Easy French Dip Sandwiches

This is a really easy way to do french dip sandwiches but it is still super scrumptious!  I hope you love them as much as we do around our parts!

MEAT:

I cook my meat in a crock pot for about 6 hours and it always is really tender and falls apart.  Use a chuck roast.  It has a little more fat on it but you will take all the fat off once it is cooked.  Place the roast into a crock pot set on its lowest setting.  Sprinkle it with 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/2 onion powder and half a packet of Au Jus.  Depending on the size of your roast it may take shorter or longer.  You will know it is done when you put a fork in it and it can shred easily.

Once the meat is done remove it from the crock pot and shred the meat. Remove any large chunks of fat.  Cover with tinfoil to keep warm.  Drain the juice from the roast into a gravy separator and strainer.  Skim all the grease off the juice. A really easy way to do this is to stick it in the refrigerator for a few minutes and the fat will raise to the surface and get hard.  Pour the skimmed juice into a sauce pot and add the rest of you Au Jus packet and 2 cups of cold water.  Whisk and slowly heat until it comes to a boil.

Prepare your buns by laying them on a cookie sheet.  Butter one side of the bun and put a slice of provolone cheese on the other.  Put the buns under the broiler until cheese is melted and buns are golden brown.

Put the shredded beef on the toasted bun and serve with Au Jus for dipping sauce.

Hot Beef Sub

One of my husbands favorite meals is a Philly cheese steak sandwich.  I do not always have the time to make one so I came up with this quick and easy substitute.   Dan said that is passed the test.  The pepper jack cheese adds a great kick and an awesome flavor to the sandwich.  I hope you like it!

Ingredients

Hoagie Rolls

1 pound deli roast beef, chopped

1 red pepper, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

1 cup of sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

1 TBS olive oil

 

Chop the pepper and onion.

 Heat oil in in a large skillet.  Add onions and peppers and saute for about 5 minutes or until just soft. Season with salt and pepper. 

 

 

 Add the mushrooms and saute for another 3 minutes

Add the chopped roast beef and blend all of the ingredients.  Let the roast brown and then scrap up all the good flavors off of the pan.

Add 1/2 cup cheese. Stir until the cheese melts.

 

Spread a small amount of butter onto the hoagie rolls and toast under the broiler.  Spread the meat mixture on the buns and your done! 

Chicken and Portobello Panini

Chicken and Portobello Panini

2 plum tomatoes sliced

1 TBS olive oil

1 TBS red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning mix

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 garlic clove minced

2 large portobello mushrooms

1 large white onion sliced 1/2 inch thick

1 cup grated provolone cheese

8 slices Italian Bread

1 cup shredded roasted chicken

Slice tomatoes and set aside.  In a small bowl combine the oil, vinegar, the Italian seasoning mix, salt, pepper, and garlic.  Whisk well.  Brush both sides of the mushrooms and onions.  

Heat grill pan over medium-high heat.  Place mushrooms and onions onto grill pan and place panini press on top of them.  Grill 4-6 minutes, turning once.  Remove to a cutting board and slice mushrooms and onions.  Set aside.

Grate cheese.  To assemble the sandwich, brush one side of each bread slice with olive oil.  Arrange four slices oil side down on cutting board.  Top half of the cheese.  The arrange with chicken, mushrooms, onion and tomatoes over cheese.  Top with remaining cheese and then put the other slices of bread, oil side up.  Heat panini pan Place sandwich on pan and press with panini press.  Grill 4-6 minutes turning once.  

Roasted Vegetable Focaccia Sandwich

This sandwich is absolutely heavenly.  It is packed full of flavor.  The first time I made it my husband turned up his nose and said, "A sandwich without meat, I'm a man, I need meat".  But when he tried it he loved it!  Even manly men can eat this sandwich!

1 loaf of focaccia bread

mayonnaise

1 small eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 small zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick 

1 small yellow squash, sliced 1/4 inch thick

2 plum tomatoes

fresh basil, julienned 

 fresh mozzarella cheese

2 TBS olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Put your sliced vegetables in a large bowl that has a lid.  Add the minced garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in the bowl.  Put the  lid on and shake softly.  This will distribute the oil around  to all of the vegetables.  Lay in a single layer on sheet pans and roast on 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until soft.

In the meantime.  Slice your tomatoes and mozzarella and set aside.  Slice your fococcia bread in half, horizontally.  Sprinkle lightly with olive oil and set aside.  When the vegetables are done, remove from oven to cool slightly.  Put the focaccia bread under the broiler until lightly toasted.

To assemble sandwich, lightly cover bread with mayonnaise.  Then layer on the vegetables. Followed by, the tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil. Serve and enjoy! 

Turkey Avocado Wrap

These are perfect for parties, showers or lunch.  They are packed with flavor and are always a hit when I make them.

6 flour tortillas (you can also use wheat or spinach tortillas)

1 pound of thinly sliced turkey deli meat

3 thinly sliced Roma tomatoes

1 thinly sliced English cucumber

alfalfa sprouts

2 avocado's thinly sliced

sour cream and chive cream cheese

1. Prepare all of your vegetables by slicing thin and then set them aside

2.  To assemble the wrap first spread the cream cheese onto the tortilla. (Make sure your wrap is at room temperature and that they are fresh or they will not roll well.)

3.  Then on half of the tortilla assemble your meat and vegetables. Start rolling up on the side the vegetables are on.  As you roll the vegetables will move some.  Set the wrap seam side down and finish the other tortillas. Once this is done, roll up the wraps tightly in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. (This will make it so that the wrap will stay rolled up.  Otherwise when you cut them into smaller pieces the will just unroll.)

4.  To serve cut them wraps into thirds.