Salad into a sandwich?

Yep...not into a wrap (which would be really easy to do...hello ideas for next week!), but into a sandwich.

I love the caprese salad. It's light and filling (not stuffing!).  The only problem is that it takes a while to eat...and sometimes you just don't have that time.  What I love about this sandwich is that you can have everything chopped/sliced ahead of time and on the day you're in a rush, it'll take you about 2 minutes to make it.

What you need:

1 baguette (will make 3-4 sandwiches)
1 red onion, sliced thinly
1-2 slice tomatoes
Basil leaves - sliced into thin strips
Mozzarella cheese, sliced
Black pepper
Balsamic vinegar


If you have everything pre-sliced, it's super easy (and even if you don't, it only adds another couple of minutes) I think one of the reasons I like this sandwich is it also reminds me a bit of Subway, which I miss.

Place the cheese slices on the bottom of the bread, layer with onion and sprinkle with the basil strips.  I put the tomato on the top layer to help moisten the bread. (You could also put some pesto on the bread if you don't have basil). Grind a little black pepper over it and then drizzle on the vinegar.    Serve with apple slices, chips or fries.  Yum!

Pork...it's cheaper than beef

I'll admit...sometimes I get tired of eating chicken. I cook with it because what I make with it is usually healthier than what I make with beef or pork and also because it's cheaper (well, if you buy it frozen anyway).

Today however, I bought 2 packs of thin (2 minute cooking) pork chops for 10 chf.  I wanted to make a 'pork medallion' dish that calls for a pork tenderloin.  Pork tenderloins will run anywhere from 20-30 chf.  The recipe calls for 1/2 inch thick slices, so while that does look prettier on a plate than 'strips', these pork chops cut the cost in half.

What you need:

1-2 packs of the thinly cut, boneless pork chops
Sesame oil
4-6 tbls soy sauce (depending on how much liquid you want - I use 5)
2 garlic cloves (or 1 tbls minced from a jar)
2 tbls brown sugar (or muscovado sugar)
1/2 cup Sherry (bought mine from Coop for 7chf)
Optional: 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Slice your pork into small strips so they will cook quickly.
Heat up the oil and add the garlic. Cook for about a minute. (add pepper if desired)
Add the pork and cook until browned, then remove to a plate and keep warm.

Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on medium until slightly thickened. Add the pork back in and cook until coated and heated.

That's it.  Very simple dish.  You could chop up some spring onions (scallions) for decoration on top.  I served it with broccoli.  Usually I make rice to go along with it but didn't have any so I used a box of Ebly from Coop - it's a barley that comes with different seasonings depending on the box. The one I used was the garden flavor.  While good, I think basmati rice goes better with this dish.