Hawaiian Roll Sandwiches

Need an easy and quick dinner or an easy but kicked-up a notch lunch for company?  This is it. 

Makes 12 sandwiches (how ever many rolls are in the package)

Ingredients:
*1 package Hawaiian bread rolls (usually near the deli counter)
*assorted deli lunch meats (ham, turkey, roast beef)
*assorted sliced cheeses (Swiss, cheddar, Colby jack, jalapeno jack, and provolone)
*Various sandwich fixings for people to add at the end (sliced Roma tomatoes, Romaine lettuce leaves, avacado slices, mustard, mayo, salt, pepper)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spit rolls.  Place split rolls on a baking sheet.  Put the various meats on the bottoms.  Put the various cheeses on the other sides of the rolls.  We like the following combos:  ham with Swiss or pepperjack, turkey with cheddar or colby jack, or roast beef with provolone.  Place in the oven open-faced.  Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and sandwiches are hot.  Watch closely so they don't burn.  Place tops on sandwiches.  Let people add their sandwich fixings after the sandwiches come out of the oven.

My personal favorite is ham, pepper jack cheese, Roma tomato, avacado, salt, black pepper, and a dollop of HEB tomatillo salsa.

Shrimp and Pancetta Pizza

This is from Pillsbury Bake-Off Prize Winning Recipes, Collector's Edition Volume 2.

Ingredients:
*1 package (4 oz.) frozen cooked salad shrimp, thawed
*1 Tablespoon olive oil
*1 garlic clove, finely chopped
*1 can (13.8 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust
*4 slices cooked bacon, chopped (bake on 400 for 20 minutes)
*1/2 cup Alfredo sauce
*1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
*1 Roma tomato, seeded and finely chopped
*3 Tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a medium bowl, mix thawed shrimp, oil, and garlic until coated.  Set aside.

Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Unroll dough and place on cookie sheet.  Press out to 14 x 9-inch rectangle.  Bake 6 - 8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown.

Spread Alfredo sauce over partially baked crust.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.  Bake 6 - 10 minutes longer or until edges are golden brown and cheese is melted.

Top pizza with shrimp, bacon, and tomato.  Bake 3 minutes longer or until shrimp is hot.  Sprinkle with parsley.  Cut into squares.

Pigs in a Blanket (Hot Dog Style)

Here's another easy dish for "sandwich nigh"t at our house.  I also make this with little smokies sausages with no cheese and slice each crescent roll triangle in half for breakfasts or as party appetizers.  By keeping the crescent triangles whole and using hot dogs instead of sausages and adding cheese, this dish is turned into an easy kid-friendly supper.

Makes 8 pigs in a blanket

Ingredients:
*1 can reduced-fat crescent rolls (8 rolls per can)
*2 slices reduced-fat cheddar cheese
*4 all-natural beef hot dog links

Directions:
Preheat oven to designated temperature on crescent roll can.

Place hot dogs on microwavable plate.  Pierce with a fork three times (on ends and in the middle).  Microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds on power level 5 to partially cook them.  Cut each hot dog in half horizontally.

Slice each piece of cheese in half.  Then slice each half in half vertically so that there are now 4 long strips per piece of cheese.

Separate dough into 8 triangles.  Place one piece of cheese in the middle of the dough triangle vertically, running from the base of the triangle up to the point.  Place 1 hot dog link on the larger end of each triangle horizontally (running parallel with the base of the triangle).  Roll up, starting at the big end, the base.  Bake according to crescent roll can directions.*

*Note:  It always takes longer to bake in my oven when I cook something inside the crescents.  You may have to increase your cooking time so that the dough on the bottom gets cooked all the way through.  I usually have to increase the oven temperature by 25 degrees for a couple of minutes at the end.

Crispy Caribbean Veggie Wraps

These are so low-fat and DELICIOUS.  I seriously cannot stop eating these when I make them.  This is from the Taste of Home's Light & Tasty October/November 2006 cookbook.

 Makes 40 small wraps (appetizer size)


Ingredients:
*cooking spray
*1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
*2 teaspoons jalapeno pepper, seeded, finely chopped
*2 sweet potatoes
*1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
*2 Tablespoons lime juice
*2 teaspoons salt
*2 teaspoons ground cumin
*2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
*1/2 cup water
*40 wonton wrappers
*2 cups salsa

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 with a baking sheet in the oven so that the baking sheet is hot when you put the wraps on it later.

Saute red onion and jalapeno in a small skillet with cooking spray until tender.  Set aside.

Scrub the sweet potatoes and pierce with a fork.  Put on a microwave-safe plate and microwave, uncovered, on high for 12 minutes or until tender, turning once.  Be careful not to overcook because it will get hard.  Cool.  Split potatoes in half and scoop pulp into a medium bowl.  Mash pulp.
Stir in black beans, red onion, jalapeno, lime juice, salt, and cumin.

 Put water in a small bowl.  Lightly brush water over all four edges of one wonton wrapper.  (Keep the other wrappers covered with a damp paper towel until ready to use.)  Spread 1 Tablespoon of sweet potato filling along the edge of one wrapper.  Roll up tightly. 

Spray hot baking dish with cooking spray.  Place filled wonton on the hot baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.  Spray wraps with cooking spray.  Turn wraps and spray the undersides.

Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve with salsa for dipping.

Homemade Queso

I have played with this recipe for about 14 years now, adding things here and there and playing with the measurements here and there.

Ingredients:

3 - 4 Tablespoons low fat margarine
6 ribs of celery, finely chopped
5 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed, finely chopped
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 can ro-tel tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 eight oz. block 2% Velveeta cheese, cubed (I try to find the off brand version)
1 wheel of queso fresco cheese, cubed (white Mexican cheese found in the normal cheese isle)
1/2 cup fat free half and half, divided
 low fat milk
tortilla chips

Directions:
In a large saute pan, melt the margarine over medium heat.  Once the pan is hot, add the celery.  Saute for about 5 minutes or until about half way tender.  Add the jalapeno peppers and saute for about 3 minutes.  Add the onion, and saute until the onion is tender and transparent.  Stir in the cilantro and ro-tel.  Once the tomatoes are heated through, turn the burner to the lowest heat to keep warm.

Meanwhile, put the queso fresco in a medium microwavable bowl.  I like to use the Pampered Chef classic batter bowl.  Pour in just 1/4 cup of the half and half.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and microwave on power level 4 for five minutes.  Remove, stir well.  Add the Velveeta and the remaining half and half.  Stir.  Re-cover tightly with the plastic wrap and microwave on power level 4  for 3 minutes.  Stir.  Recover, and continue microwaving in 2 minute intervals on power level 4 until the cheese mixture is almost smooth, stirring in between. When the cheese is almost smooth, add milk as needed to thin out the cheese until you get it to a consistency that you like.  The cheese will continue to melt as you stir it.  Remember, you don't want it too think because you will need to stir it together with the vegetable mixture and be able to dip tortilla chips into it.  You also don't want so thin that the cheese won't stick to the chips either.  Once you have gotten your desired thickness, microwave one more time for a couple of minutes on power level 4.  Once all the cheese is melted, pour it into the saute pan with the vegetable mixture.  Stir well.  Scoop the queso into small bowls and dip tortilla chips into the queso!