Roasted Pepper And Goat Cheese Sandwich

October 9, 2008 by Susan

This is one of my go-to sandwiches on the weekends. After the gym I’m usually ravenous and want to eat something immediately and this sandwich is so quick to make, provided you already have the roasted peppers on hand. I highly recommend roasting the red peppers yourself instead of using the jar kind. It’s so easy, basically all you do is pop them in the oven. The only tedious part is after they are cooked when you have to peel the skins off and get the seeds out. In my opinion, the payoff is worth it. If you roast 4 or 5 peppers at a time, you will have a nice supply in the fridge for up to a week. Well, that’s if you live alone, like I do. Although this sandwich is easy to make it feels sorta…gourmet. And after sweating it up at the gym this simple, gourmet sandwich is a treat I can feel good about eating. This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten.

Here’s what you will need to make 2 sandwiches…

Recipe

4-5 large red bell peppers

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

2-3 cloves garlic, smashed

1 tablespoon capers

1 teaspoon chopped parsley

1 teaspoon chopped basil

5-6 large basil leaves, whole

goat cheese

good bread

red onion, sliced paper thin (optional)

Method

The Peppers:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place the whole peppers on a sheet pan and place in the oven for 40-50 minutes, until the skins are wrinkled and charred. Turn once or twice during cooking. Remove from oven and immediately cover tightly with aluminum foil and set aside for at least 30 minutes. You don’t want to burn your little fingers. Once they are cool enough to handle peel all the skins off each pepper and remove the seeds and stem. Rip the flesh of the peppers into thick strips and put them in a bowl with their juices.

To the bowl add the olive oil, balsamic, smashed garlic, capers, chopped parsley, chopped basil and some salt & pepper to taste. Voila, the peppers are done! I like to let this mixture blend for a few hours or even a day before preparing the sandwich, so the smashed garlic has a chance to flavor the peppers and oil. I prefer to add the whole garlic cloves smashed instead of chopping the garlic, eliminating the risk of eating a raw piece of garlic in the sandwich. It could be potent sometimes. These peppers will stay in the fridge covered for up to one week (if they last that long).

The Sandwich:

For one sandwich: Toast bread. Spread each half with goat cheese. If you love goat cheese (as I do) spread liberally. On top of the goat cheese on one half of the bread lay as many basil leaves in a single layer as will fit on your bread slice. On top of the basil leaves lay the red pepper slices. If you decide to include the red onion in this sandwich now is the time to place those slices on top of the peppers. I don’t always add the red onion as I find they have a tendency to linger long after the sandwich is gone. However, if you are careful to slice them super thin, it’s not so bad. If you love red onion, then feel free to slice to your desired thickness and glob them on. Cover with the other slice of bread and enjoy!

Roasted Pepper And Goat Cheese Sandwich

Author: Feasts And Fotos

Ingredients

4-5 large red bell peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2-3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon capers
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon chopped basil
5-6 large basil leaves, whole
goat cheese
good bread
red onion, sliced paper thin (optional)

Method

The Peppers:
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place the whole peppers on a sheet pan and place in the oven for 40-50 minutes, until the skins are wrinkled and charred. Turn once or twice during cooking. Remove from oven and immediately cover tightly with aluminum foil and set aside for at least 30 minutes. You don't want to burn your little fingers. Once they are cool enough to handle peel all the skins off each pepper and remove the seeds and stem. Rip the flesh of the peppers into thick strips and put them in a bowl with their juices.
To the bowl add the olive oil, balsamic, smashed garlic, capers, chopped parsley, chopped basil and some salt & pepper to taste. Voila, the peppers are done! I like to let this mixture blend for a few hours or even a day before preparing the sandwich, so the smashed garlic has a chance to flavor the peppers and oil. I prefer to add the whole garlic cloves smashed instead of chopping the garlic, eliminating the risk of eating a raw piece of garlic in the sandwich.
The Sandwich:
For one sandwich: Toast bread. Spread each half with goat cheese. If you love goat cheese (as I do) spread liberally. On top of the goat cheese on one half of the bread lay as many basil leaves in a single layer as will fit on your bread slice. On top of the basil leaves lay the red pepper slices. If you decide to include the red onion in this sandwich now is the time to place those slices on top of the peppers. I don't always add the red onion as I find they have a tendency to linger long after the sandwich is gone. However, if you are careful to slice them super thin, it's not so bad. If you love red onion, then feel free to slice to your desired thickness and glob them on. Cover with the other slice of bread and enjoy!

Steak N Eggs

September 5, 2008 by Susan

Some nights I just don’t feel like making a production out of cooking. In other words, I get lazy. I want something yummy, but quick. I saw Giada make this on her show once and it stuck in my mind, so I thought I would give it a try. I didn’t follow her recipe exactly – I didn’t put olive oil on the steaks because I sprayed my grill pan with Pam that contains olive oil. And, I used some butter to cook the egg in, not olive oil. I used my stove top Le Crueset grill pan and the steak came out great with wonderful grill marks. Next time I might broil it in the oven, in an attempt to not smoke out the place.

I am a big fan of goat cheese and I really like it in this dish. The heat from the egg gently melts the goat cheese so it becomes creamy. And once you cut into the egg, the yolk starts to run and you have a terrific gooey creamy mess to slather on each bite of steak. The parsely adds a nice freshness to this dish. In my opinion, almost everything is better with parsley.

Traditional combination of steak with eggs is most commonly seen on menus for breakfast. But really, it works well for any meal of the day. Personally, I can’t have a steak for breakfast….brunch, possibly. For dinner it was great. This recipe serves one.

Recipe

1 rib eye steak

1 tbsp herbs de provence

1 egg

1 tsp parsley

goat cheese (about a 1/2 inch slice)

salt & pepper

Method

Place grill pan over medium high heat on the stove top. I sprayed mine with Pam, as mentioned above. Season both sides of the steak with some salt and pepper and the herbs de provence. Grill away until it is cooked to your liking. Once the steak is done, set aside on a plate to rest for about 5 minutes. At this time, put some butter in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and crack an egg directly into the pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Place the egg directly onto the steak. Break up some small chunks of goat cheese and scatter all over the egg. Lastly, sprinkle parsley and serve.

Giada’s recipe can be found here…

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/everyday-italian/grilled-tuscan-steak-with-fried-egg-and-goat-cheese-recipe/index.html

Steak N Eggs

Author: Feasts And Fotos

Ingredients

1 rib eye steak
1 tbsp herbs de provence
1 egg
1 tsp parsley
goat cheese (about a ½ inch slice)
salt & pepper

Method

Place grill pan over medium high heat on the stove top. I sprayed mine with Pam, as mentioned above. Season both sides of the steak with some salt and pepper and the herbs de provence. Grill away until it is cooked to your liking. Once the steak is done, set aside on a plate to rest for about 5 minutes. At this time, put some butter in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and crack an egg directly into the pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Place the egg directly onto the steak. Break up some small chunks of goat cheese and scatter all over the egg. Lastly, sprinkle parsley and serve.

Tuna Fish Sandwich

August 28, 2008 by Susan

You might be thinking – who can’t make a basic tuna fish sandwich?! Well, that’s just it, mine is anything but basic. I jazz mine up. My dad says it seems like alot of work for just a tuna fish sandwich. He just slops mayo on the tuna and throws in some red onion. Probably the reason I never really loved a tuna sandwich while growing up. My version has three ingredients that might seem a bit odd. The first is cilantro. If you are one of those people that does not like cilantro, I feel bad for you. I like it and it really works well in this. The second is wasabi horseradish. It provides the perfect little kick to this sandwich. If you don’t want to mix it in with the tuna because you are frightened of it, you can just spread some on the bread like you would mayo. The third is the avocado. I love avocado! If you don’t like avocado, well, I feel even worse for you than I do those that don’t like cilantro. The avocado REALLY does something spectacular to this sandwich. Once you put it on the warm, toasted bread it starts to melt slightly and provides a terrific creamyness to the sandwich. I really love this version and I promise, it’s not alot of work. It’s simple. Here’s what you do…

Recipe

1 can albacore tuna (in water) drained

2 tbsp finely chopped carrots

2 tbsp finely chopped celery

1 1/2 tbsp chopped cilantro

1 tbsp mayo (or nayonaise)

1/2 tbsp wasabi horseradish (optional)

1/2 avocado

Toasted bread

Method

Alrighty…pop the bread into the toaster. Please pick up some really good bread. I use sliced whole wheat, good rustic bread. Chop the carrots and celery and put into a bowl with the tuna. Add the chopped cilantro. Next, add in the mayo and the wasabi horseradish. I am not one of those people that like alot of mayo, I like just a little, to moisten things. But if you like to drown your tuna fish, then go right ahead, who am I to judge? Toss together to combine. Set aside.

Slice half of the avocado into strips, lengthwise. At this point, the bread should be just about ready. Arrange all the slices of avocado on one of the bread slices.

I usually have one or two pieces left over, which I happily just eat with my fingers. Spoon the tuna mixture on top of the avocado slices and top with the other piece of toast. Voila!

Tuna Fish Sandwich

Author: Feasts And Fotos

Ingredients

1 can albacore tuna (in water) drained
2 tbsp finely chopped carrots
2 tbsp finely chopped celery
1½ tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tbsp mayo (or nayonaise)
½ tbsp wasabi horseradish (optional)
½ avocado
Toasted bread

Method

Alrighty...pop the bread into the toaster. Chop the carrots and celery and put into a bowl with the tuna. Add the chopped cilantro. Next, add in the mayo and the wasabi horseradish. Toss together to combine. Set aside.
Slice half of the avocado into strips, lengthwise. Arrange all the slices of avocado on one of the bread slices.
Spoon the tuna mixture on top of the avocado slices and top with the other piece of toast. Voila!

Baked Fish with Roasted Potatoes and Fennel

August 20, 2008 by Susan

Boy, do I love a one pot meal. Technically, this is a 2 pot meal, but if you make the sauce ahead of time (which I like to do) then this is, in the end, a one pot meal. No reason this sauce can’t be made up to a few days ahead and then just added to the dish at the right time. This recipe was adapted from Cooking Light, I really only made a few changes. The first is, I did not add the fennel seeds, not because I don’t like them, but because I just didn’t have any on hand. (Mental note to self to buy some). Also, I shorted the original amount of orange rind because…well….I was scared. Yes, a little scared to be adding orange rind to a tomato sauce. Just seemed odd to me. But it worked!! So have no fear my friends. A quick note about this Salmoriglio Sauce. You don’t really need it. This dish is wonderful without it. But, if you want to go the extra mile, I’ve included the recipe. I did go the extra mile and made it (very simple) and it is a nice touch sprinkled over the fish just before eating.

This meal is light. It’s healthy. And it’s delicious. And it’s also rather pretty to look at, isn’t it? My version of this recipe serves 4. You might have some extra sauce leftover which would be rather tasty over a little pasta the following night when you really just don’t feel like cooking. So, here’s what you do…

Recipe

3 cups (1 pound) red potatoes, cut into 1/8 inch slices

1 large fennel bulb, sliced thin

1 tablespoon olive oil (roughly)

1/2 teaspoon each of salt & pepper

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

2 garlic cloves

3/4 cup white wine

4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/2 tablespoon orange rind

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, chopped

4 6-ounce halibut fillets (or any other firm white fish)

Method

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine potatoes, fennel, 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, some salt & pepper in a baking dish and toss gently to coat. Bake for 30 minutes.

In a skillet on the stove top, heat 1/2 teaspoon olive oil. Add fennel seeds (or not) and garlic, saute for one minute. Add some salt & pepper, wine, 1/2 of the parsley, orange rind (don’t be scared!), oregano and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes.

Sprinkle fish fillets with some salt & pepper. Arrange fillets over the potato mixture and then spread the tomato mixture over the fillets. Don’t drown them to death, just coat a nice layer over them, enough so it starts spilling over into the potato/fennel mixture. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes or until the fish flakes easily. Sprinkle with the remainder of the parsley. Sprinkle some salmoriglio sauce over fillets (or not).

Salmoriglio Sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt & pepper to taste

Wisk all ingredients together. Easy enough!!

Baked Fish with Roasted Potatoes and Fennel

Author: Feasts And Fotos

Ingredients

3 cups (1 pound) red potatoes, cut into ⅛ inch slices
1 large fennel bulb, sliced thin
1 tablespoon olive oil (roughly)
½ teaspoon each of salt & pepper
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 garlic cloves
¾ cup white wine
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
½ tablespoon orange rind
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, chopped
4 6-ounce halibut fillets (or any other firm white fish)
Salmoriglio Sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt & pepper to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine potatoes, fennel, ½ tablespoon olive oil, some salt & pepper in a baking dish and toss gently to coat. Bake for 30 minutes.
In a skillet on the stove top, heat ½ teaspoon olive oil. Add fennel seeds (or not) and garlic, saute for one minute. Add some salt & pepper, wine, ½ of the parsley, orange rind (don't be scared!), oregano and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes.
Sprinkle fish fillets with some salt & pepper. Arrange fillets over the potato mixture and then spread the tomato mixture over the fillets. Don't drown them to death, just coat a nice layer over them, enough so it starts spilling over into the potato/fennel mixture. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes or until the fish flakes easily. Sprinkle with the remainder of the parsley. Sprinkle some salmoriglio sauce over fillets (or not).
For the sauce, just whisk all ingredients together.