Turkey Apple Cheddar Panini

I always get a little apple-obsessed in September.  I don't care for eating apples just as they are, out of hand, but I do like cooking with them.  Last weekend I made two apple-filled baked goods and this week I've been working apples into our dinners too.  What I love about apples is how well they work in savory applications.  They add just the right amount of texture contrast and a little bitty hint of sweetness.  I just can't get enough of the savory/sweet combo.

I love making paninis for lunch, and this is a great one for this time of year.  Smoked turkey, sweet crunchy apples, and tangy sharp cheddar are amazing together.

Turkey Apple Cheddar Panini

Ingredients:

Two slices Italian bread or ciabatta

3-4 slices smoked turkey deli meat

4 slices sharp cheddar cheese

Peeled, cored apple, thinly sliced

Butter

Directions:
Preheat panini press.  Put cheese slices on both pieces of bread.  Top one slice with turkey and the other with apples.  Put the sandwich together and butter the outside.  Place on hot panini press and cook until cheese is melted and bread is beautifully browned on the outside.

Makes 1 sandwich.

This is the best way to construct this sandwich.  Having cheese on both slices of bread makes it stay together really well.

 I like my paninis very crispy and crunchy on the outside.

Mmm, so tasty!

What are you having for lunch on this beautiful fall day?

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Daniel Saraga Memorial: Curried Egg Salad

I am sharing a recipe with you for a very sad reason today.  You know that I am a member of an awesome group of bloggers called The Secret Recipe Club, and we got some sad news a couple of weeks ago.  One of our members passed away.  Daniel Saraga, from The Haggis and the Herring, passed away very unexpectedly on September 14.  It's always sad when someone dies, but this story is just heart-breaking.  Daniel was only 37 years old, was the father of two little boys, and his wife is pregnant with his third child, due in January.  I can't even imagine what she must be going through right now, knowing that her baby will never get to meet his or her daddy.  So sad!  She wrote a beautiful eulogy to Daniel and posted it on his blog soon after his death: Eulogy from Daniel's wife. I encourage you to read that.

All of us in the SRC were so saddened to hear of Daniel's death.  We have very few men in our group, and Daniel was very active in our Facebook group, so we all knew him a little bit.  He was always offering helpful advice when another member posted a question about something, whether it be technical blog stuff, or looking for a great frozen yogurt recipe.  So that's why, as a group, we felt we should do something to honor Daniel.  We chose to do it the only way we know how: to cook and blog.  Forty-four of the group members each chose a recipe from Daniel's blog, made it, and are now blogging about it all at the same time.

I chose to make Daniel's Curried Egg Salad.


Curried Egg Salad

Ingredients:
4 eggs, hard boiled and chopped
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
2 green onions, sliced
1 shallot, minced
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tsp curry powder

Directions:
Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Info:
Serving Size: ¼ of recipe
Calories: 130
Fat/Sat. Fat: 11g/3g
Chol.: 220mg
Sodium: 185mg
Fiber: 0g
Protein: 6g

I did change Daniel's recipe just slightly.  I chopped the eggs instead of mashing them, because I like the chunkier texture.  I also used a shallot and 2 green onions instead of a regular onion.  This egg salad is so good.  I don't make egg salad very often, but I'm not sure why.  It's tasty and makes for a quick and easy lunch.  And it tastes even better the next day.  This will definitely be my go-to egg salad recipe from now on.

Daniel's brother and wife have decided to carry on with his blog after his death.  They are currently posting the recipes that Daniel wrote himself and had scheduled before he died, but they will continue to post new recipes after that as well.  Please support them by visiting Daniel's blog.

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Spinach and Mushroom Pizza with Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce

I made the yummiest pizza for lunch today.

Spinach and Mushroom Pizza with Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients:

1 personal sized premade pizza crust

1 tbsp olive oil

handful of sliced mushrooms

two or three handfuls of fresh spinach, torn

Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce (I used Classico brand)

Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450. Heat olive oil in pan over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off heat and add spinach. Toss with mushrooms until slightly wilted.

Spoon alfredo sauce over pizza crust. Top with mushrooms and spinach. Shred parmesan on top. Bake for 10 minutes.

Makes 1 serving.

Those individual sized pizza crusts are so perfect to have on hand for lunches. My husband and I don't always like the same kind of pizza (he is more of a traditional pizza sauce and pepperoni kind of guy), so having individual crusts is great. But of course, it would be easy to make this into a full-sized pizza.

Before going into the oven.

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Spinach Alfredo Pizza

It's been a while since I got creative and made a new tortilla pizza, but I just made the yummiest one ever for lunch today. Sorry there are no measurements; when I make it again I will measure what I use.

Spinach Alfredo Pizza with Turkey

Ingredients:

1 large flour tortilla

1 tbsp olive oil

alfredo sauce (I use jarred)

1 large handful frozen spinach, thawed and well-drained

1 clove garlic

turkey or chicken breast, cooked and diced finely

salt and pepper

parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°.

Place tortilla on a thin baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil on and spread to evenly coat tortilla, all the way to the edges (I use a silicone basting brush). You can leave this step out if you like, but it makes the tortilla really crispy, which is a must for me. Spread a layer of alfredo sauce on the tortilla, leaving about ¾" around the edge. Sprinkle on spinach, making sure it is completely dry. Grate or very finely mince garlic and sprinkle on top of spinach. Top with turkey or chicken breast. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake for 10 minutes. Sprinkle generously with parmesan. Cut with pizza cutter and serve.

Makes 1 serving.

Man, this turned out better than I thought it would! I wish I had made two! Great use for leftover stuff I usually have in the fridge. The garlic is a must and hopefully next time I make it I will have some shallots laying around because I think that would be a great addition as well.

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