GODDESS GRUB TIP: Cut firm fleshed vegetables into steaks, then lightly saute or grill them. This gives them a meaty bite in a sandwich.
There are a lot of things I am used to eating, like sandwiches, that I still want to enjoy. If I substitute the meat and cheese with a flavorful, fat free vegetable, I’ve saved hundred of calories and a dozen or more fat grams. Here’s how I do that.
SWEET BELL PEPPER STEAKS
Bell peppers are sweet, and they come in green, red, yellow. The best known sweet peppers are bell peppers. Red, yellow and green peppers are actually the same plant. The red and yellow are simply riper versions of the green peppers. Bell peppers are not hot. As peppers age, they become sweeter and milder. Red peppers left to ripen on the vine are sweeter than red peppers harvested when green, and both are much sweeter than green peppers. They also become more nutritious as they age. Red peppers contain 11 times more beta-carotene than green peppers, and are a great source of Vitamin A generally.
For smokers, this is particularly useful, as benzo(a)pyrene, a carcinogen in cigarette smoke, induces Vitamin A deficiency. There’s much research happening now around speculation that some smokers live longer than others primarily because of diets rich in Vitamin A. Peppers are an even better source of Vitamin C, with green pepper containing 50% more than navel oranges, and red peppers contain twice as much.
I like the red and yellow peppers best for sandwiches. What I do is cut them into small slabs, leaving each slap as large as I can. Think of each slab as a small steak. And you will place them into your sandwich like slices of lunchmeat. Wherever there is a curve or bump in your steak, make a cut into it so that you can smash it flat as it cooks.
HOW I COOK THEM:
If you grill these outside also, be careful of the size of the peppers, they shrink as they cook. Don’t let them fall through the grill. Mostly I saute mine on the stove. I do a couple at a time, since I may use 1/2 to 1 whole pepper for each sandwich.
I use a nonstick pan and spray some Pam with Olive Oil into it. I put the pepper steaks in the pan over a medium heat and put a lid on the pan. keep an eye on them, and turn them over a few times as they begin to get kind of blackened on each side. if you let them cook too long, they will turn to mush. Cook until they are just beginning to lose their stiffness. Do not add salt at this point. I used to always salt my dish at this point in the cooking process, not realizing that simply drew all the water out of the vegetable being cooked, and made it water up.
You can cook many of these at once and put them in the refrigerator for the next couple of days. I love to snack on them. Zero fat, lots of flavor, high nutrition, almost no calories.
A favorite sandwich of mine using the sauteed peppers is this one. It is a meal in itself and really filling. Make it lighter by using just 2 slices of toast.
GODDESS GRUB HEARTY SAUTEED PEPPER TOMATO CLUB
3 slices Ezekiel Sprouted Whole Grain bread
This bread is worth reading about, plus it’s delicious
2 thick slices of a real tomato
Slivers of red onion
Slices of pickle
2 big slabs of sauteed peppers
A slice of cheese if you want it (Jarlsberg Lite Swiss is only 2.5 grams of fat per slice and tastes good)
A handful of fresh spinach
I like all my bread to be toasted. On 1 slice, you will spread a light mayonaisse or Vegenaise, and on 2 slices you will spread a stone ground grainy mustard.
On the light mayo side, place the pepper steaks. if you wanted to add a slice of cheese, this is the layer to do it in. Top with the other slice of toast.
Then place the tomato slices on first, some salt and pepper, the slivers of red onion and the pickles. End with the spinach and top with the last slice of toast.
Now I usually don’t cut this sandwich in two, since I’ve made it so tall with the big tomato slices. And truth be told, I typically make it with just two slices of bread to cut down on the starch. But the Goddess Grub Hearty Sauteed Pepper Tomato Club sounded so much better a name than the Sauteed Pepper Tomato Sandwich.
GODDESS GRUB SAUTEED PEPPERS, ONIONS AND MOZZARELLA SUB
This is a great tasting sandwich. Choose a whole wheat sub roll.
1 fresh red or yellow pepper
1 large sweet onion
1/4 cup of tomato sauce
1/4 cup of lowfat shredded mozzarella cheese
You’ll slice fresh peppers and onions into a nonstick pan and let them cook together on medium heat with the lid on. After they are brown, add the tomato sauce, stir in and turn off the heat. Split open a sub roll, and sprinkle cheese into the bottom of it. Spoon the tomato pepper mixture into the sub roll.
Variation: add sauteed mushrooms to this
Variation: add sauteed eggplant to this