This Week In Food...Simple, Gourmet Sandwiches

What can be easier than sandwiches for dinner? Not much. But you can only cycle in grilled cheese so often. And I have trouble counting a PB&J as a real dinner. But THESE sandwiches are a different story. They are still pretty easy, but they are super yummy and a touch more "restaurant sophisticated" so they feel like a real meal. They are Simple, Gourmet Sandwiches. Pair them with soup or salad or maybe some sweet potato fries and you've got yourself some dinner!

Pear-Walnut Sandwiches
1/2 c. tub-style cream cheese
8 slices cinnamon-raisin bread, toasted (or any other good, bakery bread; it doesn't have to be a sweet bread, this is great on sour dough too!)
2 tbsp chopped walnuts, toasted
2 Bartlett pears, cored and thinly sliced
1 c. alfalfa sprouts

Spread 4 slices of toasted bread with cream cheese. Top with chopped, toasted walnuts, pear slices and alfalfa sprouts. Then top with remaining bread slices. Slice and serve.

Grilled Ham and Mango Quesadillas
1/2 c. mango chutney
4 8-inch multigrain or whole wheat tortillas
8 oz. shaved deli ham
1/2 c. crumbed queso fresco (you can use slices too)
handfull of chopped green onions, optional
Cooking spray

Spread mango chutney over half of each tortilla. Then top each evenly with ham and cheese and sprinkle with chopped green onions, if desired (I made them without the green onions). Fold tortillas in half. Spray outside of tortilla with cooking spray. Place quesadillas in a preheated pan or grill rack coated in cooking spray. Grill 2-3 minutes on each side or until tortilla is golden and cheese melts. Slice and serve.

Prosciutto, Fontina and Fig Paninis
8 slices crusty italian bread
4 oz. thin sliced prosciutto
1 1/4 c. shredded fontina cheese
1/2 c. baby arugula leaves
1/4 c. fig preserves
Cooking spray

Preheat panini grill or pan on stove. Top each of 4 bread slices evenly with prosciutto, fontina and arugula. Spread fig preserves over 1 side of each of the remaining slices of bread and top sandwiches. Coat outside of sandwiches with cooking spray and place on grill or in pan. Cook 3-4 mins. in panini grill, or about 3 mins. on each side in pan, or until bread is golden and cheese is melted. Slice and serve.

Blue Cheese and Pear Sandwiches
4 slices peasant bread (or other good bread)
Cooking spray
1 1/3 c. coarsely shopped watercress
2 tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 medium pears, thinly sliced (I like Bartlett)
1/2 c. crumbled blue cheese

Preheat broiler. Please slices of bread on baking sheet. Coat each slice with cooking spray. Broil 2 mins. or until lightly toasted. Combine watercress, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl and toss gently. Place pear slices evenly on bread slices and top with blue cheese. Broil 2-3 mins. or until cheese melts. Remove from oven and top with watercress mixture. Serve immediately. (Note: I promise you that the watercress prepared this way is absolutely wonderful and totally worth the effort!)

Until next time...Happy Cooking!


(All recipes from Cooking Light.)