Monte Cristo Sandwiches

The other day, at Disneyland, we walked by a restaurant near Pirates of the Caribbean and it smelled divine! Mark decided to look it up and it seemed that restaurant's speciality was Monte Cristo Sandwiches. Mark then made it his personal mission to find the recipe online and to have it for dinner. Thanks to pinterest, he found it and we had it for dinner last night. It definitely isn't healthy and it definitely isn't something I'll make on a regular basis, but it is a fun treat every once in a while. It's kind of a cross between breakfast and dinner and would be a fun, fancy breakfast for a special day. I doubled the recipe, but I'll post the original.

Ingredients:
1 Pepperidge Farm Frozen Puff Pastry
8 slices of Black Forest Ham
4 slices swiss cheese
1 egg
1 tbsp water
powdered sugar
maple syrup, jam, dijon mustard

Directions
Preheat oven to 400
Beat egg and water in a bowl
Unfold pastry and on a floured surface roll out into a 12x12 inch square (it doesn't really require too much rolling and you need plenty of flour because it sticks!)
Cut into four 6 inch squares and brush egg mixture onto edges
Place 2 slices of ham and one slice of cheese near one corner of each square
Fold each square over, corner to corner, to form a triangle and press edges together
Brush each pastry with egg mixture and place on baking sheet
Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with either maple syrup, jam, or dijon mustard

French Dip Sandwiches in a Crockpot

From Confections of a Foodie Bride

If you are craving a big, meaty, warm sandwich this is a great recipe and it's so easy, especially since its in the crockpot all day. Perfect for a cold day and perfect for a get together. We made this Monday and had a bunch of friends over. I doubled the recipe and it easily served 8 adults and a few kids with a tiny bit of left overs (granted some of the man adults ate more than one). Everyone raved about it!


Ingredients: (I doubled this recipe - this is the original)

• 1 medium yellow onion (I used a sweet onion - no prob)

• 3/4 cup beef broth/stock (Make sure to get  low sodium. If you can't find that, don't salt your meat, or at least go easy on the salt. I used regular sodium and salted my meat and it was a bit salty.)

• 1/4 cup soy sauce (go low sodium on this too)

• 1/2 cup water

• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1 Tbsp creole mustard (I just used some dijon with a bit of ketchup)

• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

• ~3lb chuck roast

• salt

• pepper

• 6-8 sandwich rolls, split (I used the french sandwich rolls you get in a bag - they look like subs)

• 6-8 slices of provolone or swiss cheese

Instructions

1. Slice the onion into 1/4-inch rounds. Place them in the bottom of the crockpot.
2. Add beef broth, water, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustard/ketchup, and garlic to the crockpot. Just drop a dollup of mustard and ketchup in the liquid between a few onion rounds.
3. Salt and pepper both sides of the roast and place on top of the onions. (remember my salty warning)
4. Cook on low 6-8 hours until beef is fall-apart tender
5. Transfer the roast to a cutting board or bowl and shred. While the meat is out you can skim the fat off the top of the liquid - I didn't - too much work. 
6. Return the roast to the crockpot - switch the crockpot to warm. 
7. Before you eat heat the broiler. Make your sandwich by spooning some meat onto the bread, add some cheese, and broil open faced for a few minutes until cheese is melty and bread is slightly toasted.
8. Serve with small bowls of the au jus.

Open faced Turkey Pesto Sandwiches

I made this while mom was here. YUM!! We had it for lunch two days in a row.

Ciabatta bread (or something similar)
Mayo
Pesto (I use the recipe from mom's cookbook)
Turkey (a thicker slice is better. I used a natural brand from costco. It was honey roasted and the sweetness added the perfect flavor)
Tomatoes
Mozarella cheese

Preheat oven on broil setting. Slice bread. Spread on a bit of mayo, then a decent amount of pesto. Lay on the turkey, tomato, and mozarella slices. Place in the broiler for about 5 minutes (keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn). Devour!

Shredded Pork Sandwiches

Recipe from My Baking Addiction

I'm giving up on remembering to take pictures. Even when I do remember they turn out very unappetizing looking. Anyway, I'm pretty sure this is a recipe Katelyn uses too, but since she hasn't posted it on here, I will. I found it on her pinterest page and tried it. YUM! We all loved it. Tyler devoured a whole sandwich, plus some on the side that he dipped in ketchup (that kid and ketchup!). I especially like that it isn't cooked in bbq sauce. It seems like the recipes that require that are way too saucy and strong. So, what are you waiting for - give it a try!

1 large Vidalia onion, sliced thin

2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (4-6 lb) boneless pork butt or shoulder - I've also tried it with bone-in and it worked just fine
¾ cup cider vinegar
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (with Tyler in mind, I only used 1 tsp)
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoons dry mustard
½ teaspoon garlic salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (same here - I just dashed some in)

Don't forget the whole wheat hamburger buns!

DIRECTIONS:

1. Rinse pork roast under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. 

Tips: 1)My pork had a HUGE, THICK "fat cap" (and yes, it really is called that - I googled it) that I had the privilege of sawing off. I wasn't expecting that step.
2) Be careful opening your package of meat! Maybe it was just my package but I opened mine on a flat cutting board and juice/blood ran everywhere. I would try opening it on a plate or in a bowl or something to contain the flood of juice that is bound to follow.
Basically, preparing the meat for this recipe is kind of messy. Pick one spot of your kitchen to prepare this and then clean thoroughly - don't forget that sink that now has raw meat juice incubating in it. 

2. Place onions in crock-pot. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, paprika, kosher salt and pepper; mix thoroughly. Rub mixture all over roast and place the roast on top of the onions.

3. In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, Worcestershire, red pepper flakes, sugar, mustard, garlic salt and cayenne pepper; whisk to combine. Drizzle about 1/3 of vinegar mixture over roast. Cover and refrigerate remaining vinegar mixture.

4. Cover crockpot; cook on low for 10-12 hours. Drizzle about 1/3 of reserved vinegar mixture over roast during last ½ hour of cooking.

5. Remove meat and onions; drain. Chop or shred meat and onions. Serve with remaining vinegar mixture or your favorite barbeque sauce. (We used some Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce and it added the perfect amount of flavor to the sandwich. We just spread some on the bread like you would mayo or something.)

PS I think Katelyn makes coleslaw to go with this and I imagine that would be great! I'm just too lazy. 

Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

This was pretty good! I think it needs some polishing before I say very good though. Tyler ate it as long as it was smothered in ketchup. Mark said it tasted "healthy" which is his go to adjective for anything I make that is... wait for it ... healthy. Don't worry, he assures me healthy also means good - just not In-n-out or pizza good. He did eat two so it couldn't have been too horrible. I will make this man a health nut yet! My biggest complaint is that it needed more flavor so next time I will up the seasoning.  


Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers
From Healthy Happy Lifemakes 7-8 large patties

2 cans cannellini white beans, drained
1 large sweet potato, baked/peeled/mashed (about 2 cups)
2 Tbsp tahini (I think this may be a little much. I felt like I could taste this more than I could the sweet potato)
2 tsp maple or agave syrup
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning OR Cajun seasoning (or another fave spice!) (I used both lemon pepper and some good ol' steak seasoning and next time I'm using more!)
1/4 cup wheat flour
optional: additional seasoning (whatever you have on hand - I used a few dashes cayenne, black pepper and a scoop of nutritional yeast) (I used powdered garlic, powdered onion, some chili powder, and nutritional yeast. I think seasoning salt would be good - maybe some cumin or something. Really I don't think you can go wrong. Like I said it definitely needs it for flavor).
salt to taste if needed

plentiful Panko crumbs
safflower oil for pan (I used olive oil)

burgers: avocado, Dijon mustard, grain buns, romaine, onion, (we also added tomato and ketchup).

Directions:

1. Bake sweet potato. Peel, place in large mixing bowl.
2. Add drained beans to mixing bowl. Mash beans and potato together.
3. Mash in seasoning, flour and any additional seasoning. Your mixture will be quite soft and moist. But you should be able to form a patty. Add more flour or a scoop of breadcrumbs - or dry rice to thicken the mixture if needed.
4. Heat 1 Tbsp safflower oil in a pan over high heat.
5. Form a patty from mixture and coat in Panko crumbs. Thick coating. Then drop the patty in the pan. Repeat until the pan is filled. Cook until browned on both sides. You could also bake. If baking, use less Panko.
6. Transfer cooked patties to paper towel. Cool for a few minutes.
7. Serve on toasted bun with lotsa toppings.

Black Bean-Quinoa Burgers

Since most of the junk you guys post on here are things I cannot eat, I thought I would force you guys to look at some other options. This is a veggie-burger that is totally yummy and great for you! The consistency of the patty is not necessarily meat-like. It has a much squishier texture, but don't let that disappoint you. The flavor is awesome--even Jordan and Andrew said they liked it. Just don't expect it to taste or feel like hamburger.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 6 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped (I used the already chopped kind, and just made sure to have 1/4 cup)
• 1 1/2 cup cooked black beans, or 1 15-0z. can of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbs. steak seasoning
• hamburger buns

Directions

1. Stir together quinoa and 1 1/2 cups water in a small saucepan, and season with salt, if desired. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed. (You should have 1 1/2 cups quinoa)
2. Meanwhile, place onion and sun-dried tomatoes in medium non-stick skillet, and cook over medium heat. (The oil left on the tomatoes should be enough to saute the onion.) Cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until onion has softened. Stir in 3/4 cup black beans, garlic, steak seasoning, and 3/4 cup water. Simmer 9-11 minutes, or until most liquid has evaporated.
3. Transfer bean-onion mixture to food processor (or blender) add 3/4 cup cooked quinoa, and process until smooth. Transfer to bowl, and stir in remaining black beans and quinoa. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and cool.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and generously coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Shape bean mixture into 8 patties (this gets pretty sticky and messing, just warning you), and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes, or until patties are crisp on top. Flip patties with spatula, and bake 10 minutes more, or until both sides are crisp.
5. Now serve on buns with whatever fixings you want on your delicious burger!

Get excited and be ready to see some more awesome veggie recipes on here! Don't be too chicken to try them out. :)