OH BABY, these were good!!  Hubby and I both LOVED these.  (I made grilled chicken sandwiches for the kids - they would not have touched these with a 10 foot pole.) 

The Recipe:

4 Portobello mushroom caps
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 TBL olive oil
1 tsp dried basil (I used fresh, about 8 medium size leaves)
1 tsp dried oregano (if you have fresh, throw it in instead of the dried!)
2 minced garlic cloves
Salt and pepper to taste
4 (1 oz ) slices provolone
8 slices whole wheat bread, toasted
Lettuce (your favorite kind)
4 big juicy slices of tomatoes

 Place mushroom caps, smooth side up in a shallow dish.  In a small bowl whisk together vinegar, oil, basil, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper.  Pour over mushrooms, let stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes, turning a couple of times. 

Preheat grill to medium high heat.

Grill mushroom caps for about 7 or 8 minutes, on each side (or until tender), brushing any remaining marinade on the caps during grilling.  Top with cheese the last 2 minutes of cooking time.

Toast bread, make 4 yummy sandwiches!!  (I didn’t use mayo or any dressing on the sandwich & I thought it was perfect without it, but if  you can’t make a sandwich without a dressing of some sort, go for it!)

 
I served this sandwich with a tomato/basil salad and garlic baked potatoes.

I normally make this after Christmas or any time I make a ham, but my friend Lara wanted to compare out recipes & it sounded good, so I made it to share with all of you too.  This sandwich is a hit with everyone in our family. I don’t know where I got this recipe and I don’t have exact measurements, but you will get the idea, just go with me.  I also have no idea how “authentic” this is I just know it is good.

 

1 TSP olive oil
2 minced garlic cloves
1 package Hawaiian rolls (I use the small one’s, I think there are 8 per package & I don’t separate them into tiny sandwiches before I cook them.)
Yellow mustard
Swiss cheese
Bacon – cooked
Dill pickle slices
Chopped cilantro
Ham

·          Combine oil and garlic in small dish (save for later)
·          Spread each side of bread with mustard
·          Layer bottom half of the bread with cheese, cilantro, pickles, & bacon
·          Layer top half with cheese & ham
·          Put sandwich together
·          Brush garlic oil evenly on outside of rolls. 
·          Cook on stovetop in a large skillet, place something heavy on top of sandwiches and squish
·          Cook about 3 minutes on each side or until slightly brown and cheese is melting

And the finished product is below.  After the sandwich is cooked I cut them into the small squares.  Served with garlic-clilantro potatoes.

This is what I made with the fresh basil and mozzarella.  This is a quick and easy sandwich & is great for sports nights when you are running out of the house and don’t have time to make a big dinner.  I served it with a side salad.  I found this recipe in the May issue of Cooking Light.  Everyone loved this sandwich, so much so it is going to be a staple in our house.   I followed the recipe pretty closely; however I did use a little more basil, prosciutto and mozzarella.

 

1 (12-ounce) loaf French bread, cut in half horizontally
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fresh mozzarella cheese, divided
2 ounces very thin slices prosciutto
2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
Cooking spray

1. Hollow out top and bottom halves of bread, leaving a 1/2-inch-thick shell; reserve torn bread for another use. Spread 2 tablespoons mayonnaise over cut side of each bread half. Sprinkle basil and 1/2 cup cheese on bottom half of loaf. Top evenly with prosciutto, tomato slices, and remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Cover with top half of loaf. Cut filled loaf crosswise into 4 equal pieces.

2. Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sandwiches to pan. Place a cast-iron or other heavy skillet on top of sandwiches; press gently to flatten sandwiches. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until bread is toasted (leave cast-iron skillet on sandwiches while they cook).