Doin' Some Cookin'... Breakfast "Sandwich" on a Sweet Potato Slider

I am so grateful for Lexi's Clean Kitchen on Instagram for the inspiration and a well stocked fridge. I jumped right up from the laptop and made this for breakfast.

This had me singing, "Happy Saturday to me!!" You can do the same too, make it immediately.

Breakfast "Sandwich" on a Sweet Potato Slider

Adapted From: Lexi's Clean Kitchen on Instagram

Makes 1 Serving

Stars of the Show:

• 1 sweet potato, cut in 1/4" slices
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• seasoning of choice - I used onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper
• 1 slice black forest ham
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 egg

And Action:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

Toss the sweet potatoes in olive oil with seasoning. Lay them on a single layer on a baking sheet coated with nonstick spray. Roast for 10 minutes.

Heat the slice of ham until warmed (I prefer mine browned). Sauté the spinach.

Cook egg however you like (I prefer mine over medium).

Lay a sweet potato slice on a plate, layer with the spinach, ham, egg, and top with another sweet potato. Enjoy!  

Doin' Some Cookin'... Chili Skirt Steak Sandwiches with Peppers

Skirt steak is traditionally for fajitas. You could follow the Chili Skirt Steak recipe below for that purpose or you can do something different and use it for sandwiches, recipe also below. I know we just wrapped up another season of football but these sandwiches would be perfect for Game Days to liven up your tailgate party. 

Skirt steak's beefy flavor easily holds up to excessive seasonings and marinades and it likes to be cooked quick. You don't want to cook it too long or else it will dry out and become tough losing a lot of it's flavor. 

Once cooked you want to make sure to let it rest before you cut against the grain to ensure the shortest muscle fibers helping to create a tender bite, otherwise, it will taste chewy.

I'm looking forward to the temperatures raising outside so I can fire up the grill rather than smoking out the house with the cast iron grill. Although I was prepared by turning on the exhaust fan, overhead fan in the living room, and opened the patio door the house still filled with smoke. Little Man came out of his room pretend coughing and asking if he needed to "tuck and roll". Laughing, I told him no. He sarcastically did it anyway. 

Chili Skirt Steak Sandwiches

From: EveryDay with Rachael Ray and Adapted From: Martha Stewart

Makes 4 Servings

Stars of the Show for the Chili Skirt Steak:

• 2 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 1/4 lb skirt steak
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

And Action:

In a small bowl, combine all of the seasonings with salt and pepper to taste. Rub the steak with olive oil then coat with seasoning. In a grill pan, cook over high until medium rare, about 3 minutes per side. Let rest 10 minutes. Slice into bite size pieces and squeeze the lime over the meat, lightly tossing. 

Stars of the Show for the Sandwiches:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp onion powder 
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced with seeds removed
• 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced with seeds removed
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• chili lime steak slices
• 4 pretzel buns, cut in half horizontally
• 8 slices thinly sliced pepper jack cheese

And Action:

Preheat broiler. 

In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the bell peppers and onion powder, stirring often, until softened and charred, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in the vinegar and steak.

Place bottom halves of rolls on a baking sheet. Divide the meat mixture evenly between the buns and top with 2 slices of pepper jack for each bun. Broil until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes. Remove from the oven, put the top bun on, and cut in half. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Herb Salted Garlic Parmesan French Fries and Roast Beef Dip Sandwich with Herbed Garlic Au Jus

Holy hell! This dinner was quite ambitious for a Monday night, especially after an exhausting day at work. Note to self, make this on a weekend and preferably when your patience levels are high.

The potatoes get double fried and believe me it is totally worth it. Then they are tossed in a garlic parmesan herb salt.

This meal is carb heavy... and wine heavy... as in, I drank the bottle of wine after using the splash of it  to make the au jus. At least now I'll be able to sleep off the carb overload.

Herb Salted Garlic Parmesan French Fries

Adapted from : How Sweet It Is

Makes 2 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 2 russet potatoes, thinly sliced, like french fries
• 1 qt canola oil
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
• 1/2 tbsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/3 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

And Action:

Add potatoes to a bowl of ice water and let sit for 30 minutes. Place two layers worth of paper towels on a baking sheet and remove the potatoes from the water. Take more paper towels and pat dry the potatoes. 

Add oil to a large pot and heat over medium high heat until the temperature reaches 350 degrees (use a candy thermometer). Add the potatoes in batches and fry for 2-3 minutes. Remove and place on paper towels to drain the oil. 

Let the potatoes cool, about 10 minutes.

Make the garlic parmesan herb salt using the rest of the ingredients.  

Fry the potatoes again until browned and crispy. Toss with the garlic parmesan herb salt. 

Roast Beef Dip Sandwich with Herbed Garlic Au Jus

Adapted From: Food.com

Makes 4 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 can (14.5 oz) beef broth
• 1 french baguette, cut into 4 portions and split in half
• 1 (4 oz) package garlic and herb goat cheese
• 1 lb thinly sliced peppered roast beef

And Action:

To make the au jus: In a medium saucepan heat oil, then add onion powder, garlic, and the other dried herbs. Stir often for 1 minute. The add red wine and soy sauce. Increase the heat, bring to a simmer and let the sauce reduce by half. Add beef broth and simmer for 5 minutes. 

To make the sandwiches: Spread the cheese evenly on both sides of the baguette. Divide roast beef among the sandwiches. Close the sandwiches, place on a baking sheet, and bake at 450 degrees for about 3 minutes. Serve with small cups of the au jus for dipping. 

Doin' Some Cooking... Smashed Chickpea & Avocado Salad Sandwich

I'm that obnoxious person in the line at Subway who puts just about every effin' ingredient they have on my sandwich. It's gets stuffed so full that I can't even take a bite with everything in it. That's what I love about it though, every bite tastes different.

We make sandwiches a couple times a week for dinner. If there are leftovers I give my Little Man the option of leftovers or a sandwich. He will always, and I mean always, pick a sandwich. His go to choices are peanut butter and jelly or turkey and he most definitely likes to keep it as simple as possible.

This Smashed Chickpea & Avocado Salad Sandwich sounded like something my son would actually enjoy since he loves avocado and hummus. I was wrong. He wouldn't even entertain a nibble. He even found a loophole of getting out of trying this for dinner when he reminded me that we had leftover Bell Pepper Chicken Nachos and that meant he could pick his sandwich. Touché Little Man.

I can't stand chickpeas or garbanzo beans in their true state but I love hummus. The original recipe calls for smashing the chickpeas but I knew I would not enjoy the texture. They taste too... raw. Instead I busted out the food processor and pulsed all of the ingredients together to make more of a spread.

I'm all for easy meals. Now I can add this to my sandwich rotation. Might even reach for cans of garbanzo beans instead of tuna until I burn myself out on this.

Smashed Chickpea & Avocado Salad Sandwich

Adapted from: Debbi Does Dinner... Healthy & Low Calorie

Makes 4 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas or garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 ripe avocado
• handful of cilantro
• 1 green onion, white and green parts
• 1 lime, juiced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• whole wheat bread
• any other sandwich toppings: red onion, tomato, sprouts, cucumber

And Action:

Add chickpeas, avocado, cilantro, green onion, lime juice, salt, and pepper to the food processor and pulse until desired consistency.

Toast bread, or not. Spread chickpea mixture on bread and top with sandwich toppings of your choosing. I'd choose all of them.