Tuna Salad Melt with Hearty Wheat Bread

Bread puts a smile on my face. Tasty bread puts a bigger smile on my face. Healthy tasty bread is an added bonus. Thanks to the Tastemaker program from Foodbuzz, I received a delicious loaf of bread to sample once again from Nature's Pride. It was good timing too as I had just finished the last bit of bread I had around the house. No bread in my house is a sad day. This time it was a loaf of their Hearty Wheat with Flax.

Let's just say that Nature's Pride Hasn't disappointed me yet. :) Of course with any bread the first thing that comes to my mind is a good ol' sandwich. This one is a nice tuna salad melt. It's got your typical tuna salad mixes like a tiny bit of may and sweet relish. This version has that with a little tropical twist of pineapple with some paprika, extra virgin olive oil and crushed cracker to give it a little crunch. Topped with some delicious slices of cheese and my all too favorite fruit...the avocado. Yes, the avocado is a fruit, if you didn't know. It's just treated and tastes like it's a vegetable. That's your fun food fact for the day. Put all that between two delicious slices of the Hearty Wheat bread and cooked it up like a grilled cheese sammy in ol' Georgie. This was my solution to an easy-peasy "I-don't-know-what-to-eat" kind of lunch.  

Makes 2 sandwiches.

Tuna Salad Melt

1 5oz can tuna (in oil)
1 tsp mayo
1 tsp paprika
1 Tbsp sweet relish
1/8 c crushed crackers (saltine)
1/8 c pineapple tidbits (with juice)
pinch of salt and pepper

4 sliced bread (Nature' Pride Hearty Wheat with Flax Seed)
Dijon mustard
2-4 slices mozzarella
butter
1 small ripe avocado sliced


To make the tuna salad portion, Drain most but not all the oil from the can. Mix in the mayo, paprika, sweet relish, cracker, pineapple, salt and pepper. Mix together well, then set aside.

Note: if you have tuna in water, drain the water and add a tbsp of extra virgin olive oil.

Preheat your skillet on medium heat.

Assemble the sandwich, lightly butter one side of each slice of bread. Then lightly spread some dijon mustard on the opposite sides of each slice of bread. Place half the tuna on the dijon mustard side, followed by some avocado slices and a couple slices of mozzarella. Top with the other slice of bread. dijon side in.

Place the sandwich on the skillet and heat until toasted. Roughly 5 minutes. Place something heavy like a place with a canned good over the sandwich to help flatten the sandwich and help melt the cheese. Repeat the same process for the other side.

Serve warm.

Sausage Patty Sandwich

I've been meaning to post this since the past week... Been so busy with work I haven't had time for much. I have so much to catch up on. But now that the holiday break is here, I can catch up on all non-work related stuff like cooking and baking, reading up on blogs. So I finally used up one of the sausages and cheese that I had received from Hickory Farms via the Tastemaker program from FoodBuzz. (Thanks again for the free samples!) Remember this little package I blog about several weeks ago? The one I got from Hickory Farms. (View post here)

  I used up one of the Beef Summer Sausage and some of the Three Cheese and onion wedge (the white triangle wedge on the top) I ground up the sausage in my little food processor and  and made two nice sausage patties with them. I paired it Honey and Pineapple mustard and a fried egg. I actually like the three cheese and onion. You can definitely taste the different flavors in them. I do wish I had more. Maybe someone will give me one for a gift on Christmas. It was a totally delicious last minute dinner idea. When in doubt...go for a sandwich. 


Makes 2 sandwiches.

Sausage Patty Sandwich


4 slices of bread (your choice)
1 stick Hickory Farms Beef Summer Sausage
3-5 slices Hickory Farms Three Cheese and Onion (Cheese)
Hickory Farms Honey and Pineapple Mustard
3 eggs
2/3c panko crumbs
extra virgin olive oil




Rough chop the sausage into sizeable chucks and grind in  your food processor.  Once the sausage is ground add in the egg and panko crumbs. Mix thoroughly and divide into two balls. Shape into sizable patties.


Heat a skillet and cook the patties for roughly 5-10 minutes on medium to high heat. Flip halfway through.


Toast the bread and spread some of the honey and pineapple mustard. Place the sausage patty on one of the slices of bread and divide the cheese slices between the two sandwiches.


In the same skillet where you had cooked the sausage, pour a tiny drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. When the oil is hot, fry up the eggs. (one per sandwich) 


When the egg is done place on the sandwich and top with another slice of bread.


Serve warm.

Chicken Burger

I'm a dork!!! I've been meaning to post this recipe for the past couple of weeks. It's literally been sitting in draft mode on my blogger dashboard. I keep telling myself that I will post it "tomorrow" and tomorrow passes and it becomes a couple weeks. So, I've finally kicked my behind and FINALLY posted it.

Anyway, I'm digging those sandwich thins from Orowheat. Rather than having a really big burger bun, I can have myself a couple nice pre-sliced pieces of bread. I remember having some ground chicken in the freezer and one of the first things that come to mind were chicken burgers. I added a simple seasonings here and there like salt, pepper, and a green onion. Also, a dash of soy sauce and some panko crumbs. Chicken in any form is one of those meats you've got to season or you'll find yourself with a bland piece of meat. The interesting thing about ground chicken that I noticed is that it doesn't shrink as much as burgers do when grilled.

Here's a simple juicy chicken burger for your summer grilling.

Serves 2.

Grilled Chicken Sandwich

1/2 lb ground chicken
2 green onion - chopped
1 tsp soy sauce
pepper
1/3 c panko crumbs
1 medium tomato - sliced
4-slices of bread
 shredded mozzarella cheese

In a bowl mix together the green onion, panko, soy sauce. and season with a little salt and pepper.

Divide into two equal patties. Set aside.

Prepare your grill or skillet. When ready grill each side 2-4 minutes until is forms a nice light brown crust.When cooked. Let the patties rest for a couple minutes to let the juices redistribute.  Toast your bread, or bun and spread some mayo and/or mustard. Top with a couple slices of tomato and Voila.

Best enjoyed warm with a nice soda to wash it down.

Grilled Tofu Sandwich with Korean Bean Sprouts

Tofu strikes again. I had half of the tofu from the stir-fry left, so I decided to marinate them in a bbq sauce mix the night before. The next day, I brought it out from the fridge and prepared good ol' Georgie -- That's my George Foreman grill for those how are wondering. I also had another bag of fresh bean sprout and made the Korean side dish, sukjunamul. It relatively easy to make, which is really great. The nice thing about tofu is that is can absorb flavors you basically put it with.

Oh yeah...my mom was at the grocery one day and found these wheat sandwich thins from Orowheat. They look like round flatbread and come presliced. I found them to be pretty neat. They're great to use as burger buns, too, which you'll see in a few days.

Grilled Tofu Sandwich with Korean Bean Sprouts

3 firm tofu
1 small pita bread ot thin sandwich bread
 sukjunamul - korean bean sprout (recipe below)

marinade
1/2 c soy sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp yellow mustard
1 1/2 Tbsp ketchup
1 tsp lemon juice

Slice the tofu in the 1-inch thick slices.

Mix the ingredients of the marinade together. Drizzle over the slices of tofu coating them liberally. Let the tofu sit for at least 1-hour. Best if over night.

Prepare a skillet or your grill. When it is hot enough, cook both sides roughly 5 minutes until it get s nice crisp crust to it.

Toast some bread and lay a tofu steak on one slice. Top with a nice generous helping of the bean sprouts and top with another slice of bread.


Sukjunamul

12 oz fresh bean sprouts
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp sesame oil
1 small garlic clove - minced
1 green onion - fine shopped
1 tsp sesame seeds

Bring a small pot or sauce pan of water to a boil seasoned with some salt. Add the bean sprouts and boil them for roughly 2-4 minutes. Drain them from the water and cool. Sprinkle the salt, and mix well.  Let it sit for 2 minutes then squeeze out the excess water. Add the sesame oil, garlic, green onion ans sesame. Toss together. Set aide for 30 minutes before serving. You may add a little more salt or some soy sauce for more flavor.

Proscadopple

Huh? Proscadopple. Don't you know? Prosciutto, Avocado and pineapple. It took me a while to combine them, but there you go. hahaha... Yet, there I go again with combining words. But this is just a regular ol' sandwich. I like to think of it as a cousin of the BLT. Sort of.

Made a little sauce spread to go along with it. A simple thousand island like concoction of ketchup, mayo, relish and paprika. Cook up the prosciutto like bacon. Toast up some bread, spread the sauce, place the prosciutto on top followed by some pineapple slices and avocado. Simple easy the saltiness of the prosciutti balances well with the pineapple.

Oh...Happy Cinco de Mayo.

Makes 2 sandwiches

Proscadopple (Prosciutto, Avocado, Pineapple)

4 slices of bread
4-6 slices prosciutto
1 small avocado - sliced
2 round slices of pineapple - drained of juice
 cheese

Spread
1 Tbsp Mayo
1 Tbsp Ketchup
1 tsp sweet pickled relish
1/2 tsp paprika

Mix the ingredients of the spread in a small bowl and set aside.

In a skillet, cook the prosciutto until browned and slightly crisp. Place on a paper towel to drain of any oil.

Toast the bread. Then generous helping of the spread on each of the slices.  Divide the prosciutto among the two sandwiches. Top with the avocado and pineapple and the top slice of bread.

Seared Ahi Sandwich

After a day of hiking, I arrived home and went straight for the kitchen. I open the fridge and what do I see? (Besides a nearly empty shelves) ... A fresh slab of sushi grade ahi tuna. My eyes widened with delight. *twinkle sparkle* But I would have to wait the next day as it was already late for me too cook something up. Plus, I was tried from the day. I had done a 3-mile hike location scout for a project I'm doing this summer. *hint hint*

The next day rolls around and excitement sets in as I prepare lunch. I turned it into somewhat straight forward sandwich. No lettuce or tomato filling. Just a simple fresh ginger mayo spread. I do a quickly marinate the tuna in some soy sauce with lemon. That's it. Nothing else. Then sear it for close to a minute on each side. Toast up a couple pieces of bread or a nice big roll. Spread some of the ginger-mayo, place a few slices of the ahi tuna and chow down. It a little something I like to consider as sashimi in a sandwich.

Makes 2 sandwiches

Seared Ahi Sandwich

1 fresh fillet ahi tuna - sushi grade
4 slices of bread or 2 kaiser rolls
1/2 soy sauce
Juice of half lemon

Mayo-Ginger Spread
1 1/2 Tbsp mayo
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp hot sauce


Combine the soy sauce and lemon juice in a shallow dish and marinate the ahi tuna on each side for a few minutes.

Heat some olive oil (just enough to coat the bottom) in a skillet. Place the ahi tuna in the skillet and sear the meat for 30-60 second per side. You'd still want the inside to be nice and pink. Once the fish is seared. Let is rest for a couple of minutes on a plate covered with foil to let the juices redistribute then slice into 1/2-inch pieces.

Combine the ingredients of the spread in a small bowl and toast the bread.

Spread a generous helping of the spread on the bread and divide the slices between the two sandwiches. Enjoy warm,

Classic Tuna Sandwich

This is one of those memory lane foods. Imagine yourself back at your grade school lunch area. You open your little lunchbox or brown little bag and what do you find inside. Juice to quench you thirst, maybe some fruit, cookies or chips, maybe a thermos full of soup. Then there's the main attraction. The sandwich. I would always get a sandwich for lunch. I believe it was ham and cheese on white bread. I'd take a bite and I'd find it slightly odd how the bread would stick to the roof of my mouth. Then there would be other days when I'd get a different sandwich. I liked those days. It wold be a the classic tuna sandwich. A nice blob of tuna, mayo, relish between two slices of bread.

I decided to revisit those days and created a tuna sandwich with the regular mix-ins, but with the addition of some fine chopped baby carrots and panko crumbs. I made those cheese crispies again and added slices of avocado to the sammies. I pressed them in ol' Georgie (I didn't want the bread to stick to the roof of my mouth. I still find it an odd feeling). Oh, the memories. I guess the little orange peep likes the sandwich, too.

Makes 4 small sandwiches

Classic tuna sandwich

1 can tuna - water drained
1-2 Tbsp Mayo
2 Tbsp sweet relish
3 baby carrots - fine chopped
1/4 c panko crumbs
4 bread rolls
4 cheese crispies
1 small ripe avocado - sliced


In a bowl, mix together the tuna, mayo, relish,, carrots, panko. Divide the mixture between the 4 rolls and top with a few slices of avocado and cheese crisp.

Using a press, heat the sandwich until the bread it slightly toasted. If using a skillet, place a plate over the sandwich followed by a 12oz can to apply pressure. Cook on medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Flip to the other side and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

Tomato Avocado Sandwich

This is one of those sandwiches that I ate quite frequently during my post-college days. I ate it quite a bit as a budget conscious strategy. Well, I'm still budget conscious. But at the time it was really a budget crunch especially with just having graduated.I think most of you readers know that I love avocado, so it should no surprise that I'd plop in between to slices of bread. It's actually better than my other sandwich option. A mayo sandwich. Can you guys what ingredients go into that? Anyway...it's always nice to revisit eats that I used to constantly eat on a nearly daily basis.

Makes 2 sandwiches

Tomato Avocado Sandwich

4 slices of bread
1 small avocado - sliced
1 small tomato - sliced
1/4 c pineapple tidbit - sliced
mayo
mustard

Note: You may pretoast your bread before assembling.

To make one sandwich:
Take two slices of bread. Spread a thin layer of mayo on one and a thin layer of mustard on the other.
Place half of the avocado slices over the mayo slice, followed by half of the tomato slices, and half of the pineapple tidbits. Top with the mustard slice of bread.

heat  the sandwich in a panini press or skillet until the bread is toasted. If using a skillet (on medium heat), apply pressure with a place and a 12 oz can over it for 3-5 minutes. Flip and do the same for the other side.

Guinness Battered Fish Sandwich

I had a few pieces of the Guinness batter fish left over. I figured it was sandwich time. Besides I couldn't think of anything else at the time of what to make with it. Fish sandwiches are good. Beat the fillet o'fish at McDonald's right?

I paired it with some sun-dried tomatoes and lettuce leaves. A little bit of mustard and mayo on a couple slices of sourdough bread and voila. I stuck the fish in the oven for several minutes to re-crisp the crust of the batter. The mircowave would have just gotten it soft. No one likes a soggy crust on anything that's been "fried" or pan-fried. Then I pressed it on ol' georgie to get those press markes and chowed down.

makes 2 sandwiches

Guinness Battered Fish Sandwich

3-4 pieces of Guinness Battered Fish
4 slices of bread
1/4 c sun-dried tomato
lettuce leaves
mayonnaise
yellow mustard

To make a sandwich:
Spread a thin layer of mustard on one slice of bread and a thin layer of mayo on another. Place some lettuce, the sun dried tomato and fish on one slice of bread. Place the other slice on top.

Heat the bread in a panini press or skillet. If using a skillet, apply some pressure on top of the sandwich to give it that panini style look by using a clean plate and put a heavy can on top. Flip the sandwich to cook the other side.

Note: You may toast the bread before assembling the sandwich.

Grilled Cheese with Tomato, Bell Pepper and Onion

A little reminder if you haven't entered the B + B 1-year giveaway you've still got time.  Click here. It's really cool prize, too.

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Another variation of the grilled cheese. Comfort food with a twist? I knew I wanted grilled cheese and tomato, but something said to me I need to add something else into the mix. How about some sauteed yellow bell pepper and onion? Sure. And that's what I did. The slight sweetness from bell pepper was a nice added flavor.

I feel like having grilled cheese again.

Makes 2 sandwiches

Grilled Cheese with Tomato, Bell Pepper and Onion

4 slices of bread - your choice
1 c shredded cheese - your choice
1 small tomato - 1/4-inch thick slices
1/2 medium onion - sliced
1 small to medium bell pepper - thin sliced and deseeded.
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive
1 Tbsp butter

Heat a pan with a small drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and butter. Saute the onion and bell pepper together until both are tender. Season with a little salt and pepper. Set aside.

To make a sandwich:
Spread a thin layer of butter on one side of each slice of bread.

Evenly place some of the cheese on the other side. Top with a couple slices of tomato followed but the bell pepper and tomato mixture. Top with more cheese and the other slice of butter bread. The sandwich should have buttered-side out.

Heat an ungreased skillet and cook both sides until the bread has browned and toasted. 3-5 minutes each side on medium heat.

Serve warm.

Note: If you've got a grill or press, cook for 4-5 minutes until bread is browned and toasted.

Open Faced Poached Egg Semi-Pesto Sandwich

Wow. Can that title get any longer? This is what happens when your brain shuts down unexpectedly. You make yourself a seemingly simple sandwich.

I say semi pesto because this pesto doesn't have any pine nuts. That's one thing i thought I had in my pantry, but alas no sign of any. 

The first time I tried to poach an egg, it almost ended in a near disaster.

Makes 2 open faced sandwiches

Open Faced Poached Egg Semi-Pesto Sandwich

2 Slices of bread.
2 eggs
1 c fresh basil
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 grated pamesan cheese (plus extra)
1 large garlic clove

Note: You may you ready made pesto as well.

Preheat your oven to 200˚F

In a food processor, combine the basil, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, parmesan cheese. Blend until it forms into a thick consistency. Season with a little salt and pepper.

Spread some of the semi pesto on the untoasted bread. Coat one side evenly and place them on an ungreased baking sheet. Toast for 5-10 minutes until bread is slightly crisp.

Fill a skillet halfway with water. Add the vinegar. Bring the water to a slow boil.
The best way to add the egg into the water is to crack them into a small bowl, that way you can remove any shell that may tag along for the ride.  Slowly add the egg and reduce the heat to a simmer. For for roughly 3 minutes until the egg whites have set and the yolk remains soft. Cook a little longer for harder yolks.  Remove the egg with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain.

Place a poached egg on top of the pesto bread and sprinkle a little more parmesan cheese on top. 

Shiitake Onion Panini

I decided to make a "sort of" fat sandwich for my Fat Tuesday (aka Mardi Gras) meal, which is always celebrate the day before Ash Wednesday. Luckily over the weekend, I had gotten a couple beefy tomatoes and a couple fat plump avocados. Perfect timing would you say? What was that Carl's Jr slogan? If it doesn't get all over the place, it doesn't belong in you face. (or something like that). Well, this is one is that kind of sandwich. Slighty messy, check. Tasty, check. And belong in my face, check.  Looks like we covered the basics.

I sauteed the onion and shiitake together and assembled the sandwich together with the beefy and jumbo tomato and avocado slices on top. Pressed the sandwich with ol' Georgie. Even if it looked slightly smushed, it was still a bit hefty in a sense that it looked big, bit not too filling to the stomach at the same time.

Makes 2 sandwiches

Shiitake Onion Panini

1 c shiitake mushroom - sliced
1/2 medium onion - sliced
2 Tbsp Ponzu Sauce
pepper to taste
4 slices of bread
1 ripe avocado - deseeded and sliced
1 medium tomato - deseeded and sliced
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
mayo
yellow mustard

in a skillet, drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil and saute the onions until they have wilted, then the ponzu sauce, then add the mushrooms and saute until they have slightly turned dark in color. Remove from the heat.

To make a sandwich:
Take a slice of bread and spread a thin layer of mayo, take another slice of bread and spread a thin layer of mustard over that. Place some of the mushroom onion mixture over the mayo slice, followed by some shredded mozzarella, then a couple slices of tomato, then avocado. Top it with the mustard slice of bread.

Cook in your panini press or grill or heat in a skillet with a plate and 12oz can over to add weight. Cook each side for roughly 5-10 minutes or unti the cheese has melted.

Serve warm.

Spinach Caprese Panini

I think I've mentioned this a few times on this blog how I love anything caprese, right? Well here's another one. I added some fresh spinach to this one Fresh from the farmer's market from the weekend. I couldn't resist not eating them (almost) right away.  I used ol' Georgie as a panini press, but if you don't have a grill or anything like that you can use a skillet. To smush down the plate, place a clean plat over the sandwich and a heavy canned good. Do that for both sides. It'll give you that flat sandwich look just without the grill marks paninis are known for.

Makes 2 sandwiches

Spinach Caprese Panini

2 slices sourdough
4 slices mozarella
1 small fresh tomato - sliced
2 c fresh spinach - washed
1 c fresh basil leaves -washed
extra virgin olive oil

Place the cheese on two sliced of bread. Top with the spinach, then tomato and finally the basil. Top a couple optional slices of mozzarella. Place the other slices of bread on top.

Drizzle a little extra virgin olive on the outer sides of the bread.

Place the sandwich on a panini press for 3-5 minutes until the bread is toasted and teh cheese has melted.

To use a skillet:
Heat the skillet. Place the sandwich down and place a clean plate on the top side. Use a 12 oz canned good to add pressure. Cook for 3-5 minutes, then flip and do the same for the other side.

Grilled Cheese and Avocado

 We've all heard of the old fashioned grilled cheese sandwich, grilled cheese and tomato, grilled cheese with apple, grilled cheese with _____. So now it's time to add avocado into that blank.For those who've been following this blog for a while now may may know of my love to avocados.

Served this with some good ol' fashioned creamy tomato soup. Grilled cheese is on the top list of ultimate comfort foods. It doesn't get any simpler than that. The cheese I used is shredded mozarella and a couple slices of sourdough bread.

Makes 2 sandwiches.

Grilled Cheese and Avocado

4 slices of bread
1 c shredded mozzarella
1 ripe avocado - pitted and sliced
butter

Spread some butter on all 4 slices of bread. Take two slices and divide the cheese and avocado evenly between the two top with the other two slices buttered side out.

Heat a skillet, place on side of the sandwich down and toast the bread for 2-3 minutes on medium heat until the bread is browned. Flip the sandwich and cook for another 2-3 minutes until browned.

Serve warm with some soup or alone.

Chicken Monte Cristo

Or it could also be called chicken stuffed french toast. Generally you'd associate the monte cristo sandwich with ham and turkey and cheese. I decided to switch it up and use a chicken sandwich instead. That and because I still have some leftover roast chicken. The sandwich is fairly easy to put together. Then comes the "french toast" batter.

Here's a little tidbit about the monte cristo sandwich thank to wikipedia: "The Monte Cristo is a variation of the French croque-monsieur. In the 1930s–1960s, American cookbooks had recipes for this sandwich under such names as French Sandwich, Toasted Ham Sandwich, and French Toasted Cheese Sandwich."

Since there are many variations in making this sandwich I though they not make my own version. There may already be one like this out there, but I have seen one yet. Since I already had ol' Georgie out. I thought why not use him to grill up these aweseomly delicious sandwiches. You can also use a skillet to cook these babies up.

Makes 2 sandwiches.

Chicken Monte Cristo

4 slices sourdough bread
1 cooked chicken breast (or leftover chicken)
1 small tomato - sliced
1 small ripe avocado - sliced
dijon mustard
1 egg
2 Tbsp milk

Combine well the egg and milk in a shallow dish. Set aside.

Assemble the sandwich: Spread some dijon mustard on all four slices of bread. On two slices layer the chicken, tomato and avocado. Place the other two slices on top of them.

Heat a skillet.  

Dip each sandwich on both sides in the egg batter. Carefully place them on the skillet. Let it cook for about 3-5 minutes, then flip and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

Serve with a side of maple syrup or jam.

Duckini

Leftovers. Luckily, the duck I got wasn't too big, so I didn't have a huge amount of leftovers to go through. I can only do leftovers for so long before my taste buds say "enough!" But I tricked them into thinking it was something else. That something else is... a duckini. A duck panini. I was more than happy to lug out good ol' Georgie for this little task. I bet he was happy to be of service during a portion of this winter.

It's a fairly straight forward sandwich. Shredded duck, tomato, avocado, a couple of fresh basil leaves, cheese with a spread of horseradish mustard on fresh baked pan de sal demi-baguette. Grilled it up with Georgie and leftovers never looked so good. You can use can use shredded chicken for this as well. 

Serves 2

Duckini
1/2 c cooked shredded duck - or chicken
1 small avocado 9 pitted and sliced
2 slices of cheese - your choice
1 ripe small tomato
horseradish or dijon mustard
a few fresh basil leaves.
1 demi-baguette or your bread of choice

Slice the baguette lengwise and spread some mustard on the inside for both halves.

On one half place the shredded duck. On the other half place the cheese, avocado and tomato.

Heat in a panini press for 5-10 minutes. 

If you don't have a panini press, heat a skillet. Place the sandwich in the center. Take a plate and place it over the sandwich. Take a 12oz can and place it on top to add weight to the top. It will give it at panini sandwich looks. Heat for 5 minutes, then gently flip the sandwich and do the same for another 5 minutes.

Grilled Eggplant Sammies

Who says you can't grill when it's not summer? Thank goodness for old Georgie. Very handy during the colder months and when there's unfavorable weather. Add on to it when the body says "I'm being lazy today, so you better not over work me or I'll make you tired even more!" Apparently, my mind and body weren't in sync with each other on this particular day. My energy was drained without doing much during the day. Granted, I had some errands, but they weren't very strenuous.

Anyway, this one's a simple sandwich. Grilled eggplants with avocado, cucumber slices and sauteed balsamic onions on ciabatta bread. Make it sound fancy without it being fancy.

Makes 2 sandwiches

Grilled Eggplant Sammies

1 Medium Eggplant - 1/2-inch sliced
1/2 small cucumber - sliced
1 small avocado - sliced
1 small sweet onion - sliced
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 ciabatta rolls (or your choice of bread)
horseradish mustard or mayo

Prepare your grill.

In a skillet melt the butter and saute the onions. Once the onions are translucent add the balsamic vinegar. Saute for a few more minutes. Then remove from heat and set aside.

Season the eggplant with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Both side. Grill the eggplants until tender depending on the heat of your grill roughly 5-10 minutes.

Toast the bread on the grill or in the oven for a few minutes.

Putting all together:
Once the bread has been toasted on both slices. Spread a thin layer of horseradish mustard or mayo. Add a few slices of the eggplant, followed by the cucumber, avocado then the onions. Top with the other half of the bread.