Your favorite sandwich fillings

[Sean Dell]

Hey Hounds,

My lovely pregnant fiancee is now entering her third trimester, and I'm keeping up a steady flow of sandwiches as she heads to work in the mornings (she is inclined to 'forget' to eat once she gets to her desk..)

I have a regular menu of favs: scrambled eggs, prosciutto, avocado, tomato, cheeses. But I'm always looking for ways to make them less boring.

Any favorite sandwich fillings/combinations that y'all would care to pass along?

Gracias,

- Sean

[uptown jimmy]

I learned this one from my Jordanian friends in San Francisco years ago. But you gotta be sure that all the ingredients are the best available, or the elegant simplicity of it will completely escape you.

It's bascially a perfectly toasted bagel (it's gotta be a real bagel), spread with some nice Joyva tahini, sliced tomato (don't even think of using a bad, grainy tomato; we grow our own or buy at a produce stand here in rural GA), thinly sliced onion (Vidalia!), and salt and pepper. This is best prepared open-faced, but then all bagel sandwiches are. Very nice.

[ashes]

When fresh figs are available, I like a goat cheese, fig, and prosciutto sandwich. I'll sometimes cave and sub fig jam.

My work cohort that was 8 months pregnant was on a bender of whole wheat with cream cheese, onion, tomato, and smoked salmon. She ate one everyday for a week or two.

[ricepad]

"True love is the greatest thing, in the world – except for a nice MLT – mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean and the tomato is ripe… they're so perky, I love that."

[piccola]

LOL Now if only medicine really was coated in chocolate...

[uptown jimmy]

Excellent. One of the great cameo turns in film history, and it's about food! Lovely.

[bitsubeats]

I think its sweet that you make yummy sandwiches for your fiancee.

Lately I'm on a goatcheese, arugula, vinigarette, and avocado sandwich on whole grain

I also really like a simple sandwich of hard salami and whole grain maille mustard on a really crusty french baguette

[diva360]

I like pan bagnat, which you can make the day before. Take a good crusty (has to be crusty) loaf of Italian bread and slice in half. Put some spring mix on one side of the bread, and top with some sliced good tomatoes. Sprinkle a little salt on them. Top with some chopped olives and sliced fresh mozzerella (I know I spelled that wrong--it's one of those words I never get right). Next layer on some roasted red peppers, and you could add roasted eggplant on top if you'd like. If you want meat, add some salami or capicolla or something similar. Top all this with basil leaves and a small drizzle of olive oil and balsamic. Put the top of the bread back on and store in the fridge until you're ready to slice it up. Some people say that you should weigh this sandwich down after wrapping it, but I don't think this is necessary. And the trickiest part of making this sandwich is wrapping it up. It's good if you can have someone help you with that part.

[Querencia]

A favorite at birthday parties 60-70 years ago was "egg & olive"---mashed hard-cooked egg with a lot of sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives, in mayonnaise. Good on whole wheat bread.

[P Macias]

I always have roasted chiles in the freezer, they pep up most everything, great with pork, chicken or beef. When I was pregnant I loved horseradish...got some feisty kids.

[Bratdawg]

I just found a recipe for Avocado Hummus on nabiscoworld.com - I'm going to try it tonight I think. :D Any kind of spread that would go good on a cracker would probably make an awesome spread for a tortilla wrap.

[Bratdawg]

Several months late for Sean, but.... I just rediscovered a cool cream cheese spread recipe. Rondele clone - I've bought that cheese but didn't connect the link. 1 block of cream cheese (whipped is best but if you use the block, add a little milk for better consistency), package of italian dressing mix to taste, garlic.

I love it! I also love black bean hummus (canned black beans, tahini paste, lemon juice, garlic, cumin & maybe some oregano tho can't remember).

Either one spread on a white flour tortilla then wrapped up with lunch meat, veggies, etc. makes a very flavorful lunch!

I just tried Hillshire Farms Rotisserrie Seasoned Turkey Breast lunch meat with the cream cheese spread and .... O Boy! :D

[gsshark]

Two suggestions: Tuna with chopped Giardinera (not to be confused with giardia), sweet pickles on whole wheat. Don't forget the mayo.

A very simple recipe that's better the longer it sits in the plastic wrap is grilled or sauteed chicken breast (sliced) on a french roll, home made pesto and fresh tomato slices. My lovely wife demanded one every other day when she was pregnant with our 3 year old.

[gyp7318]

A spanish omelet (potato and onion that is like a frittata) on really good and crunchy french bread. This was my favorite sandwich to eat in Spain where the "tortilla y patata" is EVERYWHERE. Delicious!

[normalheightsfoodie]

That is so correct, but it would not be half as good outside of Spain. It is best in a crowded bar with napkins on the floor.

[Sean Dell]

Normally I would agree with you. But I lived with a girl from Barcelona for two years and my tortilla is, well, good. You can do it. You just have to pay attention..ha ha.

- Sean

[LilLibellule]

I like to dress up my egg salad by adding some sour cream, chives, and bacon bits. It's really good!

[JenMarie66]

some of my favorites:
--goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, toasted walnuts & arugula
--ham, cheddar, apple slices & mustard
--roast beef on garlic-rubbed toast with mayo and watercress
--meatloaf! with a little mayo & ketchup & shredded carrot &/or cabbage

finally, if she likes eggs, make that lady some deviled eggs to snack on at work. try making them by mixing the cooked yolk with o.oil, mustard, petter & fresh herbs (esp. chives)

[LilLibellule]

This is my favorite BLT. I toast whole grain bread and spread it with garlic cheese spread, Rondele, then add bacon that I brushed with whole grain mustard and brown sugar and broiled to med-well, thick sliced beefsteak tomatoes, and baby greens.

[foiegras]

This is one of the best sandwiches I've ever had:

heavy honey wheat bread
mayo
sauteed mushrooms
raw cucumber
cheddar cheese

The original sandwich didn't have watercress, but it would be great on it.

There's a tuna thread with lots of tuna salad ideas ... I also like ham salad.

[MiniMom]

Whole wheat wrap with
Peanut Butter, Strawberry(Cherry Jam)& Cheese
Ciabatta Bread with
Pesto, grilled chicken, grilled onions, roasted red peppers provolone cheese then grill on a sandwich press.
In your egg, tuna or salmon sanwiches add a little honey mustard add's just that little extra yum factor
Wrap with cesar sald, grilled chicken and a little shaved parm cheese, she gets her veg & protein in one.

[upstate girl]

So sweet of you to take care of her, you'll make a fine daddy! You do have to be careful about the deli meat and being pregnant (mixed reviews from what I've read in various places, but most say heat it up and it's okay, something to do with potential for bacteria.) Also no unpasteurized soft cheeses.

My favorite is grilled chicken on wholewheat with avocado, monteray jack, and french dressing. So yummy!

Also like hummus, with cucumbers, peppers, and sprouts, on a pita.

Peanut butter anything.

Sometimes the good old cheese and mustard sandwich, maybe a little veggie if you have it, is so, so good.

[sheilal]

I love ciabatta toasted with olive oil and then smeared with apple butter and dijon mustard. Layer maple smoke ham and vermont sharp cheddar and broil! OMG! Delicious.

[Sean Dell]

I'm so replete with inspiration and ideas that realize I left out the avocado in one of this morning's efforts. I think my brain is in sandwich overload.

Thanks again, Hounds.

- Sean

[Rafie]

2 favorite sandwiches...one discovered by accident yesterday!

Leftovers were roasted cauliflower (roasted with red pepper flakes, breadcrumbs, thyme), so I placed that between some 7-grain bread, added manchego cheese and roasted garlic paste. YUM. My new favorite sandwich.

I also love sliced granny smith apples, brie, and a quick onion chutney (onions cooked down in balsamic vinegar + brown sugar. Pan-fry your sandwich so it's nice and toasted...or your wife can assemble it at work (items packed separately) and toast the bread there.

[billjriv]

Fried peanut butter and jam with bannanas and PICKLES!!!!???HAHAHA Just kidding.

[dubedo]

Turkey (organic and hormone-free for the preggers, of course), goat cheese, roasted red peppers. Mmmmmm.

Although I recently ordered sandwiches for a meeting and one pregnant attendee told me she couldn't eat any deli meat. I was ordering from an organic grocery that only does hormone-free meats, so I asked her if she could eat those - but she wasn't sure *why* she wasn't supposed to eat deli meats. It was no problem, of course, I just got some hummus sandwiches - but it just made me curious. I think it's probably preservatives?

[wendy8869]

Deli meats and soft cheeses can carry listeria which can cross the placenta and infect the baby.

[kloomis]

Deli meats are a no-no unless heated to steaming (like hot patrami). Cold hot dogs can also carry listeria. When I was pregnant I CRAVED corned beef and sauerkraut sandwiches, but didn't indulge.

[k_d]

If you want corned beef, cook your own and slice it! No reason you have to skip deli-style meats ... just skip the preprepared ones! Roast beef, ham, turkey ... you can cook them all at home.

[LaLa]

Pimento cheese is a great thing to shake things up.

http://www.shoplateda.com

[alicat]

An odd, but delicious combination, is tuna salad (made with mayo, some chopped pickle or relish and worcestershire sauce) topped with grated carrot. My alterna-tuna salad is mayo, chopped capers and fresh or dried dill weed.

Thin slices of grilled eggplant, zucchini, roasted red pepper, and mushrooms with a little olive oil and some slices of fresh mozzarella, on a ciabatta bun.

Thinly sliced capocollo, provolone cheese, dijon mustard, sliced tomato and lettuce on a crusty roll.

[seattledebs]

1) Try putting fresh basil into your egg salad one day. I didn't think the two flavors would go, but it was amazing.

2) How about a sandwich of portabella mushrooms, avocado, and melted cheese?

3) Can we clone you?

[Diane in Bexley]

I don't believe you mentioned whether/not she has access to a microwave or someplace to heat the sandwich. Here are some of our favorites:

corned beef/swiss cheese/cole slaw
BBQ sliced brisket
sub sandwiches with different kinds of cheese, lettuce, tomatoe
cream cheese with sliced green olives on bagel
leftover smoked salmon whizzed in the processor with cream cheese & onions or green onions
cream cheese whizzed in the processor with sliced green onions, carrots, cucumbers, green/red peppers

[amoncada]

The best sandwich I've ever tasted is the Pilgrim at a sandwich shop in Martha's Vineyard...roasted turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce between warm homemade grainy bread. I'm not typically a sandwich fan but the Pilgrim was sooo tasty that I ate two sandwich.

I don't recall the name of the sandwich shop in Martha's Vineyard. It seemed like the whole town was nuts about this place so I was compelled to try it. Man was it amazing!

The standard Cuban Sandwich or the Puerto Rican Jibarito (actually invented in Chicago) are great as well.

[marlie202]

mozzarella,pesto,tomato

[chef chicklet]

I used to try to make my lunches survive the 4 hours until I ate them and then interesting so I would not be tempted to go out. Different reasons intentions to survive the same.
So I made the veggies seperate, brought pita seperate along with tuna salad then would put it together there. Made all the diffence in the world. And my little lunch bag with a blue ice and frozen bottle of water kept it ice cold.

The fridge was always full of nasty old and sometimes smelly foods that people would forget about, so I couldn't bring myself to use it.

[Sean Dell]

Aha! But I freeze Balthazar Pain de Seigle, which I use to make the sandwiches. The bread is perfectly fresh once it thaws out, which takes a couple of hours. No complaints from her ladyship, quite the opposite, in fact.

- Sean

[chef chicklet]

perfect! and congratulations to you both!

[Sean Dell]

All great ideas, and thank you for the compliments.

You understand that I'm not doing this out of any sense of altruism or good feeling. Simply out of survival. She doesn't eat, I get to hear about it at the end of the day. I also don't want her to die of boredom.

As for Lucy's thoughts on training; oh I'm well aware of the deluge to come in three months time. And the food fadiness that their ladyships (mother and daughter) will rain on the house, as they reign supreme in their Celtic matriarchy!

Thanks all, many many good ideas, some of which have already gone into practice.

- Sean

[southerngal]

I love tuna mixed with cream cheese, dill pickle, onion, and lemon juice or lemon pepper.

[xena]

chicken salad. love that. we like it with green grapes, slivered almonds and celery.

also a spread made of cream cheese, sliced green olives and chopped walnuts makes a wonderful sandwich. Seriously, please try it just once. Might sound funny but it's delicious, creamy, salty, and nutty.

Very nice of you to be so helpful.

[lucyis]

SeanDell, think of this as great training for you. Wait 'til you have to please a finicky little eater who goes on food jags throughout the year! Best of luck with Mom and new family.

[Brandon Nelson]

Veggie option...

Eggplant arugula and roasted red bell pepper. A little provolone or other cheese is a good ad as well.

[SanseiDesigns]

How very thoughtful of you! If budget allows and refrigeration exists at her office - how about a 'surprise' of a lobster or crab roll? It's a luxury, but if she likes shellfish, this might be a nice surprise.

One that brings fond memories of summer is an heirloom tomato sandwich - imagine the perfect garden tomato slices on an artisan grainery bread with a brush of mayonnaise and crunchy sprouts or thinly sliced cucumbers.

[piccola]

Are pregnant women supposed to eat shellfish? Or is it just certain fish they're supposed to avoid?

[revsharkie]

I think you're supposed to limit your consumption of fish that has high incidence of exposure to mercury. Shark, as I understand, is out, and canned tuna is supposed to be used sparingly. (Either of which would be fine with me.)

[LaLa]

Lobster and crad are fine it is the non cooked stuff that you are not suppose to have like oysters ...oh how I missed them.

[soypower]

while you're pregnant, your natural mercury levels go up so adding more via your diet can be dangerous. fish to be avoided are the large ones - shark, tuna, swordfish. i've heard both sides of the debate about eating sushi while you're pregnant, but all i have to say is that thousands of japanese women eat sushi while pregnant every day with no adverse effects. i think it's all in the preparation of the sushi. :o)

[rednyellow]

roassted soy nut butter with sliced tomatos, salt and pepper

[normalheightsfoodie]

How aboot PBJ with Banana or Apple.

My wife craved Turkey.

Best of Luck

[bryantuga]

Ham, swiss, thinly-sliced pears, and a spread made with brown sugar, butter and cinnamon - all on a croissant.

[lucyis]

What we do is base the next day's lunch on what we cooked for dinner. So, if we have grilled chicken for dinner we'll grill extra and we may have chicken salad for lunch. Add extra iron and taste with raisins in the mix. When I was pregnant nothing satisfied like egg salad on whole wheat.

[Sean Dell]

She feels exactly the same way, so egg sandwiches make two appearances a week. It's the rest of the week I try to vary. Also, I do two sandwiches for her. One is a 'breakfast' sandwich, allowing for her refusal to east breakfast like the rest of humankind. The second is her 'lunch' sandwich. Pregnancy is a funny phenomenon!

Gracias,

- Sean

[KaimukiMan]

I make egg salad with ricotta cheese, raisins, pine nuts or sliced almonds, and lots of curry powder. A nice break from mayo. Yogurt or hummus would work too im sure.

[potbelliedkiln]

I'm vegetarian so I like French Brie Cheese, Avocado, sprouts, red pepper slices, pesto.

I've made sandwhiches for my husband from leftovers at Christmas with:

Fried Shrimp
Pesto
Mustard and Horseradish or some combo
Scrambled Egg
Cheddar Cheese
Ham on Kaiser Roll and he likes hot sauce sprinkled inside too!

[sll]

Here's a big thread with tons of sandwich ideas. I've been craving sandwiches since reading it!

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/35749...

Congrats on the baby :)

[Sean Dell]

Thanks for sending this thread. Fantastic ideas.

And thanks to all for the above suggestions, particularly the crunchy (cucumbers, duh), also grilled/marinated veggies (duh again) and the hummous.

Tuesday morning's going to be fun.

- Sean

[piccola]

Try hummus sandwiches (or fat-free refried beans if she doesn't like hummus). Make sure you add something crunchy - sliced cucumbers, radishes, sprouts, whatever.

A weird but tasty combo: hummus, roasted eggplant, hard-boiled egg and romaine with pesto. I usually make it in a pita, but you could use bread.

Roasted/marinated veggies are awesome for sandwiches. Also, try spreads like tapenade, baba ghanoush, tahini, caponata, etc.

[vktp]

Cream cheese and jelly.
peanut butter and Nutella.
prosciutto and fresh mozz on crusty bread.
egg, cheese, ham, fresh salsa, grilled.

a former bf always liked pb, mayo, banana, potato chips (ick, personally)

[revsharkie]

How 'bout some hummus with spinach, cucumber, peppers & tomatoes?

[rosielucchesini]

If you are making a prosciutto, scrambled egg, avo, tomato and cheese sandwich on a regular basis, I don't think you need any help. Can you make an extra for me?
But,since you asked, my fave sandwich is much more humble but no less satisfying and perfect for a mum to be: peanut butter, honey and banana on whole wheat.

[alliebear]

My mom says she ate a ton of these while she was pregnant with me, and it's one of my favorite sandwiches, too.