Do you love panini and wish you could learn how to make panini sandwiches at home? Here’s a great article on different ways to make panini at home without a panini maker. Thank you, PaniniHappy.com, for posting this great article!
http://paninihappy.com/how-to-make-panini-without-a-panini-press/
I have read on some other blogs recently that can also use a George Foreman Grill to make panini sandwiches.
So with all these alternatives available to you, you really don’t need a panini press!
I found the original recipe in the Wegmans MENU magazine, but made several changes to it to make it not require Wegmans’ prepared ingredients. It was originally named “Slow-Cooked Italian Sausage Agrodolce” and I figured out after the fact that “agrodolce” must mean sweet vegetables. Interestingly the recipe doesn’t use “sweet vegetables” but it does use vegetables and a sweet sauce. It tastes kind of like a German-flavored barbecued sausage.
I know, the flavor sounds weird, but as I sat there eating this concoction I was inspired to state out loud to my husband and guest, “This is damn good.” So there you have it.
Time:
Prep: 30 minutes
Total: 9.5 hours
Ingredients:
1.5 lbs sweet Italian sausage (links)
1 Tbsp EVOO
8 C sliced green cabbage
2 C sliced red onions
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 C golden raisins (optional)
1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1-6oz can tomato paste
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 C red wine vinegar
2 tsp vinegar
2 tsp honey
bread and salad to serve with
1 6-7 Qt slow cooker
Directions:
1. Slice cabbage and onions and add to bottom of slow cooker. Chop garlic and add that to slow cooker also.
2. Combine raisins, tomatoes, tomato paste, crushed red pepper, vinegar, and honey in a bowl. Pour this into the slow cooker over the vegetables and spread it with the back of a large spoon.
3. Heat oil in skillet on medium-high heat. Brown sausage about 5-8 minutes. Place sausage links in the slow cooker on top of everything else.
4. Cook on LOW for 8-9 hours.
5. Serve on plates or in large pasta bowls, along with some crusty bread and a simple salad.
Nutrition:
6 servings
1 serving = 1 sausage and 1/6 of the vegetables and sauce
400 calories per serving
1 stalk celery
3-4 mini english cucumbers or pickling cucumbers
1/2 tsp garlic salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil (or to taste)
1 tsp red wine vinegar (or to taste)
(Or 2 tsp white wine vinegar)
1. Peel the cucumbers leaving a few thin strips of green on them for color. Trim off the ends. Slice thinly.
2. Wash and thinly slice the celery.
3. Add all ingredients to a zip lock bag and shake. Let sit for 20-30 minutes while you make the rest of your dinner. Either in the frig or on the counter.
Right before serving, pour the salad into a nice bowl and top with a few sprigs of cilantro or parsley (optional).
Enjoy!
(Sorry, forgot to take a picture, will add it next time I make this!)
This fantastic low-fat dish is easy to make and is a definite crowd-pleaser. My husband could not get enough of it. We loved it so much we were glad we didn’t have company that night and could save the leftovers for ourselves!
Ingredients:
Directions:
1 Chop the onion, celery, peppers, and saute in vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Stir and sauté for 4-5 minutes, or until the onion begins to color a bit. In the meantime, peel and chop the garlic and set aside. Scrub the potatoes and cut them into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces.
2 Add the garlic, stir and sauté for a minute or so.
3 Stir in the spices, water, and the potatoes, and cover the pot with a tight lid. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. The potatoes should be tender.
4 Add the chopped turkey, diced tomatoes and peas. Mix well and cover the pot. Cook 2-3 minutes.
5 Stir in the chopped cilantro and remove from heat.
Serve immediately with a simple cucumber salad or leafy green salad.
Note: The version in the photo has shrimp in it as well as the turkey. I added it because I didn’t have quite a pound of turkey but I think I would have preferred it with just turkey.
I experiment a lot with different combinations of ingredients in my smoothies. The vast majority come out “good”, some come out “meh” and once in a while a combination will come out fantastic.
Of course everyone’s taste is different, and much depends on the quality of your ingredients… but I personally thought this smoothie came out fantastic. The combination of fruits and sweet veggies along with the almond butter makes this yummy smoothie one that can serve as an entire meal.
Ingredients:
2 C (or so) of red seedless grapes, washed
1 apple, cored and chopped into 4 pieces or so
2 dates, pits removed
1 carrot, scrubbed and cut into a few pieces
1 stalk celery with leaves, washed and cut into 3-4 pieces
1 large banana
1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
1 small piece of lime without rind (lemon works too)
1/2 C organic gluten-free rolled oats
1/3 C hemp seeds (optional)
2 big tablespoons of almond butter
1 tray of ice
1 sm carton of high protein yogurt (optional)
a little bit of water (if needed) to get it to your preferred consistency
Put everything in your Vita-Mix or Blend-Tec (or other high-powered) blender and use the instructions provided by your manufacturer to bring it up to high speed as quickly as possible. Blend on high for about 45 seconds.
Serves 2
The 10 minutes is a bit misleading. It refers to the type of farro I used: Trader Joe’s 10 Minute Farro. The actual recipe takes about 30 minutes. It’s best if you let it sit for about an hour after you’ve made it just to let the flavors blend. You could chill it or leave it out at room temperature.
Ingredients:
1 bag Trader Joe’s 10 Minute Farro
1-1/2 C frozen corn
2 large carrots
1 beet
1 large sweet onion
2 stalks of celery with leaves
1 green pepper
1 jalapeño pepper
1/4 cup EVOO
6 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Coarse salt & fresh ground pepper
1 tsp Herbs de Provence (or other favorite herb blend)
Optional: crumbled feta, avocados, or sliced olives for garnish
Instructions:
Add the bag of farro and 2 cups of water to a pan and turn to high. When it boils turned down to simmer and cover. After 10 minutes remove from heat, add the corn on top, re-cover and let sit for five more minutes.
While farro is cooking, coarsely chop celery, carrot, onion, beet, jalapeno. Add celery and beet pieces to a large bowl. Set the rest aside.
When farro is done, drain and add to the bowl with the beets and celery.
In the same pan in which you cooked the farro, add 2 tablespoons of the oil and turn heat to medium. Sauté the pile of chopped vegetables for about five minutes, then add them to the bowl along with the rest of the oil and vinegar. Season with salt pepper and seasonings and mix well.
Chill in the fridge for about an hour or so and, if desired, top with crumbled feta and olives just prior to serving. Serve with grilled chicken sausages and a side salad. Or omit the sausage and add a can of drained black beans or chickpeas for a wonderful vegetarian meal.
