Slice ’em up and serve ’em quick and fresh: That’s the best philosophy for cold cuts, a long-time favorite for appetizers and sandwiches. Whether your kids hanker for a rolled-up circle of bologna or a Panini-style concoction piled with pastrami and, perchance, a few slivers of provolone, cold cuts – which are simply cheeses or precooked or cured meats – are a tasty fun way to get creative when it comes to family snacking.
So, in honor of National Cold Cuts Day, up on March 3, Crumbs is paying a visit to the deli. From sandwiches to salads, and even featuring some fruits and veggies, here are seven delicious recipes starring classic cold cuts that caught our eye!
Ham and Pineapple Spears
This grab-and-go snacker from Real Simple tosses a little tropical fruit into the mix. Just wrap a ham slice around the spear, sear both sides and chow. Serve with celery stalks for a vegetable companion.
Grilled Almond Cheeze Chicken Sandwich
Promising a fast and filling meal, this Kid Kritics Approved recipe amps up the flavor with parsley flakes and paprika. Too cold outside for the grill? Pop ’em in your toaster oven, or give ’em the skillet treatment.
Cold Cuts Party Salad
Toss some salami, bologna and ham with chopped dill pickles, onion, mayo and a few other fixin’s for this easy pleaser from Kraft Foods. Hit the deli if you prefer your meats fresher than the pre-packaged Oscar Mayer stuff.
Beef and Provolone Pinwheels
Cute appetizers you can whip up in about 10 minutes? We’re in! Betty Crocker makes these classic munchies – which feature roast beef and provolone – extra pretty with red and green burritos and a splash of spinach.
Philly Hoagies
Crafting the king of sandwiches is broken down into five steps in this how-to from LiveStrong.com. On a beefy loaf, layer up the slices of hard salami, capicola and meat cuts of your choice, plus popular provolone; then top with sliced tomatoes, onions and lettuce, finished off with Italian dressing.
Roast Beef Roll-ups
Cold cuts for breakfast: Why not? Fresh from Jennifer Eloff’s Splendid Low Carbing blog, this mini feast features asparagus spears blanketed in roast-beef, though you can substitute pastrami or ham. She tosses in some mozzarella and horseradish cream, too.
Captain Cold Cut
Finally, Martha Stewart swoops in to spruce up your kid’s lunch pail with this tantalizing array of salami, prosciutto and provolone – plus fresh tomatoes and roasted red peppers, all served on a saves-the-day submarine roll. To the rescue!
