Toasted BLT with Basil Mayo

 

Toasted BLT with Basil Mayo

Take a classic BLT picnic sandwich recipe - the good old bacon, lettuce and tomato - and make something new using peppery arugula instead of regular lettuce and a delicious basil mayonnaise dressing. Make sure you use a dense country-style bread for even more taste.

8 slices of bacon (try turkey bacon, it's healthier!)
8 slices of country French bread
3 or 4 medium ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 small bunch of arugula, stemmed

Basil Mayonnaise:
1/2 cup reduced-fat/non-fat mayonnaise
1/2 cup loosely packed chopped fresh basil leaves
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped

Basil Mayonnaise

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse for 1 minute, until the basil and garlic are minced and blended into the mayonnaise.

Sandwich
Fry bacon until crisp and golden brown, and absorb excess fat with paper towel (unnecessary with turkey bacon!).

Spread mayonnaise on toasted bread, layer tomato slices, bacon, and arugula leaves. Cover with top bread slice.

Tuna Sandwich with Olives, Tomatoes and Basil

Why settle for a plain tuna sandwich? And why serve it on plain, tasteless, unhealthy white bread? Get yourself a nice whole wheat crusty baguette and serve these picnic sandwiches with some old-fashioned lemonade.

12 oz. tuna packed in water, drained, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup pitted black olives
6 tablespoons finely chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt to taste
6 tablespoons reduced-fat/non-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
2 crusty baguettes, preferrably whole wheat.
About 1/2 cup of lettuce or baby spinach

Combine tuna, olives, celery, sun-dried tomatoes plus 1 teaspoon of the oil the tomatoes were packed in. Also combine the basil, red pepper flakes, and salt to taste. Mix well.

In another bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, orange juice concentrate, and orange zest. Add to tuna bowl and mix well. Adjust salt to taste. You can prepare this tuna salad ahead of picnic day if desired.

Assembling the sandwich is trivial as usual: Cut four 6 to 8-inch-long pieces from the baguettes and slice in half horizontally. Spread the tuna salad on the bottom piece, add lettuce or spinach, and cover with top piece. You may want to toast the bread if fire or heat is available, for more texture.