Peanut Butter & Banana Ice Cream Sandwiches

Peanut Butter & Banana Ice Cream Sandwiches {gluten free + vegan} from She Likes Food

Get recipe here!

French Onion Grilled Cheese

Have you ever veered off the traditional grilled cheese route? Maybe it's time.

Let's start with the primary "rules" on what makes a grilled cheese a grilled cheese.  

A Grilled Cheese Must...

• be a closed sandwich, griddled on both sides.
• have cheese as the primary ingredient. Other ingredients can complement, but not overwhelm the cheese.
• be made with sliced bread. Thus a sandwich made with whole, crust-on loaves like an Italian panini or a Cubano do not qualify.
• be served hot all the way through, with the cheese melted.
• be cooked on a flat, greased surface until golden brown. In extreme circumstances it may be cooked on an outdoor grill over an open fire. A grilled cheese may never be baked.

Now that that's out of the way. How about this French Onion Grilled Cheese which captivates the flavors of French onion soup in a simple, handheld grilled cheese.

French Onion Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

2 onions, sliced

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup beef broth

2 sprigs thyme

1 clove garlic, minced

4 slices bread

6 ounces gruyere cheese, shredded

softened butter as needed

Instructions:

To make the caramelized onions, heat the sliced onions with the butter over very low heat. Stir occasionally, cooking slowly for about one hour, or until the onions are sweet and brown. More butter may be needed as the onions cook.

Add the beef broth, thyme, and garlic to the onions, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon as the liquid sizzles. Cook until all the liquid in the pan has evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside.

Build the sandwiches by dividing the cheese and onions between two slices of bread. Top with the remaining slices of bread.

Butter the tops and bottoms of the sandwiches and heat in a pan over medium heat until crispy.

Cheesy Ham & Pepperoni Stromboli

Ingredients

Yields 2 loaves

1 (.25 oz) package active dry yeast

1 1/3 cups warm water (110° to 115°) 

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 tsp salt 

4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

The quantities below are for 1 Stromboli. Double the amount if you want to make both loaves. 

1/4 lb thinly sliced ham

1/4 lb reduced fat pepperoni

Dried basil

Dried oregano

4 slices provolone cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil, salt and 2 cups flour; fitted with the paddle attachment, beat until smooth. Stir in enough flour to form a soft dough. Switching to the dough hook attachment, knead dough on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll one portion into a 15 x 12-inch rectangle. (I froze the second portion for a later date.) Arrange ham slices lengthwise down half of rectangle. Place pepperoni on top. Sprinkle with a little bit of basil and oregano. Arrange provolone slices over the top and then add the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with a little more basil and oregano. Fold plain half of dough over filling and seal ends well. Brush with oil; sprinkle with oregano.

Bake on a baking sheet at 400°F for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; cut into 1-inch slices.

Chipotle Burger with Caramelized Red Onions

Americans eat an average of 13 billion hamburgers per year total.  According to The Economist, that's 150 hamburgers per person each year! Why not add this Chipotle Burger with Caramelized Red Onions to your list.  

Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce give these burgers a distinctive warm and smoky flavor that deliciously counters the sweet red onions.  A great match for a gourmet 4th of July burger! I love using chipotle when making turkey burgers to give the mildly flavored poultry a bolder taste.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large red onion, halved, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2-1/2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey

4 chipotle peppers with adobo sauce from a can, minced

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon grated lime zest

Generous pinch of salt

A few grinds black pepper

8 slices Monterey Jack cheese

8 whole grain hamburger buns, toasted

Mayonnaise or other condiments of your choice

Directions:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, for 15 minutes or until onions are golden brown. Drizzle with vinegar and stir to combine. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

In a large bowl, combine beef or turkey, chipotle, cilantro, garlic, lime zest, salt and pepper. Use your hands to mix well. Form beef into eight patties.

Oil the grill grate and grill burgers for five minutes, flip, and grill for another four minutes. Lay slices of cheese over burgers and cook for another one to two minutes or until burgers are cooked through.

Slather buns with mayonnaise and/or other condiments. Place burgers on the bottoms of the buns and top with caramelized onions.

Summer Lovin': Chicken Caesar Sandwiches, Grilled Corn on the Cob, & Peach Cobbler Bars

Chicken Caesar Club Sandwiches

2 chicken breasts (whole or boneless, skinless)

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 large clove garlic, chopped

2 tbsp. fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

1-1½ tsp. anchovy paste

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1½ tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ cup mayonnaise

1 long loaf ciabatta bread, or 4 ciabatta sandwich rolls

Romaine lettuce leaves, washed and dried (or baby spinach or arugula)

Shaved Parmesan cheese

Sliced bacon, cooked until partly crisp

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Lightly rub the chicken breasts with olive oil and season with kosher salt and pepper.  Roast for 30-40 minutes, until cooked through.  Let rest 10 minutes, then slice thickly.  Set aside.

To make the Caesar dressing, combine the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse until finely minced, scraping down the sides as needed.  Add the anchovy paste, mustard, lemon juice and mayonnaise.  Process until smooth and well blended.  Adjust seasonings to taste if necessary.  Refrigerate the dressing if not using right away.

Slice the bread in half horizontally.   Toast if desired.  Spread both cut sides of the bread lightly with the Caesar dressing.  Layer the bottom half of the bread with the romaine leaves, then top with shaved Parmesan, cooked bacon slices, and sliced chicken.  Top with additional romaine if desired.  Place the top half of the bread on top, enclosing the sandwich fillings.  If using a loaf of ciabatta, slice the assembled sandwich into individual servings.  Serve immediately.  

Grilled Corn on the Cob

8 fresh corn on the cob (in their husks)
water

Cilantro lime butter:
1 cup softened butter
¼ cup cilantro (chopped)
1 ½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 pinch cayenne pepper

In a mixing bowl cream butter. Mix in cilantro, lime juice and cayenne pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.  

Peel back corn husks within 1 inch of the bottom (be careful not to peel them completely off). Remove the silk from the corn. Roll the husks back up into their regular position. Soak the corn in cold water for 20 minutes, and drain.  

Heat an outdoor grill to medium heat. Place corn onto the grill, and grill covered for 20-25 minutes until tender. Make sure to turn the corn often to make sure it doesn’t burn. Spread with cilantro lime butter when serving.

Peach Cobbler Bars

Yields: about 20 bars

For the bars:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temp

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. almond extract

4 eggs

3 cups flour

3/4 pinch tsp. salt

For the filling:

6 - 8 peaches, peeled and thinly sliced

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tbsn. cream

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a large cookie sheet, set aside. Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time making sure well incorporated after each addition. Add in vanilla and almond extracts. Slowly add flour and salt and mix until incorporated. Spread 3/4 of the mixture into the prepared pan. Mix peaches, brown sugar and cinnamon together then evenly distribute over the batter. Drop the rest of the batter by tablespoons over the peaches and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until edges start to turn brown. Whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla and cream and drizzle half of the mixture over the warm bars. Allow to cool, cut into 3 inch squares and drizzle over the remaining glaze.