Panini Happy® » Turkey

7 Ways to Lighten Up Sandwiches (Turkey, Prosciutto & Avocado Panini)

Kathy — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:50:26 +0000

It’s no secret that I tend to go for the thick-cut rustic breads, creamy cheeses and big flavor meats and condiments on Panini Happy. If only I had the robust metabolism to match! Alas, that is not the case. The truth is I do like to indulge every now and then, but I don’t eat like that every day. In between grilling sandwiches like Salami, Prosciutto and Provolone Panini and Green Chile Steak Melt Panini, I do my best to lighten things up a bit.

Today I’m sharing 7 Ways to Lighten Up Sandwiches – my best tips for cutting back on the extra fat, calories, carbs and sodium in sandwiches without losing any of the flavor. My Turkey, Prosciutto and Avocado Panini - lean turkey sandwiches on whole grain bread, perked up with a single salty slice of prosciutto and a lemony avocado spread - exemplify several of the tips. You can find the recipe for it after the tips, at the end of this post.

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1. Sub in Avocado for Mayo

Oh mayonnaise…why can’t I quit you? Mayo brings moisture and flavor to a sandwich but we all know it’s not that good for you. Reduced fat mayonnaise is an easy substitute, but an even better one is avocado. It’s got a creamy texture like mayonnaise but it’s lower in overall fat and calories and high in nutrients like potassium and monounsaturated fats (which can help reduce your bad cholesterol and lower your risk of heart disease and stroke). I like to purée avocado with lemon juice, like I did for today’s panini, to make a creamy spread. You could always dress up a sandwich with some of your favorite guacamole as well or even just simply sliced avocado.

2. Combine Salumi with Leaner Meats

It doesn’t get any more mouthwatering than an Italian meats sandwich layered with thin-sliced ribbons of salty sopressata, prosciutto and ham. To get the cured meat flavor while cutting down on the saturated fat, calories and sodium, go ahead and keep a single slice of salumi (a little goes a long way with these flavorful meats) on your sandwich and swap out the rest for something leaner, like turkey breast. Better yet, choose lower-sodium turkey, as a lot of regular deli turkey contains nearly as much salt as ham.

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More from Panini Happy:

April is National Grilled Cheese Month! One of the best grilled cheese ideas I've come up with was Green Goddess Grilled Cheese Panini, inspired by the classic bold-flavored salad dressing.

~ The only thing better than grilled cheese and tomato soup is grilled cheese in your tomato soup. Check out my recipe for Grilled Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons.

~ Traveling to a new city soon? Browse Panini Happy’s Great American Sandwich Guide to find the best sandwiches across the country!

~ Ready to buy a panini press? Check out my Panini Press Buying Advice for the features to look for.

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© Panini Happy®, 2012. Panini Happy is a registered trademark of Kathryn Strahs.
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Turkey Monte Cristo Panini

Kathy — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:06:23 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving! The big day is finally here and I’ve got one more leftover turkey panini recipe to share with you before I get going on my own feast preparations. Yesterday I shared Turkey Reuben Panini – today it’s another Thanksgiving twist on a classic sandwich, Turkey Monte Cristo Panini.

I should really make Monte Cristos more often. I loved the first one I made on this blog a few years ago, for my husband on Valentine’s Day, and I’ve only had one other since then. With it being dipped in egg, french toast-style, it’s definitely a little more decadent than your everyday sandwich. But we’re in a celebratory mood, right? For my Thanksgiving version, I’ve swapped in turkey in place of the traditional ham and mixed in some cranberry sauce along with the mustard for a tart and tangy kick. And since Monte Cristos are often served with jam, I added a little extra cranberry sauce on the side as well. I didn’t include any prosciutto in my sandwich, but if you wanted to tuck a little in there I think that would be incredible too.

For more ideas for making panini out of your Thanksgiving turkey leftovers, take a look through all of the turkey panini I’ve made over the years. I hope you’re enjoying a wonderful, relaxing day with great food and great company!

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© Panini Happy®, 2011. Panini Happy is a registered trademark of Kathryn Strahs.
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Thanksgiving Turkey Reuben

Kathy — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:54:39 +0000

Each Thanksgiving I like to come up with new leftover turkey panini recipes to share with you guys. Some of my past favorites have been Turkey Jalapeño Melt Panini (based on one of my husband’s favorite sandwiches from a local deli) and Turkey Cuban Panini (inspired by a Bobby Flay recipe). This year I’ve given two classic sandwiches a Thanksgiving twist. First up is my Thanksgiving Turkey Reuben.

If you know the traditional Reuben, you’re familiar with a robust sandwich piled with corned beef or pastrami, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing, served on rye bread. A turkey Reuben – also known as a Rachel or a California Reuben – substitutes turkey and cole slaw in place of beef and sauerkraut. To bring in even more Thanksgiving flavor, I made a cranberry Russian dressing and tossed it with cabbage to make a very pink and zesty cole slaw.

“This is delicious!” was my husband Mike’s immediate reaction. That cranberry cole slaw in the middle of the sandwich is such a fabulous flavor burst. I made the slaw a little extra wet to have more of that great dressing but you can always adjust to your own taste. Read on for the recipe…and stay tuned for one more leftover Thanksgiving panini recipe coming up tomorrow!

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Turkey, Strawberries & Brie Panini

Kathy — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 04:07:46 +0000

Last weekend as we arrived at the movie theater to finally see The King’s Speech (all those Academy Awards were well-deserved!), I noticed a big banner announcing “FARMER’S MARKET ~ SATURDAYS 8 AM – 12 PM”. I was elated – at last, a local farmer’s market that takes place on a day and time I can actually make!

So there I was this weekend, back at the theater parking lot. My three-year-old sidekick’s primary goal: strawberries. They’re a year-round local specialty here in San Diego. We bought her a basket of the red beauties (along with onions, broccoli, kale, Swiss chard, leeks, fresh pasta, pesto, ciabatta, macarons, lime curd and fresh-rolled sushi – whew!) and took our big bag of local goodies home.

When we got home, right away I pulled out the Southern Living Farmer’s Market Cookbook, which the publisher sent to me a while back. It’s organized by season, so I flipped to the Spring section and found a whole bunch of creative recipes to use all the items that were now maxing out my fridge crisper. Not surprisingly, the Turkey, Strawberries & Brie Panini recipe caught my eye.
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© Panini Happy®, 2011. Panini Happy is a registered trademark of Kathryn Strahs.
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Super Bowl(TM) Panini: Devonshire Panini Bites

Kathy — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 06:11:49 +0000

It’s time once again for my annual Super Bowl team-themed panini! It’s always a fun challenge to come up with sandwiches inspired by the cities represented in the big game. First up: Pittsburgh!

The sandwiches loaded with coleslaw and French fries at Primanti Bros. are the ones that people most often associate with Pittsburgh. Since I made Primanti Bros.-style cheese steak panini the last time the Steelers were in the Super Bowl, two years ago, I dug a little deeper into the local culinary lore this time around…and found the Devonshire.

If you’re not familiar with the original Devonshire, created by Frank Blandi at The Stratford Restaurant in Pittsburgh in 1934, it is an open-face sandwich on toast topped with sliced turkey, bacon and smothered in a cheese sauce. I’m calling my Super Bowl appetizer version of this classic Devonshire Panini Bites: turkey and bacon panini (with cheddar and Parmesan), cut into small bites, with a creamy cheese sauce on the side for dipping.

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7 Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Panini

Kathy — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 08:00:56 +0000

Happy Day After Thanksgiving! I hope you feasted well with family and friends yesterday. I’m very thankful to have spent the holiday with a whole slew of grandparents, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, cousins and in-laws. The kids’ contingent expanded to six this year (five of whom are 3 years and under), so things were quite exciting!

No matter how many folks we have around the Thanksgiving table, there’s always leftover turkey. What a perfect occasion to break out your panini makers and skillets and get creative. Here are 7 Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Panini recipes I’ve shared on Panini Happy to get you started!

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Turkey-Apple Salad Melt Panini

Combine chopped leftover roasted turkey with minced celery, diced Granny Smith apples, chopped pecans and mayonnaise. Grill it all with Swiss cheese on cranberry walnut bread. (Get the recipe for Turkey-Apple Salad Melt Panini)

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Pulled Turkey Cranberry BBQ Sliders

Turn your leftover cranberry sauce into a sweet and slightly tart barbecue sauce and toss it with your shredded leftover turkey. Pile it all onto your leftover rolls for sliders! (Get the recipe for Pulled Turkey Cranberry BBQ Sliders)

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Leftover Turkey Panini: Turkey Jalapeno Melt Panini

Kathy — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 06:13:45 +0000

By now, you’re probably getting to the point where you’re ready to wrap up your turkey consumption for the foreseeable future. But there’s still about a pound of it left in the fridge! Well, my third and final leftover turkey panini recipe of the season – Turkey Jalapeño Melt Panini – is a bit of a departure from traditional Thanksgiving flavors, so it ought to perk up your tastebuds enough to finish off what’s left of the bird.

I’ll admit it, the jalapeños were holding me back from trying these panini sooner. I’ve had a “hold the jalapeños” mantra for my whole life, out of fear of getting too spiced out. Well, I’m quite proud of myself for having thrown caution to the wind and taking the advice of my husband who had been encouraging me for months to try this combination. He regularly orders it at the little deli near his office and just loves it. Now that I’ve finally tried it, I can see why!

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Leftover Turkey Panini: Turkey Cuban Panini

Kathy — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:24:49 +0000

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

My second of three panini ideas to use up that leftover turkey - Turkey Cuban Panini - was actually inspired by Bobby Flay, my off-and-on chef crush. I had the chance to meet him about seven years ago on a visit to Mesa Grill in New York City. When he came out onto the floor in his chef whites with his name embroidered on the chest I was definitely reduced to giggling schoolgirl status. I remember he asked me where I liked to eat in Los Angeles (I was living there at the time) and I quickly debated in my head whether to try and impress him with a fine dining-type place or just go with a neighborhood favorite. I went with the latter, The Gardens of Taxco in West Hollywood. If he ever did go, I’m sure he got a kick of out of “the best moleeeeeee in towwwwwnnn…” (folks who’ve been there know what I’m referring to ).

These days I imagine it’s a bit harder to run into Bobby at Mesa Grill, with five more restaurants now open, the TV shows, cookbooks, product lines…and a recent partnership with Best Foods (east of the Rockies you know it as Hellmann’s). His Turkey Cuban sandwich recipe was actually one he created for Best Foods – I first saw it in a magazine ad, but you can also find it here. In addition to leftover turkey he also parlayed leftover cranberry sauce into a cranberry-Dijon mayonnaise condiment, which I thought was creative. I usually find the roast pork to be one of the best parts of a traditional Cuban sandwich, but I have to say that turkey does make a good substitute. And between the cranberry-Dijon mayo, ham and pickles the sandwiches are definitely not lacking in flavor.

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Leftover Turkey Panini: Turkey-Apple Salad Melt Panini

Kathy — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:23:28 +0000

As promised, I’ve got three more leftover Thanksgiving turkey panini ideas for you! I say “three more” because they are in addition to the three I brought you last year:

It was a bit of a challenge to come up with new ideas, but I think you’re going to like these. The first recipe I’ll share this year is for Turkey-Apple Salad Melt Panini.

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© Panini Happy®, 2009. Panini Happy is a registered trademark of Kathryn Strahs.
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Turkey & Gruyere Panini with Roasted Garlic & Onion Jam

Kathy — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:17:26 +0000

Many of you commented that the Roasted Garlic & Onion Jam was your favorite of the three spreads I featured last week. I really enjoyed that one too. It’s so versatile – I’ve mainly been incorporating it into panini (no surprise) but it also goes well alongside roasts, tossed with pasta, mixed into frittatas…the list goes on.

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