Ham, Turkey & Swiss Melt

Finally! A lunch recipe! This one is so easy. I like my sandwich meat heated normally. It just tastes more flavorful. I could eat this sandwich almost every day. I don’t, because there’s so many other things to try, but I could. And, my new love. Sourdough bread. Where have you been all my life?

Ingredients
2 slices sourdough bread
2 slices Swiss cheese
3 slices turkey deli meat
3 slices ham deli meat
1 baby bella mushroom, sliced
2 rings yellow onion, diced
Pinch of salt and pepper

 

Method

Place the sourdough bread in a toaster and toast lightly for one to two minutes. You want it firm but not brown.

In a pan, spray a few spritz of Pam and place on high heat. Add onions and saute until they begin to brown. Add mushrooms, turkey and ham. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to the pan and mix. Flip the deli meat occasionally so that both sides are heated. Stir vegetables when you flip the meat. Remove from heat when mushrooms are cooked and deli meat becomes slightly browned.

Place a slice of cheese on each piece of bread. Place the onions and mushrooms on one slice, stack the meat, and put the other slice of bread and cheese on top.

To grill, use a clean pan. Heat on high heat for roughly one to two minutes, then turn to medium heat. Place the sandwich on the pan and cover with a lid for 30 seconds. Open lid, press down for 10 seconds, and flip to the other side. Press down, then cover with lid for 20 seconds. Remove lid and press down for 10 seconds. Flip again and press down for 10 seconds.

Remove from heat and serve hot! The cheese should be melted, gooey and delicious!

Calories: 526
Fat: 10 grams

Penne with Cottage Cheese Alfredo

Since I made Alfredo sauce with cream cheese already, I decided to experiment with cottage cheese. The taste is similar but the texture is a bit different, obviously. Still good, but a bit more tricky. I made this dish three times in order to get it right. Third time’s a charm.

Ingredients
3 oz. Penne pasta, dry
4 oz. chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cup broccoli florets
2 Tbs. fat-free chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup yellow onions, diced
6 cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/8 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. fat-free mozzarella cheese
Freshly ground black pepper

Alfredo sauce
3/4 cup fat-free cottage cheese
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup fat-free chicken broth
1 clove garlic, diced

Roux
2 Tbs. All-purpose flour
1 Tbs. water

In a pot of water, add salt and put over high heat. Bring to boil, add pasta, and cook according to directions. When finished, strain and set aside.

In a pan, spray a few spritz of Pam and place on high heat. Add chicken breast and stir. When chicken is almost fully cooked, remove from pan and set aside.

In the same pan that you cooked the chicken, add the garlic and onions. Stir until onions begin to brown. Add the broccoli and 2 tablespoons of chicken broth into the pan. Continue to stir. If the pan becomes too dry, add more chicken broth. When the broccoli starts softening, add the mushrooms. Stir until broccoli is cooked but still crunchy. Remove from pan and set aside.

Put all the ingredients for the sauce into a food processor and blend until you get a smooth texture. There will still be lumps of cottage cheese. Just make sure it’s evenly distributed. Set aside.

To make the roux, first heat a clean pan on high heat for 20 seconds. Add the flour and turn to medium heat. Stir until the flour is a light shade of brown. Remove and place into a bowl. Slowly add the water, one teaspoon at a time. Mix with a spoon and dissolve the flour into the water until it becomes pasty but not clumpy. If you need more water, add it slowly and in small amounts.

In a new pan, place on medium heat and add the cottage cheese mixture. Stir frequently until the sauce begins to boil. Add the roux slowly, allowing for the sauce to thicken.

When the sauce becomes thick, add the broccoli, mushrooms, onions, garlic, chicken and parsley. Mix for 10 seconds and then add pasta and salt. Stir for 20 seconds before adding the tomatoes. Combine thoroughly and coat pasta with sauce. Do not cook the tomatoes too long or else they will become mushy.

Remove and top with mozzarella cheese and freshly ground black pepper. Serve hot and enjoy!

Serves: 1

Calories: 796, including pasta
Fat: 3.9 grams