Ah, spring break. I have an entire week off and am basking in my laziness. But aside from laying on the couch reading countless books, newspapers, and magazines, I get the wonderful job of cooking dinner for my meat eating family. My dad is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, and could probably live off of pizza, summer sausage, and hamburgers....not much left for the cooking imagination of mine. My mother is always up for trying anything and likes the idea of cutting out meat in some of her meals, so she at least tried my dishes without giving me a quizical look first. As for my younger sister, she tried cutting out meat once. It last two days. On the third day she claimed of being light headed and dizzy, blamed on the absent of meat in her diet. She has never tried it again. She doesn't eat all meat, seeing as pigs are her favorite animal, I never have to deal with pork or bacon, but I wouldn't dare try to serve her vegan chili. But anyway, this brings me to my dilemma of cooking for the week.
I search my cookbooks front to back, and check out some of my favorite websites, looking for something that I can put in front of my family. The first thing that catches my eye: reubens! I would consider this a dressed up sandwich. My family loves coleslaw and cheese. How bad could this be?
So, Monday Night: Turkey Reubens, vegan chili, and fresh bread. I also just got a wonderful handheld panini press, and can't wait to use it! As for myself, I whipped up a vegan bowl of goodies, and grilled it just the same. So, meat eaters and vegans can eat at the same dinner table. Who would have thought? Enjoy!
Turkey Reubens:
I got this recipe from a favorite of mine: Mr. Bobby Flay. So, if you trust his recipe more than mine (no hard feelings) check his out: http://www.buttermilkpress.com/blog/bobby-flay-turkey-reuben-recipe/
But I made a few alterations, and my family seemed to enjoy just as well.
1 half head cabbage (thinly sliced)
1 cup sliced red cabbage
1 large carrot thinly sliced
3/4 cup mayo (using vegan mayo works great if your looking for a healthier, or vegan alternative!)
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
After slicing your "coleslaw mix" add it to a large bowl. In a separate bowl, add the mayo, ketchup, vinegar, mustard, pepper, and salt. After ingredients are mixted together, pour over slaw and mix throughly. Place in the fridge to let the cabbage mix soak in the mayo. While this is sitting, get your sandwich fix-ins ready. For my turkey ones I used the following:
8 slices marble rye bread (but any bread would work, I just feel this had a great taste to add)
8 thin slices of co-jack cheese (usually swiss is used on reubens, but my family isn't too keen on swiss, and co-jack is always a house favorite)
Tomato slices
Melt a half stick of butter with 1/4 olive oil.
In a flat skillet, spray with cooking spray or lightly oil, turn the heat to medium. Place panini press in the pan to also heat, (if you don't have a panini press, it works just the same, just make sure to press on the on sandwich with a spatula, to ensure the cheese will melt) While your stove is heating, assemble your sandwhiches. Using a pastry brush, brush the butter/oil mix onto each side of the bread. This will ensure I nice crisp outside without burning. Layer a slice of cheese, 2 or 3 slices of turkey, 2 tomato slices, about 1/2 cup coleslaw, and another piece of cheese. Place the sandwich on the hot pan, and place panini press on top. After a few minutes, or until the cheese on the bottom starts to melt, flip the sandwich over, and again, press the top.
Meanwhile, turn on the oven to 250 degrees. When each panini is finished cooking, set on a baking sheet inside the oven to help the cheese continue to melt, and to keep the sandiwiches warm while you cook the others. Serve these delicious reubens with chili and bread like I did, or they are also great paired with a heartly salad or french fries!
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