A couple weeks ago at the Lutheran Senior Center, they served a lunch we’ve never had before. Roast turkey sandwiches on artisan flatbread, with some surprising toppings (barbecue sauce, pepper jack cheese & cole slaw).
It came with a side of potato salad that was soft, creamy & delicious.
I sat with my friend Mary, a tallish slender woman with red hair and ornery personality. We both agreed the sandwich was awesome and Mary said “I would like to have this sandwich added to the regular menu!” My friend Elisa (who works there) said “Thank you, Mary—we’ll let the vendor know!”
In my best Oliver voice, I meekly raised my hand and said “The potato salad? Please ‘sa, may I have some more?” Elisa wasted no time shouting “NO MORE!” Seriously, for government-issued potato salad I thought it was the best I’d ever had.
I decided not to wait for the center to serve this sandwich again, so I did my best to duplicate it at home (the picture at the top). My local market didn’t have any artisan flatbread though, so I bought these Arnold KETO Round Sandwich Thins.
They look like hamburger buns that were flattened by a steamroller! But they did the trick, for the most part.
(I was also able to duplicate the thin, peppery barbecue sauce by adding 3 shakes of Heinz Worchestershire Sauce to 2 tablespoons of Baby Ray Barbecue.)
Here’s a funny story: a few days ago (the day of the Ice Cream Social), the lunch served at the Senior Center was tortellini of which I’m NOT a fan, so I packed one of these sandwiches along. I showed it to a couple of the ladies at my table.
Swearin’ Connie (who’s forced to carry a swear-cup and deposit a dollar everytime she swears) said “WHERE THE HELL IS MINE!” When I offered to share, she laughed and patted my hand and said she was joking. But when Mary came over with her lunch tray and sat down, Connie yelled “LOOK WHAT THIS %!*^$# BROUGHT FOR LUNCH, MARY! HE’S TOO GOOD TO EAT THE %!*^$# THE REST OF US ARE HAVING!”
My sandwich wound up costing Connie 3 bucks. I love Connie, I swear!
Anyway, after I used up my turkey at home I still had half a box of these Sandwich Thins and wondered what to do with the rest of them. Then it hit me—barbecue chicken mini-pizzas.
I made these with a spray of olive oil, a blend of 1/3 cup pizza sauce & 1/4 cup barbecue sauce, shredded rotisserie chicken (white & dark), mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheeses, some crumbled bacon, chopped onions and green peppers.
Put them in an oven preheated to 350 and let bake for 10 minutes. I know these don’t look very pretty, but these thins were made to be eaten as no-carb mini-pizzas. The crusts came out of the oven hot and soft, with a mild crisp. They were absolutely delicious.
This may be the only way I ever eat pizza again. And I wasn’t even trying to go carb-free!
Dug, both those meals look delicious. I've used those flatbreads before... and they are good. And coming up with a way to use the rest as pizza was a great idea. I'm always trying to figure out how to use left overs from another recipe. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. You did well. And I love the story about your swearing friend... she sounds like a character!
ReplyDeleteThank you Rian, much appreciated! And I'm glad you enjoyed that story about Connie, I wanted to include a pic of her swear-mug but worried I shared too much already. She really is a hoot, though. 🙂
DeleteThose mini pizzas look delicious! I do the cooking for my wife and me and I'm always on the look out for new, easy, tasty, AND healthy ideas. I'll definitely try these sandwich thins as pizza.
ReplyDeleteThanks Don--they really were good, I actually had 2 with just sauce & cheese I wish I'd taken a photo of those. They were a little crisper and perfect :^)
DeleteYou never fail to amaze me, Doug. The sandwich and pizzas are impressive. I tend to be a lazy cook, so what you cook in your kitchen seems like too much work for me.
ReplyDeleteGigi, this was very nice of you to say--but I've seen the foods that come out of your kitchen and you're the cook--not me! :)
DeleteHi Doug, both meals look so delicious! I have bought flatbreads many times. I am not a fan of big buns for our veggie burgers so if I don’t have any of my homemade buns I will use a flatbread. Connie sounds like a fun lady. What happens to the money in the swear cup?
ReplyDeleteRobin
Thanks Robin, I gave to admit I'm a newbie when it comes to flat breads, but the super soft, super skinny ones are really nice for TMJ. As for the money in Connie's swear cup, I asked the same thing and Courtney who is one of the workers there said it goes towards their funding but I think she was giving me the business!
DeleteYes, Connie sounds like a perfect companion for someone like me, who somehow became used to swearing after watching shows like "The Bear" and getting used to the F word always present. :-)
ReplyDeleteDJan I wish I’d checked out that show when I had Hulu! Connie is one of my favorite ladies there but boy she makes me blush 😊
DeleteYou get such better food at your center than we do! Our food gets sent over from the city, and today the truck was late so the director bought us pizza. I love bbq chicken pizza. That was a great way to use the buns. Joyce
ReplyDeleteThanks Joyce! Well, we get some hits and misses, I usually keep quiet about the misses. I don't go everyday though, I'm probably missing out on something good. We never had pizza there though! 🙂
DeleteI love the look of those! John uses sandwich thins sometimes too (although I don't think they say keto on them) and they're tasty. I'm all about the toppings anyway!
ReplyDeleteThank you Margaret and to be honest, I think I'd prefer these non-keto. I can't believe I never even saw these before, I'm all about the toppings too. :^)
DeleteI’m not a fan of turkey, I find it bland. I prefer chicken or duck.
ReplyDeleteHowever, those barbeque mini-pizzas looked and sounded terrific. I must try them (or something similar with what I have around).
I haven’t seen Keto sandwich thins here, but then I haven’t been looking for them.
Thanks Peter--I have to tell you, I always thought the same about turkey but this stuff was tasty, Boar's Head Pepper Mill Turkey Breast. I liked the chicken pizzas better though.) :^)
DeleteMy mouth is watering at the sight of those mini pizzas! What a great idea! And the sandwich looks pretty darn good too.
ReplyDeleteThank you Miss Merry! 🙂
DeleteThanks for the sandwich tip, Doug. I'll look for a similar flat bread on my grocery run this week. I used to go to a lunch place that grilled their completed sandwiches on each side. They were so-o-o good!
ReplyDeleteThanks Florence, that turkey sandwich was a good combination but I didn't consider grilling it. 🙂
DeleteI've never had a sandwich on flatbread, but it does sound delicious. My daughter loves to bake so perhaps I can convince her to make the flat bread. I'll also have to mention the pizzas to my daughter as she's a big fan of chicken as well.
ReplyDeleteConnie sounds like a hoot! I'm curious, where do her contributions to the cup end up?
Maebeme, you just got me thinking; if I can't buy flatbread at my market, I wonder if I could bake it too? Anyway, thank you for your comments here and it's funny how many people want to know where Connie's money goes! I did ask Courtney at the center and she told me it goes into the budget but she said it with a wink and a smile. Now I really have to know!😄
DeleteI have never thought of using thins for pizza, I usually make my own pizza bases anyway. I like Swearin' Connie.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much River. I sure am sorry for the delay in this comment appearing, Blogger used to notify me and now doesn’t.
DeleteYou are a whiz in the kitchen and your pizza and sandwich looks really good. Connie is a hot ticket. She must keep things lively at the senior center.
ReplyDeleteThank you Susan! As for Connie, I just learned yesterday that she's either 90 or close to it, which shocked me. I thought she was in her mid-70s, maybe all that swearing is good for a person :^)
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