SANDWICHES ARE BACK!

SANDWICH WITH DELI MEAT AND CHEESE AND MICRO-GREENS, (c) 2015, JUDY BARNES BAKER

I’ve eaten more real, honest-to-goodness sandwiches in the last month than I have in the last 15 years! My last post featured the recipe for the low-carb, gluten-free, flax-free buns that brought back the good ole days of quick, convenient lunches without cheating!

The obvious thing to do with a bun is to put a burger on it and I’ve certainly done that, but I’ve also used them for other sandwiches like grilled cheese, BLTs, and the one in the picture above, made with deli meats, cheeses, and nutrient-packed, micro-greens.*(See note at end of post about Rainbow Mix Micro-greens.)

GRILLED SANDWICH WITH DELI MEATS, CHEESE AND MICRO-GREENS
The trick to making a grilled sandwich out of one of my buns is to cut it into three pieces. All the bakers among you probably already know how to get thin, even slices, the way you do for making multi-layer cakes, but for the rest of you, here’s how to do it. 

Make the buns using the recipe here: http://carbwars.blogspot.com/2015/10/buns-beautiful-buns.html

Take several wooden picks and place them around the outside of a bun about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom. Rest a serrated knife on the picks to keep it level as you carefully saw though the bread.

SLICING BUN, (c) 2015, JUDY BARNES BAKER

Next, place wooden picks halfway up around the outside of the top half of the bun. Rest the knife on the picks as before and slice off the rounded top. Save the top for another use. Now you have two unifrom peices of bread that will brown nicely on both sides. (To cut the buns into even slices without a knife: Wrap a length of thread around the bun under the wooden picks. Cross the ends and pull them sideways to quickly cut bun in two.)

SLICING TOP OFF BUN, (c) JUDY BARNES BAKER

Preheat a skillet and grill the slices on both sides in lots of butter or bacon fat until brown. Watch carefully, as bread made with nut flour will burn faster than regular bread.

GRILLING BREAD SLICES IN SKILLET, (c) JUDY BARNES BAKER, 2015

You may add whatever fillings you like, but to replicate the sandwich in the top picture, spread one slice of the grilled bread with a thick layer of soft goat cheese. Pile it high with pastrami, sliced turkey, and Swiss cheese or your choice of deli meats and cheeses. Add a big handful of micro-greens and put the second slice of grilled bread on top. Serve it with a dill pickle on the side,

What kind of sandwich do you want to make? A Reuben with corned beef, Swiss cheese, saur kraut, dill pickles, and Russian dressing (or mustard) would be terrific. Caraway seeds can be used as an add-in when making the buns or sprinkled in the pan before grilling the bread for an authentic taste. For a grilled cheese, grill the bread slices in butter and add Cheddar cheese to one. Top with the second slice, turn sandwich, and heat until cheese is melted. Serve with sugar-free sweet pickles.

Nutrition Data for buns minus top slice:
I’m estimating that slicing off the domed top of the bun will reduce the nutrition counts by about one fourth, since the top is smaller than the other two slices. So the bread for each sandwich would have  7.5 grams of Total Carbs and 4.5 grams of Fiber for 3.2 grams of Net Carbohydrates instead of the 4.1 in the whole bun. It would be half that if you make open-face sandwiches.

Nutrition Data for micro-greens:
14 grams have 4 Calories and no carbs, fat, or protein.

Nutrition Data for sandwich will vary with filling choices.

DisRAINBOW MIX MICRO-GREENS Photo from: www.brightfresh.

About Micro-greens: 
Micro-greens are young seedlings of vegetables and herbs harvested soon after germination while they still contain all the nutrients they need to grow. In a recent study, researchers were astonished to find that micro-greens like red cabbage, cilantro, and radish contain up to 40 times the levels of nutrients found in their mature counterparts. Qin Wang, PhD, assistant professor at the University of Maryland in College Park, said, “When we first got the results we had to rush to double and triple check them.”

Many grocers and produce stands now sell mixtures of sprouts and tiny leaves like the Micro Rainbow Mix shown below. This one is from BrightFresh™ and it contains: arugula, broccoli, amaranth, beet tops, parsley, radish, and others. They are grown in bright natural sunshine in San Marcos, CA, not factory-farmed with unnatural, artificial lighting in a warehouse.

They can be used in soups, salads, and sandwiches, and they make a beautiful edible garnish. More info: http://www.webmd.com/diet/20120831/tiny-microgreens-packed-nutrients

Pin It > https://www.pinterest.com/pin/224405993910498267/

Disclaimer: I have not recieved free products or compensation from the company mentioned in this post. 

(c) 2015, Judy Barnes Baker

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Judy Barnes Baker

The working title for my first book was, “You’ll Never Know What You Are Missing.” It summed up my goal: to make eating for health synonymous with eating for pleasure. Once you discover the secret, you will find that the very best food for weight management, longevity, the treatment and prevention of disease, and over-all health and happiness is also the most sumptuous, satisfying, and indulgent way of eating the world has to offer. You are invited to the feast. Enjoy!
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Garry Scott
Garry Scott
6 years ago

I just started a low carb diet plan and have lost about 15 lbs in 3 weeks. I like your recipes and find them tasty and interesting. one of my concerns is reading lables about carbs. For instance on Atkins Endulge bars they advertise 2 net carbs, yet when I read the label there is 17 grams of carb 3 g fibre and 9 g of sugar alcohols. So how does that add up to grams of net carbs as per their advertisement.