Rania's Back To School Lunch Box Recipes
With school back in session, Rania Harris stopped by PTL to show off some recipes that are perfect for lunches!
Apple Cookie Butter Sandwich
- 2 small apples, cored and cut crosswise into ½-inch thick rounds
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Cookie Butter (available at Trader Joes)
- Semi-sweet dark chocolate chips
- Nut-free granola
Directions:
Remove the core from the apples, then slice them into thick rounds.
Using a smaller cookie cutter that can fit inside the sliced apples, remove a circle of fruit from the center, so the cookie butter will be visible through the small opening in the sandwich.
Brush the apple slices lightly with some lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown.
Spread one side of half of the apple slices with cookie butter, then sprinkle with chocolate chips and granola. Top with remaining apple slices, pressing down gently to make the sandwiches.
Serve immediately, or keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Serves: 2
Herb Cream Cheese and Turkey Rolls
- 8 ounces cream cheese ~ softened
- 1 tablespoon black olives ~ chopped
- 1 tablespoon green onions ~ chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley ~ minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil ~ chopped
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 4 burrito size whole wheat tortillas
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 8 ounces roast turkey breast ~ shaved
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cucumber ~ julienned
- 1 yellow bell pepper ~ diced
Directions:
Combine the cream cheese, black olives, green onions, parsley, basil, salt and pepper, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Stir to combine.
Spread the cream cheese in a thin layer over the tortillas. Lay the ingredients down in the middle of the tortilla: baby spinach, turkey, carrots, cucumber, and bell pepper.
Roll the tortillas as tightly as possible and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for an hour or overnight. To serve, unwrap and slice into 5 pieces per roll.
Yield: 20 rolls
Vegetable Pizza Rolls
Sauce:
- ¼ cup fresh spinach - chopped
- ½ medium orange bell pepper - chopped
- ¼ cup, sliced mushrooms
- ½ medium sweet onion - chopped
- 1 medium carrot – scraped and chopped
- 1 medium zucchini - chopped
- 1 cup store bought marinara sauce
- Store bought pizza dough
- 1-1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
Directions:
Place the vegetables in a bowl and combine ~ you will need two cups total of the vegetables of your choice listed. Sauté the vegetables for 3-4 minutes or until slightly tender. Blend in a blender with the marinara sauce.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Remove the pizza dough from the refrigerator. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle, about 12 by 10 inches.
Begin by spreading about 1 cup of sauce over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch boarder around the edges. If it seems like it needs more, then add 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
Begin rolling the dough until you have one large roll. Slice into 8-12 slices and place in a greased muffin tin.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until rolls are golden brown and cooked through the middle.
Serves: 4
