Saturday, September 17, 2011

a healthier pseudo cuban

Earlier today, while I was about to get lunch, Food Networks Great Food Truck Race was playing on tv. So that got me thinking of street food sandwiches of all sorts. Especially grilled sandwiches. The downside is they are usually heavy in the fats from the butter and or oils and cheeses. Still, it kicked off a craving for such. This is what I came up with.

1 low carb/calorie burrito wrap - Ole Xtreme wellness Tomato Basil 68 calories (16 from fat), 17 grams carbs, 12 grams of fiber for 5 net impact carbs. 0 sugars and 8g protien. I find them at Price Rite.
a couple thin deli slices of ham

half a medium tomato sliced

1 tsp of your favorite mustard

1/2 a dill pickle sliced

a serving of your favorite cheese or blend of grated cheeses (preferably reduced fat if you can)

Now a true cuban includes roast pork. I have some in the freezer, but 1. I didn't want to wait for it to thaw. 2. I am trying to cut calories and make my meals healthier. I already had plenty of fat and protien going into this sandwich.
An authentic cuban also uses a cuban bread that is soft, medium crust and from my experience, maybe a tad sweet. Placed in a sandwich press or on a flattop with a weight atop it, the bread compresses and gets a crusty crunchy texture to it. Again, I am watching what I eat, so I opted for the wrap which as shown has pretty impressive nutrtional data for a soft bread like wrap. It's already thin yet soft to begin with, but when grilled will get that crunchy texture as well.

Heat up a skillet or flatop grill or sandwich press if you have one (can even use a George Foreman grill). I used a light spray of non-stick cooking spray on the surface of our flattop. Place your ingredients onto the wrap and fold (this is where I have trouble) and place on your pre-heated cooking surface. Place a weight atop the sandwich to be and grill until lightly golden brown on one side then flip and repeat.

Here was my result - again, I need to learn to wrap them better.

Doesn't look like much, but it tasted great!

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