooking Light

1 (8 oz.) pkg. 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup minced green onions
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves -- minced
12 mini bagels -- halved and toasted
1 (12-ounce) bottle roasted red bell peppers -- rinsed, drained, and chopped

Combine first 5 ingredients.

Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over cut sides of bagels. Arrange the chopped red bell peppers evenly over bottom halves of bagels; top with top halves of bagels. Cut each sandwich in half.

Notes: I halved the recipe. I still used the whole 1/8 tsp. of black pepper, though. I used a 7 oz. bottle of roasted red peppers, too.

Easy vegetarian dinner from leftover ingredients

In an effort to use up leftover ingredients from recent recipes I've made, I decided to make these Black Bean Rice Burgers tonight for dinner. Actually, I have wanted to make these for a while now, but I never seemed to have all of the ingredients on hand. Tonight I just happened to have everything I needed in my fridge, in my pantry and sitting on my counter. I had leftover hamburger buns from the Cashew Chicken Salad Sandwiches and leftover sour cream and salsa from the Fiesta Chicken Pasta, so I decided to use them up in this recipe.

The original recipe had no chili powder or ground cumin in it, but I added 1/4 teaspoon of each since I wanted these burgers to have a nice smoky flavor. I also used a medium salsa to add more flavor and heat than a mild salsa would.

Make sure you coat your nonstick skillet generously with cooking spray to avoid sticking. Also, use a thin spatula and make sure you get it all the way under each of the whole burgers before flipping over gently. They're somewhat fragile and may lose their shape a little bit when you flip them, but they are really forgiving, so it's easy to reshape them by flattening them and patting around the outer perimeter with the spatula.

The sour cream/salsa mixture that accompanies these burgers is fantastic. Not only does it add flavor, but it also adds moisture, too. I think the burgers alone would be a bit blah and dry without it.

Serve with Veggie Crisps and purple and green grapes.


Black Bean Rice Burgers

Source: Adapted from Taste of Home

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup salsa, divided
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
4 lettuce leaves
4 hamburger buns, split

In a large bowl, mash beans with a fork. Add the rice, onion, egg, 2 tablespoons salsa, chili powder and cumin; mix well. Drop by 1/2 cupfuls into a large nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray. Flatten to 1/2-in. thickness. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until firm and browned.

In a small bowl, combine sour cream and remaining salsa. Place a lettuce leaf, burger and sour cream mixture on bun.

Yield: 4 servings

Busy Day, Easy Dinner

After a day consisting of waking up early, volunteering, researching and making online hotel reservations for three hotels (for a trip overseas to the Christmas markets in December), running errands and exercising, I wanted a quick, easy dinner. Since it's gotten really warm here (the A/C is back on again) and I didn't feel like "cooking", I thought I would make Cashew Chicken Salad Sandwiches for dinner tonight. I made prep time even simpler by picking up a rotisserie chicken at Publix on my way home today. Serve with Veggie Crisps and a BIG glass of Simply Lemonade for a delicious, filling and easy dinner. I'm already looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Cashew Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Source: Adapted from Cooking Light

1/4 cup light sour cream
1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
1/3 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted cashews
1 tablespoon finely chopped green onions
Salt and white pepper, to taste
2 (2-ounce) whole wheat hamburger buns

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring until well blended. Add chicken, celery, cashews, and green onions; stir well. Add salt and white pepper, to taste. Serve chicken salad on buns.

Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 2/3 cup chicken salad and 1 bun)

Notes: I used rotisserie chicken and Tandoori Seasoning from Penzey’s.