Spice Up Your Lunch Break

Sometimes I get sick of the same old sandwiches, which is why I decided to go for the dive and try something different. This week, instead of buying my typical feta and cheddar cheeses, I ventured out of my comfort zone and into some gruyere. The result? A spinach, carmelized onion, and gruyere sandwich with dijon mustard. Let's just say I was very happy when noon rolled around.


GRUYERE, CARAMELIZED ONION, CUCUMBER AND SPINACH SANDWICH
 

THE GOODS

Spinach ($1.99)
Dijon mustard ($2.39)
Gruyere cheese ($3.49) - would be good with other types too
Cucumber ($0.50)
Red Onion ($0.40)
Bread
Balsamic Vinegar

The Grand Total: $8.77

THE WAY

Carmelize your onions (find out how here). Toast your bread. Spread on some dijon mustard, layer on slices of cheese, cucumber, and spinach. Wrap that baby up with tinfoil and stick it in your briefcase/purse/backpack.

Lean and Green

Last night, I faced one of those decisive moments where I realized I had just about nothing left in my refrigerator. So I took the only logical next step: I moved on to racking through the reliable old freezer.... Well, frozen green beans it was. But I made up my mind not to have bland old steamed veggies. So I combined a few recipes, grated in some gruyere, and ate a casserole dish full of delicious roasted green beans, red onions, and almonds. Now, you can too.

GARLIC ROASTED GREEN BEANS W/ GRUYERE & ALMONDS

*I used this recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen as a basis.



THE GOODS 

1 lb. frozen green beans ($1.99)
1 red onion shallots, sliced and taken apart ($0.40)
5 large cloves garlic, peeled and cut into thin slices ($0.40)
1/4 cup almonds, chopped ($0.99)
1 tsp. lemon zest ($0.29)
3 tbsp grated Gruyere, optional ($3.49)
2 T olive oil
1 tsp. salt (or less)
fresh ground black pepper

The Grand Total: $7.56

THE WAY

Preheat oven to 450 F. Peel and cut red onion and garlic, then place with beans in casserole dish Add olive oil, salt, and pepper, and toss until well coated with oil.

Arrange the vegetables in a single layer on the dish. Sprinkle grated Gruyere on top. Roast 12-15 minutes for thin beans, or slightly longer for regular beans, until beans are slightly shriveled, and onions and garlic are lightly browned.

While beans cook, toss together chopped almonds and lemon zest. When beans are done, toss hot beans with lemon/almond mixture and serve immediately.

Low Maintenance

For when you're lazy and don't have groceries.

 

SPAN-A-KO-BREAD-A

Yes, I was out of food. Yes, I resorted to the freezer. Yes, I resisted Taco Tuesday. But I ate like a (poor) queen.

This is how:

THE GOODS

1 slice of bread (you all have it - let's say $0)
Frozen Spinach ($.99 - I was on my last lil bit)
Cheddar cheese ($2.00 - parmesan would be delish too!)
Red onion ($.05 - I got a bag of 20 baby red onions in Chinatown for $1)

Grand Total: $3.04 or less (if you have cheese lying around)

THE WAY

Spray fry pan with Pam and place on medium heat. Toss in a handful of spinach--depending on your hunger level. Sautee for 5-10 minutes, or until spinach is hot a.k.a. no longer a frozen terd. In the meantime, toast your bread lightly and slice the red onion thinly. When the spinach is done, pile it on top. Slice some cheddar cheese and layer that on top of the spinach, topping off with red onion. Broil for 3 minutes or so. (I use the toaster oven. Anything to reduce the gas bill!)

Bon appetit.