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Ciabatta Bread Sandwich Recipes

Article by Diet Bites

Ciabatta Bread, Fresh or Toasted?

When our bread is at its freshest peak we use it as-is. But when it's a few days beyond peak we use the toasting method. While we can smear the ciabatta with butter or margarine, that tends to add calories that we don't wish to add.

Instead, we save kcals by using zero calorie butter spray. Just a few sprays and then we pop it into our toaster oven and within minutes we have a beautifully, golden brown bread.

Spreads to Use That Won't Spread Out the Body

The spread that you use will greatly influence the caloric values of your sandwich. Adding Mayo will add about 100 calories and significant fatty acids to your meal.

 


On the other hand, opting to use the lighter, fat-reduced varieties OR simply using less Mayo on your sandwich will keep things running in a smooth manner, helping keeping weight gain away. Remember - every little step, every little thing that you do to trim back on calories is a plus againstweight gain.

While I like to add a little Mayo to my sandwich, my husband likes honey mustard and at times, a poppyseed dressing. The types of spreads or dressings that you add will not only impact energy values, but also the flavor of your sandwich.

ciabatta bread recipeHickory Smoked Ham & Harvarti Ciabatta Sandwich Recipe

Start with a healthy mix of vegetables. For this recipe I used red lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes and black olives.

Although the lettuce arrived from the market pre-washed, it's always wise to wash it again, particularly given the round of viruses due to bacteria that have popped up recently.

A little time washing the vegetables may save a trip to the ER and a huge medical bill.

As to the tomatoes, the riper the better because when they are at peak, they contain notes of natural sweetness.

Because our bread was purchased fresh yesterday, we decided not to toast it. I added a splash of Mayo to my ciabatta - both sides, while my husband opted for the honey mustard dressing.

Next, protein choices also matter and the leaner the better.

We used thinly sliced hickory smoked ham and layered it on the bottom of the bread.

Next, we added a thin slice of our favorite cheese - harvarti.

There are different varieties of this type of cheese; it's key to purchase 'real cheese' rather than the varieties that are 'cheese food'. Ask your server at the deli market if the harvarti you're buying is real or fake. Ask for a taste of the cheese, too.

One of our local markets is passing off 'cheese food' and calling it 'real' and it's not. Real doesn't taste like paste - it's not velvety smooth with a funny aftertaste. It has a noticeable bite and is drier than cheese food.

Next, we added the lettuce leaves, tomato slices and black olives. Be sure to slice the tomatoes as thin as possible.

Caloric Values

Our ciabatta sandwich recipe when prepared with the Mayo contains about 350 calories and it's a huge sandwich.

You can create numerous off-shoots of this recipe by toasting the bread, adding different types of spreads or dressing - and enjoying your sandwich either warm or cold. Adding thin slices of avocado ramps up flavor and adds healthy notes of fatty acids.

Ciabatta Pizza Recipe

Another recipe we enjoy using ciabatta bread uses the following ingredients:

1 ciabatta roll
2 thin slices of skim Mozzarella Cheese
pizza sauce

Toast the bread until golden using the buttery cooking spray or a reduced calorie margarine - or a little less of your favorite margarine. Remove and spread on about 1/4 cup of the pizza sauce onto each piece of bread. Top with the slice of cheese and return to the toaster oven until the cheese is bubbly and fully melted.

If using a 150 calorie ciabatta and a 50-calorie slice of cheese, both of the tiny pizzas will contain about 300 calories. What an excellent meal for your weight loss plan, eh! Add a healthy salad and you'll have a wonderful meal.

 

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