Make it Your Own: Grilled Mozzarella & Spinach BLT's

I came across this fabulous recipe in one of my most recent issues of Fine Cooking.  It's kind of ironic, because displayed quite prominently on the cover is "100+ Healthy Recipes," but the cover image is of a Grilled Mozzarella and Spinach BLT.  I like to think that that illusion was the reason I let myself make this one :) I'm thinking it probably shouldn't be categorized as a "healthy" recipe.

I'm calling this one "Make it Your Own," because I made one seemingly minor change, and it made the absolute world of difference in this sandwich.  Arugula. Wow - talk about awesome!  Although the recipe calls for spinach, I had a mix of the two and I decided to improvise, really glad I did.  I might even write in to the magazine... 

Grilled Mozzarella and Spinach (and Arugula!) BLT's

Notes:

• I honestly don't know the difference between sliced mozzarella and the "good" stuff that you usually get in Caprese sandwiches.  This recipe called for the latter judging by the picture, and maybe by the use of the word "fresh," but I just had some thick slices cut at the deli of what I'll call the "regular" mozzarella, and it worked great.  If you do this, make sure that the cheese is the appropriate size, I ended up trimming it down.  Originally, I had thought the more cheese the better, but honestly that coupled with the bacon, greens and tomato, makes less OK here.
• Two pieces of bacon, as opposed to 3, works just fine here. (Hey - gotta try to make it "healthier" if it's going to be in the healthy issue!)
• Use yogurt-based margarine instead of butter or olive oil. It gives that buttery taste without all the calories!
• Per sandwich, you'll use one generous handful of greens, as they reduce down quite a bit when they're cooked.
• If you don't have a panini press, you'll survive.

Cheers!

Claud

"Healthy" Stromboli?

...Well, not quite.  Let me back up...  Making "healthy" decisions has always been important to me, but last year I set out to make better decisions and get in better shape.  I  became much more aware of what I was eating, and after many hours at the gym, I trimmed off 23 pounds (totally thought that was impossible when I started!).  Ever since then, I've been making an effort to keep it off (although I could probably be doing a better job) by watching what I eat and trying to make healthier meals.


In the midst of all of this, I picked up the Better Homes and Gardens "Dieter's Cookbook," and tonight was the first time I actually used it.  I'm a pizza lover, I mean serious pizza looooover, so of course "Quick Stromboli" seemed perfect for me.   


Better Homes & Garden's "Quick Stromboli"
1 16-ounce loaf frozen wheat or white bread dough, thawed
8 ounces lean ham, thinly sliced
1/4 cup pitted ripe olives, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbsp reduced-fat milk
1 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese (optional)


1. Line a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with foil; grease foil. Set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll bread dough to a 15x8 inch rectangle. (If dough is difficult to roll out, cover and let rest a few minutes.)  Top dough rectangle with ham within 1/2 inch of the edges.

Top ham with olives, mozzarella, and crushed red pepper flakes. Brush edges with water

*The cheese was left out of the pic...


2. Starting with a long end, roll into a spiral, pinching edges to seal.  Pinch ends and tuck under.  Place, seam side down, on prepared baking pan.  Brush surface with milk. Using a sharp knife, make shallow cuts diagonally a 2-inch intervals along the top to allow steam to escape.  If deisred, sprinkle with Parmesan.

3. Bake in a 375 oven for 25-30 minutes or until brown.  (If necessary, cover loosely with foil after 20 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning.)

Overall it turned out pretty good, but here's a couple of things I noted:


1. Don't forget to make the cuts in the dough. I forgot to do this and after 30 minutes the inside was still uncooked.  I then cut it into slices, covered it in foil and baked it for another 15 minutes, that did the trick.


2. Brush the stromboli with whisked egg whites to give it a golden coat.


3. If you grew up eating Pillsbury biscuits like I did, think twice about using Pillsbury pizza dough.  It worked fine, but to me, it tasted just a little too much like biscuits. If anyone knows a good pizza dough brand, let me know.


4. Serve with marinara - duh!


5. And finally - The recipe which was only 206 calories per serving said it made 16 slices at 2 slices per serving.  I only got about 8, 1-inch slices out of mine (which seems to be about the same size of the picture in the book), and still ate two and a half, so yeah, you do the math. Doesn't seem so healthy after all.... 


Enjoy!
Claud