chicken focaccia sandwiches and roasted red pepper & tomato soup

I love, love, LOVE soup and a sandwich for lunch. One of my favorite lunches is Paradise Bakery's vegetarian sandwich and a side of their Fire Roast Garlic Tomato soup. And just typing that makes me start craving it!

If you like a tasty, slightly gourmet sandwich and side of soup then you'll enjoy today's food for thought friday. I have a wonderful chicken focaccia sandwich recipe (super easy too!) and I'll fill you in on one of the yummiest, organic, off-the-shelf soups out there.

Chicken Focaccia Sandwich
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
ground black pepper to taste
1 T olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
2 T mayonnaise
2 tsp prepared Dijon-style mustard
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 c baby spinach leaves
2 tomatoes, sliced
8 slices garlic and rosemary focaccia bread

Sprinkle pepper on one side of each chicken cutlet. Heat oil in a large skillet; brown garlic in oil, then add chicken, pepper-side-down. Saute chicken until cooked through and juices run clear, about 12 to 15 minutes.

In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, mustard and rosemary. (If you don't have fresh rosemary it's still good!) Mix together and spread mixture on 4 slices focaccia bread. Place 1 chicken cutlet on each of these slices, then top with 1/4 cup spinach leaves, a couple slices of tomato, and another bread slice. Note: I found that with thicker foccacia, slicing it in half height-wise is the best way to go. Otherwise the sandwich is mostly bread!

For an even more gourmet sandwich, serve it with homemade focaccia bread (recipe below). I did and it was soooo yummy!


Emily's Favorite Focaccia
2 3/4 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white sugar
1 T active dry yeast
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 T vegetable oil
1 c water
2 T olive oil
1 T grated Parmesan cheese
1 c mozzarella

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, basil and black pepper. Mix in the vegetable oil and water. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Punch dough down; place on greased baking sheet. Pat into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Brush top with olive oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm. (Option: To do the dough in your bread machine, add the ingredients in the order listed by your machine and set on the dough cycle. It will rise longer than the recipe calls for but still turns out great! Follow the rest of the recipe to bake it.)

The soup I wanted to mention is our new favorite find from Costco. It's their Organic Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato soup from Pacific Natural Foods. It comes in a case of 6 cartons for I believe under $12. You can heat it on the stovetop or in the microwave. It was a wonderful flavor, is totally organic and fairly low calorie. Top with a few croutons and a drizzle of cream and your soup is as gourmet as your chicken sandwich!

"Avoid fruits and nuts. You are what you eat." --Jim Davis