Tomato Jam in Grilled Cheese

While I don’t believe there is a perfect grilled cheese, this one is delightful. It is special and has all the gooeyness with flavorful tomatoes that are soft but juicy. Cut some bread, go wild or classic with the cheeses, and make a double batch of tomatoes to put them on everything.

Tomato Jam in Grilled Cheese
Ingredients: (for 2 sandwiches)

1 1/2 cups (~1/2 a pint) cherry or grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Sprinkle of thyme & kosher salt
1 teaspoon truffle oil (optional)
4 slices of bread
lots of cheese

Directions:
Warm a small skillet to medium and add in the olive oil and tomatoes to cook for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes start bursting.
Reduce to low/medium low and add in the brown sugar, vinegar, and garlic to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Sprinkle in the thyme, salt, and pepper.
Remove from the heat and let it cool. (I let most of the liquid evaporate but remove earlier if you want it more wet. Optional: drizzle in a touch of truffle oil if you wish.)

Assemble the grilled cheese with cheese on each side of the bread and a scoop of tomato jam in the middle. Griddle it and cover to melt the cheese. (Restaurant tip: put butter in the pan and mayo on the outside of the bread!)

Give it a minute to rest before slicing so you don’t lose all the cheese!
Enjoy!

It is so good. The tomato jam is bright and a little sweet like a summer one would be while we’re in the depths of winter. I love the tomato jam on quiche or on an English muffin for breakfast. It would be great on pizza or stirred into rice or pasta. The uses are endless.

French Onion Burrito

Think of french onion soup but make it hand-held and form it into a burrito! Caramelized onions and melty fontina cheese become a meal with mushrooms, some arugula for freshness, and a grain.

This lunch is brought to you by the color: brown.

French Onion Burrito
Ingredients: (for 2-3 burritos)

1 large white onion
1 cup cooked grain (I used farro but rice/couscous/orzo would be good)
~6 mushrooms
1 cup gruyere or fontina cheese
2 tablespoons fried onions
1 cup arugula (or parsley or thyme)
2 tortillas

Directions:
Caramelize the onions – slice and cook over low heat for ~30 minutes, stirring frequently. This is helpful to do in advance, or freeze leftovers!
Cook the grain – I used farro which cooks for ~30 minutes.
Slice and sautee the mushrooms.

Lay out the tortillas and layer on 1/4 of the cheese, then the grain, then onions, arugula, and crispy onions.

Top with remaining cheese and warm a skillet.
Roll up the burrito by tucking the sides in, then rolling away from you and don’t let go. Carefully griddle the burrito with the seam side down first. Rotate to grill each side.
Enjoy!

I used farro but go for rice/cracked wheat/orzo/couscous/pilaf – whatever you have. No tortillas? No problem! Make this into a bowl!

This non-traditional burrito/hot wrap joins the others I’ve made like:
Cheeseburger burrito
Chicken, Bacon, & Ranch burrito
Thanksgiving Hot Wraps
Chicken & Broccoli Hot Wrap


Caesar Chickpea Wraps

I love all the caesar things so I used the flavors into a meatless wrap. It has caesar flavored chickpeas, croutons, lettuce, caesar dressing, and extra parmesan. I loved the warm chickpeas with crunchy lettuce.

The Three Bite Rule - Caesar Chickpea Wrap

Caesar Chickpea Wraps
Ingredients: (for 2)

~2 slices Italian bread, cubed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
salt & dried herbs
1, 8oz can chickpeas
2 tablespoons parmesan
2 tablespoons creamy caesar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
2 wraps
2 cups lettuce

The Three Bite Rule - Caesar Chickpea Wrap

Directions:
In a large skillet, warm the olive oil and butter over medium heat and drop in the bread and sprinkle with salt and dried herbs. Toss well and let toast, about 3 minutes.
Remove from the pan and coat again with olive oil. Drop in the chickpeas, creamy caesar, half the parmesan, half the creamy caesar, anchovy paste, and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes to heat through.

The Three Bite Rule - Caesar Chickpea Wrap

Assemble the wraps with lettuce, croutons, ~half or 1/3 of the chickpeas and top with a drizzle of caesar.

The Three Bite Rule - Caesar Chickpea Wrap

Wrap it up and enjoy!

It was a fun lunch. Speed this up by making the chickpeas in advance or use croutons from a bag. This backs well too with just some assembly required.

The Three Bite Rule - Caesar Chickpea Wrap

Leftover anchovy paste?
Make your own caesar dressing!
Chicken Caesar Salad Burgers!
Add some to your Caesar Broccoli!
You need Caesar Deviled Eggs!
Caesar Pasta too!

Dairy-free Lasagna

I’m deep in the lasagna world through my volunteerism with Lasagna Love and wanted to share an option for a dairy-free/vegan lasagna. This is not the only or best way to make a cheese-less ricotta substitute, but it is likely the cheapest and easiest to source. Let’s turn white beans and summer squash into “ricotta”.

The Three Bite Rule - Dairy-free Lasagna

This wouldn’t be a fake-out for those who normally eat cheese, but some cheeseless options are costly or difficult. A popular option for “ricotta” is bulk buying raw cashews which is expensive, and sometimes using an unfamiliar ingredient – like tofu, or sourcing dairy-free options can be tough for some people or in some stores. I find that this white bean & squash mixture is a solid substitute for ricotta amongst sauce and noodles and some herbs.

Dairy-free Lasagna
Ingredients: (serves ~4)

9 lasagna noodles
1 can white beans (drained but liquid reserved)
1 small summer squash/yellow squash/or pealed zucchini
1 teaspoon dried basil/oregano/Italian seasoning
1-2 cups of dairy-free shredded mozzarella
~2 cups of tomato sauce

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350-degrees and chop the squash.
Saute or steam the squash until cooked through.
Drain the beans but reserve the liquid and add the beans into a food processor with the cooked squash (my photos are of a double batch).

The Three Bite Rule - Dairy-free Lasagna

Blend together adding ~1/2 the bean liquid, a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Scrape down the sides and blend until smooth. Add more liquid (or water) if desired. Stir in herbs.

The Three Bite Rule - Dairy-free Lasagna

Cook the noodles until totally pliable.
Assemble the lasagna – I did 9 roll ups so I didn’t have to trim noodles for a few servings, but this could be a 9×9 pan too as a more traditional layered lasagna.
Lay the noodles out, spread on the ricotta-substitute and sprinkle with dairy-free cheese and roll up.

The Three Bite Rule - Dairy-free Lasagna

Spray the pan with non-stick spray, add some sauce to the bottom, and lay the rolls into the pan. Top with more sauce.

The Three Bite Rule - Dairy-free Lasagna

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove foil, top with remaining “mozzarella”, and bake for another 5-10 until the cheese melts. The broiler may help as dairy-free cheese doesn’t melt exactly the same.
Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Dairy-free Lasagna

I liked it! I made a double batch to have some in the freezer. This is a thin & minimal use here, but I think it gives the impression of ricotta. I will use the remainder for my next dairy-free lasagna request or, maybe I’d mix some 1:1 with ricotta for a protein boost, or with a dollop of pesto. It also could thicken a chowder or add some nutrition to alfredo.

Black Bean Soup

This soup is so so easy and comes together quickly. It is a great weeknight dinner and a great one for anyone who may not love soup or want soup for dinner. I served with quesadilla dippers which meant everyone had a part to fill up on. We topped it with cheese, salsa verde, and sour cream.

Soup is annoying to photograph – trust me that the flavor is fantastic. It is dairy-free and easy to be vegan, if needed.

The Three Bite Rule - Black Bean Soup

Easy Black Bean Soup
Ingredients: (for 4 servings)

1/2 bell pepper, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped or grated
1, 29oz can black beans
2 cups broth (chicken, beef, vegetable)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
toppings: shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, hot sauce, guacamole, tortilla chips

Directions:
In a large pot, cook the carrots and peppers in olive oil for about 7 minutes over medium heat until soft and mostly cooked through.

The Three Bite Rule - Black Bean Soup

Add in the black beans, broth, garlic, and cumin. Stir well and cook for ~30 minutes over low heat.

The Three Bite Rule - Black Bean Soup

Add half or 3/4 to a blender or food processor and carefully blend. Repeat in batches for the texture you prefer. (I blended almost all of it.)

The Three Bite Rule - Black Bean Soup

Add more broth if desired. Serve with toppings as you like. Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Black Bean Soup

One kid ate mostly soup and no quesadilla and the other ate mostly quesadilla and only a few bites of soup. I blended it a lot but wonder if they would have been more into it with more recognizable beans since they really like them. Sour cream is a good way to mellow it out a bit.

Make it ahead of time, or make in smaller batches. It would be great alongside a taco feast and has chili-ish vibes with all the toppings.