(10 seconds each to read and are almost that quick to prepare)
By Lisa Messinger
Food and Cooking at Creators Syndicate
The perfect sandwich, Bon Appetit magazine once declared, is a BLT. The way to improve upon that, they then noted? Grilling. Taste of Home magazine chimed in that submarines, too, of course, are super. What's more stupendous? Grilling.
Take such comments as part of a short course on creating snazzier sandwiches. Grilling turns good results into great ones.
The grilled turkey in the submarine that follows is accented by grilled vegetables. Alternately, you need no specific recipe for further beautifying a classic BLT. Bon Appetit just advised to take TLC with your BLT.
First, leave lettuce out of the equation. It's better chilled. In addition to the bacon, tomatoes, should be grilled for a juicy, smoky touch. More gusto: Add flavorful minced grilled vegetables to the mayonnaise, such as scallions.
Fun fare like this also proves food preparation can be easy, nutritious, inexpensive, fun - and fast. The creative combinations are delicious proof that everyone has time for creating homemade specialties and, more importantly, the healthy family togetherness that goes along with it!
Another benefit: You effortlessly become a better cook, since these are virtually-can't-go-wrong combinations. They can't help but draw "wows" from family members and guests.
GRILLED TURKEY SUBMARINE SANDWICH
1 green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced and divided into rings
1/2 teaspoon olive oil, plus additional for garnish
1 loaf (1 pound) unsliced Italian bread
1/3 cup store-bought Italian dressing, divided
2 ounces sliced turkey breast
4 slices low-fat Swiss cheese
2 ounces sliced ham
3 slices low-fat cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sliced dill pickles
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
Yields 4 servings.
In a large bowl, toss green pepper and onion with oil. Place on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 12 inch square). Fold foil around vegetables and seal tightly. Grill, covered, over medium-hot heat for 12 to 15 minutes, or until tender; carefully set aside.
Cut loaf in half horizontally; remove bread from top half, leaving a 1/2-inch shell (discard removed bread or save for another use). Brush cut sides of loaf with one-third of the salad dressing; place cut side down on grill. Grill, uncovered, over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown.
Place bottom of loaf on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 inches-by-12 inches). Layer with turkey, two Swiss cheese slices, ham, cheddar cheese and remaining Swiss cheese. Top with green pepper mixture, pickles and tomato.
Drizzle remaining dressing over cut side of bread top; place over filling. Brush bread with additional oil. Fold foil around sandwich and seal tightly. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 4 to 8 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let cool enough to handle with an oven mitt and carefully cut into slices with a serrated knife.
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TasteOfHome.comQUICK TIP OF THE WEEK: Deborah Schneider, author of
Salsas and Moles: Fresh and Authentic Recipes for Pico de Gallo, Mole Poblano, Chimichurri, Guacamole, and More, advises that homemade salsas thicken as they sit and you should retain some of the cooking water to thin them.
Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food and nutrition writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the National Council Against Health Fraud and author of seven food books, including the best-selling The Tofu Book: The New American Cuisine with 150 Recipes (Avery/Penguin Putnam) and Turn Your Supermarket into a Health Food Store: The Brand-Name Guide to Shopping for a Better Diet(Pharos/Scripps Howard). She writes two nationally syndicated food and nutrition columns for Creators Syndicate and had been a longtime newspaper food and health section managing editor, as well as managing editor of Gayot/Gault Millau dining review company. Lisa traveled the globe writing about top chefs for Pulitzer Prize-winning Copley News Service and has written about health and nutrition for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, Reader's Digest, Woman's World and Prevention Magazine Health Books. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com.
