Chipotle Lime Yams (Also known as "Sweet Potatoes")

These brought me back to some shrimp I made years and years ago (never mind how many years ago) for a party when I was fabulously 20 years old and living in San Diego less than a block away from the beach......yes, those were the days.  We were having a neighborhood party and I had made Chipotle shrimp I cruised around with a big bowl of them in my hand and a cowboy hat on my head.  I thought I was so cool.  The "cool" part has never been proven but the shrimp was a proven hit.

Now that I am going back to my roots with the whole "no shell fish" kosher rule, those little bottom feeders are no longer passing my lips.  But this creation really took me back-- in an uber good way.

This recipe has just about everything.  Sweet, salty, smokey, sour & spicy.  Right now the ingredients go under the 90/10 rule.  The "10" is the Embasa Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce.  A quick glance at the back label shows oodles of things I shouldn't be indulging in right now (vegetable oil, wheat flour, salt, caramel color, etc.). If there is another canned version of Chipotles in sauce that is healthier,  I unfortunately don't have that option living where I'm living. These are vital to the recipe though.

• 2 large sweet potatoes (or "yams" depending on where the reader has grown up)
• One Chipotle Pepper in Adobo sauce (I use Embasa canned Peppers)
• 2 Tablespoons of Chipotle Sauce  (from the same can that the peppers came in)
• 2 Limes
• 4 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Teaspoon reduced sodium soy sauce
• 3 cloves of garlic

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Peel yams and cut them into 2 inch chunks.  Place these on a parchment lined baking sheet and into the preheated oven.  Roast these for about 45 minutes or until preferred tenderness.
3. Use a fork remove a chili from the can and place on a cutting board. With a chefs knife, mince up the pepper then slide it on into a large bowl.  
4. Combine chipotle sauce, lime juice, lime zest, soy sauce, garlic and cilantro all into the same bowl. This is the sauce or dressing. 
5. When the yams are ready, take them out of the oven and dump them hot into the large bowl with the sauce. 
6. Using a large spoon mix the yams in the bowl until they are coated with the sauce.  

This makes a great accompaniment to any meal.  Ad some black beans and lay them on top of some salad greens or peppery arugula.  YUM!  Watch out though! These suckers are spicy and addictive. 

Spicy Mango Avocado Salad

This one is another creation that can be eaten "as is" or it can be fancied up by rolling it up into a whole wheat wrap with some lettuce greens.  Better yet, skip the whole wheat wraps, add a can of beans of your choice (rinsed and drained), and wrap it up into a leaf of Romain lettuce! If you are a carnivore, lay atop some grilled fish, chicken or steak to ad a great flavor without any extra fat.

• 1 large ripe mango (Peeled and cut into half inch cubes)
• 1 avocado (Peeled and cut into half inch cubes)
• 2 Tablespoons of fresh chopped cilantro
• Juice of a good quality lemon or juice of 2 not so good lemons (about 3-4 Tablespoons of juice)
• 1 small white onion (finely minced)
• 1 Jalapeno Pepper (finely minced)
• 3 cups or more of baby spinach (optional)

In a medium bowl, mix all the above ingredients until blended well.  Enjoy!


Some notes:  For information on cutting a mango click here

Regarding avocados, I prefer Hass avocados.  These have the darker skin.  For a tutorial on how to cut an avocado click here  Another quick note about avocados:  Even though the tutorial that I linked (and just about every tutorial on avocados that I could find) advises one to hack the knife into the pit of the avocado to remove it, I don't advise this.  It's dangerous and unnecessary if the avocado is ripe.  I've always been able to use my fingers to pull out the pit. It usually dislodges easily from the meat of the fruit.

Watermelon "Slushie"

Yes, I live in Germany....and no, the temperatures do not get up into the 100's during the Summer like they do in the states.  HOWEVER, there is no air conditioning and the humidity is stronger here than where I am from originally.  To keep the explanations short, it's flippin' hot here right now!  I'm doing everything that I possibly can to cool down including of course making new recipes.  This one is also great because stores are stocked with (to use a technical term) ginormous watermelons and my family can never seem to finish one before it turns into some slimy creature in the back of my fridge.

To come up with this healthy treat, freeze your watermelon in chunks!  Viola! 

Free of refined sugars & fats, dairy, wheat, and meat free, this makes for a guiltless cool down treat.

• 2 Cups of Frozen watermelon (Cut into chunks about 1.5 inch and freeze in a baggy overnight.  Don't worry about the seeds!).
• Juice of 2 limes
  1 Banana
• Water

1. The watermelon may have stuck together during the freezing process.  To dislodge watermelon, pound the ziploc bag on the floor a few times or, take your "man tamer"---AKA: meat tenderizer to the baggy.  Dump the frozen chunks into a blender. 
2. Ad lime juice and banana as well to the blender with the watermelon.
3.  Blend ingredients together adding water when necessary and until that nice "wirlpool" forms. When the wirlpool is scene, it's ready
4. Poor into cups and drink.  This makes about 2 servings. Depending on your taste buds, ad some sweetener.  I recommend stevia, maple syrup, honey, or a few dates in blended with the slush.
   
   Now, the little devil in me says to ad two shots of Vodka (Rum or Tequila might work too) but I'm off the hard stuff for a while so I'll leave that to the readers imagination.

Vegan Overnight Oats (Summer Porridge) Updated

Sometimes at international breakfast bars there is "Muesli".  It's cold oats that have been soaked usually in milk and yogurt.  I love this stuff!  I am an addict really for this.  The problem is,  I don't know how to make it.  Usually there are no real specific directions on the quantities with which to soak my oats overnight.  Plus, I wanted to try this with rice or almond milk since I'm trying to cut back or sugar, dairy, and meat.  I tried it last night and was actually very happy with the results. So, here is my first try batch ratio list.

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cup vanilla almond milk

This is the "base"  meaning this is what I put in the fridge overnight, covered in a glass jar.  In the morning I mixed in 1 Tbsp.  raw almond butter, one banana, 1 Tbsp. of unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 Tbsp. of ground flaxseed, and a sprinkling of raw unsalted sunflower seeds.

It was good BUT for many readers, this just might not be sweet enough.  A person could probably put in some honey to sweeten it.  Next time I might mash the banana instead of just chopping it so that the sweetness of it can be better spread out in every bite. 

Again, this was my very first trial run but it went well.  It was simple simple simple and fantastic for the Summer.  No need to heat of the kitchen with this recipe!  Some other things I may try is mixing in some applesauce and cinnamon instead of the above combo.  Once I get my hands of some chia seeds I may try that as well. 

Do you have any suggestions for mix-ins?

***UPDATE***

I've refined my oats a bit.  I've limited the amount of oats and am now added a lot of yummy bulk to it.  So really don't need all the oats (or sweeteners). 

1/3 cup oats
about double the "milk"

Right now, I'm working on a plant based diet and it's really been life changing for me and the family.  This means that my milk is almond, rice, soy or coconut.  I'll usually rotate them around.  I haven't eliminated milk or meat all the way but, I've cut it out drastically.  I don't preach (usually) and I don't judge so just use whatever milk substance you'd like. 

If your curious what a plant based or nutritarian lifestyle is, I highly recommend the book (The forward is by Dr. Oz)  Eat to Live  the Author Dr. Fuhrman, also has fantastic webpage with helpful articles and more.  A fellow mommy friend recommended him to me.  What really motivated me was his free podcasts. This doctor has helped thousands and thousands.  For free you can also listen to his prerecorded podcasts.


Here's the combo that I've really enjoyed.

• 1chopped and peeled granny smith apple (if it's oraganic, no need to peel) .  I use this snazzy Chop 'N Prep Chef to chop up my apples.  LOVE THIS thing.   I use it every single day if not twice a day. Because I move around a lot to different countries, having something that is not electric makes it possible for me to not have to purchase new appliances every few years.  
•  2 tsp. sunflower seeds
• 1 tsp. nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp. ground flax seed (the body can't absorb the nutrients of whole seeds)
• 1 tsp. chia seeds
• 2 tbsp. raisins
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• maybe more milk if you want to change the consistency.

It's a Little Corny (Corn Salad)

The above is sorta a joke and sorta not.  Corn has a bad rap in some circles (and I'm not talkin' crop circles here).  There are a lot of reasons as to why this is but, hey, I'm gonna stick to the "everything in moderation" rule when it comes to corn.  Corn really has a rich history.

"Corn is perhaps the most completely domesticated of all field crops. Its perpetuation forcenturies has depended wholly on the care of man. It could not have existed as a wild plant in its present form." -Lance Gibson and Garren Benson, Iowa State University, Department of Agronomy
Revised January 2002

Where I'm from, we purchase sloughhouse corn during the Summer. White sweet and wonderful strait off the grill.  So sweet it can be eaten raw.

Unfortunately, here in Germany, corn isn't such a smash hit when it comes to consuming it off the cob. It's hard to find fresh corn. I've heard too that the French think America's fascination with eating corn is odd.  It's used for animal feed (or, fish food) in a lot of cases over here.

Because it's so hard to come by fresh corn, I'm using frozen corn in this recipe but it's still really good, light, and easy!

• 16 oz. bag of frozen corn
• 1 medium to small red onion  (diced or minced)
• 1 jalapeno
• A hefty handful of cilantro (about a cup minced)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1-2 limes ( or, about 1/4 cup lime juice)
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper

• Place corn in medium size bowl with onion, jalapeno, and garlic.  In a separate bowl, combine lime juice, olive oil, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Chill in the fridge for no more than 24 hours (after that amount of time, we are getting to the "mush" danger zone) Before serving stir in cilantro. 

A couple side notes.  If cilantro is hard to come by or too expensive, coriander spice can be added instead.  It also saves the chef from having to add fresh at the last minute before serving.

This corn salad makes a great side dish with carne asada style steak, on top of a white fish, or even chicken.  For a whole vegetarian meal, add a can of drained rinsed black beans before chilling.  Maybe some sort of cheese can be added as well (cubes of cheddar or hardish queso cheese?).  But, if cheese is added, one may need to add that before serving to avoid slime cheese effect. Place a hefty spoonful on top of lettuce greens.  YUM!

Just Beet It

The other day I was watching Doctor Oz (and eating bon bons....HA! Ya right) and he had a guy on there who memorized 52 decks of cards. He is in the Guinness Book of World Records. His memory is impeccable. Guess what his #1 food is for keeping up his memory? The very humble beet. Yes, beets. Apparently beets are recommended to Alzheimer patients as well to help brain power.

This isn't the show I watched but, here's a link to more info about beets: http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/antioxidant-youre-not-eating

I really like beets. I always have. Even when I was a little girl I ate them in my salad. Maybe it was their color that did for me but I always really liked them.

There were no fresh beets at the commissary. I should have looked out in town but, I was lazy so I went to the canned food isle (which by the way, I found the large cans of Organic diced tomatoes for $0.30 a can.....REALLY! That was my cheap thrill for the day! I bought what was left on the shelf.) this turned out pretty well. My kids turned their nose up at it....but hey it's beets not ice cream. One day, I hope they will appreciate healthy food on their own. In the mean time, I'm gonna keep trying.

Easy Beet Salad

2 Cans of Beets cut into bite size chunks. (Just boil fresh ones....use the greens too!)
Spinach Leaves roughly chopped (If your using canned)
2 large cloves of garlic (chopped, mashed or crushed)
4 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. vinegar
Salt & Pepper to taste

Place beets, Spinach, and garlic in a medium/large bowl. In a small bowl wisk together olive oil, vinegar, salt & pepper. Pour liquid/dressing over beets and toss.

Let this sit a little while before serving. The dressing will help mellow out the fresh garlic.

Yesterday we had this because it was a "Greek" style dinner. It was also Tu B'shevat the Jewish New Year for Trees (Also nicknamed the Jewish Arbor Day or Jewish Earth Day). Because we had record cold here in Germany, Planting a tree was a little bit out of the question. So, I bought an indoor palm. His name is Willard. With the Mediterranean style dinner and Willard "standing watch" it was a nice holiday evening.

Coconut, Banana, Pineapple Smoothie

What to do when it hits -1F outside? Make tropical smoothies of course! Coconut milk is very good. Don't know if there are any health benefits but it's good. This one for sure hit the spot. Last day before my grocery store run so, resources were fairly slim. I had some frozen pineapple in the freezer but no frozen bananas left and the coconut milk in the fridge.....just enough for 2. I'm pretty sure that if a person where to have canned pineapple (drained) and a frozen banana, it quite possibly would have the same effect. YUM.

1/2 cup lite coconut milk
1/2 cup frozen pineapple
2 bananas
water
ice (about 1/4 cup)

Place them all, except for the water in the blender and liquify that bad boy! It may need to be "pulsed" to get everything smooth. Open up the top and add water slowly until desired consistency. Divide among 2 glasses. Another yummy smoothie that I've tried is a green smoothie. Don't let the name or color fool you. It's pretty good.

Pop!

To quote the president: "Yes we can!".....make popcorn in the microwave without buying special microwave popcorn. Maybe I should have stamped "sucker" on the top of my forehead but it really didn't occur to me that I could do this. I thought that the white-little-skinny-old man had some magical patented component in their paper bag that could make popcorn in the microwave. I mean, it's really convincing especially since the bag has to be placed "just right" ('THIS END UP') or it will explode my microwave...... right? So, imagine my amazement when all of my core beliefs about microwave popcorn where just thrown out the window?! That's right, a plane brown paper lunch bag and some popcorn kernels are all you need. (and of course your choice seasoning). It took a little trial and error the original recipe I found called for 1/2 cup kernels. I really did end up with popcorn exploded all over my microwave. Just not enough room in the bag for all of that. I also tried the butter flavor in a bottle. Stupid me looked at the label after purchasing....120 calories per Tbsp. vs. 102 calories in Tbsp. of butter....unless a person has IBS I say, "BUTTER IS BETTER"

Yes, I could purchase my own popcorn popper but, honestly, I'm too cheap for that. So far this has been my favorite combo. I'd very much like to try something different and lower in calories. A few weeks ago I tried lime and salt flavor. Not something I created just bought a box of it. (Again with the white-skinny-old-guy brand)So flippin' yummy.

I'd like to try something like this on my own. Again, a 1/4 cup kernels is about 200 calories plus butter.....that's over 300 calories....dieticians help me out here! Somehow I need to get the calories down. 1/4 cup kernels after it's been popped fits in my ramen bowl. It's a good snack and I think the size is right for one person. Maybe I'm wrong but any less than this and I'm gonna be reaching for something more to eat.

Brown lunch bag
1/4 cup popcorn kernels
1 Tbsp. butter
1/8 tsp popcorn salt

• Watch these guys carefully because it will burn quick!
• Place kernels in paper bag and fold paper bag several times. Don't staple the bag. (Metal & Microwaves don't mix!).
• Place the bag standing up in the microwave.
• At my microwave set at 900W, it takes about one minute and twenty seconds. Again, listen to it and find out what works with your microwave.
• Melt butter for 15-20 seconds in the microwave after popcorn is popped.
• Open bag of popcorn, drizzle with butter, close bag again and shake up.
• Open bag, sprinkle with salt close bag and shake up again.
• Pour in to a bowl for aesthetics and enjoy.

My Favorite Smoothie

......So far anyway. I have to say that smoothies are not really my favorite to make. I can't really seem to simplify the process. Pull out the blender, pull out the transformer (that, by the way weighs about 20 pounds), put ingredients in, blend, take apart blender and clean. YUCK. Too many bloomin' steps. I like smoothies when I can buy them... not make them. But in Germany, I am far, far, far away from my favorite smoothie joint (I'll give you a hint, it rhymes with Mamba Moose).

One of my husband's favorite flavors from this joint is a smoothie with peanut butter. It's pretty good however, it is freaking loaded with girth and calories. Usually after a person drinks this concoction, one feels as though they have a brick in their stomach.

After a little research and experimentation, I've created my own easy concoction that fits the bill. No, it doesn't taste exactly like the magical drink in the Styrofoam cup... however, like I said, it fits the bill and it's easy to make and I don't end up with lumps in my smoothie (do not like lumpy smoothies... a little bit of an oxymoron right?)

Whoever hasn't tried almond milk is missing out. Truly. It has a history. It's not just some new fandangled thing that has made it's way to the shelves. It's low in sugar and calories, and it's fabulous for baking too. It's now been voted in as a must for our weekend pancakes because my family has concluded it taste better than regular milk pancakes. I like it in my cereal but my kids don't. I tried to get my toddler on it but he was too far gone into the depths of moo juice. No worries though, I don't hate milk... just excited about being able to replace it from time to time in certain things.

Another thing I love, love, love about this is that it's vegan, raw, and parve... so, go ahead and have a smoothie and a "HN" hot dog, la'chaim!

My children don't like this recipe. My husband and I both enjoy this one A LOT. My eldest doesn't like bananas and my other one... well he doesn't even really like milkshakes (a strange, strange individual). Try it with your kids though, if they are the normal types... and see if they enjoy it.

The only complication in this recipe is that the bananas need to be sliced and frozen solid. I've done it with room temp bananas and I don't like the texture and temperature of it. What I've done in the past few years is just slice up my brown bananas and freeze them. One more thing to do with over-ripe bananas besides making banana bread.

So, here goes:

1 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
3 Tbsp. almond butter (regular peanut butter works in a pinch)
2 Bananas that have been sliced and frozen

Place all ingredients in your blender and liquify. Apparently this is two servings (p'shaw right)... I will sometimes enjoy this for lunch when I'm in a hurry.

Nicki's Vegetarian Chili

I've been on this vegetarian recipe kick for a while. I'm trying to come up with my very own recipes for things. It started when I tried to be more observant of Jewish kosher laws. It can be difficult because....well, I'm in Germany and, bratwurst is GOOD. Lately though, I realizing that having a mostly vegetarian diet is just easier when it comes to keeping kosher. Plus, it can be a lot healthier. This so far has been my favorite combination for chili. I'm not so sure about the nutritional information but maybe some other reader genius could figure it out for me. I know that most likely the sodium content is high because of all the canned beans but it's easy and with two young kids, that's what I need.

Nicki's Veggie Chili

1 carrot, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper (or 2 depending on your preference I use one cause, it's cheaper)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 cans of kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 28oz. can of tomato
1 can of chopped green chilies (I use a small can of Old El Paso)
2 teaspoons of cumin
1 teaspoon of chili powder
2 Tablespoons of oil (for sauteing)
Shredded Cheese or Sour Cream (Optional)


We are a mild tongued family for the most part. (at least my kidlets are) The canned green chilies add some flavor but no real spice. If you'd like it spicier use a tablespoon or so of chilies in adobo sauce. It adds more heat and has a nice smokey flavor.

In a large pot, saute all the vegetables until tender (about 5-10 minutes). Add spices and stir them in with the vegetables. Then place all of the canned beans, tomato and chilies in with the vegetables and stir to combine. Simmer for 20 minutes or more depending on your preference of vegetable consistency. Serve with shredded cheese on top or just plain.

I'd imagine this is pretty healthy. Again, sodium might be an issue for some. In which case, try dried beans (3 cups of kidney & 1 cup of black--cooked and water according to preference) also, an easy way to cut the sodium is to look at the content of sodium in different brands of canned items. One can of tomatoes that I used had double the sodium of another brand.

This makes about six 2-cup servings and it's pretty inexpensive. I'll have to price everything out once I have a chance. Once one has the recipe down, it takes 30 minutes or less to get everything done and on the table. If a person is using dried beans it takes much longer (possibly can be an overnight thing to prep the beans) I usually have most of these items in the house. The celery I usually have on it's last leg before I decide that I should probably make use of it before it ends up in compost. My husband loves this recipe. He's not vehemently against this whole vegetarian exploration.....just weirds him out a bit but, he's getting better. The idea that it can be cheaper at the grocery store is turning him.

Giambotta (Italian Vegetable Stew)

Promise me not to cringe when reading "stew" at the top. I'm for the most part not a fan of stew. It usually has some sort of bean, rice, or pasta in it and although recipes encourage to save for leftovers, it just turns out to be this slimy gelatin consistency when pulled out of the fridge the next day. The worst is when there is some sort of fatty meat in it and the grease solidifies at the top. I just can't stomach it.

The reason why this recipe intrigued me, was because there was no pasta, rice, or beans in it, it was healthy comfort food, and for the most part very cheap and fast to make. All the meat eaters may scoff seeing that it's a vegetable dish but it can easily be made into a meat dish by adding some meatballs or Italian sausage.

The original recipe by Rachel Ray asks for canned fire roasted tomatoes. While I couldn't find those at the store, I did find "Italian" canned diced tomatoes with oregano, basil and garlic added and instead of using a regular large eggplant, I used 2 Ichiban or Japanese eggplants which are less bitter. Otherwise I followed the recipe almost exactly. I'm curious to maybe try some Japanese sweet potato or Japanese pumpkin in this next time and see what the results may be. The fresh basil really did the trick so I recommend spending the extra money to buy it at the market.

For left overs I recommend getting some whole grain hoagie rolls cut in half length wise and using the same method for them as the cheesy garlic bread then, plop some of the left over stew on the halved roll, top with some provolone cheese and enjoy! The potatoes don't get smooshy at all either.

• 1/4 Extra Virgin Olive Oil plus more for drizzling
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 large potatoes
• 1 zuchinni
• 3 cloves of garlic (or whip out your huge jar of garlic from the fridge)
• 1 eggplant (or 2 smaller eggplants)
• 1 red bell pepper
• salt & pepper
• 1 28ounce can of fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 cup stock (veggie or chicken)
• 1/2 cup torn chopped basil (10-12 leaves)
• loaf of whole grain bread
• 1/2 romano or pecorino cheese

Heat soup pot over medium heat add olive oil, bay leaf, garlic and onion (quartered and then thickly sliced). Let them sweat while cutting other veggies into nice hearty chunks. As your cutting just drop them into the pot. Season with salt and pepper and cover and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover, add stock and tomatoes, cook another 5 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in basil (or, hold off and top each bowl of stew off with chopped basil)

Place bread slices in broiler after adding smashed garlic and drizzling with olive oil. Char, take them out and top generously with shredded pecorino. Place them back in the broiler to brown/melt cheese and serve.

Tofu "Fries"

OK, to some of you this might sound repulsive. However, these are fabulous for toddlers (or husbands)! Two reasons they are so successful:

1. They are "fries"
2. Toddlers can dip them. If you have a toddler, you know what I'm talking about!

Depending on how long they sit under the broiler or in the toaster oven they can be chewy or soft so they work well for infants on up. Experiment with different seasonings and dipping sauces too.

1. Olive oil or non-stick cooking spray
2. Extra Firm Tofu
3. Marinara Sauce
4. Seasoning salt

Drain water from tofu package. Slice as much tofu as you want into french fry shapes. Take tofu, and put it between some clean towels with a weight on top. You can do this up to an hour, or in as little as 5 minutes, but the idea is to get excess water out of the tofu. Spray cooking spray or rub a cookie sheet with oil. Transfer tofu fries onto the cookie sheet. Sprinkle with seasoning. Place in broiler or toaster oven and cook until the edges are slightly browned (or use your mouth to test!). Turning occasionally with a spatula. Viola! Tofu Fries. Serve along side marinara sauce. Perfect for a snack or balanced lunch/dinner (with fruit/veggies on the side).

Mozzarella in Carrozza

Like the picture? I'll try to include them in the recipe when I can. I got this idea from my girlfriend Aime's site. She just started up a recipe page and has been teaching Japanese women American style cooking for a while now.

This is basically an Italian version of a Grilled Cheese Sandwhich. Except for it's way better and it's way more fattening. I tried this today for lunch and couldn't help but think of devious additions to make to this sandwhich. For instance, placing pepperoni in with the cheese? Hmmmm.......the perfect food for watching the Superbowl. Very similar to a cheese stick. This hands down is an Italian-ooooey-gooooey-masterpiece.

6 slices of white bread, (the cheaper and softer the better) crusts removed
1 fist-sized ball mozzarella, cut into approx. 1/4-inch slices, then strips
1/2 cup whole milk
3 heaping tablespoons of all purpose flour
1 egg
salt and pepper
olive oil (not extra-virgin) for frying

Make sandwiches out of the bread and mozzarella, leaving a little margin aroudn the edges unfilled with cheese, and press the edges together with your fingers to help seal. (One of the advantages of soft white bread is that it is easily smushed together.) Pour the milk into the one soup bowl, the flour into another, and beat the egg with salt and pepper in another. Warm the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Dunk the sanwiches briefly, one by one, in the milk, then dredge in teh flour, then dip in the beaten egg. Fry in hot oil on each side till crisp and golden and remove to a paper towl. Cut in half and apple to face! Great with marinara sauce.
Serves 2.