Carrot & Cilantro Sandwich Spread

Recently I saw a restaurant menu that offered a carrot sandwich. It included grated carrots, cheese and maple syrup. I was reluctant to try it because I think carrots are very sweet on their own, but it got me thinking about what I might like on a sandwich. This is what I came up with.

• 1/2 cup of grated carrots
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped cilantro
• 2 tsp of seasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tsp mayonnaise
• Cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste

I grated a medium carrot on the second to finest side of a box grater. I chopped a small handful of cilantro, including the stems. I added mayo, rice vinegar, and spices and stirred.

You should use this right away. It does not improve by sitting overnight as water is drawn out of the carrots, making it more watery.

I added some roast pork, but it would be great with turkey, chicken, and even beef. It also works on its own without meat if you want a vegetarian sandwich. I used enough cayenne that it does not work as a salad, it’s grated too finely and is too spicy. It needs the bread to balance the spiciness.

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Chicken Popovers & Chili Pickled Carrots

I used two popovers, but could use any sandwich bun or bread. The chicken salad was made by mixing together

1. 1 cup of cooked chicken breast (from when I deboned the fryer I made my soup with)
2. 2 radished diced into 1/4 inch pieces
3. 1 TBSP of diced yellow onion
4. 10 green grapes sliced in half
5. 1 TBSP of mayonnaise
6. 1 TBSP of Peach Mango Salsa
7. 1 TBSP of Balsamic Vinegar
8. 1/2 tsp of cumin
9. Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix it all together and let is sit for a couple hours to blend the flavors well, Pile onto the popovers that have been cut open. Yummy!

With it I am serving sliced baby carrots. I reused the vinegar dressing for my cucumber salad that was infused with dried chili peppers. I added the sliced carrots and in a sauce pan brought it to a boil and removed from the heat as soon as it boiled. Parboiling softens it and lets the vinegar penetrate throughout the carrots, pickling the carrot, but doesn’t take away the crunch.

Beef/Olive Sandwich, Cucumber Salad and Pineapple

I made the cucumber salad early this morning because it needs to marinate a bit to begin tasting as good as it can. I sliced one cucumber as thinly as I can. (I don’t have a mandoline.) I also sliced up about 1/8 of a medium onion. I layered the cucumber slices with onion and salted it and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then I added white vinegar almost to the top of the stacks of cucumber (about a cup) and 1 TBSP of sugar, and one crumbled up dried red chili. Use the smallest dried chili you have so it doesn’t overwhelm the cucumber. In a few hours, the chili will be soft and tender and the flavor will have married. The cool, fresh cucumber contrasting with the heat of the chili is tasty!

For lunch I was hungrier than usual as I ate breakfast at 6 AM and then didn’t make lunch until 2:30 PM. A bad idea when you’re diabetic. I put two thin unbuttered buns on the griddle to toast. I don’t like bread to overwhelm my food so I love the thin buns. I sliced up about 2 TBSP of onion, sliced up about 3/4 cup of beef roast. I put a teaspoon of olive oil in a pan, added the onion and let them soften. I then added the beef. While the beef cooked, I chopped up 15 olives and 1 slice of cheese. I added the olives and stirred them around before adding the cheese and letting it melt into the mix. I put the Beef on the toasted buns and plated with fresh pineapple chunks and a serving of the cucumber salad.