Try Roasting Your Own Sandwich Meats....

I got the idea for this meal after having an awesome sandwich at a local breakfast/lunch spot. All of the flavors would seemingly shine on their own, but together they compliment each other for a fantastic sandwich. I roasted my own turkey breast so that I could control the amount of sodium and preservatives that are typically found in your local supermarket deli's lunch meats. As for the cheese, I knew I wanted gouda for it's smokiness and found a great example from Calkins Creamery, a farm just outside of Philadelphia. I went simply with an artisan wheat bread for it's health benefits and instead of mayonnaise to cut through the meat and cheese, I made a white bean spread with fresh lemon juice for acidity. Lastly, I wanted the cheese to ooze out of the sandwich like lava spilling from a volcano so I decided to press the sandwich with a weight. A panini press would work all the same except I don't have one. You could also butter the bread and make it more like a grilled cheese.

What you'll need:

• 1 loaf of wheat bread, sliced in one inch thickness. Go local and stop by your neighborhood bakery.

• 2 medium slices of smoked gouda cheese

• 1 3-4 pound whole turkey breast

• 2-3 thick slices of apple. I uses Gala because it's what I had at the house but any sweet apple will be fine.

• A small handful of salad greens

• White bean spread (See recipe below)

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

Preheat your over to 325˚. Season the turkey breast all over with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Position the turkey breast in the middle of a rack over a roasting pan. I chose to fill the bottom of my roasting pan with one inch of white wine, one onion quartered, one head of garlic halved and one lemon halved. This will add more flavor but isn't necessary. Roast the breast until an internal thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 150˚. Allow the bird to rest 15 minutes before slicing.

Build your sandwich any way you like with the ingredients above. If you put a slice of cheese on each piece of bread, it'll help keep the sandwich together. Heat a cast iron skillet to medium high and add the sandwich, placing the brick on top to help press it down. When done, slice in half and serve.

White Bean Spread

• 1 cup cooked white beans

• 1 lemon, juiced

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• 1/3 cup Olive Oil

Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until thick but well blended. Adjust any seasonings or oil to taste.

Oatmeal My Way - Uncooked

   I'm a firm believer that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, one that should never be skipped. After a long and intense addiction to cereal, I was finally able to kick my sugary habit for a much healthier, and cheaper alternative. This is now my go to breakfast - simple, quick, healthy and filling and easy to prepare. For those of you with little time to spare each morning, it can be made the night before. Just add milk!

Ingredients*

• 1 1/2 cups oats

• 1/3 cup raisins

• 1/3 cup crushed salted almonds

• 1/3 fresh blueberries

• 1 1/2 cups skim milk

   

Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and simply add milk.

   * Feel free to add or replace anything that you think will make this recipe better. Remember, food is subjective - It's only good if YOU think it's good! Some ideas for substitutions are: Fresh fruit - bananas, berries, peaches, mango; Nuts - I like salted almonds because the salt provides a contrast to the sweet raisins. Others include walnuts, pecans, macadamias, pistachios; Dried fruits - apricots, banana chips, craisins; Honey, coconut flakes, brown sugar. 

Sundried Tomato Crostini

   A simple crostini is one of the tastiest easiest things you can make.  Sometimes I would rather just eat the entire tray of them instead of dinner.  Crostini are small thinly sliced bread (insert crispy baguette here) that are either toasted or grilled and then are served with a garnish on top.  In this case, that toasted bread is getting spread with a sundried tomato mixture.

Ingredients

• Tomatoes (3 or 4) - preferably your garden
• Garlic (4-6 cloves)
• Sundried Tomatoes - a handfull (out of a jar from the Italian section)
• Fresh Basil - preferably your garden
• Grated Romano cheese (a few handfulls)
• Good Olive Oil (In moderation it is just FINE)
• Crispy Baguette of bread (to your liking)

Directions

   I am anal when it comes to cutting things in perfect ways, the more work you put in earlier the better everything will look when served.  *Remember, if people think it looks good they have a biased in their brain that thinks it should taste as good.  Presentation is huge!  Chop all of the ingredients in the same little cubes and toss in a large bowl.   There will be plenty of juice from the tomatoes so you will not need a crazy amount of olive oil.  Add a few hand fulls of grated Romano cheese and add a few dribbles of olive oil (3-4tbspn).  Mix all of these ingredients with a spoon and garnish with salt, pepper and fresh chopped basil.  In the mean time make sure you do not slice your bread too thick, also keep in mind the size...one biters are perfect.  Coat the sliced bread with a drip of olive oil to prevent burnt instead of toasted bread.  You can either throw it in the oven for a quick toast or you could toss them on the grill.  When finished rub the toasted bread with a clove of garlic (little trick)  and spoon on your sundried tomato mixture.  One of the best things about this is the price, you can make a boatload of these for 10-15$ (all depending if you are using your garden properly!)  Garnish with fresh basil and watch them get devoured.

Tip #1 - Grow Your Own Food!

  Gardening is very simple, and nothing tastes better than a fresh vegetable prepared minutes after being pulled out of the ground.  There is a sense of accomplishment, a feeling of pride, and trust me (whether it is in your head or not), it will be the best tasting bite of food you have ever tried.  There are a few ground rules but once you get those down it is a breeze, water and watch it flourish!  You do NOT need a lot of space to get started, dig your area and head to the store.  If you are in an urban environment, the soil is called "slag"; essentially urban run off that is rich with nutrients so adding anything else is not necessary.  Go to your local nursery, Lowe's, or Home Depot and pick your favorite items.  Early spring is great for lettuce, onion sets and fresh herbs.  Mothers Day is the start of tomato plants, if you get them in the ground you will be eating fresh tomatoes at your fourth of July picnic.  Do a little research and you will figure out what plants grow best in our climate and when you should plant them, then let mother nature do the rest!
   If space is an issue a raised garden is a great solution.  Photos are included and here is a link to a cheap easy way to assemble it! Raised Garden!