Monday, February 21, 2005
Turn English muffins into a quick evening meal
English muffins make terrific mini-pizzas when time is short, but that’s not the only dinner they’ll make. Try using English muffins in place of sandwich rolls and hamburger buns, or use them to make a hot sandwich that’s filling enough for dinner.
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Cheesy Tuna Melts
1 6-ounce can tuna, drained
1/3 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 English muffins, split
8 slices ripe tomato
8 slices Cheddar or American cheese
Toast English muffins. Preheat oven to broil. In a bowl, mix together tuna, celery, and mayonnaise. Spread tuna mixture onto the toasted muffin halves and place them on a baking sheet. Top each half with a slice of tomato and a slice of cheese. Broil until cheese is melted, about 3 to 5 minutes. Makes 4 servings.
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Microwave Huevos Rancheros Sandwich
1/2 cup drained canned black beans
4 English muffins, split
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 teaspoons butter or margarine, divided
4 eggs
1/4 cup prepared medium salsa, divided
4 lettuce leaves, optional
Place the beans in small bowl and mash with fork. Spread beans on bottom half of each English muffin with spoon. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons cheese on top of bean layer. Cover and set aside. Lightly coat 4 microwave-safe custard cups with nonstick cooking spray. Break one egg into each cup and pierce yolks with a toothpick. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on medium (50%) power, 4 to 5 minutes, rotating cups half way through. Let stand covered to complete cooking. Carefully remove eggs from custard cups. Place egg on top of the bean/cheese layers; top with additional 2 teaspoons cheese, then salsa and remaining cheese. Place top half of English muffin on sandwich. Microwave on high power 15 to 30 seconds to melt cheese and heat sandwich. Add lettuce if desired. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings. Adapted from Bays English Muffins at http://www.bays.com.
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Pantry Pointers
To make English muffin recipes healthier, start with whole-grain muffins.
If you have extra English muffins, split them in half and then store in the freezer. For breakfast, you can remove the number of halves needed and put them directly into the toaster or toaster oven without thawing first.
While slicing English muffins with a knife is easy, it isn’t the best way to prepare them. By splitting them with a fork, they will have a crunchy texture and lots of nooks and crannies for holding butter and jam.
The Practical Pantry ©2005 Tammy P. Olson
http://www.practicalpantry.com