Sammiches

So, I know I posted over at This Week For Dinner that I was going to make Spinach Pie last night and Southwestern Turkey Clubs tonight, but I had to switch things up when I realized yesterday that I'd forgotten to thaw my phyllo dough. And thusly Wednesday and Thursday will be switching because I was going for an alternating menu of veggie and meaty. Anyway, back to the recipe at hand. I served these sandwiches with Spicy Black Beans, which is practically the only way I prepare black beans. We love them and it's so quick and easy. The recipe for the sandwiches can be found here, but I really changed it up to suit what I had & felt like doing, so below is my adjusted recipe.

Southwestern Turkey Clubs
Recipe based on Everyday Food recipe; Serves 2
2 small ripe avocados, pitted and peeled
8 slices of bacon, cooked crisply
Sliced peppered turkey breast
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons pickled jalapeno, chopped
1 tomato, thinly sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
6 slices whole wheat bread, toasted

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bacon slices on foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping slices halfway through. Remove from baking sheet and place on paper towels to drain.
• In a small bowl mash together avocado, lime juice, and jalapenos. Season with salt and pepper.
• Spread avocado mixture on one side of each slice of toast. Layer bacon, tomato, turkey, and toast to form triple decker sandwiches. To serve, skewer with toothpicks and slice diagonally with a serrated knife.

My notes: I used peppered turkey breast purchased from the deli, because it's one of our usual lunch meat purchases, so it saved me time and money. I bake my bacon to a crisp, which protects me from the usual grease burns I get frying it. This worked fine since I was using prepared turkey. The recipe calls for 1 avocado and 2 tablespoons lime juice. I felt the mixture was much too limey going by this original recipe, so I added an additional avocado to the mix. It helped, but still didn't even out the taste completely, so next time I'll also use less lime juice. So, keeping these adjustments in mind, we both really enjoyed our sandwiches, and I will definitely be making this again sometime.

Spicy Black Beans
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4

1 teaspoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
2 14.5 oz. canned black beans, drained and rinsed
Coarse salt
Cilantro leaves (optional)

• In a medium sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add black beans and 1 cup of water.
• Bring to a simmer; cook, covered, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. (Add more water for a thinner consistency if necessary.) Season with coarse salt and cilantro leaves, if desired. Serve immediately.

My notes: Since this recipe serves 4 I usually divide in half for our dinners. I use 1/4 teaspoon of the red-pepper when I half, but I tend to still use all 3 cloves of garlic. Spicyness is in the tastebuds of the preparer though, so adjust as you like. Also, despite my love of cilantro, I once again didn't have any. I rarely buy it unless it is truly integral to a recipe, because it usually goes to waste. I'll have to plan this recipe in conjunction with some other ones that require it next time.