Corn & Bean Burgers

The first time I made these I was expecting a slightly leery reception by my family. After all, it's a "burger" with no meat. However, I think we were all pleasantly surprised by how well they turned out. The corn kernels add nice pops of sweetness and the BBQ sauce is a nice complement. This is a great meatless meal, albeit a little harder to disguise as meatless.
The key is making sure you don't form the patties too thick otherwise when you pick up your burger and take a bite it will smoosh out the sides.

Corn & Bean Burgers
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Yields: 6 burgers
Source: Good Housekeeping

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups pinto beans {~1 can}
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 cup corn
1/2 cup shredded cheese {we use a colby jack blend}
~1T flour
cooking spray
6 hamburger buns

Directions:
   1.  In a food processor, pulse beans, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and onion powder until ground.
   2.  Add corn and cheese; pulse until just combined.
   3.  Form into 6 patties, mashing together well, making sure to not make them too thick.
   4.  Lightly dust one side with flour; mist with cooking spray. Place in skillet over medium heat. Dust other side with flour, mist with cooking spray. Cook each side for ~7 minutes. Serve on hamburger buns with BBQ sauce.

Traditional Bread

This is my go-to recipe for a basic sandwich bread. It's not complicated to make, turns out great and freezes well. It makes two loaves and right now our family eats one loaf in two meals {dinner and lunch} so it works out perfectly and I am often able to have one waiting in the freezer.
The original recipe called for all all-purpose flour. I make it with some whole wheat flour because it just adds a little bit to the bread without it being in your face, as some whole wheat breads can be.

Traditional Bread
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Source: Betty Crocker Cookbook, 1988 Edition
Yields: 2 loaves

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups warm water (120-130 degrees)
2 T yeast
3 T sugar
2 cups whole wheat flour
4-5 cups all purpose flour, divided
2 T butter, melted or 2 T oil
1 T salt

Directions:
   1.  Pour warm water in a large mixing bowl; sprinkle yeast and sugar on top. Wait five minutes, or until yeast is bubbly.
   2.  Add 2 cups whole wheat flour and 1 cup all purpose flour; mix with dough hook until combined. Gradually add remaining flour, one cup at a time, until the dough cleans the bowl and is easy to handle. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
   3.  Punch down dough; divide into two equal parts. Grease and lightly flour two 9x5 bread pans. On a lightly floured surface roll out one portion of the dough into a large rectangle {the short length should be about the same width as your pan, 5 inches.} Starting at the short end roll into a log, place in prepared pan. Repeat with remaining portion. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
   4.  Preheat oven to 425. Bake for 25-30 minutes; let cool in pans for 10-15 minutes then remove.
*I have also added various herbs into the dough and on top of the rolled loaf. I never do certain measurements but the extra flavor is a nice addition sometimes.

Pear Chicken Salad Sandwiches

We are blessed to have two pear trees in our backyard. I never would have thought to put fruit trees in so it was definitely a bonus when we discovered them in the backyard. We got about fifteen pounds of pears this year so definitely lots of pears for experimenting.

When grapes were on sale I knew one great use for some pears would be a chicken salad. I looked at a few recipes for inspiration and then just started putting things in the bowl. It turned out quite well and thankfully I took notes!

Pear Chicken Salad Sandwiches

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Yields: 4 sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 cup grapes, halved

1 medium pear, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

2 cooked chicken breasts, diced

3 T onion, diced

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup mayonaise

salt & pepper

1/8 tsp dill

1/4 tsp parsley

dash nutmeg

dash ginger

Directions:

   1.  Mix ingredients in a medium bowl; refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve on bread or rolls.

Cranberry Chicken Sandwiches

The first time we had this sandwich my husband was not that impressed. However, after I made a few tweaks to the recipe he said there was a night and day difference. Now everything blends nicely together to create a fantastic sandwich.
This sandwich is different from many similar sandwiches because it doesn't have mayo or extra sauce in it. It goes without saying that this would be an excellent recipe to keep in mind for after Thanksgiving as turkey would work just as well as chicken.

Cranberry Chicken Sandwiches
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Yields: 8 sandwiches 

Ingredients:
1/4 cup onion, diced
olive oil (not pictured)
1 lb cooked, shredded chicken
1 can cranberry sauce
2 stalks celery, diced (not pictured)
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup dried cranberries
bread or rolls (not pictured)

Directions:
   1.  In a small fry pan heat 1 tsp olive oil. Saute onion until softened.
   2.  In a medium bowl combine all ingredient except bread. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
   3.  Serve on bread or rolls.

This is linked to Good Cheap Eats and Tasty Tuesday.

Ham & Peach Grilled Sandwiches

The first time we had these sandwiches my husband was very skeptical. He wasn't sure about the idea of putting fruit on a sandwich and then cooking it on top of that. Well, he has since changed his mind! We love these sandwiches; all the flavors complement each other so well and are just wonderful.
I've found that it helps speed up the process to prep all the ingredients (especially slicing the cheese and peaches) before you're ready to make the sandwiches. After that it's a simple matter of assembly.

Ham & Peach Grilled Sandwiches
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Yields: 1 sandwich

Ingredients (per sandwich):
2 pieces bread
butter, slightly softened
mustard
honey
*or in place of mustard and honey use honey mustard
sliced ham (we typically  use lunch meat but slices from a ham would work as well)
3-4 peach slices
4 thin slices Cheddar cheese
peach or apricot jam

Directions:
   1.  In a small bowl mix mustard and honey until desired consistency and taste.
   2. Preheat griddle or fry pan.
   3.  Spread butter on outside of each piece of bread. Spread honey mustard on inside of one slice of bread. Layer ham, peach slices and cheese on top. Spread jam on inside of second piece of bread.
   4.  Place sandwich in preheated pan (I usually start with the cheese side down first); cook until slightly brown. Flip; cook until brown. Flip (back to cheese side); cook until cheese is melted.

Source: All You

This is linked to Good Cheap Eats and Joy in my Kitchen.

Hawaiian Tuna Sandwiches

My husband has not always been a huge fan of tuna so the first time I made this it was not without a little apprehension. I'm glad I tried it because we both love the combination of all these flavors, even the tuna! It's very fresh and pleasing.
It doesn't take a lot of work to put together the sandwich filling, just a little bit of chopping and stirring. I've used a variety of breads for these sandwiches, from homemade rolls, to hamburger buns and other sorts of rolls and it's always been good.

Hawaiian Tuna Sandwiches
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Yields: 6 sandwiches

Ingredients:
2 cans tuna, drained
1/2 20 oz can pineapple, drained and chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, shredded
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3/4 tsp ginger
salt and pepper
6 rolls

Directions:
   1.  In a medium bowl combine tuna, pinapple, green pepper, carrots, celery, mayonnaise and spices.
   2.  Serve on rolls with optional lettuce and tomatoes.

Source: All You magazine

This is linked to Tasty Tuesday and URS.

Bunsteads

This is a recipe I remember fondly from my childhood. A few months after we were married I made Bunsteads for my husband and now he too thinks fondly of them. They are filling, warm and tasty.

Bunsteads are a relatively easy sandwich to put together. The mixture can be made ahead of time and refriegerated until closer to dinner time. This leaves only the simple task of filling the bread and putting them in the oven.

Bunsteads
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Yields: 6 servings 

Ingredients
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 can tuna or chicken, drained
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped sweet pickle or pickle relish
1/2 cup Miracle whip
1/2 tsp paprika
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
bread or hamburger buns (not pictured)

Directions
   1.  Lightly mix all ingredients, except bread.
   2.  Fill bread or buns. Seal in tinfoil and place in 350 oven for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
   Alternative: Microwave mixed ingredients until warm then fill bread or buns.