What's for Lunch? Sandwiches Ideas

Tonight Murphy and I had doggy class,
and I have to say that I'm so proud of my sweet boy.
He's making nice progress with his behavior with humans,
though we both know that it's going to be a long road
to help him understand that humans are friends, not scary things.  :)

It's nights like this that I grab something for dinner on our way home,
and don't have time to whip something fabulous up in the kitchen.
Normally, I have my dinner leftovers for lunch the next day...
but that can't always happen.
There are also times that I don't feel like making just a PB and J for lunch.
Though I have to admit that I will be making a PB and J tomorrow,
but with my homemade jam, I feel that it's up a notch from the norm.
For those times that I need something more than a simple PB and J.

Here are a few simple but unique sandwich ideas.

Sunny Spicy Wrap- Lunch Box Bunch
I love spring rolls, but working with the rice paper is a little daunting for me.  This is a great way to make a sandwich like a spring roll, but without the stress of ripping the paper.  I definitely like this one.

Italian Simplicity- exPress
I'm not sure why this isn't just called caprese heaven, because it is a caprese salad wrapped in a warm roll. Yumma!

Asian Chicken Wraps- Cupcake Diaries
Asian Chicken Salads are my favorite, favorite salad, so when I saw this recipe I knew that it was a keeper.

Winter Turkey Wrap- PopSugar Food
At first I thought that this sandwich was a Thanksgiving type, but looking more closely I notice that it is even better!

Monte Cristo Sandwich-Life in the Lofthouse
This sandwich takes me back to my childhood and eating lunch with my mom.  Happy memories of sunny days eating ham, turkey, cheese, and raspberry jam all wrapped up in buttery bread...now that is a bunch of joy on a plate in my world.

Vegetarian Middle Eastern Pita Sandwich- The Lemon Bowl
Mmmmm, hummus! Need I say more?

So, what are you going to try first?!

Triple Threat Pasta

Yummmmmm.

Double Yum.

No...This is definitely a Triple Yum!

Now this is what's for dinner around here.

And I don't even like cooking,
so the fact that I whipped this together in less than 30 minutes is even better!
I really wish that I did enjoy cooking,
because I just love eating!
Somehow, baking is just so much more fun for me.
Now, maybe...just maybe, if I continue to have quick successes like this,
my feelings will change about cooking.
Of course any time I add mushrooms, spinach, and garlic into anything,
it's a triple threat.
And I fall in love.
Yes, I fall in love easily when it's just plain delicious.
This is also an easy recipe to modify for vegan,
so now it's just even more fabulous!

Triple Threat Pasta
Ingredients:
1 package of bow-tie pasta
2 cups sliced mushrooms
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 bunch of spinach
2 tablespoons butter or vegan margarine
2 cups milk or vegan substitute
2 tablespoons corn starch or flour
1 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:

1. Prepare pasta until it al dente and set aside.

2. Heat a large skillet pan on medium and add 2 tablespoons of butter.

3. Once the butter begins to sizzle, add the sliced mushrooms.  Let them cook down until they soften and change color, then add the finely chopped garlic.  Stir.

4.  Add the milk to the skillet mixture and bring to a low boil.  Add the corn starch and use a whisk for about 3 minutes to thicken the cream sauce.

5. Place the spinach on top of the sauce in the skillet and cover until the spinach begins to wither.  Once it is cooked down, stir to combine all ingredients.

6.  In a large serving bowl, combine the pasta with the cream sauce, then add salt and pepper to taste.

Top with shredded parmesan cheese, then serve immediately while it's warm.

Probably plan for going back for seconds...it's just soooo good.

It's clearly a triple threat of deliciousness

Enjoy!  I know you will!

Perfectly Roasted Rosemary Chickpeas

I've been testing out roasting techniques for chickpeas.

After a couple sad test results, 

I stumbled across this recipe, and it is the best!

No, seriously.  The. Best.

These chickpeas are a perfect healthy snack 

that is packed with delicious protein.

You can pop handfuls of these, 

knowing that you're enjoying something crunchy and delicious.

Perfectly Roasted Rosemary Chickpeas
Recipe modified from The Fountain Avenue Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

1 tablespoon olive oil + extra to grease the baking sheet

1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

2 tablespoons of freshly chopped rosemary

Directions:

1. Peel the skins off of the garbanzo beans.  It's a little gross popping them out of the outer casing, but it really makes a difference the how crunchy your beans become while roasting.  Removing the casing really makes the beans much more crunchy.

2. Rinse your beans a couple times then lay them out on a couple kitchen towels.  Let the sit out on the towels for at least 30 minutes.  I changed the towel midway to help dry them even more.

3. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and spray the baking sheet with cooking spray.

4. Place the beans in a bowl and add the olive oil, salt, and rosemary. Toss them around the bowl until the beans are coated evenly.

5. Roast the beans at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to roast for 20 more minutes.  Make sure that you stir them every 10 minutes so that the beans don't burn.  You may need to roast them longer to make sure that the beans are crispy all the way through.  

6.  It's difficult, but try not to pop a few in your mouth until they cool down a bit.  I made that mistake and burned my mouth...but it was worth it because it was delicious.  ;) Okay, maybe it wasn't totally worth it. Just wait a couple minutes and then dig in.

Enjoy!