Chudy - Superfood sandwiches : crafting nutritious sandwiches with superfoods for every meal and occasion

Crafting Nutritious Sandwiches with Superfoods for Every Meal and Occasion

Katie Chudy

founder of the Small Boston Kitchen

2015 Fair Winds Press

First published in the USA in 2015 by

Fair Winds Press, a member of

Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.

100 Cummings Center

Suite 406-L

Beverly, MA 01915-6101

www.fairwindspress.com

Visit www.QuarrySPOON.com and help us celebrate food and culture one spoonful at a time!

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Digital edition: 978-1-62788-299-6
Softcover edition: 978-1-59233-663-0

Digital edition published in 2015

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available

Cover and book design by tabula rasa graphic design

Photography by Katie Chudy

The information in this book is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace the advice of a physician or medical practitioner. Please see your health care provider before beginning any new health program.

For my husband, Richard. Your immense amounts of love, support, encouragement, and especially comic relief made doing all of this possible. Im so lucky to be able to share this life with you.

Too few people understand a really good sandwich.

James Beard

My love affair with sandwiches started early and with a simple introduction to a humble grilled cheese made by my mom, at our home in western Massachusetts. It was toasty on the outside and gave way to a molten, cheesy center. I found so much pleasure in the contrast of textures and playing with the strands of stretchy cheese. In that moment, I just remember feeling so happy and loved.

I was not always into food, though. I was an incredibly picky eater growing up and remained that way through college. My lunches were plain and simple: turkey on caraway-studded rye and with a healthy slathering of mustard and sometimes a thin slice of sharp provolone cheese. It was when I moved to northern Virginia that I started to experience food from different ethnicities and cultures. I was blown away by the intense flavors of rich curries and tried Thai food for the first time, falling in love with the likes of tom yum soup and pad ki mow. The more I tried, the more I was drawn to learning; I spent more and more time in the kitchen, playing around with new flavors and ingredients, making everything from scratch. I subscribed to every cooking magazine I could find, and my cookbook collection grew immensely. I couldnt get enough.

Around this time, I was introduced to different vegetables that my picky childhood ways kept me from trying. I was cooking sweet potatoes; had my first taste of delicate, oniony leeks; and learned the pleasure of pungently sharp, freshly grated horseradish. Meanwhile, I was learning about nutrition and how to care for myself better by incorporating more healthful ingredients into my lifestyle. Flaxseeds, packed with omega-3 fatty acids, found their way into my yogurt and the breads that I couldnt seem to stop making. These nutritionally whole ingredients have a namesuperfoods. I found that the more I added them into my diet, the healthier I felt, the less I got sick, and the more energy I had. Since then, Ive continued to include as many superfoods as I can into my daily life.

When I finally moved back to Massachusetts, my small studio apartment offered only a galley kitchen with a simple stove and counter space the size of an encyclopedia, but I was cooking more than ever before. At the time, I was working a corporate job and increasingly feeling dissatisfied with my career path. I felt that I wanted to be as happy with my day-to-day job as I felt when I was in the kitchen. I started a blog, the Small Boston Kitchen, in 2009 to help me record the recipes that I was creating. I started to explore working professionally with food but couldnt figure out how to make the numbers work. In December 2010, longing for more structure to my cooking, I applied to the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, in Massachusetts. Upon acceptance, I quit my job to focus on trying to make a career in food. At that time I met Richard, a local personal chef, and started shadowing him and then began working alongside him at catering jobs. Hitting it off, we decided to join forces and start our own personal chef and catering company, right around the same time that we started dating.

Our company is called the Skinny Beet, named after the combination of our Polish last names; Richards last name means skinny and mine means beet soup. We started with a few clients and worked long hours, doing all we could do to get work and network in Boston. We had little money and spent any that we had on groceries to practice our skills and develop our arsenal of recipes. Wanting to be as efficient and frugal as possible, we started living off of sandwiches. They were substantial enough to fill up on, and they helped us make great use of leftovers and stretch ingredients. They were also an easy way to incorporate lots of superfoods into our diet and eat healthfully when we didnt have much time or money to spare.

Within a years time, our company had taken off, and we had plenty of clients to cook for. As our lives became full of working and cooking, we continued to turn to sandwiches to fit our hunger needs. They were easy to assemble and satisfying to eat at all hours. Washed down with a cold beer or a post-work glass of wine, sandwiches became a celebratory symbol of a successful day and of a happy life, doing what I loved most with those I loved.

These days, with gluten-free, Paleo, bread-hating trends soaring, the sandwich gets a bad rap. Some people argue the sandwich is classless and boring, a poor dietary choice. But it doesnt have to be that way! Using recognized superfoods, fresh vegetables, fruits, cheeses, meats (and were not talking about supermarket deli meats here), and good-quality, freshly baked breads makes any sandwich a very respectable and versatile meal. A sandwich is an excellent way to effectively use leftovers, creating a budget- and family-friendly way to enjoy a meal. In a more sophisticated sense, everything can be made from scratchfrom the bread to the condiments and everything in between. This book provides tips and shortcuts for people in a hurry as well as more detailed recipes and options, making some extra effort in the kitchen well worth it.

Many of us are on the go constantly, yet we value our nutrition and pay close attention to our health and food choices. Sandwiches can help us maintain a healthy lifestyle, featuring a wide variety of healthy proteins, vegetables, and fruits in a cost-effective way. In this book, I share with you my passion for sandwiches and the techniques that I have learned as a professionally trained chef.

This book is meant to revitalize the concept of the everyday sandwich, drawing on global flavors and incorporating healthy superfoods that people know they should be eating but often struggle to incorporate into their meals and diets. With a range of recipes, from simple to more complex, this book celebrates the sandwicha hearty meal option that is nutritious enough for any time of the day or nightwhile featuring fun and quirky recipes that will liven up your kitchen.