Turkey Artichoke Panini

turkey artichoke panini panera bread

I admit it, I’m not much of a sandwich person.  The idea of white, fluffy bread and poor-quality fillings doesn’t satisfy my hunger or my palate.   Gourmet sandwiches are another story.   If a sandwich has a beyond-the-basic spread, quality ingredients, and artisan bread… I’m in!

panini press

George Foreman Grill = Panini Press

I first mentioned my Turkey Artichoke Panini on the Mommysavers Frugal Forums, and someone said it sounded just like a Panera Copycat.  I’ve never had their version, but this one is really good!  I created this recipe almost entirely by chance.  I had made a big batch of my spinach artichoke dip for a party, and had some left over.  The next day, I used the dip along with some smoked turkey on a sandwich; and it was fabulous!  Since then, I’ve discovered that caramelized onions and red peppers make it even better.

This time around, I used Sam’s Club Castle Wood lunch meat.  It’s Sam’s private label brand, and it comes in wide variety of flavors and combo pack options.  I also picked up some focaccia bread to give it a true gourmet flair.  Feel free to use artistic license when you make this.  I’ve got the basic recipe for you to print out below, but add your own personal touch!  Different types of meats and cheese are fun alternatives to make it even better-tasting to you, personally.  My husband didn’t want the red peppers on his, so I created sandwich with them, and one without.  Both fabulous!

To see more photos of the sandwich creation process, view my Google+ Photo Album:  Turkey Artichoke Panini

Frugal Tips:  Don’t have a panini press?  You can use your George Foreman grill!

Castle Wood Turkey Artichoke Panini
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 can artichokes, chopped
  • ¼ C. onion slices
  • 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 oz. fresh spinach leaves
  • ⅓ C. cream cheese
  • ⅓ C. mayo
  • ½ C. Parmesan cheese
  • 1 round focaccia bread
  • Castle Wood turkey lunchmeat (at Sam’s Club)
  • Swiss cheese slices
  • Optional: roasted red peppers
Instructions
  1. In a skillet, heat onions in olive oil. Add garlic and spinach, toss until spinach is wilted. Add artichokes, cream cheese, mayo, and Parmesan cheese. Turn heat down to low and stir until ingredients are blended.
  2. Spread artichoke mixture on focaccia bread. Layer turkey lunchmeat and swiss cheese slices, and more spinach leaves and roasted red peppers if desired. Use a panini press or George Foreman grill to toast the bread.

 

sam's club castle wood lunch meat

turkey panini gourmet sandwich

turkey panini gourmet sandwich

turkey panini gourmet sandwich

turkey artichoke red pepper panini

Additional Resources:

Disclosure:  I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Sam’s Club Private Label #CBias #SocialFabric.  All opinions are my own.

Pumpkin Deviled Eggs for Halloween

pumpkin-deviled-eggs

Halloween food doesn’t have to all be about candy!  Last night, I made these cute little pumpkin deviled eggs.  Basically all you do is add a little red and yellow food coloring to the egg yolk mixture for the orange color.  I used a knife to get the striated look of the pumpkins, and sprinkled with paprika.  Then, I cut a strip of lettuce for the pumpkin’s stem.  You could also use chives or green onions for that.  My boys (the big one AND the little one) love these things.  All twelve were gone within about half an hour.

Frugal Tips:  Eggs just may be the most versatile frugal food.  Plus, they’re a really inexpensive source of protein.  It’s easy to compare the price of eggs to the price of other protein foods. A dozen large eggs weigh 1 1/2 pounds, so the price per pound of large eggs is two-thirds of the price per dozen. For example, if large eggs cost 90¢ per dozen, they cost 60¢ per pound. At $1.20 per dozen, large eggs are only 80¢ per pound.*

Source:  Incredible Edible Egg

Related Posts:

Asian Glazed Salmon: A Flavor-Packed Dinner in Under 30 Minutes

asian glazed salmon ruby tuesday

The best thing about salmon, other than its great flavor, is the fact that it’s good for you.   It’s packed with Omega-3 fatty acids that have been shown to lower your cholesterol and improve your memory (among other great things).

When it comes to preparing salmon, I often get stuck in a rut.  I went about searching for recipes the other day and came up with this one.  I love that this dish can be made in under 30 minutes from start to finish.  The red pepper flakes add a kick, but you can dial back the heat by adding more or less according to your taste.  Hoisin sauce is almost like an Asian molasses.  I found it in the ethnic section of our regular grocery store, but if you have trouble finding it you can always get it on Amazon.com.   If you want to go the frugal route, don’t get it at all and substitute molasses.  It won’t be as authentic-tasting, but it will still be good.

Frugal Tips:  Many people avoid eating salmon because it tends to be expensive.  A bag of four salmon fillets is just $4.99 in the freezer section at ALDI Food Stores.   When you offset a dish like this by serving it with rice, the cost is actually very reasonable.

This was originally posted on Mommysavers:  Ruby Tuesday copycat salmon

Asian Glazed Salmon
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • ½ C. brown sugar
  • ⅓ C. soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, chopped finely
  • 1 tsp. dried red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 4 salmon fillets
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix together the brown sugar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, red pepper flakes, garlic powder and fresh lime juice. Heat in a medium saucepan until bubbly. Place salmon fillets in a baking dish. Pour the sauce over the fillets, coating well. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Serve over rice.

 

 

Confession: I have a foodie crush on Tom Colicchio.

I admit it.  I have a foodie crush on Tom Colicchio.  Since my bad-boy foodie crush will always be filled by Anthony Bourdain, Tom plays the role of the nice guy counterpart.  This is something I really can’t explain, simply because he’s not the stereotypical hot guy.  He’s just magnetic.  And he can cook. What more do you want? I’m sure if I ever met him in person, I’d turn into a shy, 8th grade girl all over again.

I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek of his new online show, ”HOOKED UP” on the Reserve Channel.  Tom’s first guest is renegade chef and food personality Eddie Huang.  What’s cool about this new channel is there are fewer edits and more honesty. BRUTAL honesty. I love it!  

Note:  There are plenty of F-bombs on this video clip, so make sure the kids aren’t around when you watch it!  <blush>Yes Tom, I would get up at 5 a.m. to go shark fishing with you </blush>.

Please tell me I’m not the only one with a foodie crush.  Who is yours?

Chicago Cooks: 25 Years of Chicago Culinary History and Great Recipes from Les Dames d’Escoffier is FREE on Kindle Today!

chicago cooks
I was excited to see that Chicago Cooks: 25 Years of Chicago Culinary History and Great Recipes from Les Dames d’Escoffier is being offered for FREE on Kindle today, especially since it’s got a $30 list price. Today, you can snag it FREE on Kindle (many of these deals are only valid for one day, so get it NOW!).