Authors: Bobby Deen

From Mama's Table to Mine (16 page)

BOOK: From Mama's Table to Mine

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When I’ve got leftover chicken in the fridge, I turn to my
Chicken Salad with a Twist
. I absolutely refuse to throw away leftovers. I just can’t do it. I’ve always got some in the fridge because I cook up a storm on weekends so that I’m stocked for the workweek.

For days when I need a little something extra, something a little more comfort food feeling, there’s nothing like my hot
Cajun Sliders
to fill me up and warm my insides. I don’t make them just for lunch. They’re a great, fast dinner option for those busy nights I just don’t have time to pull together a proper sit-down meal.

Come to think of it, I’d say sandwiches are just about the most American of meals, equally loved by Southerners and New Yorkers. Now that’s saying something.

Overstuffed Dagwood Sandwiches

I’m not afraid to admit it. Sometimes I just need a big sandwich. I like to bring out a platter of these bad boys on game night, with sporty toothpicks to hold them together. Start ’em off with some
Fiery Queso Fundido
and a bucket of beers, and your friends won’t want to watch the game any other way.
Makes 8 sandwiches

⅓ cup fat-free mayonnaise (or use low-fat; optional)

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

16 slices light whole-wheat bread, toasted

8 ounces sliced smoked turkey

8 dill pickle spears, each cut in half lengthwise

4 ounces thinly sliced ham

8 romaine lettuce leaves, cut so each leaf is a bit wider than the bread

4 ounces thinly sliced roast beef

2 tomatoes, sliced into 4 rounds

8 slices low-fat Swiss cheese

½ cup pickled yellow pepper rings

1.
In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and mustard. Spread one side of each slice of toast with the mixture.

2.
Divide the turkey, pickles, ham, lettuce, roast beef, tomatoes, cheese, and peppers in the order listed among 8 slices of bread. Top with the remaining slices of bread and secure with a toothpick.

BREAKIN’ IT DOWN

Before: 70g fat; 1,000 calories
After: 9g fat, 326 calories

25g protein | 43g carbohydrate | 14g fiber | 1700mg sodium

Slice Your Sodium

You’ll find that most deli meat brands offer a low-sodium version of their meat. Good to know if you’re a meat lover like me but you’re also watching your salt intake.

Crispy, Crunchy Reubens

A lighter, leaner Reuben? Yes, indeed, folks; this is it. But this hot open-face sandwich doesn’t just work with Reuben fixings. It works great with pretty much any deli meat and cheese combo. So get creative with what you pile onto this sandwich. Just be sure you don’t miss out on my version of Thousand Island dressing. It’s the star of this show.
Serves 1/ Makes 1 cup dressing

Bobby’s Best Thousand Island Dressing

½ cup fat-free Greek yogurt (or use low-fat; optional)

¼ cup ketchup

2 tablespoons light mayonnaise

1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish

Reuben

2 slices turkey pastrami (1 ounce each)

1 slice light rye crispbread

1 tablespoon packaged sauerkraut

1 slice low-fat Swiss cheese

1 tablespoon Bobby’s Best Thousand Island Dressing

1.
To make the Thousand Island dressing: In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, ketchup, mayonnaise, and pickle relish until combined.

2.
To assemble the Reuben: Stack the pastrami onto the crispbread, followed by the sauerkraut and cheese. Place the stack on a microwave-safe plate and heat in the microwave until the cheese is melted, about 20 seconds. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the dressing and enjoy. (Save the remaining dressing for another use; see below.)

BREAKIN’ IT DOWN

Before: 70g fat, 900 calories
After: 4.5g fat, 168 calories

20g protein | 12g carbohydrate | 2g fiber | 833mg sodium

A Thousand Uses Dressing

Thousand Island dressing is one of my favorites. I love it mixed through a seafood pasta salad, slathered on a nice juicy burger, or drizzled over a simple green salad. It tastes good on just about anything, and that’s why I always make more than I need for just one recipe.

Bobby’s Turkey and Cheese Power Wrap

This is the on-the-go lunch that I make time for on my way to the gym. It’s superlight, yet delicious and satisfying. I can roll one of these up in no time flat and be out the door and on my way, power wrap in hand.
Serves 4

2 tablespoons low-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel), softened

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 (10-inch) multigrain wraps

5 ounces thinly sliced smoked turkey

⅔ cup grated low-fat Swiss cheese

1 cup baby spinach

½ avocado, pitted, peeled, and finely chopped

⅓ cup finely chopped tomatoes

1.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cream cheese and mustard until smooth. Spread the mixture on one side of each wrap. Arrange the turkey over the wraps and scatter the cheese and spinach on top. Sprinkle the avocados and chopped tomatoes over the cheese.

2.
Starting at one end, roll the wraps up over the filling, tucking in the sides as you go. Slice each wrap crosswise into four pinwheels and secure each with a toothpick, if you like.

BREAKIN’ IT DOWN

Before: 28g fat, 457 calories
After: 14g fat, 281 calories

17g protein | 23g carbohydrate | 6g fiber | 1,005mg sodium

Avocado BLT

Dialing back the classic BLT is pretty tricky. Two of the great things about a BLT are the crispy pork bacon and the creamy, fatty mayonnaise. That’s why I like to add avocado instead. By taking out the fat I’d be getting from the bacon and mayonnaise, I’ve made room for the good fat found in avocado, not to mention the vitamins and potassium that it’s chock-full of. And the avocado’s creamy texture, paired with the crunch of the turkey bacon and the tomato, knock this sandwich right out of the park.
Serves 4

8 turkey bacon slices

¼ cup light mayonnaise

1 tablespoon honey mustard

8 slices whole-wheat bread, toasted

1 medium tomato, thinly sliced

1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and thinly sliced

1 cup mixed greens

1.
In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium-low heat until crisp, 5 to 10 minutes. Set the bacon on a paper towel–lined plate to drain.

2.
Whisk together the mayonnaise and honey mustard. Spread one side of each slice of toast with this mixture. Sandwich the bacon, tomatoes, avocados, and mixed greens between bread slices.

BREAKIN’ IT DOWN

Before: 40g fat, 480 calories
After: 17g fat, 334 calories

15g protein | 33g carbohydrate | 7g fiber | 875mg sodium

Talking Turkey

The microwave is a really quick, no-mess way to cook turkey bacon. You can get a nice crisp on it and it won’t end up rubbery. What you do is place the bacon on a plate, cover it with a paper towel, and cook each side for 1 to 2 minutes. Then just let it cool a minute. As it cools, it will come to an ideal crunchiness.

Southern Tomato Sandwiches

Tomato sandwiches are something special in the South. You’ll find them at most afternoon get-togethers, from weddings to birthday parties to christenings. But since they’re so easy to make, you’ll also find them on the table on any given weekday. Fresh tomatoes paired with Vidalia onions—well, it just doesn’t get much more Georgia sweet than that.
Serves 4

½ cup light mayonnaise

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

8 slices whole-wheat or white bread, crusts removed

2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced

1 small Vidalia or other sweet onion

1.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, basil, and pepper. Spread one side of each slice of bread with the mayonnaise mixture. Top 4 slices of bread with tomatoes and season lightly with pepper.

2.
Thinly slice one-half of the onion into rounds, reserving the other half for another use. Top the tomatoes with the onion rings. Cover with the remaining bread slices and serve.

BREAKIN’ IT DOWN

Before: 17g fat, 323 calories
After: 7g fat, 151 calories

3g protein | 20g carbohydrate | 3g fiber | 323mg sodium

Nutritional count using whole-wheat bread

Blackened Catfish Po’boys

I try to get down to New Orleans at least once every year. And when I do, you’re sure to find me enjoying a po’boy. But when I can’t get down to the Big Easy, I make this little beauty of a sandwich right at home.
Serves 4

Tartar Sauce

¼ cup light mayonnaise

2 tablespoons finely chopped low-sodium dill pickles

2 tablespoons grated onions

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Po’boys

½ pound catfish fillet, portioned into 4 fillets

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

⅛ teaspoon garlic powder

1 baguette (10 ounces), cut into 4 portions and split

1 small tomato, thinly sliced

½ cup coarsely chopped iceberg lettuce

1.
To make the tartar sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, pickles, onions, and pepper.

2.
To make the po’boys: Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and spray lightly with cooking spray. Season the catfish with the salt, cayenne, and garlic powder. Place the fish in the skillet and cook, turning once halfway through, until the fish is just flaky, about 4 minutes per side.

3.
Spread the tartar sauce on the inside of each portion of bread. Fill with the fish, tomato slices, and lettuce.

BREAKIN’ IT DOWN

Before: 27g fat, 615 calories
After: 9g fat, 350 calories

22g protein | 45g carbohydrate | 2g fiber | 833mg sodium

Iron Clad

I always use a cast-iron skillet when I cook fish. It’s especially important when I’m cooking blackened fish and I’m using only a small amount of oil. You see, the trick with blackened fish is to get your pan real hot so that the fish doesn’t stick and it cooks quickly, and for that, no other pan trumps the cast-iron skillet.