Sandwiching it Up

So, my father decided he'd fire up the grill, the George Foreman (aka lazy-man's) Grill that is. I'm not complaining, I love that machine... it's so easy to use a monkey could make himself a steak. Anywho, he wanted to make hamburgers for everyone... but we only had a couple left in the freezer, so I helped whip up some tasty subs to go along with them. While making the subs I thought back to the good ol' days when I use to get packed sandwiches in my lunch-bags for school. They were never really all that great; after years of getting mayo+ham+cheese+lettuce on two slices of white, it can get pretty bland. I wanted these sub sandwiches to be anything but bland, so I packed them full of flavor.

I made one very healthy and veggie-full sandwhich. I sliced up a loaf of 60% whole wheat french bread, spreading on some basil mayo and filling it with marbled-cheese, salami, tomato, romaine lettuce, onions and sliced strawberries. Way better than Subway, I must say. The taste of basil and strawberries combined is a sweet and savory delight... if you haven't tried it yet, you better do it while strawberries are still in season!

For my sisters, who aren't all that into vegetables and salami, I made them a chicken salad sub. I used the other half of the whole wheat french loaf, spread on some regular mayo, added lettuce, cheese and the chicken salad. Anyone can make chicken salad; and I find that there are no right or wrong proportions... it's all dependent upon personal taste. My chicken salad contained chopped chicken pieces, a palm full each of chopped onions, celery and waterchestnuts, and then a slathering of mayonnaise.

After making such fanciful sandwiches, I couldn't just leave my dad's hamburgers in the lurch. So, I decided to make some tropical relish to top the burgers with. The tropical relish added a wonderful sweetness to the burger. With all that sweetness going on, I thought I would make some tangy toppings for the burgers as well, so I made some asian carrot-slaw.

Jo's Tropical Relish:

Toss together 1 cup diced mangoes, 1 cup diced cucumber, 1 tsp minced parsley and 1 tbsp lime juice.

Quick Asian Carrot-slaw Relish:

Simply grate enough carrot to make 1 cup, toss in 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, 1 tsp minced parsley, 1 tbsp vinegar and let marinate for 1 hr.

I love experimenting with new flavors, and luckily this time it worked out. All the burgers were eaten and the subs were gone without a trace of them left behind... well, maybe a few crumbs, but you get my drift. Whenever you're planning a meal, try and get creative with it; no matter how traditional the meal there's always a way to jazz it up or at least try something new! Cheers :)