Green Breakfast Sandwich

Most mornings, I run around the house with a yogurt in my hand, occasionally taking bites as I nag on my children to put their clothes on, eat a bite, put their clothes on, eat a bite, go pee, brush their teeth, PUT THEIR CLOTHES ON, etc.  However, their are those magical mornings when I actually wake up before them, and they actually sleep past 7am, and I have the school lunches made and their clothes, snacks, vitamins and backpacks ready to go.  On those mornings, which I will refer to as unicorn mornings, I make myself something fun for breakfast!  

This particular sandwich is loosely based on one at this restaurant (I order NOTHING else), and it took me no time to throw it together.  I toasted an English Muffin, spread on a layer of cream cheese, added some arugula and then avocado, fried up an egg and topped the whole thing with store-bought pesto.  Salt, pepper, lemon juice, drizzle of olive oil... it was ridiculous.  I love my unicorn mornings!  

Coffee cup was made by a friend based on THIS Instagram page :)

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts Grilled Cheese

Guess what?!  I cloned myself!  (See previous post if you're confused.)  Yeah, I cloned myself, and my second self just made me lunch!  The best lunch EVER!  Well, okay, that didn't really happen, but I was able to time naps perfectly today, which left me with a few hours to make a REAL lunch and hopefully shower (I have a holiday party tonight so if I don't fit the shower in now it will have to be later with ALL of my kids hanging in the bathroom around an iPad).

Anyway, about the sandwich.  You know those bags of pre-shredded Brussels Sprouts?  I think they're genius, and almost always have one in my fridge (especially this time of year).  So for the sandwich... heat a tablespoon of butter or olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat and saut� two tablespoons of chopped onion and three tablespoons of shredded sprouts.  Season with salt and pepper, and cook until they're all brown and caramelized.  Remove, and place a piece of your favorite bread in the skillet (I of course put more butter on the bread).  Add a piece of white cheddar, then the sprouts and onions, then another piece of cheddar and top with bread (more butter).  Grill like you would a grilled cheese!  Voila!  It's really, really good.     

Fancy Tuna Melts from Sheet Pan Suppers

Do you follow the blog Dunk & Crumble? If not, you should! Molly�s writing is cute and personable, and her recipes are always fun and approachable. And she and I are the same age, we both live in Seattle, and we both got married this October. #soulmates. And guess what? She wrote a cookbook (so, I guess this is where our paths diverge) which is every bit as cute, fun, and approachable as her blog! I can already tell you this book going to be a weeknight staple in my house! 

Sheet Pan Suppers is full of dinners, desserts, sandwiches, appetizers, and brunch things, all made on a trusty sheet pan! Her sheet pan style makes things simple and easy, even for some serious show-stoppers, like lemony fish baked on top of crispy potatoes, a pork tenderloin recipe with squash, apples, and onions that looks amazing for fall, a giant sheet pan-sized dutch baby with meyer lemon sugar, and a thin chocolate chip cake rolled with cannoli filling that I�m dying to make. She also has a lot of recipes for quick weeknight meals or weekend lunches, like these Fancy Tuna Melts.

Tuna melts are one of Evan and my go-to weekend lunches. They�re easy and delicious, but also a little bit fancier than your average weekday sandwich (for us office folk, anyway...especially since I don't eat tuna at work, out of coworker respect...amiright!?). We usually go with a classic chunky and not too creamy (because I hate overly mushy tuna) tuna-pickle-mayo mix on toast or bagels, topped with cheddar or swiss. 

This recipe ups the ante in every way. The tuna is full of sweet, tangy, crispy, fresh additions like apples, shallot, capers, and fresh dill. Instead of standard bread, we�re using naan, which gets a little bit crispy in the oven, and we�re topping the whole thing with marinated mozzarella. Extra flavor in every element of this sandwich! And it doesn�t stop there. Once everything�s warm and the cheese is all melty, Molly offers two topping suggestions: sun-dried tomatoes and fresh greens, or salt & vinegar potato chips! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? This is a like the his and hers sandwich combo of Evan and my dreams. I try to health things up if I can, with greens or fresh veggies, and he tries to trash things up (and I mean that in the best way possible), with chips, hot sauce, and all manner of pre-packaged foods. From my experience though, I can tell you that the perfect topping for these melts is actually a combination of all three: sun-dried tomatoes, peppery arugula, and salt & vinegar chips.    

Things you won�t regret this holiday season: making these tuna melts, visiting Molly�s blog, buying a copy of Sheet Pan Suppers (for yourself or for a gift!), eating a few extra potato chips. 

Fancy Tuna Melts 

Adapted slightly from Sheet Pan Suppers by Molly Gilbert

Makes 4 sandwiches

Molly uses Armenian braided string cheese, which is marinated in oil and spices. My grocery store, which has the fanciest of all fancy cheese sections didn�t have this, so per her suggestion, I went with marinated mini mozzarella balls, which you can find in most grocery stores, including Trader Joe�s. This recipe makes 4 enclosed sandwiches. If you prefer open face, just use 2 naan pieces, each cut in half (making 4 open face sandwiches). 

4 pieces of naan bread, each cut in half 

1 12-ounce can chunk light tuna in water, drained

1/2 large shallot, finely diced

1/2 cup diced, unpeeled apple (something crunchy like Pink Ladies)

1/4 cup capers, drained, plus 1 tablespoon caper brine

1 heaping tablespoon fresh dill, chopped

1.5 tablespoon dijon mustard

1/4 cup mayonnaise

Fresh ground pepper

1 container small marinated mozzarella balls, drained

Topping

sun dried tomatoes (drained if in oil)

Arugula 

Salt & vinegar potato chips

Preheat oven to 375, with rack in the center. Line sheet pan with foil or parchment paper. Arrange 4 of the naan halves on the sheet pan. 

Mix together tuna through pepper, and scoop evenly onto 4 naan halves. Top each one with about 4-5 balls of the marinated mozzarella, broken in half. Arrange 4 remaining naan prices on the sides of the pan (not on top of the tuna).

Bake for about 10 minutes, until everything is warm and cheese is melty (a bit longer for crispier bread). 

Top each melt with sun dried tomatoes, salt & vinegar chips, and a handful of arugula, then place extra naan half on top for an enclosed sandwich.