We’ve talked about panini before…those wonderful grilled sandwiches that are all over the place in Italy. These can be made ahead and heated up later, and are a great way to use up leftovers. Here’s a combination that I really enjoy!

Salmon and Hard-Boiled Egg Panini

Good sandwich bread, like long baguettes or round Italian rolls, cut in half
Melted butter with smashed garlic and salt
Fresh dill
Capers
Hard-boiled eggs, one per sandwich
Thin slices of leftover cooked salmon

Brush each half of the roll with melted garlic butter. Layer on the dill, capers, eggs, and salmon, and close up the sandwich. Press down hard and wrap in foil. Place either on the grill or in a 350 oven, and heat for about 10 to 12 minutes.

Image: Stock.xchng

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Salmon and hard-boiled egg panini

Yesterday I shared one of my favorite tuna melt recipes.  Well, here’s another!

Another Tasty Tuna Melt

Thick sliced bread
Olive oil
White wine vinegar
Mustard
Clove of garlic, mashed
Tuna
Capers
Avocado, sliced
Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Mix the olive oil through the garlic in a deep glass measuring cup or bowl and beat with an immersion blender to create an emulsion. Or you can just whisk it really well. Mix the dressing with the tuna and capers. Place thin slices on avocado on slices of bread, and pile on the tuna. Add cheese and wrap sandwiches in foil to heat, or grill them.

Image: StockXchng.com

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Another tasty tuna melt

The tuna melt, the iconic luncheon pick in diners all across the land. I love a good tuna melt, and here’s a way to make it a little more grownup and tasty. I like to either wrap them in foil and melt them in the oven or on the grill, or even better, skip the foil and do them on an indoor grill or panini press.

Tasty Tuna Melt

Thick sliced bread
Tuna
Scallions, chopped
Capers
Parsley, chopped
Lemon juice
Gruyere or Swiss cheese

Mix the tuna with the scallions through lemon juice. Pile it high on slices of bread and top with cheese. Add another slice of bread and wrap in foil to heat or grill.

Image: Cyndi Lavin

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A tastier tuna melt

Hot or cold, this one works either way. I loaded up thick slices of whole wheat bread, wrapped them in foil, and heated them, but they are really good cold too

I’ve never measured the proportions, just mixed the ingredients together until it seemed right.

Tasty Tuna Fish

Tuna
Soy sauce
Lemon zest
Lemon juice
Mint, chopped
Sesame seeds
Greens, preferably dark like arugula

Image: Cyndi Lavin

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Tasty tuna fish sandwich

I got this recipe a million years ago from my good friend Kathy. My children never liked it much when they were little, so Mike and I only had it occasionally until they got a bit older and their tastes changed a bit. Sometimes I forgot how much I loved this dish in between times!

It’s quick and easy, wonderful for scallop lovers (that was the sticking point for our kids!), and pretty healthy to boot!

Pasta with Scallops and Wine Sauce

12 oz cooked fettucine or penne

12 oz scallops
1/2 an onion, chopped
Clove of garlic, chopped fine
1 T butter
1/2 c dry white wine (cooking wine is fine)
1 t dried basil or 1 T fresh
1/2 t dried oregano or 1 T fresh
2 t cornstarch mixed with 1 T cold water
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 c fresh parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper if desired

Thaw scallops if frozen, and halve any that are large. Start water boiling for the pasta and cook according to package directions while you make the scallop sauce.

In a large heavy sauce pan saute the onions and garlic in butter until tender but not browned. Stir in the wine and spices, and bring to a boil. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the boiling and cook for about two minutes, stirring. Lower the heat and add the tomatoes and scallops. Heat for a few minutes just to cook the scallops; don’t overcook them or they become tough.

Toss with the pasta and grated cheese and serve immediately. Add salt and pepper if needed.
Image: Cyndi Lavin

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Pasta with scallops and wine sauce

I already told you how much I like the new edition of the The Taste of Home Cookbook. Here’s another recipe from this fabulous book. I used fresh salmon instead of canned, and substituted yogurt for the sour cream. Using the fresh salmon obviously upped the time needed to put this together, but if you chose to used canned, it only takes 10 minutes to prepare!

Courtesy of The Taste of Home Cookbook and website!

Salmon Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cans (14-3/4 ounces each) salmon, drained, bones and skin removed
• 2 celery ribs, sliced
• 1 large apple, peeled and chopped
• 5 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons snipped fresh dill or 3/4 teaspoon dill weed
• 3/4 teaspoon minced fresh basil or pinch dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon or pinch dried tarragon

Directions:

Flake salmon into a bowl. Add remaining ingredients; stir gently. Chill until ready to serve.

Yield: 8 servings.

Image: Cyndi Lavin

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Salmon salad

This sauce is especially good with smoked fish, but any strong-tasting fish will do it! I don’t use it to smother the fish as it’s cooking, but instead serve it on the side.

Mustard-Dill Sauce for Fish

2 T dark whole-seed mustard
1/2 t ground mustard powder
2 t sugar
1 T white vinegar
3 T olive oil
4 t fresh dill, chopped

Mix mustards through vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk the oil in slowly until an emulsion forms. Use a hand-held wand beater if you’ve got one. Stir in the chopped dill. Serve with grilled or baked fish.

Image: Cyndi Lavin

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Mustard-dill sauce for fish

Guest author: Peter Mohn, Grafton Village Cheese Company Vice President
Website: Grafton Village Cheese

The VP at Grafton Village Cheese, handcrafted award-winning cheddar cheese from Vermont, has a “cheese & macaroni” recipe that can knock you over, it’s so decadent. A perfect comfort food and a recipe that’s been a favorite among anyone we give the recipe to. The recipe below includes lobster which could be eliminated, but if you want comfort, there’s more richness for you!

Peter’s Lobster Cheese and Macaroni

Ingredients

1 lb elbow macaroni

1/4 cup butter

2 1/4 cup evaporated milk

2 T. Dijon Mustard

3 eggs, beaten

2 pounds grated Grafton Classic Reserve Cheddar

1 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

Dash of Tabasco

Paprika

8 oz (1/2 pound) cooked lobster; ideally small chunks of claw and knuckle meat

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook macaroni according to box directions for al dente. Add butter to cooked, warm macaroni.

In a separate bowl, whisk milk and Dijon. Slowly, add eggs. Fold in cheese and lobster chunks. Add salt, pepper and Tabasco. Fold cheese mixture into macaroni. Pour into 9 X 13 baking pan and bake for 50 minutes until cheese is bubbling and the top is starting to brown.

Serves six (unless you really like it, then it could be four)

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Peter’s Lobster Cheese and Macaroni

Another amazing entree from Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger! This one takes only about 15 to 20 minutes to make, start to finish
Fish with Tomatoes, Olives and Capers

4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
4 (5-ounce) sea bass fillets (or other white fish)
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup canned low-sodium diced tomatoes, with juice
1/2 cup chopped pitted black olives
2 tablespoons capers
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper, optional
2 cups packed fresh baby spinach leaves
Salt and pepper

In a large nonstick skillet heat 2 teaspoons of oil over a medium-high heat. Add fish and cook until opaque in the center, about 2 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer the fish to a platter and tent with foil to keep the fish warm.

Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in the same skillet; add onion and saute for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, olives and capers and crushed red pepper, if using, and cook for 3 minutes more. Stir in the spinach and cook until it is wilted, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the sauce over the fish and serve.

Image: Healthy Appetite

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Fish with tomatoes, olives and capers by Ellie Krieger

Seven delicious-sounding recipes, each promised to clock in at around 20 minutes! The snapper, shown above particularly struck my fancy. All recipes are available at the Cooking Light website. Here’s their snapper dish:

Pan-Grilled Snapper with Orzo Pasta Salad

1 1/2 cups uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
Cooking spray
4 (6-ounce) red snapper fillets
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons orange juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 1/2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil

Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and keep warm.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle fish evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

Combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper, shallots, parsley, lemon juice, orange juice, and mustard in a small bowl, stirring well. Slowly add olive oil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle the shallot mixture over pasta; toss well to coat.
Yield:  4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet and 3/4 cup pasta mixture)

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Superfast pasta recipes from Cooking Light