antenatal sandwich blues
I have been struggling with the no-deli-meats pregnancy rule. My solution is often just to break it. But I have enthusiastically re-discoved a sandwich I used to eat all the time when I lived in Australia but had completely forgotten about: the SALAD ROLL. This sandwich--usually served on a multigrain roll- is packed with greens, cheese, beets, avocado and tomato (see below). Though it may sound like some sad, lo-cal item from the calorie-counter section of the menu, it's not. It's substantial enough to make you wonder, who needs that wad of boiled ham anyway? In Aus, the Salad Roll is as common as the meat pie or a chocolate frog; you can literally buy one at a highway snack shop or a 7/11. Of course the foodies are always tinkering and modifying, replacing the standard cheddar with some fig-wrapped artisinal wedge, but the basic pile-up is fine with me:
grated carrot
cucumber
sliced beets
onion
lettuce
tomato
cheese
sliced avocado (often)
sliced egg (sometimes)
aussie margarine (often made with olive oil), salt and pepper
I've been making these at home but I've also found that the odd well-stocked and cooperative NYC deli will cobble together a decent version. At places where salad bar fixings such as sliced beets are not available (and based on looks I've gotten from some dumbfounded sandwich-makers, this is often the case) I go for the Italian Hero adaptation: provolone or mozzarella, tomatoes, red peppers (or antepasti like artichoke hearts), onions, lettuce, oil and vinegar, salt, pepper and maybe hot peppers.
Hope this helps other pregnant sandwich lovers. More suggestions are welcome, I have 5 months to go!
in pregnancy
