| The best sandwich ever made: the BLT That’s a great lunch. A BLT may be one of the favorite lunches just about anywhere. I have some suggestions for you that may inspire the best BLT you have ever tasted! Let’s start with the basics, which bread? I love BLTs on slices of Baguette, Russian Black Bread, Ciabatta hard rolls and even Kalamata Olive Bread! Healthy options are available too with sprouted tortilla wraps, whole grain lavash and ChickPea flour flat breads. Now lettuce is essential but where do you fall in the lettuce category? Are you an iceberg or romaine fan? Have you considered butter lettuce, fresh arugula, baby spinach, Swiss chard or even radicchio? All of these add more complex flavors not to mention increased anti-oxidants, folic acid and fiber! I prefer whichever is seasonal and locally available. This usually means Lettuce Leaf Basil leaves and Arugula at the height of summer, Radicchio and Butter Lettuce in fall, Spinach and Chard in Winter, and Romaine, Red Oak and Filed Greens in spring. A slice of Roma tomato may be the best you can buy during wintery days so why not try tomato products harvested and crafted during their peak? Fantastic Sun Semi dried tomato packed in great extra virgin olive oil are great for winter BLTs. The sweeter end of the tomato world can be had with in season fresh cherry tomatoes or fall & winter season semi dried cherry tomatoes. Crave something a little spicy try an amazing blend of hot pepper spread and chopped tomatoes. Heirlooms are a must during mid to late summer and Japanese tomatoes are often best in Spring. Now that the basics are covered let’s get down to business! Pork bacon is the traditional route, but turkey bacon is healthier (peppered is best!), duck bacon is earthy (mostly from France) and wild boar bacon is exotic (mostly from Italy) - each variation will keep you excited about your recipe! Here are my top picks for the best “B” you can buy: ● Niman Ranch, Applewood Smoked, Uncured Center Cut Bacon ● Applegate Farms, Hardwood Smoked, All Natural Uncured Sunday Bacon ● Winstons Irish Bacon, thick round cuts ● Beretta Pancetta, unsliced (slice it yourself and pan fry for a few seconds each side) ● La Torre Prosciutto di Parma (no cooking necessary!) ● Redondo Iglesias Reserva Oro, Dry Cured Serrano Ham (no cooking! This Cured meat is amazing!) Personally I am not a mayonaisse fan. I don't like almost anything about it. I have often replaced traditional mayonaisse with Soy-Mayos such as Veganaisse and Smart Balance brands. They have the same taste and texture as regular recipes with significantly different effects on your health. Why not skip the mayo completely? Vinaigrettes are great on non-pork BLTs. Low Fat fresh cheeses such as Sheep's cream and mozzarella are a nicetexture compoenet for fall & winter BLTs. If you have trouble digesting fats, or the acid in tomatoes, then a drizzle of flax seed oil or a flax seed spread may be your perfect BLT condiment! |