{"id":5504,"date":"2014-01-26T08:27:45","date_gmt":"2014-01-26T14:27:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hottie-biscotti.com\/blog\/?p=5504"},"modified":"2014-01-26T08:27:45","modified_gmt":"2014-01-26T14:27:45","slug":"quick-and-easy-cuban-paninis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hottie-biscotti.com\/blog\/2014\/01\/26\/quick-and-easy-cuban-paninis\/","title":{"rendered":"Quick and Easy Cuban Paninis"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the new week approaches I start thinking about our week of meals, as I’m sure some of you do too. \u00a0I don’t typically plan well, often having to make 2 or 3 trips to the grocery store between Sunday and Friday. \u00a0If I want to make one trip on Sunday or Monday it helps me to plan out our meals and how I’m going to use leftovers.<\/p>\n

Every couple of weeks I make a pork tenderloin (99% of the time it’s the pre-marinated kind from HEB, the Italian herb flavor) and we eat it with rice or potatoes and vegetables or salad. \u00a0It’s a really simple dinner and one that doesn’t involve a whole lot of work. \u00a0But since there are only 2 of us eating we always have leftovers. \u00a0While slicing the extra pork and piling it onto a salad is a great and delicious way to use it, sometimes I want something hot and melty, especially when it’s cold out. \u00a0That’s where these super easy Cuban panini sandwiches come in. \"cubanpanini2\"<\/a> Cuban sandwiches typically contain pork, ham, swiss cheese, mustard and dill pickles. \u00a0And that, along with some bread, is all you need for these paninis. \u00a0I used ciabatta rolls, but French bread is probably closer to true Cuban bread. \u00a0I love the flavor combinations in this sandwich and especially love the pickles. \u00a0They’re so wonderful warm, and the pickle juice gets down into the whole sandwich. \u00a0I do like pickles. \u00a0\"cubanpanini1\"<\/a> If it’s been a long day this is a super fast dinner and you don’t have to do any cooking if you’re using leftover pork. \u00a0Sometimes I make a salad to round out the meal, and sometimes I just put a bag of chips on the table, eat a few baby carrots, count pickles as vegetables and call it good. \u00a0Use a panini press if you have one. \u00a0If not, just treat this like a grilled cheese. \u00a0Press the sandwich down firmly with another pan while it’s cooking to press everything together.<\/p>\n

The recipe below is for 2 sandwiches. \u00a0Just double or triple the ingredients to make the number you need. \u00a0I did not measure the amount of pork I used, but it was close to 1\/4 of a whole tenderloin, about 4 thin slices per sandwich. \u00a0I opted for the higher amount of cheese and pickles in my sandwiches. \u00a0I also mixed up both yellow and dijon mustard, in equal parts, to spread on the bread. \u00a0Use what you like. \u00a0I do suggest cheese on both sides of the sandwich to keep things together. \u00a0Do you have any quick and easy dinners or delicious ways to transform your leftovers?<\/p>\n

Cuban Paninis<\/h3>\n

Makes 2 sandwiches<\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/em><\/p>\n