In keeping with a foodie theme, I wanted to share some of my favorite things……………Sammies!!!!!
Who doesn’t love a well constructed meat, cheese,veggie and bread sammy?! It’s like the perfect blend of everything that you need all in one meal. Even if your watching carbs, you can cut the bread out and use something else, like lettuce leaves. Not a meat eater, well then, omit the meat, load up on veg and go to town! There isn’t anything that I have found that does not work in a sammy.
Below I have posted some pics of my faves! I usually do sammies for lunches for work, I also make them for the hubby for his lunches. If a unannounced guest shows up and their hungry, a quick sammy will do the trick. I find them satisfying, healthy ( at times) and a quick way to eat when there is not a lot of time. Why spend $12 on a sandwich that you can easily make at home? Spend the money on the ingredients that you need and make several sammies! Before we begin, a couple of tid bits. I do not like mayo, not one single bit,so I use either mustard, hummus or avocado. You can also try a light salad dressing, tapenade, chutney or anything really to take away the dryness of the sammy. Don’t be afraid to go meatless. Some of the best sammies do not contain meat. Get wild and go for a wrap or lettuce instead of bread, especially those carb conscious friends. You don’t always have to use sliced bread. Try a roll, croissant, french/sourdough bread loaf, cut at an angle. Bagels, English muffins, tortillas, pitas, spring roll wrappers and biscuits all make great sammy holders. Need the extra protein? Pound out thin cut turkey breasts, grill, then stuff with veggies. Perfection!
The first one up, is a long time favorite. My Aunt Karen would make these for me as an afternoon snack, whenever we would visit her. It’s not that fancy, pretty simple, but loads of yumminess! A home made biscuit, a lightly, seasoned battered chicken tender and some honey. That’s the way I like it, but condiments and veg work well on this beauty as well. There is something about a warm biscuit, drenched in honey, with a spicy hunk of chicken that melts my heart!!! If your in a hurry just grab a roll of refrigerated biscuits, grab some pre-made chicken nuggets or tenders from the store or your favorite take out spot. I’m sure you have some honey at home, bake the biscuit and assemble! Done! You can make a bunch of these for a crowd as well! They’ll be gone in no time!!
Next up, this gem! A sesame seed bun, grilled chicken breast, smokey bacon, Swiss, lettuce, tomato and red onion. When I make these sammies, I do not pound out the chicken breast. It takes a bit longer to cook, but I personally love a nice big, plump and juicy chicken breast. I cook the bacon in the oven for extra crispness, lightly toast the bun, slice up fresh tomatoes, red onions and nice piece of either romaine or butter leaf lettuce ( this is not the sammy for just plain ole iceburg lettuce, unless its all that you have) I don’t add any condiments to this guy, maybe some avocado would be awesome, but the cheese and the juicy chicken gives it all the wetness that you need. Switch up the cheeses if you’d like. Omit or add any veg that you like and this guy is good to go! Add a side of kettle chips and lunch or dinner is served!
Croissant, grilled chicken, avocado, sprouts, lettuce and tomato. I also like to add sliced cukes to this one as well. A soft buttery croissant that is lightly toasted gives great flavor to this beast. The chicken can be pounded out here, turkey works well too. Feel free to add seasonings to your meat, give it a lil kick with either Sriracha or a Thai peanut sauce. I like to add alfalfa sprouts or micro greens are fun too. Arugula, water cress and fresh herbs make a great veg addition. I like to use Heirloom or home grown tomatoes when I can. Store bought are just not the same. But you can also try roma or even cut up little cherry tomatoes. They don’t have to big thick slices of a beefsteak tomato or anything.
Nothing beats a good ole fashion. Wheat bread, lettuce, tomatoes, pepperoncinis, sprouts, red onion, ham & turkey. Served with Jalapeno Chips. I’m not the biggest fan of sliced lunch meat, but I do use it. If your trying to stay away from that, some grocery stores sell pre cooked turkey breasts that you slice off yourself at home. I use a mandolin or a really good knife. Ham is also available like that, thinly slice it when you need it and put the rest back into the fridge. If the meat is more than you would use right away, I freeze mine in a freezer zip lock bag. I like the herbed turkey breast that Costco sells. Then just cut it at home when needed. They do make pre sliced lunch meats that do not contain high amounts of sodium or nitrates. Just check the package before purchasing. Using last nights protein is another easy, next day lunch meat.
Sometimes the ravenous Italian comes out in me and I end up spending way too much on delicious Italian meats. I do this only once in a while, but it makes a bunch of sammies, so it’s not too bad. I get capicola, mortadella, prosciutto, salami, pepperoni, sopressata and ham. They can sometimes be found in a variety pack. Stack one slice of each with provolone, chopped lettuce, chopped cherry tomatoes, sliced pepperoncinis, small green olives, sliced red or white, drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or EVOO if your into Rachel Ray and balsamic vinegar, then salt & pepper. ( Try to do the oil and vinegar first, then add the S&P) I use either a hearty sourdough roll or this awesome bread I found at the store, Chipotle sliced sourdough. When taking this beast to work, I cut the bread, add the meats & cheese. In a separate container, all the veg, then assemble at work or wherever you plan on eating this bad guy. I like to lightly toast the bread to add good crunch and the bread does not get soggy from the oil & vinegar. This isn’t the healthiest sammy, but it sure does fix a craving!
Aaaaaggghhhh, the almighty left over sammy. Open face to the world and ready to rock! Wheat bread, left over turkey, stuffing and home made cranberry goodness. Perfect for the next few days after Thanksgiving. It doesn’t get better than this. Anything can be thrown onto this one. Not even sure why bread is needed, but it does add some nostalgia to the concoction. Mashed potatoes with a gravy topping would be pretty yummy as well! Not much else to say, but yum!
Dont you just love my store bought paper plates 🙂 Like I was saying, bagels make great sammy homes. Parmesan bagel lightly toasted, sliced cukes, red onion, tomato, lettuce, salami, turkey and roast beef are the ingredients making this sammy a winner! Light deli mustard such as Grey Poupon or Sierra Nevada Stone Ground Stout Mustard, will give this guy some good kick. With the roast beef, even prepared horseradish would be lovely!
For the (almost) last sammy on my faves list, the Tuna comes to mind or even egg salad. The pic on the upper left shows the tuna and the one on the right is egg salad. Both made on whole wheat bread. For the tuna: I like to mix the tuna with a mix of light sour cream and light plain Greek yogurt. ( Greek yogurt gives it a tang, or just use non Greek) I use this in place of mayo, or if I am feeling extra weird, I will use a home made mayo made with olive oil and lemon juice, mix with dill relish and mustard. Toast or don’t toast the the bread, (depends on how your feeling) spread tuna mixture on one half, then top with sprouts, red or white onion, sliced tomato and add a dash of lemon pepper! Egg salad is similar, you can make it into a salad like the tuna or use avocado instead of the mayo and mustard.Just mash up the eggs, mix with your choice of dressing, I like just mustard sometimes. Chopped up parsley and or cilantro give the salad a great addition of flavor. Assemble sammy by either toasting the bread or no toasting, add sliced onions, tomato, and spinach. Lightly sprinkle with lemon pepper. Both are packed with protein and very low fat. Go even further by omitting the bread and use butter lettuce leaves instead. The hubby likes tuna salad in a bowl and uses Ritz crackers to swipe and eat!
There are some really good sammies being made everyday out there, why not be one of those people? A few of my local fave sammy spots are Paisan’s Old World Deli right off of Longley. They are all kinds of sandwiches. My favorite is Jacob’s Grilled Garlic Chicken. Tender garlic chicken, pesto, lettuce and tomato on Dutch crunch is the best ever. There are a lot of really good sammies on their menu. Head over there and check it out 🙂 Here is a link to their menu: http://paisanscatering.com/delimenu.nxg
Port of Subs, Deli Town, Beach Hut Deli, Manhattan Deli inside of the Atlantis, Sports Deli inside of Peppermill, Bordertown Deli, Rubicon Deli, Michael’s Deli and Newman’s Deli are some of my other favorite places to get really good sandwiches. They each have their own specials and their own tastes! Hope that I didn’t cause you to drool too much. Till next time, enjoy scarfing down in Nevada!
Inspired Nevada Wifey 