Yummy Chicken Subs

The sandwich sort of looks like this! But brighter with peppers
picture source

Ingredients:

• hoagie roll or nice soft french bread
• chicken breasts
• Italian dressing
• katchup
• Worcestershire sauce
• cream cheese
• onions
• bell peppers
• mushrooms
• provolone cheese
• salt pepper

Directions

1. Put chicken breasts in a pot or crock pot and cook on low for an hour or until just cooked through, then poor Italian dressing, ketchup, all over the chicken until covered.  Add some drops of Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste.  Cut up some cream cheese and add to the mixture too.  (about a tablespoon per .5 ounce of chicken)
2. Cook the chicken for two hours at least.  For best results cook on low for 4 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 350.  Cut your bread for individual sandwiches, and also cut open and spread cream cheese on both sides of the bread, then put a slice of provolone on both sides.  Place on cookie sheet in oven for 7ish minutes?? or until cheese is melted, with bread open and cheese facing up.
4. While cheese melting in oven saute chopped onions, peppers, and mushrooms in some olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook until soft.
5. Shred chicken
6. Get bread out of oven and place onion/mushroom/pepper mixture and chicken in the sandwiches
7. Enjoy!

Notes

So we've been into sandwiches lately, and I've been making a lot that have been good, but this one was Jeff's favorite.  He asks for it all the time, so I thought I'd post it.  I made it up, and I'm bad with measurements plus our families are all different sizes, so you'll have to adjust for your needs.  But this is a good one, hope you like it :)

Carmelized Veggie Paninis

Carmelized Veggie Paninis

Ingredients:
1 t olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 8 oz box of mushrooms, sliced (baby bella are great, but any kind really works)
1 t sugar (optional)
8 pieces of Naan bread (can make your own, or buy)
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce from THIS recipe
mozzarella cheese, grated (fresh is best)
Panini press (or we use our old George Foreman Grill)

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add all sliced veggies and sautee until tender crisp. (If you have time, caramelize the onion first - sautéing until carmel in color). If you don't have time, just add a bit of sugar on top of the veggies while cooking. While the veggies are cooking, heat up your panini press or George Foreman grill.

2. Take two pieces of naan bread and spread about 1-2 t of the roasted red pepper sauce on each piece. Then on one piece of naan bread, add a spoonful of the veggies (enough to cover) and then some mozzarella per your preference). Place the other piece of naan bread on top (like a sandwich) and then place in the panic press/grill until bubbly on the inside and crispy on the outside (my grill light turns on when done).

3. Repeat with other ingredients. Makes 4 paninis (large). We cut into four pieces each. 

Notes: Jordan made these one day with leftover sauce after having the roasted red pepper melts from ourbestbites. Now I always use the leftover sauce with these! We all love these and they are easy to make! I can see myself making these a lot in the summer when we can't bear to turn the oven on.

Grilled BBQ Chicken Sandwhiches with all the Toppings

2 large chicken breasts
Stubbs BBQ sauce (original)
Pepper Jack Cheese
Avocados
Tomatoes
Mini Peppers (come in a bag of all colors)
Mayo
Tort  Crusty Rolls from Costco

Smother chicken in BBQ sauce and place on grill, re-smothering as needed while cooking.  Remove Pepper centers and roast on the grill.  When chicken and peppers are finished, place on roll with all other toppings.  Serve with salad, fruit, chips, or sweet potato fries!  (Clayton loved, loved, loved these.  A fun spin from the sometimes sloppy shredded BBQ chicken sandwiches)

Roasted Red Pepper Chicken Melts

Ingredients:

• 7-ounce jar of roasted red peppers, drained and patted dry (about 3/4 C)
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 cups cooked shredded or (or a few chicken breasts grilled and sliced)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, or several slices
• a handful of fresh basil leaves
• 1 large french baguette (about 24″ long) or 4 large hoagie buns

Directions: 

Place roasted red peppers, garlic, mayo, and lemon juice (if you don’t have a lemon, sub red or white wine vinegar, or just leave it out!)  in a food processor.  Add a pinch of salt and a few cracks of fresh ground pepper.  Process until smooth and then store in the fridge until ready to use.  You can make the sauce ahead of time.

Slice bread in half to open it up.  Lightly brush with olive oil or butter and place under a broiler until golden brown and toasted.  Remove from oven and spread red pepper sauce on the bottom half of the bread.  Layer chicken on top of it and top with cheese.  Place back in the broiler just until cheese is melted.  Top with basil leaves.  Spread red pepper sauce on other side of bread and put sandwich together.  Slice in to 4 large hoagies, or 8 smaller sandwiches.

Notes:

I like to make these open faced. We have made them about once/week since discovering them last month. Jordan especially LOVES them. I sometimes use rotisserie chicken so I barely have to turn the oven on (it heats up our apartment so badly!). I place the basil under the cheese before I toast it. We have it with fresh fruit and it's a perfect summer meal! 

Recipe and picture from: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2013/05/italian-chicken-hoagies-with-roasted-red-pepper-sauce/

Ham and Cheese Sliders

24 good white dinner rolls, store bought or home made
24 pieces good honey ham
24 small slices Swiss cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup miracle whip

Poppy seed sauce (you probably could half this...I had plenty extra)
1 Tablespoon poppyseeds
1 1/2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tablespoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and miracle whip. Spread onto both sides of the center of each roll. Place a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss inside of each roll. Close rolls and place them into a large baking dish or heavy cookie sheet. Place very close together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the poppy seed sauce ingredients. Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches. You do not have to use all of the sauce! Just use enough to cover the tops. Let sit 10 minutes or until butter sets slightly. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes or until tops are slightly brown and crispy. Serve warm.

** sandwiches can be assembled a day ahead and kept in the fridge ready to bake.  Great for baby blessings or sunday dinner type things where you have to prepare in a hurry.  So good.  We always forget about putting these on the menu and always remember how much we love them.  Good served with sweet potato fries, salad, chips, zuchini fries, fruti salad, etc.

Falafel and Cucumber Sauce

Falafel and Cucumber Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 dash pepper
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• oil for frying
•  
• Cucumber Sauce
• 1 (6 ounce) container plain yogurt
• 1/2 cucumber - peeled and finely chopped or grated
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise

Directions:

In a large bowl mash chickpeas until thick and pasty; don't use a blender, as the consistency will be too thin. In a blender, process onion, parsley and garlic until smooth. Stir into mashed chickpeas.

In a small bowl combine egg, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, cayenne, lemon juice and baking powder. Stir into chickpea mixture along with olive oil. Slowly add bread crumbs until mixture is not sticky but will hold together; add more or less bread crumbs, as needed. Form 8 balls and then flatten into patties.

Heat 1 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry patties in hot oil until brown on both sides.

Cucumber sauce: In a small bowl combine yogurt, cucumber, dill, salt, pepper and mayonnaise. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

Notes:

I don't love frying foods and usually try to bake instead, but this is a rare exception. We really enjoy this Middle Eastern meal. I have no idea if it is authentic or not but we enjoy the taste! It reminds us of our time in Egypt. I serve it with pita (you can make a sandwich of the falafel, tomato and cucumber, and sauce) and hummus as well as Middle Eastern rice (1 C rice made with 2 C chicken broth instead of water, 1 tsp cumin, and carmelized onions). If I can, I also like to serve a side of mangoes because mangoes also remind us of Egypt. The sauce makes this recipe for me! It is very simple and offers such a nice cool pairing to the warm, crispy falafel. Finally, I like the patties a little flatter than in the above picture.

Picture and recipe from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/seans-falafel-and-cucumber-sauce/detail.aspx

Chicken Salad Croissants

Chicken Salad Croissants

Ingredients:

This fills about 8-10 large croissants. 

• 2 T lemon juice
• 1/2 C mayonnaise
• 1/4 t salt and pepper
• 2 Cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
• 1/2 Cup celery
• 2 T minced onion
• Red grapes, halved (amount per preference)

Directions:

Cook the chicken and cube or shred. Chop the celery, mince the onion, and half the grapes. Mix the lemon juice, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper and then add the dressing and mix with the chicken, celery, onion, and grapes. Serve on large (or small, as I prefer) croissants.

Notes:

This recipe is from Mom Toone! I think she made this for Amie's wedding and it is always so yummy! I love that a lot of the prep work can be done before and then just mix together the day of. I did this for Jacob's baptism lunch. I cooked and cut all the chicken and then froze it. I cut the veggies the night before and then thawed the chicken overnight and mixed it all in the morning. Turned out great. It's one of those simple tastes most everyone loves. Even though now all the croissants are eaten, I love just having this on its own, too! Thanks, mom!