Roll-Up Sandwiches

This is a quick and easy way to change up the sandwich.  The sandwich above was made with provolone cheese, but I made variety with various types of cheese. 

Large Tortilla
Lettuce, shredded
Tomato, sliced
1/3 less fat cream cheese, flavor of your choice
Cheese slice, flavor of your choice

1. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on the tortilla.  Top with cheese, lettuce and tomato.  Roll up make sure that the ingredients to not fall out as you roll. 

Meatless Meatball Subs

This simple recipe is fast becoming a go to favorite for soccer practice evenings when I need something super speedy.  I use store-bought meatless meatballs and store-bought bread.  I do use my own marinara sauce. 

4 crusty sandwich rolls
1 package Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs
1 recipe My Veggie Table Marinara Sauce
8 slices provolone cheese
Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Warm the meatless meatballs in the marinara sauce until the meatballs and sauce are warm. 
2. Turn the oven to Broil
3. Split open the sandwich rolls and lay out on a foil lined baking sheet.  Top the rolls with meatballs and sauce, and 2 slices of provolone cheese.  Sprinkle the top of the provolone cheese with Parmesan cheese. 
4. Broil until the cheese is melted.  Serve warm and enjoy!

Grilled Cheese~Caprese Style

I made this special sandwich for my husband on Father's Day.  He asked for a grilled cheese sandwich, but I can never do anything half way when it comes to food.  So, I made him a grilled cheese sandwich based on of his favorite salads, a Caprese. 

Makes 1 Sandwich:
2 slices good sandwich bread
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 slice of a ripe tomato
1 fresh basil leaf
2 teaspoons Challenge Dairy Tuscan Style herbed butter

1. Preheat your griddle or frying pan.  Butter your bread with the Tuscan butter.  Starting with the bread butter side down, build the sandwich with the tomato, basil leaf and then the mozzarella cheese.  Place the bread on top, butter side out.
2. Cook the sandwich on your griddle or frying pan until golden brown.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes so that the tomato is not too hot. 

Vegetarain Reuben

This is a vegetarian twist on the classic Reuben.  I had a sandwich like this years ago at a vegetarian restaurant in the Fort Bragg, CA area (at least I think that is where were it was:-).  I have wanted for years to recreate it.  This is my attempt.  I served this with a Thousand Island dressing on the side.  I made my own my mixing 2 parts mayonnaise, with 1 part ketchup and 1 part chopped sweet pickle.  You can purchase a store bought version as well. 

12 ounces tempeh, cut into 1/8 inch thick slices
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
8 slices rye bread
4 teaspoons dijon mustard
4 slices swiss cheese
1/2 cup sauerkraut
Thousand Island dressing (see note above)

1. Place the tempeh slices into a saucepan of salted boiling water and simmer for 10 minutes.  Drain and pat dry
2. Heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add 1/4 of the tempeh and cook until lightly browned on each side.  Repeat this step until all the tempeh has been browned. 
3. Preheat an electric skillet while you brown the tempeh. Spray one side of each piece of bread with the cooking spray and spread the Dijon mustard on the other side of each slice of bead. 
4. Place one slice of bread (cooking spray side down)onto the prepared skillet, top this with tempeh, sauerkraut, once slice of cheese and the other slice of bread.  Flip as needed and cook until the cheese is melted. 
5. Serve immediately and enjoy.

Sloppy Moe's

Basically I have taken my standard Sloppy Joe recipe and substituted vegetarian soy crumbles for the ground beef or turkey that one would normally use.  Then I called them Moe'e because that rhymes with Joe's.  See what I did there. 

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 package vegetarian soy crumbles
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 cup tomato puree
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
hot sauce to taste
6 hamburger buns

1. Warm the oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Add the onion and garlic and cook until tender.  To this add the chili powder and soy crumbles, cooking the crumbles until slightly browned. 
2. Add the brown sugar, tomato puree, ketchup, water and hot sauce (if using).  Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the mixture is thickened, about 10 minutes. 

These calories are for the Sloppy Moe mixture only as the calories on hamburger buns will vary wildly. 

Serves 6 (1/2 cup) servings:  134 calories, 1 gram of fat, and 4 grams of fiber

Vegetarian Muffuletta

I made these sandwiches on Fat Tuesday and the family wolfed them down with gusto.  For ease I used a store bought focaccia bread, but of course you could make you own...or one from this very blog. 

For the Sandwich
2 yellow squash, cleaned and thinly sliced lengthwise
2 zucchini, cleaned and thinly sliced lengthwise
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
focaccia bread, cut
thinly sliced provolone cheese

For the olive topping:
2 large roasted red bell peppers (jarred)
8-10 large pimento stuff green olives, slice
2 pepperocini peppers, seeded and sliced
2 red pepper-dos also seeded and sliced
1/2 (4-ounce) can of sliced black olives
1 tablespoon low fat Italian dressing

1. Marinate the sliced yellow squash and zucchini in the oil and vinegar while your grill heats up.  I used a George Foreman grill for this recipe, but an outdoor grill or a grill pan would work as well. 
2. Combine the olive topping ingredients and set them aside
3. Cut the bread in half horizontally and then cut per serving size needed for your family. 
4. Grill the yellow squash and zucchini in batches for 5 minutes a batch. 
5. Top each sandwich bottom with a slice of cheese, some freshly grilled yellow squash/zucchini, and then some of the olive topping. 
6. Enjoy!

The calories on this recipe will differ greatly based on type of bread used and the amount of vegetables, olive spread, etc.  Therefore will not be including a calorie count. 

Tofu and Mushrooms Po Boys

This recipe is adapted from The Meat and Potatoes Cookbook. I added mushrooms and prepared the tofu differently. I am a firm believer in draining tofu via force. I would also like to note at this time that if you are wanting to buy Old Bay Seasoning make sure your community is not deep in Crab Feed season. I had to go to three different store to find this stuff and there was only one container left at that third store.



8 ounces tofu

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 lb white mushrooms, sliced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 cup dry Italian flavored Panko breadcrumbs
Old Bay Seasoning
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Romaine lettuce leaves
1 large ripe tomato, sliced
4 6-inch sandwich rolls

1. Slice the tofu lengthwise into 3 pieces and place those pieces on several layers of paper towels. Top the tofu with several more layers of paper towels and place a large cutting board on top of that. Then place something heavy like a sauce pan or tea kettle to give the whole thing some weight.
2. While your tofu is forcibly drained, warm 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and add the mushrooms. Saute the mushrooms until brown and then add the soy sauce. Place the mushrooms aside in a bowl.
3. Your tofu should be dry by now. Cut the tofu into chunks and place them into a large Ziploc bag with the bread crumbs. Toss the two together until the tofu is completely coated with the breadcrumbs.
4. Without cleaning out the skillet, warm 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-low heat. Place the breaded tofu in the skillet carefully. Allow it to brown on one side and then carefully turn the pieces to brown the other side. Once the tofu is brown according to your desire, add it to the mushrooms and add some Old Bay Seasoning to your taste.
5. Split the rolls lengthwise and spread both sides with the mayo. Line the bottom with the lettuce and tomato. Then top with the tofu mushroom mixture.

Calories do not include the roll as the calories on this item would vary so wildly. For the filling only the calories are 253 calories, 18 grams of fat and 1 gram of fiber. This recipe serves 4.

Falafel

This recipe is from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian cookbook. I have to say I was not sure about this recipe. I was worried that the chickpeas would not cook enough in the oil and frankly for a Southern girl I do not deep too many foods, so I was kind worried about burning down the house. In the end Mark Bittman did not let me down, as these were delicious. I am not including the calories on these as I am not sure how to calculate for the cooking oil. As always I have made some minor changes, but to learn what those you are going to have to buy the book!

1 3/4 cups dried chickpeas (will need to be soaked for 24 hours)

2 cloves of garlic

1 shallot, quartered

1 teaspoon ground corriander

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 scant teaspoon ground red pepper, or to taste

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

oil for frying

1. Pour the beans into a large pot and cover them water, about 3 to 4 inches over. Soak for 24 hours. They will triple in size. Check them a couple of times to see if you need to add more water to keep the level at just about 3 to 4 inches above the chickpeas.
2. Drain the beans well and transfer them to a food processor along with the remaining ingredients (except the oil, of course). Pulse until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. If needed, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water (I did not need it) to allow the machine to do its work, but keep the mixture on the dry side.
3. Pour about 2 inches of oil into a very deep, but narrow saucepan. The narrower the pan, the less oil you will need. Heat the oil on medium heat until it reached 350°F or when a pinch of the batter sizzles immediately.
4. While the oil heats, scoop out large spoon fulls of the batter and form them into balls or large patties. Set them near the oil on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Fry in small batches, without crowding until nicely browned, turning as needed; total cooking time 5 minutes per batch. Carefully remove each falafel from the oil and drain them on paper towels.
5. Serve warm in pita bread with Tzatziki Sauce and feta cheese.

A Vegetarian BLT!

This is not so much a recipe as it is an idea. This Summer I grew some tomatoes in pots on our back porch. Recent hot weather has made up ripe with tomatoes into October. My husband decided to make himself a BLT one night for dinner using Morning Star Farms Bacon Strips (photo below). This has long been my favorite vegetarian bacon and I wanted to show the product because I want people to know what they are looking for.

Four slices good quality sandwich bread

One tomato sliced

2 to 4 leaves of lettuce

Mayo if desire

Salt and Pepper to taste

• Just build the sandwich as you would any BLT only use the vegetarian bacon.

Black Bean Burger

You have until Sept 23rd to vote for me in the Project Food Blog Challange. All you need to do is click on the vote for me button in my Project Food Blog Challange Badge, which is to the left of this post. Thanks

This recipe is adapted from a recipe in How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman. You can use multiple types of beans for this recipe, but we chose black beans. As always I made some changes to the recipe, so if you want to see the original, you gonna have to buy the book!

14 ounce can black beans, drained with liquid reserved
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 cup rolled oats (not the instant kind)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 egg

1. Combine the beans, garlic powder, onion powder, oats, chili powder and egg in a food processors and pulse until completely pureed. Add the reserved bean liquid if you feel the desire consistence has not been reached. I did not need to do this.
2. With wet hands, shape into four equal sized patties. Place the patties on a plate and refrigerate for at least a hour.
3. Heat a non-stick skillet for about 30 seconds, add the patties and cook on each side for 5 minutes or until each patties is brown and firm.

Hummus Pita Sandwich

I used to have these for lunch when I worked at the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. A version of this sandwich was what our kosher kitchen made as a vegetarian option for lunch functions at the Federation. I used the hummus recipe from The Grit Restaurant Cookbook, but I made some alterations.

2 (15.5 ounce) cans chickpeas, drained with the liquid reserved
2 teaspoons ground cumin powder
3/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup tahini paste
coleslaw mix
10-12 pre-separated pita bread

1. Combine the first 8 ingredients in a blender and puree. Gradually add the reserved chickpea liquid until the desired consistency is achieved. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
2. Slice round pita in half and open them up like a pocket. Fill with hummus and cabbage.
3. Enjoy!

Ruben Hot Dogs

My mom and dad have been making these for years. I have no idea where the recipe came from. My mom may have just made it up. Anyway, it is a cheap and easy way to replicate the tastes of a Ruben. This recipe can easily be made vegetarian by using a tofu dog, which is what we do. Likewise it can be made vegan by using the tofu dog and replacing the cheese with a soy cheese. The dog above is on a whole wheat High Fructose Corn Syrup free bun. The Russian Dressing is my recipe and it also with out HFSC (the husband is doing an experiment...let that be warning to your ladies...this is life with a scientist). The quantities in this recipe are totally open as you can make as many and as few of these as your wish.

6 hot dog buns
1 to 2 tablespoons of Russian Dressing per dog
6 vegetarian hot dogs, cooked
4-6 cups of sauerkraut, warmed
6 slices of Swiss cheese (you can shred the cheese, but I just put the slices on top)

1. Heat the hot dogs and the sauerkraut on the stove first. Depending on the vegetarian dog you are using adjust your cook time. Some are more solid than others.
2. Spread each bun split side up on a foil covered cookie sheet. Spread about 1 to 2 tablespoons of dressing onto each bun. Top that with a split open hot dog. Top that with sauerkraut and a slice of Swiss cheese.
3. Place under a broiler for about 3 minutes...but keep an eye on it. You don't want a blackened Ruben hot dog.
   

Portobello-Steak Sandwich

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, sliced
4 large portobello mushrooms, stems removed, sliced
6 oz cremini mushrooms, stems removed, sliced
2 teaspoons dried orgeno
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 ounces thinly slice provolone cheese
4 crunchy crusted small rolls

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often until soft and browning. Add mushrooms, oregano, ground pepper and salt, and cook. Stirring often until the vegetables are tender and wilting.
2. Reduce heat to low, sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until completely incorporated. Stir in the broth and soy sauce, bring to a simmer and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until the mixture thickens just a bit. Remove from heat, lay the cheese over the top, cover and set aside for cheese to melt.
3. Divide mixture into 4 portions and serve on the rolls.
   

Egg Salad Sandwich

This recipe is based on an egg salad sandwich I once ate at Clary's Cafe in Savannah, GA. It had to be bar-none the best egg salad sandwich I ever tasted. I was not able to find a working web address for Clary's, but y'all might remember it from the book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Instead I will share with you a link to a Savannah, GA tourism guide which has a bit about the cafe.

I am not going to share with you my method for hard boiling eggs because it always results in green yolks. I always cool them down immediately and I even add some white vinegar to the water. Nothing works for me! So hard boil them as you see fit. You can use white bread for this recipe, but it won't taste as good.

2 hard boiled eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons light mayonaisse
2 teaspoons finely chopped dill pickle
1/8 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
2 slices of wheat bread

1. Peel the eggs and make certain that all the shell is gone. Mash the eggs with the back of a fork in a small bowl.
2. Add the mayonaisse, pickles and cheese. Mix until well combined.
3. Spread onto the wheat bread and enjoy.

Horseradish, Sun-Dried Tomato, Colby Jack Grilled Cheese Sandwich

4 slices of whole wheat bread

4 slices coldy jack cheese

4 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, rinsed and dried

2 teaspoons prepared creamy horseradish sauce

melted butter

1. Preheat your skillet, griddle or sandwich maker


2. Brush one side of each slice of bread with the melted butter


3. Spread the horseradish sauce on the inside of each piece of bread. Place the cheese against the horseradish with the tomotoes on the inside.


4. Put the sandwiches together, butter side out


5. Cook each sandwich until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted.

Pepper Jack Grilled Cheese Sandwich

4 slices whole wheat bread
4 slices peper jack cheese
1 tablespoon Spicy Ranch dressing (I use the one made by Hidden Valley Ranch--it is more ranchy than spicy)
melted butter

1. Preheat your skillet, griddle or sandwich maker
2. Brush one side of each slice of bread with the melted butter
3. Spread the dressing on the inside of each slice of bread and build your sandwich with the cheese slices.
4. Put the sandwiches together, butter side out.
5. Cook each sandwich until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted.
   
   
   
   
   

Colby Jack and Stone Ground Mustard Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

8 slices of bread
8 slices of Colby jack cheese
2 teaspoons of stone ground mustard, per sandwich
Unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat your skillet, griddle or sandwich maker
2. Brush one side of each slice of bread with the melted butter
3. Brush the inside of each slice of bread with the mustard and build your sandwich with the cheese slices.
4. Put the sandwiches together, butter side out.
5. Cook each sandwich until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted.
   

Pesto Olive Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

8 slices of whole wheat bread
8 slices of swiss cheese
about 2 teaspoons of pesto
about 2 teaspoons of chopped kalamata olives
melted unsalted butter, about 2 tablespoons

1. Prepare your skillet, griddle or sandwich maker accordingly. I use a waffle maker/griddle which has to be pre-heated
2. Brush one side of each slice of bread with the melted butter.
3. Build the sandwich as follows: bread, swiss cheese, pesto, olives, swiss cheese, and bread. The bread should be butter side out.
4. Place the sandwich on your skillet, griddle or sandwich maker and cook until cheese is melted and the bread is toasted.
5. Serve warm and enjoy!
   

Sloppy Sams

1 cup lentils, rinsed
3 cups water

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups chopped tomatoes

1/2 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon mustard powder

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 tablespoons molasses

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

1 pinch ground red pepper

hamburger buns

1. Carefully rinse and pick through lentil. Allow lentils to soak for 30 minutes in very hot tap water. Drain and combine with water and tablespoon of salt in large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low heat and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until warm, add the onions and cook until translucent and softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and cook for 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, ketchup, mustard powder, chili powder, molasses, Worcestershire Sauce, and ground red pepper. simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until thickened.
3. Drain the lentils and reserve the cooking liquid. Add the lentils to the sauce and cook until combined. Add the reserved liquid as needed to achieve the desired sloppy affect.
4. Serve on hamburger buns.

Falafel

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

3 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

4 gloves of garlic, crushed

2 large eggs

1 (15 oz) cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

4 tablespoons oil

Place all ingredients, except oil into a food processor. Process mixture until smooth. Divide mixture into 18 equal portions, and shape each portion into a patty. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add patties and cook about 5 minutes on each side or until patties are browned.

Serve with Tzatziki sauce, lettuce, tomato, and feta cheese on pita bread. You can either wrap the falafel and fixing up in the pita bread or you and get pocketed pita bread and serve it that way. For the sauce, I use a store bought. I have tried many at hope recipes, but in the end I always end up preferring the sauce I buy at Trader Joe's