Sandwich problem

[The Fish]

So I finally got my act together and worked out a budget. To my surprise, I found out I could actually be saving somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 a month just by bringing lunch to work instead of buying food. I don't really cook, so I decided to start buying some lunch meat and making sandwiches. The problem is, they're always terribly boring because I HATE the usual condiment choices. I can't stand mayonnaise, mustard, Miracle Whip...all of the things which add some variety and flavor. I've tried to think of other options. I love spicy food, but hot sauce just soaks into the bread.

Does anyone have any suggestions, or toppings they like to add to "kick it up a notch" on their sandwiches?

 

[Shane]

Aiolis and tapenades work well. They're also easy to make.

 

[blackfoot]

I have the same problem. I just don't care for lunch meat sandwiches all that much. It is just to boring.

 

[FrankPoole]

Wasabi sauce works wonders for sandwiches; that is if you like horseradish

Thai Chili Sauce is also another way to spice up sandwiches

 

[Luc]

I used to do a take out or eat at a restaurant during my bachelor years while at work. I ended up spending quite a fortune in those places until I got tired of it and brought my lunch in.

I cannot stand mayo also, stopped eating it for 8 months as I was trying something and now, it feels like I'm eating fat. I usually buy the whole egg mayo (not salad dressing).

I am now using avocado instead of mayo, another fat but not the same, actually nice.

When I was in England, I bought sandwiches with cucumber in them (not dill pickles) and it was 'refreshing' and nice.

If you are up for it, bean or pasta salads are very easy to make. If you have a toaster at work, beans on toast, that's always quick and easy.

At work it might be tricky but when I'm at home I love to have a tortilla + cheese + ham or any other cold cut. Cook it in a pan until cheese is melted and you got a nice flat sandwich. To spicy it up, I add cayenne or dry chilli. Cumin is also good and will give you a different flavour. Of course, curry powder, if you can get a good one, that's great too.

That's what I have on top of my head for the moment.

 

[Austin]

Try spreading cream cheese on your roll. You can also take a bottle of Italian dressing with you and sprinkle your tomatoes with it.

 

[Jim]

Leave the hot sauce at work, horseradish sauce is another option.

 

[aybe]

Depending on if you like olives or pickled mushrooms you could use those. Or beets (either pickled or otherwise) or gherkins.

As far as using something like mayo what about hummus? They come in all sorts of flavors but make sure you get a quality brand or make your own.

 

[nikkuchan]

When I was in college I always made sandwiches. The kind of meat that was in there usually didn't matter, but I always added the following:

Cream cheese
Tabasco
Salsa
Cheese
Pickles (optional, but I like it)

Everybody thought it was disgusting, but I loved it.

 

[Austin]

Smoked peppers will add spice to your sandwich.

 

[Walter Sobchak]

All excellent suggestions! I love sandwiches and believe they're the perfect meal when done properly.

I frequently help out a sandwich with avacado, homemade hummus, tappenade, and horseradish, too.

I can suggest you try to add flavor with some cheeses in lieu of the the mayo/mustard path. A plain smoked turkey sandwich can wear a lot of different faces if you change up the cheese and bread selection. Try Brie, Havarti, smoked Gouda, Muenster...mmm.

Of course, you needn't stop at cheese. Mix up the veggies (but perhaps tote them in a rubbermaid container so as not to soak the bread).

If you're into hot sauce, you can opt to soften some neufchatel and mix in some hotsauce. Or, depending on the hot sauce you're using, you might be able to get away with using a small amount of mayo as the binder for the hot sauce.

Damn. Now I'm hungry.

 

[nikkuchan]

Also, mixing a can of tuna with some shredded/melted cheese makes a good sandwich by itself.

One more suggestion that sounded disgusting on paper, but delicious to eat: Hawaiian SPAM sandwich:

a couple slices of SPAM (fried if you like)
Pineapple slices
Cheese

 

[stobes21]

If you have a food processor you can make all of the following with a few simple ingredients. All are healthier and tastier than mayo/miracle whip.

Hummus
1 Can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans, couple of cloves of garlic, some tahini, and your choice of spices. Process until smooth

Aioli
This recipe makes an incredibly flavorful/powerful version. Roast the garlic or include a lot less to back it down. This is basically flavored mayo, but the olive oil is a much healthier fat than the oils normally used to make mayo.

Tzatziki
Start with some greek yogurt if you can find it. If you can't get some regular plain yogurt and put it in some cheese cloth and let it drain for a few hours to overnight. Mix with some shredded cucumber and fresh dill.

Pesto
1 cup of fresh basil, 1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts, a healthy ping of salt, a tablespoon or 2 of freshly grated Parmigiana, and enough olive oil to make a nice paste.

Muffuletta Olive Salad (better than any plain old tapenade)
This recipe takes more time than the above and makes a boatload. But if you've ever had a Muffaletta in New Orleans and marveled at the incredible olive salad, this is how to make it.

All variety of Salsas and Chutneys can also be made.

 

[Edcculus]

Here are some simple tips I was able to come up with

1. bread
One thing to quickly up the ante on a sandwich is bread. I'm very fond of the Pepridge Farm "12 grain" bread. Buy subpar bread (IE white) and you will get a subpar sandwich.


2. filling
I say filling since it does not always have to be meat. When thinking meat, don't go too cheap. The round 99 cent package of "ham" is going to make a very boring sandwich. If you need prepackaged, the precut deli style meat is a good way to go. Check out the prices, You might be suprised to see that meat from the deli section is the same price i not cheaper than the packaged stuff. Go simple on the meat. You really only need one type for a typical sandwich.

You can go without meat also. I love sandwiches with humus and sliced cucumber. Avacado sandwiches are great also. A wrap with feta, onion, tomato, pico de gallo and italian dressing and avacado is awesome.

3. condiment
Here is where you can spice it up. If your sandwich is going to sit around until lunch, you will need a fat against the bread so other condiments dont soak in. Mayo is the obvious choice. Since you don't like mayo, aioli might not be as offensive. While I am a huge fan of yellow mustard, there are a ton of options out there. I like mustard on a sandwich because it adds some contrast to the somewhat sweet meat and bread. Check out the mustards at your grocery store. You might be pleasantly surprised.



4. extras
Cheese (obviously), but there can be a lot more. Once again, going above Kraft Singles will quickly make better sandwiches. Choose cheese that makes sense for your sandwich. Falling back to classics helps. Ham and swiss comes to mind. If you like spicy food, Pepper Jack is a great choice. Don't load up on cheese either. One slice will do it. I typically put my cheese on top of any condiments. If you don't have a fatty condiment that will impede moisture from soaking into the bread, consider putting down cheese first.

Other obvious toppings would be tomato, lettuce (not iceberg!!!) and onion. If putting on tomato, keep the slices in a separate bag so the water doesn't soak into the bread. Also, some side dishes make great toppings. Cole Slaw and corn salad (yum) come to mind.

hope this helps!

 

[LagerLover]

I rather like these:

 

[blantyre]

Giardiniera (Il Primo is good) - either hot or mild with some decent cheese and/or ham on a crusty roll or 1/2 baguette. The only problem is, if I take lunch I eat it at about 10 o'clock and then go out anyway.

 

[professorchaos]

Too bad you don't like mustard, mostarda di Cremona is delicious. While it isn't traditional to put it on a sandwich, it really brings to life an otherwise dull meal.

 

[Stubblefield]

So as far as dressings go, forget the usual spreads (mayo, mustard). Try some different salad dressings on you sandwich for starters. I use thousand island, ranch, Italian, and other creamy dressings and they make great sandwich spreads. Hummus is another option, as is spinach dip.

as far as sandwich additives, I use:

Lettuce
Tomato
Avocado
Pickles
Thinly sliced cucumber (sliced lengthwise) are excellent!
Bell peppers

Hope this helps.

 

[dpm802]

No matter what recipe you choose to go with ... you can not only save a lot of money, but save a lot of time by making all your lunches for the week in one batch and store them in the refrigerator. Then, just grab your brown-bag for the day and you can be out the door.

Thanks to the economies of scale, if it takes you 10 minutes to pack 1 day's lunch (including set-up and clean-up time,) you can make 5 sandwiches in about 15 minutes. Net time saving for the week is 35 minutes. Not to mention the increased convenience and reduced stress in the mornings.

Other good items to pack for lunch are hard-boiled eggs, trail-mix, and nutrition bars. Take a multi-vitamin every day, and drink lots of water, juice or an electrolyte booster instead of coffee or soda.

 

[FLTiger]

"Mustard" is such a large category to rule out. As a fan of spicy, I recommend that you give a hot mustard a try. For example:

You can also sprinkle a little of this on: