Sandwich Accoutrements

Since switching to low-carb bread, I have found that my sandwich is in need of a little help in the flavor department. Scanning the condiment aisle in the local supermarket, I have come across many trendy flavored mayonnaise dressings. Basically what you are spending top dollar for is plain ole mayonnaise mixed with horseradish, or wasabi, or relish, or you name it.

I thought, hey, I could do that at home for a fraction of the cost.

With the money I saved, I purchased jars of hot pepper slices, thinly sliced pickles and a good jar of Dijon mustard.

I load my tasteless low-carb bread with assorted healthy cold cuts, slices of hot peppers and pickles, and a choice of my very own gourmet dressing. Remember, these are great on any kind of sandwich or wrap. This is what I came up with.

Cha-Cha-Cha Salsa Mayonnaise
Stir 1/2 cup your favorite salsa (drain the liquid) into 1 cup mayonnaise.

Neigh-Sayer Horseradish-Dill Mustard
Stir 1 tablespoon horseradish and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill into 1 cup Dijon mustard.

Bee-Bee King Honey Mustard
Stir 2 tablespoons honey into 1 cup Dijon mustard.

Special Sauce Mustard Mayonnaise
Stir together 1/2 cup grainy mustard with 1/2 cup mayonnaise until well blended.

Something Fishy Sandwich Sauce
This makes a whole lot. Just store it in a container in the refrigerator. Not just for fried fish filet sandwiches, this is great on hamburgers, hot dogs, and roast beef sandwiches.
1/2 of a red onion
1 small green bell pepper (and I mean small)
2 stalks celery, leaves as well
1 tablespoon chopped garlic, maybe more
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper.
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper,
2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 cup spicy mustard
2 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons catsup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
One to two jalapeño peppers, chopped (to taste)
1 tablespoon Tabasco, or your favorite hot sauce, or to taste
Juice of half a lemon or lime
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Process all ingredients in a food processor until quite smooth. Drizzle in white vinegar until the mixture is spreading consistency. You can change amounts to suit your taste. I like mine spicy.

This is as good a time as any to post an update on my low-carb diet. I started this diet at the end of March. The first two weeks, I kept to it very strictly. About end of July, I reintroduced bread, brown rice, and fruit into my diet. I use low-carb bread, or make my own whole-grain breads. When I have a bagel in the morning, I make it a whole-wheat one and have only 1/2 of a bagel. I haven’t had pasta since March, nor sugar in my coffee. However, I do make cakes and muffins substituting half the sugar with a sugar substitute.

So, all and all, I’m not fanatical about it being low, low-carb. However, I am more aware of what I eat now, and I think I make better food decisions.

That being said, since the end of March I have lost 23 pounds and I feel great. I also think if I could do it, anyone can do it. If you use the low-carb premise of reducing white, processed flour products, and sugar from your diet, and use common sense, you can definitely drop at least 10 pounds in a couple of months. If you add an hour of exercise a day (which I admit, I haven’t), you can lose much more.

You Said a Little Mouthful!

A favorite early autumn treat is a plate of thickly sliced fresh tomato, layered with slices of fresh mozzarella, fresh basil leaves and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

The tomatoes and basil are from my garden, and the mozzarella and olive oil are from a foray to Brooklyn or the Bronx.

Fresh mozzarella is different from the regular packaged mozzarella. When you go to a deli in NYC, you will find them in either little balls, called bocconcini (translated as “little mouthfuls”), or assorted shapes of about one pound, floating in lightly salted water. Sometimes if you are lucky, you will get to watch them making it right then and there.

Authentic fresh mozzarella, (buffalo mozzarella), originated in the southern Italian region of Campania, and is made from the milk of the water buffalo. The water buffalo was introduced from India to Italy in the 16th century for farmwork. Fresh mozzarella is best eaten uncooked and the same day it is purchased.
Low-moisture mozzarella is the type most often found packaged in supermarkets. It is made from whole, part-skim, or skim milk, formed into a block, and cut into half-pound or one-pound rectangles.

Most small producers who make the cheese by hand offer only the whole milk type, still not a very fattening cheese at 100 calories per ounce.

It takes five quarts of milk to produce a single pound of curd. When the curd is made for mozzarella, the whey that is drained off is used to make ricotta cheese. This is why most commercial producers make both mozzarella and ricotta cheese.

Low-moisture mozzarella is excellent for cooking. You will also find low-moisture mozzarella formed into sticks, string, or braids, as well as filled with prosciutto or pepperoni and rolled up jelly roll-style. Slice these and serve on cheese trays as appetizers. Unusual variations are flavored with black peppercorns or pistachios, smoked, or marinated with olive oil and red pepper.

Once considered a poor man’s food, mozzarella is placed up on a pedestal in my house. This mild-flavored cheese makes fresh, ripe tomatoes sing.


Caprese Mozzarella and Tomato Salad
4 cups mixed greens
4 large beefsteak tomatoes, sliced
4 yellow tomatoes, sliced
1 cup fresh basil leaves
8 ounces fresh mozzarella balls, sliced
Salt
Pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Place greens on large serving platter. Place tomatoes and mozzarella in a concentric circle, alternating with red tomato, yellow tomato, mozzarella slice, and so on. Place basil leaves on top. Sprinkles with salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle with olive oil.
Serves 8.


Fresh Mozzarella Filled with Spinach and Roasted Peppers
4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
3/4 pound fresh spinach, steamed
2 roasted red peppers sliced lengthwise
2 cups mixed salad greens
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Flatten fresh mozzarella to 1/2-inch thickness. Layer with spinach, and roasted peppers. Roll up jellyroll fashion from longest end. Slice and serve with greens and tomato slices drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
Serves 4.