Greek-Style Panini

A couple of cans placed in a saucepan are enough to weigh down these crispy sandwiches as they cook. Or use a countertop grill—a modern must-have for student apartment kitchens.

Yield:

Serves 6

Ingredients

1. 2 10-oz. pkgs. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2. 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
3. 6 French or kaiser rolls, halved
4. 2 jarred roasted red peppers, each cut into 3 strips
5. 3/4 cup prepared hummus

Directions

1. Combine spinach and feta cheese in bowl. Spread 1/3 cup mixture over bottom half of each roll, and top each with red pepper strip. Spread hummus on top halves of rolls.
2. Heat skillet over medium-high heat, or preheat countertop grill. Spray sandwiches with cooking spray. Set 2 sandwiches in pan, and top with saucepan weighed down with 2 cans. Cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Or press 5 minutes total in countertop grill. Repeat with remaining sandwiches.

Notes

Whole Wheat Quesadillas With Chicken, Jalapeño Jack And Mango Salsa

Tortillas and wraps come in dozens of variations. Look for whole wheat flour tortillas in the refrigerated section of your supermarket.Pick the freshest fruits possible. Look for a good color with no obvious bruises, scars, nicks or gouges. Most ripe fruits have a good aroma.Visit a local market and ask to taste the fruit in its freshest state. In some cases looks aren't always the best indicator of taste. In fact, some imperfections are fine—peaches are a good example. At the peak of the season, peaches can appear to be misshapen, a little bruised and fuzzy. Pick up the fruit and instead of just using your eyes, let your nose be the judge.

Yield:

8

Ingredients

1. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2. 3 pounds chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
3. 2 tsp salt, or to taste
4. 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
5. 4 mangoes, diced
6. 1 papaya, diced
7. 1 chipotle pepper, canned, minced
8. ¼ cup orange juice
9. ¼ cup lime juice
10. 4 cups Jalapeño Jack cheese, grated
11. 6 cups scallions, thinly sliced
12. 1 cup peanuts, toasted, roughly chopped
13. 16 whole wheat flour tortillas
14. 3 tablespoons peanut oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Heat the vegetable oil over high heat in a large sauté pan. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper. Cook the chicken breasts until golden brown on all sides, about 8-10 minutes. Place the chicken in the oven until cooked through, about 10-12 minutes total.
3. Allow the chicken to cool for 5 minutes. Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
4. While the chicken is cooking, combine the mango, papaya, chipotle pepper, orange juice and lime juice. Reserve under refrigeration until needed.
5. To assemble the quesadillas, place ¾ cup chicken, ½ cup Jalapeño Jack cheese, ¾ cup scallions and 2 tablespoons peanuts on a tortilla. Top with another tortilla. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 8 quesadillas.
6. Heat about 1 tsp peanut oil in a large sauté pan. Place 1 quesadilla in the pan and lightly brown on both sides, making certain that the cheese is melted in the middle before removing from the heat. Repeat with remaining quesadillas, adding more peanut oil when necessary.
7. Cut each quesadilla into fourths and serve with the mango salsa.

Notes

Baguette with Roasted Red Pepper Spread

This colorful spread is a fancy, vegan version of pimiento cheese. Slipping cucumber between the filling and the lettuce helps keep the greens from wilting en route to your destination.

Yield:

Makes 6 sandwiches

Ingredients

1. 1 8-oz. container vegan cream cheese, softened
2. 17-oz. jar roasted red peppers, drained well, finely chopped
3. 3 Tbs. finely minced onion
4. 1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
5. 2 18-inch French baguettes
6. 3/4 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
7. 12 romaine lettuce leaves
8. 2 cups thinly sliced radicchio

Directions

1. Combine roasted red peppers, cream cheese, onion, and garlic in bowl.
2. Cut each baguette into 3 6-inch pieces. Halve each piece lengthwise. Tear out some of center from bread to make space for fillings.
3. Spread cream cheese mixture on bottom halves of bread. Top with cucumber, lettuce, and radicchio, and cover with top half of bread.

Notes

Grilled Portobello and Roasted Red Pepper Sandwich with Pistachio Pesto

 

Yield:

makes 1 sandwich

Ingredients

1. 1 portobello mushroom
2. balsamic vinegar
3. olive oil
4. 1 roasted red pepper
5. 1 handful spinach
6. 1 tablespoon pistachio pesto (or regular pesto)
7. 2 slices of bread or 1 bun (I used ciabatta)

Directions

1. Brush the mushroom with balsamic vinegar.
2. Brush the grill with oil.
3. Grill the portobello mushroom until tender, about 3-6 minutes per side.
4. Assemble sandwich.

Notes

Lamb Souvlaki Sandwiches With Greek Salad And Tsatsiki Sauce

If you prefer, you can pile the lamb and salad on top of a larger pocketless pita for an open-face sandwich and drizzle with sauce. Pocketless pitas are sold at specialty foods shops and many supermarkets.

Yield:

Serves 4

Ingredients

1. FOR TSATSIKI SAUCE
2. =====================
3. 1/2 seedless cucumber (usually plastic-wrapped), peeled, seeded, and chopped (1 cup)
4. 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
5. 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
6. 1 small garlic clove, minced
7. 1/4 teaspoon salt
8. 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
9. 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
10. .
11. FOR LAMB SANDWICHES
12. =====================
13. 4 (6-inch) pita pockets, halved crosswise
14. 1 (1/4-inch-thick) bone-in lamb steak from leg (1 1/2 lb), trimmed of excess fat
15. 1/2 teaspoon salt
16. 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
17. .
18. FOR GREEK SALAD
19. =====================
20. 1/2 lb romaine, torn into bite-size pieces
21. 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
22. 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
23. 1/2 seedless cucumber (usually plastic-wrapped), peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
24. 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved lengthwise
25. 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
26. 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

1. MAKE TSATSIKI SAUCE:
2. Purée cucumber, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a blender until almost smooth, about 1 minute. Stir in mint and chill, covered, until serving.
3. MAKE LAMB SANDWICHES:
4. Preheat broiler.
5. Wrap pitas in foil and put in lower third of oven to warm while broiling lamb.
6. Put lamb on oiled rack of a broiler pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil lamb 5 to 6 inches from heat, turning over once, 12 to 14 minutes total for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 5 minutes, then thinly slice.
7. While lamb is standing, toss together salad ingredients in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
8. Stuff warm pita pockets with salad and lamb, then drizzle filling with tsatsiki sauce.

Notes

Meatball Sliders

Food editor Gina Marie Miraglia Eriquez often cooks for hordes of children, including her three-year-old son, Alex, and she knows that meatballs are always an easy sell. Inspired by the tiny meatball sandwiches served at New York City’s Little Owl restaurant, she came up with these kid-size treats that can be eaten with one hand (leaving the other one free to wreak kid-size havoc).

Yield:

Makes 20 Small Sandwiches

Ingredients

1. FOR TOMATO SAUCE
2. =====================
3. 2 (28-oz) cans whole tomatoes in juice
4. 1/4 cup olive oil
5. 1 medium onion, finely chopped
6. 5 garlic cloves, minced
7. 1 teaspoon sugar
8. 1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
9. .
10. FOR MEATBALLS
11. =====================
12. 3 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (6 slices firm white sandwich bread)
13. 2/3 cup whole milk
14. 1 lb ground pork
15. 1 lb ground beef chuck (not lean)
16. 4 garlic cloves, minced
17. 1 1/2 cups grated Pecorino Romano (1/4 lb)
18. 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
19. 1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
20. 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
21. 2 cups vegetable oil
22. .
23. FOR ASSEMBLING SLIDERS
24. =====================
25. 20 small (2-inch) soft buns or rolls, split

Directions

1. MAKE TOMATO SAUCE:
2. Purée tomatoes with their juice, 1 can at a time, in a blender and transfer to a bowl.
3. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then sauté onion until golden, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and sauté, stirring, 1 minute. Add tomato purée, sugar, bay leaf, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 40 to 50 minutes. Discard bay leaf.
4. MAKE MEATBALLS WHILE SAUCE SIMMERS:
5. Stir together bread crumbs and milk in a large bowl and let stand 10 minutes. Add meat, garlic, cheese, eggs, parsley, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and blend with your hands until just combined well (do not overmix). Form level 1/4-cup portions into meatballs.
6. Heat oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then fry meatballs, about 6 at a time, turning occasionally, until well browned and cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes per batch. Transfer to paper towels with a slotted spoon.
7. SIMMER MEATBALLS IN SAUCE AND ASSEMBLE SLIDERS:
8. Add drained meatballs to tomato sauce and simmer, stirring occasionally, until meatballs are heated through.
9. Assemble sliders with a meatball and 1 tablespoon sauce per bun, securing each with a wooden pick.

Notes

COOKS’ NOTE: Meatballs in sauce can be made 3 days ahead and chilled, uncovered, until cool, then covered. Reheat before serving.