Tomato and Soya Masala Panini Sandwich ( And the Lunchbox Skirmish continues... )

Everyone loves sandwiches. You just need to find the 'One' that suits your palate. Till then it is like fighting your way ( and diminishing your bank balance in the process ) through endless tubes of red lipsticks before you zero in on that one elusive shade and can truly claim 'One woman One Red'. But jokes apart, your chances of finding the perfect lipstick are far better than bumping into Prince charming or a damsel in distress (quite a few guys still harbor that fantasy, don't they ?).

But the real reason why I love sandwiches is the fact that they are so neat and equally easy to prepare. I can have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner and sometimes to quell those stray hunger pangs that strike in-between meals. For each one, I just modify the stuffing keeping the meal requirements in mind. For example, I prefer to have egg slices and cheese when I make them for brekkie. Lunch time calls for something like grilled chicken and salad veggies. And so on. This 'Tomato and Soya Masala Panini Sandwich' is one of my mealtime staples, especially on the days when I avoid meat and dairy. 

Most kids (especially the older lot) would enjoy this sandwich in their lunchbox. One can also add some cheese spread or cheese slices or even hung curd to clinch the deal with them.

Read on for the recipe - 

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients -

• 6 Bread slices
• 1 large Tomato ( cut into slices )
• 1 medium onion ( cut into slices )
• any other vegetable of your choice 
• 1 cup soya masala 
• 3 tsp mayonniase
• 3 tsp ketchup
• dash of pepper
• dash of salt
• butter for greasing the plates of the sandwich maker

For the soya masala -

• 1 cup soya chunks
• 1 medium potato
• 1/2 of a medium onion (finely chopped)
• 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 2 pinch garam masala
• salt to taste
• 3 tsp oil
• 1 tsp chopped cilantro

Preparation - Cook the soya chunks and potato in a pressure cooker for 1-2 whistles.

Allow steam to escape. Open lid, take out the soya chunks, squeeze them and rinse 2-3 times in clear water.

Squeeze out all the water from the soya chunks, put in a mixing bowl and mash to a coarse paste. Peel the potato, mash and add to the same mixing bowl.

Cooking - Heat 1 tsp oil in pan. Add the chopped onion and ginger garlic paste. Saute for a while till the raw smell goes off.

Add the soya and potato paste along with salt and chili powder. Mix everything together and cook for 4-5 mins.

Finally add the garam masala and chopped cilantro. Mix and remove from the flame. Let it come down to room temperature.

Assembly - Take a bread slice. Layer it with mayonnaise. Them put about 1/3rd of the soya masala on the bread.

Top it with tomato, onion and any other vegetable slices that you prefer. Sprinkle some salt and pepper, and close the sandwich with another bread slice.

Grease the plates with some butter.

Place the sandwiches and grill them to a light brown.

Serve with some tomato ketchup.

One can eat it right away or even pack for lunch/brunch.

Spinach and Sweet corn Sandwich

The yucky spinach (as most kids would label it) in a different avatar !!! This is one of those simple sandwiches that are healthy, filling and yummy, all at the same time. They make for a great 4 o'clock snack and taste equally good in the lunch-box.

Read on for the easy recipe -

Preparation Time - 10-12 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 cup shredded spinach leaves 
• 1/2 cup sweet corn
• 1/2 of a small onion (finely chopped)
• 1/3 tsp GG paste
• 1/3 tsp chili powder
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp oil
• 4-6 tbsp grated cheddar cheese
• 4 slices of bread
• butter 

Preparation - Blanch the spinach and keep aside to stain excess water. Give it a buzz in a food processor to get a coarse textured paste.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the chopped onion and fry for 1 minute before adding the GG paste. After 2 mins, add the chili powder, spinach paste, sweet corn and salt. Cook for 3-4 mins. Remove from flame and keep aside.

Layer half of the spinach-sweet corn filling over a bread slice.

Top it with 2-3 tbsp grated cheese and close with another bread slice. Repeat the process with the remaining bread slices and filling.

Heat a sandwich maker/tawa. Brush a little butter on the outer sides of the sandwiches and grill/toast for 2 mins. (Cut into triangles if doing it on a tawa).

Serve hot or cold.

Note - The cheese is optional. One may skip it or even add some crumbled paneer instead.

Hash Brown Sandwich

I am totally into sandwiches these days. Most of them are vegetarian and quite easy to prepare which works well given that I am feeling quite lazy to cook. Came up with this one last week when I prepared Hash Browns (Rosti) for my son. If your kids do not like potato, this is something that you should try.

While Hash Brown's/Rosti's are traditionally made from shredded raw potatoes, a few chef choose to boil the potato a bit before coarsely grating them. After trying both methods, I also prefer to make them this way as it becomes easier to work with. It gives that perfect crisp on the outside and moist on the inside texture. This method is preferable for the younger kids/toddlers.

Read on for the easy recipe -

Preparation Time - 10-12 mins ( if you have boiled potatoes at hand else add 10 mins )

Ingredients -

• Burger buns or any plain buns
• 1-2 boiled potatoes ( about 3/4 cooked is preferable )
• 1/2 cup coarsely mashed avocado
• 1 tbsp mustard sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
• few slices of tomato
• few lettuce leaves
• freshly ground pepper
• butter
• salt to taste

Preparation - Take the avocado, honey, mustard sauce and a bit of salt in a bowl. Mix togather.

Grate the potato into a mixing bowl. Add some salt and pepper and lightly toss togather.
Using very little pressure shape into patties.

Cooking - Heat sufficient butter in a pan . Add the potato patties and fry for 4-5 minutes till it firms a bit. This side should be golden brown and crisp. Then flip it over and fry the other side till it develops a similar texture. Remove from pan and place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

To assemble the sandwich/burger -

Layer on some of the avocado-mustard-honey sauce on the bun. Place the Hash Brown over it. Layer it with tomato slices and lettuce. Spread some mayonnaise on the other bun and place it over the lettuce layer. Dig in.

Avocado Sandwich

I was delighted when I received an email from Indusladies to be a contributor to their Kid's lunchbox event. Being a mother myself, I can vouch that there is nothing more satisfying than to find the lunchbox empty when the kid comes back from school ( and now if you thinking about all those times when you gave away your lunch to some stray dog while returning from school, let me inform you that my kid has not yet reached that stage. Will learn to deal with him when it comes to that).

The first recipe I picked up was this simple avocado sandwich with whole wheat bread. Avocado being a source of good fats and packed with nutrients, helps kids remain full for a longer time and also aids their brain development. Read on for the recipe -

Sending this as a contribution to the Indusladies event 100 Kids Lunch Box Recipes. Check out more details here - http://www.indusladies.com/food/kids-lunch-box-recipes/

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients -

• 3 slices of whole wheat/multi-grain bread
• 1/2 of an avocado ( cut into slices )
• iceberg lettuce leaves
• a few slices of tomato
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp mustard sauce
• 1/4 tsp vinegar
• 1/2 tsp honey
• 4 tbsp grated cheese
• freshly ground pepper
• salt to taste

Preparation - Cut the bread diagonally into triangles. Lightly toast the slices.

Mix the mayo, mustard sauce, vinegar, honey, pepper and a bit of salt in a bowl to prepare the sandwich spread.

Take one bread triangle. Cover it with the spread and then layer the avocado slices over it. Cover it with a bread slice. Add another layer of the sandwich spread before sprinkling the grated cheese and layering the tomato slices and lettuce. Sprinkle a bit of salt. Close with the final slice. Gently press.

Repeat for the remaining slices.

Serve immediately ( or cover tightly with a foil wrap and put in the kids lunch box ). It stays good even after 4-5 hours.

Potato Sandwich ( With Honey-Mustard-Mayo sauce)

An easy sandwich thrown together in a jiffy when I am not in the mood to cook. That is how I would describe this. Some boiled potato sitting in the fridge was the starting point. Seasoning it with salt and pepper and layering with some onion and tomato slices, I realized that it was missing that oomph thing. Raided the fridge once again and came up with a bottle of mayo, mustard sauce and a Tabasco sauce. Did not want any tomato ketchup as I was anyways using fresh tomatoes. Decided to go ahead with a mayonnaise-mustard sauce combo but decided to sweeten things a bit as it tasted a bit too tart. Added a spoonful of honey which beautifully balanced the flavours of the sauce. Giving in to my cravings, add some cheese to the sandwich and I had the ultimate comfort food at hand.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 10 mins ( as I had the boiled potatoes at hand )

Ingredients -

• 3 slices of sandwich bread
• 1/2 grated boiled potato
• a few slices of onion
• a few slices of tomato
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tsp mustard sauce
• 1 tsp honey
• 3 tbsp grated cheese
• freshly ground pepper
• salt to taste

Preparation - Lightly toast the bread slices.

Mix the mayo, mustard sauce and honey in a bowl.

Season the grated potato with some salt and pepper.

Take one bread slice. Cover it with the mayo-mustard-honey sauce and then layer the potato over it. Cover it with another slice. Place the onion and tomato slices over it. Sprinkle grated cheese, salt and pepper. Close with the last slice. Gently press and cut diagonally with a sharp knife.

Serve immediately ( or cover tightly with a foil wrap and put in the kids lunch box ).

Chicken Sandwich

I made this easy sandwich with some leftover grilled chicken last week. Quite effortless and filling at the same time. One can quickly slather some chicken with barbecue sauce/tandoori masala/mustard paste and pop it in to the oven/microwave for a couple of minutes. Add some crisp veggies to it and you have a great snack/meal some leftovers. Read on for an easy sandwich recipe:

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients -

• 2 slices of sandwich bread
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• few pieces of shredded grilled chicken/tandoori chicken/boiled chicken
• a few pieces of sliced red peppers
• a few pieces of sliced yellow peppers
• some thinly sliced onion
• a lettuce leaf
• 1 tsp tomato ketchup
• pepper for seasoning
• salt to taste

Preparation - Put the bread slices on a clean working surface.

Layer on mayonnaise on one side.

Add chicken pieces, peppers and onions . Sprinkle salt ad pepper. Drizzle on ketchup.

Finally add the lettuce.

Close the sandwich.

Cooking - Heat a grill pan, sandwich maker or even a non-stick tawa/frying pan. Toast the sandwich on both sides for a few minutes till light brown.

Cut into two/four pieces with a sharp edge knife. (I keep planning to buy one of those but somehow it never happens. And hence my sandwiches have rough edges all the time.)

Note - For eggy-tarians, one can add some scrambled egg/omlette instead of the chicken. Tastes equally good. ( Mix in some cheese with the eggs )

Mayonnaise and Veggie Sandwich

The 4 o' clock snack time is turning out to be a big headache for me. My little one is always looking for variety and I keep looking for different ways to please him. God, kids are really getting bored of everything these days. I swear we were not like this when we were young. I will have my Mom vouch for that.

Since the heat is increasing these days, I wanted to skip the fried snacks and get something healthy for him. Leafing though my old notes (yeah, I keep making a note of everything), I found this sandwich recipe that I had not prepared for a long time. With loads of veggies, this one is a very healthy option. One can always replace the mayonnaise with some hung curd seasoned with mustard sauce and garlic. Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients-

• 2 slices of sandwich bread
• a few thin slices of cucumber
• a few thin slices of tomato
• a few thin slices of capsicum
• some iceberg lettuce
• a few thin slices of onion (skip this for toddlers...optional for older kids)
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• a sprinkling of pepper (optional)
• a dash of ketchup
• grated cheese (as much as you like)
• salt

Preparation: Place the bread slices on the kitchen counter.

Spread mayonnaise on one half.

Layer on the vegetables. I put cucumber first, then tomato, then capsicum and finally the lettuce.

Sprinkle grated cheese and pepper. Add a dash of salt.

Sprinkle tomato ketchup on the other slice.

Finally place the slices one over the other and close the sandwich. Press lightly.

Cooking : Heat a sandwich maker and place the sandwich in it. (Most have auto-cook function but if not then cook for 2 minute till lightly browned.

Else heat a flat dosa tawa. Place the sandwich over it and cook for 1 minute on both sides.

Place the sandwich on a flat surface and cut into smaller portions (triangles).

Serve immediately with some ketchup.

Note - Pleas excuse the badly clicked pics!! Kiddo was busy pulling the plate away from my hands even as I was trying the click the final pics!!

Sprouts Sandwich

It is still the January and I am going good job of sticking to my New Year resolutions. I have been eating healthy (Read sprouts, oats, poha, whole grains) for the last two weeks. Hence I substituted my regular potato filling with a mix of potato and sprouts ( you do need to add a bit of potato to hold those runaway sprouts together ).

Sprouts are categorized in the superfood category as they are loaded with enzymes (upto 100 more than what you get in fruits and vegetables). Enzyme help to improve the process of breaking down the ingested food so that the body can do a better job of assimilating it. The sprouting process is known to drastically improve the quality of available proteins and increase the fiber and vitamin content (especially those of vitamin A, B-complex, C and E).

Though beneficial for all, sprouts are a must have for women who are trying to conceive/pregnant. For older women nearing menopause, they help regulate hot flashes and hormone levels.

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients - 4 slices of bread, 1/2 cup sprouts (I used green moong but mixed lentils is also OK), 1 boiled and mashed potato, 1 small onion (chopped), 1/5 tsp cumin powder, a pinch of turmeric, 1/5 tsp chilli powder, 1 tbsp chopped coriander, 1 tsp oil, 2 tbsp thick/hung curd, 1 tsp tamarind-jaggery chutney (can use Imli Pichkoo instead), 1 tsp ketchup, salt to taste.

Preparation - Add salt to the curd and beat lightly. (One can also add some mint/coriander chutney to enhance the flavor)

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the chopped onions and fry for 1 minute.

Add the mashed potato along with cumin powder, turmeric and chilli powder. Fry for 1 minute. Add the sprouts along with salt. Cook covered till the sprouts are cooked (takes 3-4 mins).

Add ketchup, chopped coriander and remove from flame.

Heat a flat pan. Toast the bread slices for 1 minute (30 secs on each side). Remove from the pan and place on a plate.

Spread the curd on the both bread slices. Drizzle with the tamarind-jaggery chutney.

Take and spread about 2 tbsp of the sprouts mixture on one slice.

Place the other slice over it. Cut into two triangular pieces.

Repeat with the other two pieces.

Serve immediately with ketchup/mint chutney.