Turkey, Pesto and Cranberry Melt

Yep, this is a messy, pumped-up grilled cheese sandwich and it is so good! Bonus: it's so easy. Make your own pesto and cranberry sauce or use store-bought. This classic pairing of turkey and cranberries, along with pesto and melty mozzarella, was on The Hopeless Housewife blog. 

Since I had some pesto leftover from making a pasta dish that I still need to post, I thought I'd throw this together as my daughter Elisa's going-away dinner. She left this morning for New York to sing at Carnegie Hall. Crazy and awesome! Anyway, we loved this sandwich. 

I used deli sliced turkey this time, but I'll use some good roasted turkey next time. You don't really need a recipe once you know the ingredients, but I'll give it to you anyway.

Turkey, Pesto and Cranberry Melt

6 slices of roasted turkey breast

6 slices fresh mozzarella cheese

4 T. basil pesto

6 T. fresh or canned cranberry sauce

4 slices sourdough bread, cut ½ – ¾ inch thick

Butter

Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat.

Spread the pesto on the sourdough bread, and then add turkey breast, cranberry sauce, and mozzarella cheese.

Place the sandwich into the skillet and let cook for a few minutes until cheese becomes melty, then flip the sandwich onto the other side and repeat until desired color and look is reached.

Loaded Chicken or Tuna Salad with Greek Yogurt Garlic Ranch Mayo

This sandwich, which is at Parsley, Sage and Sweet is truly loaded with veggies and good taste. I used rotisserie chicken to make it quicker to make. I don't know how much of the special mayo I added into the salad, but I don't like mine very wet, so it wasn't a whole lot. When making the mayo, I didn't use any buttermilk. And I added chia seeds. Have you tried them? This was my first time and I just learned a little about them.

Apparently chia seeds were an important part of Aztec and Mayan diets and besides providing fiber, has protein, calcium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus and other vitamins and minerals and provides antioxidants. They can be used as is (no soaking or cooking) so you can just sprinkle them on your food before eating or baking. And they don't really have a flavor so you don't have to worry about them changing the flavor of your food. I added a heaping tablespoon full into the salad and my daughter didn't even notice the seeds.

These were a huge hit here and are on my list to make again.

Loaded Chicken or Tuna Salad with Greek Yogurt Garlic Ranch Mayo

2 to 3 c. shredded chicken or 4 cans of white albacore tuna, drained

2 green onions, both the light and dark green parts, sliced

1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded and diced

1 yellow bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded and diced

1 small carrot peeled and grated or shredded

2 large stalks of celery, finely diced

1 very small red onion or one-quarter of a large red onion, diced

1 to 3 avocados, depending on taste, each half slightly mashed

Garlic Greek Yogurt Ranch Mayo (recipe follows)

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Greek Yogurt Garlic Ranch Mayo:

⅔ c. Greek Yogurt (Use all mayonnaise instead of yogurt, if desired)

2 to 3 T. mayonnaise

¼ c. chopped, fresh parsley

2 T. chopped, fresh chives

1 T. chopped, fresh dill weed

1 garlic clove, chopped

¼ t. garlic powder

½ t. onion powder

¼ c. buttermilk

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix in as much of the Greek Yogurt ranch mayo to the salad ingredients as you desire.

 

The secret  is to cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors of the chicken salad and yogurt ranch to really meld.

 

Serve as sandwiches, slightly mashing an avocado on top or spreading the avocado on one or both slices of bread then layering lettuce and tomato, if desired, or roll into whole wheat flour tortilla wraps or flatbread.

Hawaiian Grilled Cheese

I pinned this recipe a while ago from House of Yumm and my daughter Elisa really wanted it for dinner tonight. I gotta say, it was easy and really good. We used ham from the deli instead of Canadian Bacon.

Hawaiian Grilled Cheese

2 slices of bread

3 slices of pineapple, fresh or canned

3 slices canadian bacon

Shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Butter

Oregano and parsley

Butter one side of each slice of bread and sprinkle with parsley and oregano to taste

On non buttered side of bread place the shredded cheese, then the canadian bacon, pineapple, and top with the other slice of bread, buttered side facing up.

Cook sandwich on stove top on a griddle or frying pan. Once bread is toasted on one side flip the sandwich to toast the other side. Cook on a low heat to allow the cheese to melt while the bread is toasting.

French Onion Chicken Sandwich

Maybe because it's almost summer, I have been wanting to make lots of sandwiches and salads, like picnic food. I found this sandwich recipe at Foxes Love Lemons. I changed a few things. First, I marinated the chicken in buttermilk for tender chicken. Then I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper before grilling. I also mixed up ranch dressing and balsamic vinegar and spread that on the toasted buns and I also added tomatoes. Great recipe even if it was chilly and rainy when I grilled.

French Onion Chicken Sandwich

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 large white onion, thinly sliced

1 t. granulated sugar

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved crosswise and pounded to 1-inch thickness, if necessary

Nonstick cooking spray

4 slices Swiss cheese

4 hamburger buns

2 c. baby spinach

In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and sugar; cook 25 minutes or until onions are deeply caramelized, stirring frequently. This step can be done up to 3 days in advance. Re-warm onions in microwave or in a small pan on grill before proceeding.

Preheat grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat. Spray chicken with nonstick spray. Transfer chicken to hot grill rack; cover and cook 10 minutes or until chicken loses its pink color throughout and internal temperature reaches 160°, turning once.

Place cheese slices on chicken pieces. Cover and cook 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden brown. Build sandwiches using hamburger buns, spinach, chicken and caramelized onions.

Grilled Skirt Steak and Pepper Sandwiches with Corn Mayonnaise

Tried this for the first time and it is soooooo good! I found the recipe at Dining with Debbie. I did a few little changes. I went to buy the baguette a couple of hours before cooking time and the store was sold out of them. So I bought this sun-dried tomato and rosemary bread instead. Wow did it have a flavor pop!

I also marinated the flat iron steak I bought in soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. I'm not always good grilling steak, but this one came out tender and delish all on its own. I couldn't keep the kids away from it while I finished up the other parts of dinner.

I put the red peppers on top of the steak and had chopped the grilled onions and added it to the corn mayonnaise. I was going to use apple juice instead of red wine vinegar, but totally forgot. So gooooood, I tell ya!

Grilled Skirt Steak and Pepper Sandwiches with Corn Mayonnaise

2/3 c. mayonnaise
1 1/2 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. chopped fresh oregano
1 T. chopped fresh basil
1 small garlic clove, pressed
6 4-inch-long baguette sections or one 1-pound loaf ciabatta, halved horizontally
2 ears of corn, husked
2 small red bell peppers, quartered lengthwise
1 large red onion, cut into 1/3-inch rounds
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds skirt steak, cut crosswise into 6-inch pieces
Olive oil (for brushing)

Prepare barbecue (high heat). Whisk first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Set aside. Pull out some of inside of bread, forming thick shells. Brush corn, peppers, onion, cut sides of bread, and steaks with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill vegetables until charred and just tender and steaks until charred and cooked to medium-rare, about 15 minutes for corn, 8 to 10 minutes for peppers, and 5 to 8 minutes for onion, turning occasionally, and 3 minutes per side for steaks. Let steaks rest 5 minutes. Grill bread, cut side down, until charred, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Cut corn from cobs; add 1 cup to bowl with mayonnaise mixture and stir to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Cut steaks diagonally against the grain into 1/3- to 1/2-inch-thick strips. Arrange steak slices, peppers, and onion over bottom halves of bread. Spoon corn mayonnaise over. Top with bread, pressing slightly to compact.

Pomegranate Vinaigrette Steak Sandwiches

I decided to use the Pomegrante Vinaigrette from the Chicken, Spinach, and Blueberry Salad that I made recently on a steak sandwich. Since they're just sandwiches, I don't have exact amounts for a recipe, but this is what I put together. It was easy and tasty!

Pomegranate Vinaigrette Steak Sandwiches

Thinly sliced beef, grilled or cooked
Olive oil
Thinly sliced red onions
Sliced mushrooms
Lettuce or spinach
Tomato
Mayonnaise
Garlic, chopped
Balsamic vinegar
Pomegranate Vinaigrette (click for recipe)
Ciabatta rolls, split

Heat olive oil in small skillet. Sauté mushrooms and red onions until onions are translucent.

Mix mayonnaise, splashes of balsamic vinegar to taste and garlic in small bowl. Spread on split rolls.

Drizzle warm beef with generous amounts of Pomegranate Vinaigrette. Place beef on rolls. Top with mushroom/onion mixture and other sandwich toppings. Season with salt and pepper to taste.