Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Pressed Cubano with Bacon

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon extravirgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 4 (3-ounce) Hawaiian rolls, sliced in half horizontally
  • 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
  • 8 (1/2-ounce) slices reduced-fat Swiss cheese, divided
  • 4 bacon slices, cooked and halved
  • 12 dill pickle slices
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
  • 6 ounces thinly sliced 33%-less-sodium ham
  • 2 ounces thinly sliced deli roasted turkey breast

Preparation

Combine oil and garlic.

Spread cut sides of rolls evenly with mustard. Place 1 cheese slice, 2 bacon halves, 3 pickle slices, and 1/2 teaspoon cilantro on bottom half of each roll. Divide ham and turkey evenly among bottom halves of rolls; top each serving with 1 cheese slice and top half of roll. Brush garlic oil evenly over outside of rolls.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 sandwiches to pan. Place a cast-iron or heavy skillet on top of sandwiches, and press gently to flatten. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until cheese melts and bread is toasted (leave cast-iron skillet on sandwiches while they cook). Repeat with remaining sandwiches.

Garlic oil gives these sandwiches a crisp, flavorful crust. Hawaiian rolls provide a slightly sweet contrast to the salty ham, pickles, and mustard. To make this easy supper even quicker to prepare, use precooked bacon. Serve with banana peppers.

Nutritional Information

Calories:432 (30% from fat)
Fat:14.5g (sat 6.3g,mono 4.1g,poly 1.2g)
Protein:27.1g
Carbohydrate:47.6g
Fiber:2.8g
Cholesterol:49mg
Iron:3.1mg
Sodium:1053mg
Calcium:292mg

**These sandwiches are awesome! Very quick and easy, everyone liked!

Friday, November 13, 2009

Knoephla Soup

1 Tbl. butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
6 cups water
3 Tbl. chicken base
1 bay leaf
4 medium potatoes (peeled and diced)
1 pint half and half or milk
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbl. parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 small bag knoephla dumplings ( about 1 1/2 lbs.)

In a medium-sized soup kettle, saute onion in butter. Add
water, chicken base, bay leaf, potatoes, and knoephla. Bring
to boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add milk or half
and half and seasonings, and simmer 5 to 10 minutes. Remove
bay leaf.

Makes 12 cups.


For those who prefer to make their own knoephla rather that
buy the frozen ones, you can use the following:

1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/2 cup water

Mix above ingredients and cut into boiling soup.