Sourdough English Muffin Sandwiches in 4 Ways for Lunch

First, let me start off by saying Baby Joy... I LOVE YOU! You have given my mom and I such amazing breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Your gut-healthy probiotics have left our stomachs very content and your aroma has left our home smelling like an English bakery (I have never been to an English bakery, but I assume that is what it might smell like). So, thank you Baby Joy and may you live very long!

Alright, enough with the riddles, Baby Joy is my sourdough starter. She has been in the family for about 5 months and let me tell you, she is a gift that keeps on giving. Our family loves anything healthy and strives to incorporate many healthy things in our diet. I love that this healthy thing was EXTREMELY simple to create and easy to keep alive. With that being said, I knew I had to share this post with you all, because many of us are trying to eat healthy, but have limited time to do so. If you're anything like me, you HATE processed food except on special occasions (funny how special occasions can change everything) and want to eat good, quality food that doesn't leave you in the kitchen 'til the cows come home. If this is you, stay tuned!

Here are my 4 lunch sandwiches with sourdough English muffins*:

The first lunch sandwich we'll be making is a CPK Inspired BBQ Chicken Pizza grilled sandwich. Inside our perfectly golden, toasty English muffins will be farm-fresh sharp cheddar cheese topped with fried onions and green peppers; chicken* sautéed in a smoky, sweet BBQ sauce*, spring mix, and fresh cilantro! This recipe was inspired by California Pizza Kitchen. Yes, I, Hannah, do like CPK's BBQ Chicken Pizza and it fits into the category of hating processed food EXCEPT on special occasions, as mentioned above.

You can also prepare this lunch with a side salad.

RECIPE:

First, put enough avocado oil in preheated cast-iron pan and sautée green peppers. Once they're at a medium-soft texture, add in your red onion. Season with salt and pepper.

Then, add your pre-cooked, shredded chicken into the peppers and onions. Next, pour in your bbq sauce and mix well. Once everything is heated, take out of pan, put aside.

Now, it is time to assemble sandwiches. Cut your English muffin in half. Place cheese on top of hot chicken mixture in muffin.

In a different pan (try using a cute, little cast-iron pan) with a little oil, place your English muffin sandwich and let it get toasted. I know it's looking and smelling pretty irresistible.

Lastly, add your lettuce and fresh cilantro to sandwich.

The second lunch sandwich is Momma's Out By The Ocean Tuna & Egg Salad sandwich. I call it Momma's, because my momma is the only one who likes tuna and egg salad. This sandwich is full of healthy fats from the homemade mayo, good quality tuna, and farm fresh eggs. Check out her blog for the full recipe.

Here's the link:

The third lunch is my Mediterranean Salad sandwich. This one is my favorite for when I'm craving something really fresh and lively with a nice *POW* *WHAM* balsamic dressing. Sometimes I just need something to hit that tart taste-bud!

RECIPE:

First, toss some mixed greens, sprouts (microgreens), and cucumbers in a small bowl with a balsamic vinaigrette, put aside. My simple balsamic dressing recipe has balsamic vinegar, honey, Italian seasoning, basil, salt, pepper, and avocado oil. I told ya' it was simple.

Toast your English muffins. Spread some garlic hummus on the muffins.

Next, place salad on the sandwich and voila!

I also like to place a bean burger on my sandwich when I'm in need of something more filling or even, a fried egg.

The last lunch sandwich, but certainly not the forgotten, is one of my favorites. I call this one, Classic Grilled Cheese + Creamy Tomato Soup. Such a classic lunch that makes all of us smile!

RECIPE:

In order to make this recipe ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, fresh ingredients are needed! You don't need to have a ton of ingredients to make a dish good, you need good quality ingredients and my family finds ours at the farmer's market. #supportyourlocalfarmers Many of us take our farmers for granted. Their rugged hands picking, toiling, and sowing the ground reaping a harvest full of fresh produce is such a blessing that I have come not to take lightly. With that being said, here is the recipe. Seriously.

Soup Time! Okay, let's be honest... A grilled cheese is not complete without a hot, creamy, decadent bowl of tomatoey, garlicy, herby, parmesany soup. Right? Exactly, my thought.

First, cut 6-7 beautifully red, plump tomatoes in half and place on a sheet pan drizzling with avocado oil. Sprinkle basil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper on tomatoes. I also like to roast a couple cloves of garlic (with skin) on the same pan.

Place your pan in the oven on the low or high broil setting. If I have more time, I like to put it on low, because it slowly broils the tomatoes and garlic to perfection. But the high setting, broils faster and is still good, so do what you need to do.

I take the pan out once it has some blackened notes (not burnt) and the smell of the tomatoes and garlic is nice and noticeable.

Let those babies cool.

Once cooled, put in a blender or in a pot using an immersion blender. Whichever option you use, add in heavy cream, finely-grated parmesan, and some fresh, chopped basil. Then, blend until smooth and creamy. Don't blend until it's like water. Please!

Lastly, heat up until simmering and hot, which is the reason I love to use the immersion blender- all done in one pot. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Sandwich Time! I like to thinly slice some sharp, white cheddar cheese. If you're feeling extra fancy, try multiple cheeses e.g. smoked gouda, pepper jack, or swiss. Our farmer's market has THE BEST cheddar cheese, so yeah.

Next, slice your English muffin in half and place your cheese slices inside.

Preheat your cast-iron skillet and once it's hot, add some good ol' butter or coconut oil. I personally love butter, but then, I also like coconut oil. So, I came to this conclusion... Butter is for the days when I need extra comfort to remind me there's hope even when living in the city and coconut oil for the days when I know I need to slow down on the butter.

Now, make sure there's enough butter, we don't want the smoke alarm going off. I know from experience...

Add, your sandwich and toast one side pressing with a spatula, then flip to the other side and press. Wait a few minutes on each side, until cheese melts and bread becomes perfectly toasty. I always end up adding more butter or coconut oil in the process, because the bread absorbs the buttery goodness.

Once done, serve with a nice bowl of homemade creamy tomato soup and just wait for it... I see you smiling!

Score for me and score for you!

*STORAGE FOR SOURDOUGH ENGLISH MUFFINS:

I store my sourdough English muffins in freezer bags and put up to 10 muffins in each bag so it's not overcrowded. You can even individually wrap each muffin in plastic wrap and then, put them inside the freezer bag, in case, you don't want to take all of them out at once. Store in the freezer if you won't eat up quickly or in the fridge (what my family does) if they're eaten in a week's timing.

*CHICKEN I USE FOR RECIPES:

I like to slow-cook my chicken in our handy-dandy crockpot so I have a big batch to pull from for these kinds of recipes. I season my chicken in a versatile way so it can be used in many recipes. Garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper is my basic seasoning. I put a little over a handful in each small freezer bag and store in the freezer and pull out as I need. Defrost in the fridge the night before if you know you'll need it for lunch the next day.

*SAUCES/DRESSINGS:

I use a lot of Whole Foods' brand sauces and some of their dressings. I also like to make homemade when I have the time. However, because my recipes are so simple, I usually whip up something really quick. Stay tuned for a post on some of my favorite dressings/sauces from the store with a combination of my homemade ones.

God bless,

Hannah