The Return of the Sandwich

Quesadillas have been my go to dinner dish lately. Tortilla + any number of veggie, fruit, spice, and cheese combinations = a most delicious dinner. Another delicious way to enjoy the afore mentioned ingredients is nestled between two slices of gluten free bread. As much as I love spending the day making fresh baked bread sometimes there is just not enough time in the day for all of that kneading, rising and baking. Luckily there are some fairly good gluten free breads on the market these days, such as:

Glutino

Food For Life

Ener-G

The key with store bought gluten free breads is serving them warm, preferably toasted which is perfectly peachy because one of the most delicious types of sandwiches are grilled paninis.

GF Grilled Paninis

Ingredients

A few slices of your favorite gluten free bread

Earth balance, butter or olive oil  (for non stick and browning purposes)

Thinly sliced veggies and cheese (soy, rice or moo cow)

       Here are a few of my favorite combinations:

Thinly sliced bell peppers + tomatoes + basil +minced garlic + mozzarella cheese 

Thinly sliced bell peppers + minced garlic  + spinach + pepper jack or mozzarella cheese 

 

Gather up your ingredients, chop up your veggies, and grab a large pan and cast iron skillet if you have one.

Butter one side of each slice of bread while your large skillet warms over medium high heat. Place the bread in the hot pan butter side down and top one of the slices with the cheese and veggies. Top this with another slice of bread to complete the sandwich and let cook on medium heat until the underside is browned. Carefully flip the sandwich and then if you have one, press a cast iron skillet gently atop it. 

 

If you don’t have a cast iron skillet you can simply press down firmly on the sandwich using a spatula. Let this cook for another few minutes or until bread is browned and the cheese is all melty. 

Delicious!

I am eager to try and recreate one of my favorite sandwiches from my last visit to Amsterdam, thickly sliced dry salami + mature cheddar + butter = yummers!

Sandwich week, PB (again) Thursday

Wednesday’s sandwich was so scrumptious and it reminded me of how much I love peanut butter sandwiches. It also reminded me of my former favorite peanut butter sandwich shop and local fine purveyor of gourmet peanut butters, Nutters. Their menu included classics such as peanut butter and jelly and decadent additions like peanut butter swirled with chocolaty nutella. They also made a sandwich that quickly became my personal favorite, the Vanilla Sky. Peanut butter, cream cheese and fresh green apple slices all nestled between two slices of fluffy bread and served with carrot sticks, pretzels and a glass of milk on the side (so cute, I know!). Since Nutters also made all the nut butters for their sandwiches in house you always had a plethora of scrumptious spreads to choose from such as chocolate blueberry, white chocolate pretzel and cinnamon almond. Shortly after I discovered this delicious little restaurant they closed their doors. Happily though they continued to sell their scrumptious nut butters online and eventually opened up a swanky little gourmetish vegetarian restaurant called Spread in North Park (they even have bubble chairs that hang from the ceiling!). Their new menu changes with the seasons and their daily fresh findings from local markets and has included delights such as brown rice porridge with berries and honey, peanut butter veggie curry with quinoa, and gelato topped with almond butter and pop rocks. They are super knowledgeable about food allergies and special diets too. One Sunday morning I went there for their delicious brunch and as I was looking over the menu board I mentioned to the owner I could not have anything with wheat in it and he replied, “Gluten allergy? Let me show you what you can have” and he proceeded to go over every item on the menu that was safe for me to eat as is and also ones that were not and how they could alter them to make them gluten free just for me (I love that!!). While they still sell little jars of peanut butter in the new shop they no longer offer any of the delicious sandwiches that Nutters carried. Which I’ll admit I was a little saddened by at first but not for too long because their new place is so cute and yummy and it really was easy enough to buy a jar of peanut butter and go home and make a sandwich myself. So that’s what I did at least up until I stopped eating gluten and sandwiches in general, and after a while I forgot all about the deliciousness of the vanilla sky. Until now, with one bite of Wednesday’s creamy peanut butter banana sandwich I was swept away with memories of peanut butter sandwiches past and knew in an instant what my next sandwichy creation would be.

Nutters style Vanilla Sky

gluten free bread
peanut butter
cream cheese (or tofutti fake cream cheese)
½ of a thinly sliced green apple
a swirl of agave nectar or honey

Smear one slice of bread with peanut butter then smear the other slice with cream cheese. Top one side with green apple slices and drizzle with sweetener of choice. Put it all together and enjoy!

I toasted my bread because I like when the peanut butter is all oooy gooey and melty but this sandwich is equally delicious untoasted as well.

Now that I have recreated my favorite “Nutters” sandwich I will have to next tackle whipping up a batch of my very own gluten free version of white chocolate pretzel peanut butter.

Sandwich week, PB Wednesday

Wednesday morning I could already tell it was going to be another warm one so I decided to make a cold breakfast by crumbling an oat bar into some vanilla yogurt and topping it with blueberries and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Served with a cup of Trader Joe’s blueberry green tea it was the perfect summer morning breakfast and one that let me have my oats without having to eat a hot bowl of oatmeal.

By the way TJ’s blueberry green tea is super yummy! The sweetness of the real blueberry juice cuts all the bitterness of the green tea. Even if you typically do not care for green tea if you like blueberries I promise you will l-o-v-e this tea.

For lunch I had another scrumptious sandwich creation of course. After having had turkey for my previous two days of sandwiches I was ready for a break from the meat so I came up with this delicious treat.

Toasted gluten free bread + a generous smear of peanut butter + slices of banana + a drizzle of honey = yummers!!

I used some of the huckleberry honey my mom and Hamilton brought back from Yellowstone for me. If you don’t have any honey on hand chocolate chips are equally scrumptious in a peanut butter banana sandwich as well.

I enjoyed my sandwich with a glass of chocolate soy milk, some mango, and a table top visit from my kitty cat Sammy Davis Junior.

Sammy really likes to play with liquids and he wanted so badly to put his paw in my milk but I deterred him from that endeavor by putting some toys in his water dish for him to play with instead.

Wednesday’s sandwich was a delicious success and fun thanks to the antics of Sammy.

Sandwich week, Tuesday, field trip

On Tuesday I decided to work a half day and go to the fair with my oldest and bestest friend Kate. Since we were headed west to the fairgrounds which are within walking distance of my old office in Solana Beach I thought it would be downright tragic if we did not stop by one of my old favorite lunch spots and one of the few places in San Diego where one can go for a decent gluten free sandwich, Waters. Everything at Waters is scrumptious from their super fresh and crisp salads to their hearty and sweet roasted root veggies. They also always have a selection of flavorful cheeses, fruit salad and decadent desserts (most sadly are not gluten free though, but that’s okay, more reason for me to start my own gluten free bakery!). I am always tempted to try one of their scrumptious sounding specials in the daily menu emails they send me and on occasion I do (one time they had polenta lasagna….sooo good!). Typically though I almost always end up ordering my favorite sandwich the Roasted Turkey Panini on gluten free bread without aioli (no me gusta mayo). As soon as we decided to go to Waters for lunch I knew I had to order my usual sandwich (it is sandwich week after all). I didn’t even bother to look at the specials and headed straight to the counter to place my order and was happy to see all of the familiar faces from my Solana Beach lunch break days were still there. Before I could order the girl at the counter greeted me and said, “Roasted Turkey Panini on gluten free with no aioli, right?” Even after 5 months away my dearest Waters remembered me, I felt so loved!



The sandwich was heavenly and just as delicious as I remembered. Kate loved hers too (she had the Grilled Eggplant on regular bread). After eating every last crumb of our panini’s we said good by to our beloved Waters and headed off to the fair where we…

Went on a giant slide (where Kate nearly had a heart attack after the steep climb and I was slightly groped by one of the slide attendants)



Played with animals (both real and plastic)



Were overwhelmed by the plethora of fried foods to choose from (deep fried Twinkies and Frog Legs!)



Kate decided on the fried Oreos



I had some not so sweet corn smuthered with hot sauce, salt and a bit of butter (no lemon, so sad)



Won an Elmo doll as a consolation prize after we failed to toss 16 balls into floating baskets



Enjoyed the vibrating footsie wootsie machines



We also went through a haunted house which consisted of riding on a rickety cart that ran through a trailer that had been painted black. The scariest part was worrying that the car might break down leaving us stuck inside the dark, steamy interior of the sauna like trailer. Luckily, after less than 1 minute we were free from the hot box but not before a gorilla gloved hand reached out as we exited to grab and growl at us. We really wanted to go on the fun house but they would not let us on because we were wearing sandals. Seriously, its summer and southern California, everyone is wearing sandals what kind of rule is that!?

Of course we made time to go though the many halls and tents filled with tools, gadgets and amazing knickknacks that you can’t live without. We saw the handwriting analysis machine, meat jerky vendors, hammock slingers, knife demonstrators and the mini doughnut making machine and the cute little old ladies that sell them. We also saw our friends Chris and Josh who were selling awesome tortilla warmers. Like a little cozy pillow for your tortillas these tortilla warmers are so much cuter than those old bulky styrofoam ones.

Chris is one of my gluten free friends and when I was first starting to get sick all the time he was the first person that mentioned to me that gluten might be the culprit behind my tummy troubles. I had not seen him in forever and told him that I had started this blog and have a gluten free bakery in the works. So if you are reading this, Hi Chris!! Thanks for teaching me all about the evils of gluten!

After a long day of fair fun we headed to Poway to investigate an exciting rumor I had read about last week. After Mountain Mikes in Clairemont stopped selling gluten free pizza I like many gluten free San Diegans was crushed. Then at earth day this year I found out that a chain that offered gluten free pizza called Pizza Fusion would be opening a location in downtown San Diego and Temecula in the summer. Well their June opening was bumped up to sometime in July which now has been changed on the Pizza Fusion website to “coming soon” which is fine because in the meantime I can just make delicious pizza at home or if I happen to be in the mood to dine out I can go here.

Brick Oven Pizza in Poway now offers a gluten free crust, and a delicious one at that! Like most gluten free items it takes a bit longer to prepare but trust me it is worth the wait. It comes in one size which Kate and I found was the perfect amount for two hungry girls. They also guarantee that their toppings are free from gluten as well so you can top your pizza with anything you fancy. We opted for our old high school pizza eating days favorite of pepperoni and green bell peppers.

It was a bit of a greasier pie than I am accustomed to now (probably because of the pepperoni and real cheese) but it was indeed amazingly delicious and just as I remember eating out pizza to taste like. Kate even commented that she could not tell the difference between it and a gluteny pizza. Many thanks to the kind folks at Brick Oven for bringing gluten free pizza back to San Diego!

Scrumptious sandwich week, day one

Thanks to my handy dandy bread machine and a bag of Pamela’s wheat free bread mix, Monday morning I awoke to the delicious smell of freshly baked bread. I was tempted to eat some right then and there but I resisted, knowing that my sandwich for lunch would be all the more delicious if I waited for my first taste of bread until then. Instead I had one of the delicious oat bars I baked Sunday night and a bowl of vanilla yogurt with raspberries (a story and recipe for another time). After a scrumptious summer breakfast and half an episode of Saved by the Bell it was time to head to work where in addition to attending to my Monday office manager duties I daydreamed about sandwiches, there were so many different sandwich combinations that I was eager to try this week, which one should I pick to have first?!

The 12 o’clock hour quickly arrived and I gathered my things and excitedly headed home for lunch. Upon arriving home I happily found that the house still had the delicious smell of fresh baked bread lingering in the air. Removing the fluffy loaf from the machine I set it on the cutting board and sliced off a thick piece for my sandwich. Having still not reached a decision on what to put between the two scrumptious slices of bready goodness I went to the refrigerator to look for inspiration. Sifting through the cheese drawer I found that I still had a bit of roast turkey and ½ an avocado left over from last weeks quesadilla creations. I immediately recalled my former favorite sandwich from my vegetarian days and decided to recreate the sandwich but to use real turkey instead of the fake turkey (aka turkey flavored gluten). The results, delish and just as good as my old gluteny favorite!

Turkey and veggie sandwich

Gluten free bread
2 slices of roasted turkey
½ avocado, mashed up with a bit of sea salt
1 handful shredded carrots
1 handful spinach
1 handful sprouts

I typically love to have this sandwich (and most sandwiches for that matter) toasted, but since the bread was so fresh I wanted to enjoy the fresh baked fluffiness and opted to have it untoasted this time. With a couple olives and some mango on the side it was the perfect lunch to start sandwich week with.

After lunch I headed back to work for a few more hours of office manager fun then it was off to the theater for a full night of interviews. Of course I managed to find a bit of time for a delicious dinner of Trader Joes Rice Biryani (modeled here by my lovely friend Jessica).

Horary for another delicious gluten free Trader Joes treat! The rice comes in the frozen section and has lots of yummy bits in it like raisins, peas and apple. I am typically not a huge fan of pre made and frozen meals from the store but sometimes even a cooing enthusiast like me can’t find time to cook and for those times Trader Joes is always my go to for delicious, nutritious ready made meals.

i <3 carbs!

Back in the day when I used to eat gobs and gobs of gluten if you were to ask me what my favorite food was I would have likely answered you with one word...

BREAD

Cinnamon raisin, Dudley’s jalapeño, French baguette, sweet Hawaiian, buttery focaccia, fresh baked banana, Indian nann, hearty whole wheat crusted with seeds or even a fresh loaf of your basic fluffy white. From breakfast to dessert, every snack and meal in between bread was always the perfect solution to what my palette was craving.

When I first realized I had to stop eating gluten I was crushed. Life without bread. How was I to go on?! The only thing I loved to eat more than bread was pasta, cereal and veggie burgers (gluten, gluten and more gluten). So I moped about it for a while, ate a lot of fruits and veggies, started eating meat again and even began eating fish (gasp!). I found some gluten free breads at specialty markets but did not have much luck finding anything worth eating (hint: more often than not if you have to buy your bread from the freezer section it is not going to be extraordinarily tasty). So then I did what any resourceful gal would do and decided to bake my own bread. Now this did not seem like it would be a vary daunting task considering I had been baking since I was a little tyke but no no no I quickly realized I was going to have to start from scratch (pardon the pun) and learn to bake all over again. At first my finished product was not much better than what I had found in the stores but after a few months of researching alternative binders and experimenting in the kitchen with a plethora of flour combinations I figured it out (yay!). Now when I am craving blueberry muffins, fresh chocolate chip cream scones, sweet pumpkin bread or herbed focaccia I need not pout because within a few hours time I can easily whip up anything my bread loving tummy desires. For instance earlier this week I realized I was in the mood for sandwiches so Sunday night before bed I filled my bread machine with ingredients, hit start and while I was sleeping cooked up a loaf of sandwich bread. My lunches this week have been a delicious smorgasbord of sandwich creations. There was the herbed turkey, mozzarella and spinach smothered with homemade pesto on Monday, the peanut butter, honey and banana on Tuesday and the salami with aged cheddar and pepperoncinis on Wednesday. As if that was not enough sandwichey goodness for one week I think I have just enough bread left for one more delicious sandwich. A sandwich that I am going to go home and make right now! :)

One hour later...





yum! Best sandwich ever!! xoxo