The Best Grilled Steak Sandwiches

A couple of weekends ago Kyle and I had such a great time grilling out steaks with some friends. Everything about the evening was fun- the food, the conversation, the company and the game night that ended the evening! Then, it was a bonus because the following Monday we had pretty much everything we needed for these incredibly delicious and incredibly easy steak sandwiches! I don’t know about you guys but we just can’t let good steak go to waste. Actually, I really don’t like letting any food go to waste. However, I don’t want to eat it the exact same way on round two. I have learned that everyone has a leftover preference. I’ve learned that my husband’s family loves turning steak from the night before into steak & potato burritos the next morning. I know of other friends who love steak and eggs. Me? I love a warm and savory steak sandwich. I’ve made this a couple of ways over the years, but I have to say that this one is the best! I was seriously loving every. single. bite. of this sandwich! The flavors all combine perfectly and the spread that I whipped up pretty much seals the deal. I knew that my husband even liked it when he dipped the spoon back in the bowl to slather on a little more of that creamy spread (he is somewhat of a purist, especially when it comes to meat, and so sauces are something with which he is a bit hesitant).

This sandwich is so simple to make. I think I started pulling out the ingredients and cooking the other parts of the sandwich around 6:15 and we were sitting at the table by about 7. I pulled the steak out of the fridge to take some of the chill off. Then I broiled / roasted my red bell pepper just like I always do. You can find quick instructions on that here (or you can buy jarred roasted red bell pepper, of course). Then I heated some olive oil in the skillet and started to saute my mushrooms on medium heat, which probably took about 10 minutes or so. While those cooked on the skillet I was able to quickly whisk together the spread. I have been experimenting with garlic infused olive oil recently and so far am LOVING it! You can use fresh garlic in the sauce if you want, but, I think a tiny bit of the garlic-infused olive oil in the sauce is absolutely delectable and really makes the sauce what it is! After the mushrooms are done I removed them onto a plate and covered to keep warm. I then sauteed some white onions so Kyle could put them on his sandwich. You can definitely do that too if you want!

The next time you decide to grill out steaks, make sure to grill a little extra so that you can enjoy these sandwiches for one of your dinners to follow. It has carbohydrate, veggies, and protein all in one bite. It’s filling, it’s satisfying, it’s nutritious, it’s delicious and I hope you find the time to give it a try!

Happy Fueling!

Taylor

THE BEST GRILLED STEAK SANDWICHES

Makes 2 sandwiches

INGREDIENTS:

For the Sandwiches:

• 4 slices of sourdough bread

• Already grilled steak (about a couple of ounces per sandwich, or however much you want!)

• 1 large Portobello mushroom, sliced into about 1/4 inch-thick slices

• 1 medium red bell pepper, roasted & skin removed (see easy instructions here. Or you can buy jarred already roasted bell peppers at the store)

• 1/2 cup of packed spinach

• Dill Aioli

For the Dill Aioli:

• 1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise

• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon garlic-infused EVOO

• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill

• 2 teaspoons of lemon juice

• sprinkle of salt (1/8 teaspoon or less)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Follow the directions here to slice and roast your red bell pepper.

2. While your bell peppers roast, heat about 2 teaspoons of olive or canola oil in a medium skillet on medium heat.

3. Add mushrooms to the skillet and cook for about 10 minutes until the mushrooms begin to sweat and become fork-tender.

4. Transfer the cooked mushrooms to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

5. Your peppers should also be done at this point. Once peeled, keep sealed in foil or covered on same plate as the mushrooms to keep warm.

6. Reheat the steak in the oven or in the microwave (about 1 minute in microwave)

7. Whisk together all of the ingredients for your Dill Aioli

8. Toast the sourdough bread.

9. Now it’s time to assemble the sandwiches! To assemble each sandwich:

   1. On one slice of bread spread about 2 to 3 teaspoons of the aioli.

   2. On the other slice add your spinach, followed by slices of your steak, followed by about half of the sliced roasted red peppers followed by about 4 mushroom slices.

10. Press your sandwich together and enjoy!

Pesto Chicken Panini: Making Use of Leftovers

So, I made this sandwich a way long time ago and realized I never posted it! I came up with the quasi - recipe when I was trying to figure out what to do with my remaining Roasted Red Pepper & Pesto Chicken Salad. I love the chicken salad on it’s own but wanted to find some other way to mix up the recipe. That’s when this sandwich was born. I made it for me and my husband and we both enjoyed them! This can be a lunch or dinner item. Packed with protein, complex carbs, fiber, some calcium, and vitamins, including B vitamins and vitamin K this one sandwich packs a nutritional punch! The pesto and roasted red peppers keep this sandwich moist and full of flavor and adding the melty mozzarella takes it up another few notches. I always remind clients and friends to not overthink meals. If you can get three out of the five food groups at a meal, excellent! The sandwich can be easily overlooked, but if we take a closer look at this guy, we see that you get the “3 out of the 5” in just this one item! Whole grains, dairy, and meat are all here. Plus there are just a few little veggies snuck in there as well! The next time you toss together my Seven Ingredient Roasted Red Pepper & Pesto Chicken Salad, make sure to plan for this grilled panini with some of the leftovers. It won’t disappoint!

Happy Fueling!

Taylor

PESTO CHICKEN PANINI

Serves 1

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 slices hearty whole grain bread (my go-to’s are Dave’s Killer Bread, Seeduction bread from Whole Foods, and Flax & Chia Seed bread from Central Market)

• 1/4 - 1/2 cup of my prepared Roasted Red Pepper & Pesto Chicken Salad

• 3 thin slices of mozzarella cheese (you could also sprinkle on shredded, if desired (about 1/4 cup shredded)

• About 3/4 cup fresh spinach

DIRECTIONS:

1. Lightly toast the two slices of bread.

2. Preheat a panini press or heat a small skillet oiled with about 1 teaspoon of butter over medium heat.

3. Place prepared chicken salad on one of the slices of toasted bread.

4. Lay mozzarella slices over the chicken (or sprinkle if using shredded

5. Top mozzarella with fresh spinach leaves.

6. Make sure your skillet or panini press is preheated and top the layered ingredients with other slice of bread.

7. Place sandwich in panini press, press down and cook until the mozzarella cheese is softened and melty and the bread is crispy.

8. Serve and enjoy!

Mediterranean Lunch Wrap

On a mission to keep lunches fueling and interesting yet easy, I started to brainstorm ideas for something I don't have many recipes for - wraps.  Always a fan of veggies, I loaded this week's wraps full of a variety of veggies, included some source of protein and added additional components to give it lots of flavor and keep it from being dry.

This wrap is loaded with so much goodness you should definitely give it a try.  The combination of carrots, and chickpeas, cucumber and lettuce give it that satisfying crunch that is then balanced by the smooth roasted red peppers and creamy hummus.  And that crumbled feta is the perfect salty counterpart to the sweet roasted red peppers and drizzles of balsamic vinaigrette.  

Fun fact - studies have found that the human brain's reward system is more stimulated when there are more senses being stimulated in a food.  Looking at sweets - it's why we tend to go for the more decadent desserts like the salted caramel toffee nut crunch ice cream..... with the hot and cold,  smooth and crunchy, sweet and salty - there is so much going on here! (To learn more about this you can check out the book Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink.  I find it extremely interesting!)    To me, this wrap does all of those things, but in a meal that fuels the body, the workday, and your workouts.

I hope this gives you a new fueling recipe to add to your collection or, as always, I hope that it at least inspires you to make some version of your own.

Happy Fueling!

Taylor

MEDITERRANEAN LUNCH WRAP

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 whole wheat wrap (The warp pictured here is the Multi Grain with Flax variety from FlatOut)

• 1/4 cup plain hummus (I used the Original Whole Foods variety. It's my fave!)

• 1/4 cup shredded carrots

• 1/4 cup quartered cherry tomatoes

• 1/4 cup sliced & quartered cucumbers

• 1/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers

• 1/2 - 1 cup spinach & romaine mix

• 1/4 cup canned chickpeas (rinsed and drained)

• 1 - 1/2 tbs. crumbled feta

• 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar or balsamic vinaigrette

• OPTIONAL: ~2 oz. of your choice (1 - 2 chopped hardboiled eggs / 2 oz. chopped, shredded, or rotisserie chicken / cooked lean ground beef or lean ground chicken breast, or tofu)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Lay parchment paper out on a flat surface like your kitchen counter (need enough paper so that you can wrap your sandwich wrap in it).

2. Lay wrap out flat onto parchment paper.

3. Spread hummus evenly across middle area of wrap.

4. Top wrap with the carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, spinach, and chickpeas - centering ingredients in the center of wrap.

5. Top with crumbled feta cheese.

6. Drizzle with balsamic.

7. Roll up your wrap, cut in half and enjoy!

8. To keep it from being super messy, or when I'm preparing this and then packing it for lunch that day, I wrap it in parchment paper to keep all the ingredients from spilling out before I get to eat it. I'm thinking a tutorial on how to wrap these wraps is soon to follow.... Enjoy!

NUTRITION NOTES:

Along with complex carbohydrate (mostly from the wrap & chickpeas), protein (from your protein of choice, chickpeas & whole-wheat wrap), and little fat (from your hummus & feta), this wrap provides you with some....

Roasted Red Peppers: vitamin C, fiber, vitamin A

Spinach:  vitamin C, folate, iron, calcium

Carrots:  vitamin A, fiber

Chickpeas (and hummus):  fiber, protein, iron, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese

Cucumber: fluid and fiber

Feta:  protein, calcium, phosphorus