These days I make my own sandwich fillers, and I have done for a long time.
Experimenting with leftovers and a dash of mayonnaise is pretty much guaranteed to make a sandwich filler that is tasty, quick and much better for you than a jar of shelf stable long life 35% vegetable mush.
I tend to use a couple of tablespoons of my choppy salads when I have some in the fridge, it's easy, quick and very tasty. Chopping the already chopped up salad veggies a little bit smaller and adding just salt, pepper and a squeeze of mayonnaise ... either bought or homemade ... and this time I added some dairy free cheese that I had ready grated in the fridge. Within minutes I had a fresh tasting and relatively healthy lunch.
If I had to eat some of the jarred stuff I think I would load the sandwich up with lots of crunchy lettuce and cucumber and try not to think of wallpaper paste while I ate my lunch.
What is your absolute favourite sandwich filler?
Sue xx
But isn't there xanthan gum in that Bramwells Mayonnaise?
ReplyDeleteIndeed there is :-(
DeleteI am just trying to use up all of the things that I no longer want to eat on a regular basis while the book is ongoing. Hopefully my choppy salad will be with either homemade mayonnaise in future ... I've been lazy and not made any for a long time ... or with a brand that I can find with a better ingredient list.
Used to love it but then they changed the recipe years ago and we can’t stand eating it now.
ReplyDeleteI doubt I've tasted the new recipe then, I don't think I'll bother now. It really is companies playing with food to make the most profit for themselves isn't it, understandable I guess but not good for the nations health.
DeleteSandwich Spread was always on the trolley for afternoon tea at my local hospital. Well it was 60 years ago when at school I used to go cleaning there on a Sunday. Lesley
ReplyDeleteIt always seemed a 'healthier' option than other sandwich fillers back in the day to me, I don't know why!!
DeleteIt has to be a chip butty closely followed by a fresh salad sandwich, it depends on levels of stress ,chip butty as comfort and salad on a good day . I have been looking at following " one ingredient food ", not easy but it makes sense and I think that once you get the hang of it it might become second nature, it seems easier for meat and dairy eaters but I don't do those , I fall down on dairy free spread and milks etc.
ReplyDeleteOh gosh yes ... you just cannot beat a chip butty every now and then, and it's usually on days when I don't want to bother with any sort of salady, healthy food. We are both big fans. :-)
DeleteOne ingredient food, or those with minimal ingredients are the best sort, or as I like to think as I shop ... 'would my Nana recognise this as a food item'. Gosh she would be totally bemused by all the current plant-based crap that is coming out of factories!!
My favourite has to be grated strong cheddar mixed with finely chopped red onion and mixed with salad cream, closely followed by cheese and crisp sandwich. Can you tell I like cheese?
ReplyDeleteI used to love salad cream and hate mayonnaise, isn't it funny how our tastes change as we get older. I'm completely opposite now. But that mix with mayo would be heaven for me.
DeleteYes, you like cheese. :-)
I really enjoy plain sliced boiled egg with cress and a drizzle of vegan mayo (as there are not too many additives in that one) Cheese used to play a big part in my sandwich fillings but I've cut down drastically and eat a small amount of lactose free cheese twice a week with either lettuce and tomato on top, or just tomato with pepper and vinegar sprinkled on it. Yummy on seeded bread :0)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing how things we got used to eating over the years are now shown to be bad for us. I may have poisoned my children with packet whips and mousses, and fish pastes ! Scary.....
Unfortunately, the vegan mayo that's in my fridge at the moment, has a few things in it that I don't want to eat going forward. But I will be using it up, I am more against food waste than I am against a little UPF in my diet.
DeleteI will be keeping the Violife Mature cheese in my repertoire, as I said in a previous post, I will be 'picking my poisons wisely'. ;-)
I think we have to remember that we were sold a lot of the food we gave our children back in the day as being healthier, quicker and better for us in so many ways. Advertising and being sold foods that make more profit for the big manufacturing companies is one of the first signs of UPF and the one that is even worse than the actual ingredients we are eating. Basically ... it's NOT our fault. xx
My sandwich-for-work when I was a teacher was peanut butter and sliced cucumber.
ReplyDeleteAfter much research I found out that it was the only filler that didn't make me want to nap in the afternoon which would have been awkward supervising a class of thirty!
I have never tried that combination, but now you have made me want to. Gosh, there's no way you could risk falling asleep with a class of thirty to supervise!!
DeleteI love chicken salad - shredded chicken, mayo, salt and pepper, chopped apple and it's also good with some grapes thinly sliced.
ReplyDeleteGosh THAT sounds so healthy and good for you, and no doubt keeps you satisfied for a long time. It's such a fresh sounding mix. I never think to add grapes to a salad sandwich, Alan like then in a plated salad but I tend not to go down the fruity route ... perhaps I need to experiment a little bit more!
DeleteHomemade hummus and roasted red pepper on a seeded bread base with some added salad of lettuce and tomato is what I have just prepped for my lunch. It’s my favourite, but occasionally I will succumb to a cream cheese and date one. Catriona
ReplyDeleteOh yes ... I am a HUGE hummus fan and love it on sandwiches, on pasta, on a pizza base and straight from the dish. I NEED to try cream cheese and date for sure, it sounds intriguing.
DeleteHome grown pea shoots with tomato and red pepper, using vegan mayonnaise instead of butter, with a ramekin full of chopped beetroot on the side. Yum.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds delicious. I tend to use mayonnaise in place of butter or spread on sandwiches too, it makes it tastier.
DeleteYou know, I didn't realize how much of the food we eat is processed until my daughter lived in Denmark for two years! When she returned and shared how they eat and how they shop for fresh food, I was shocked! She has helped me tremendously. Thanks for the book information too!
ReplyDeleteWe have been slowly and very insidiously sold a lie and it takes something like a good book or your daughter returning from another country to make us sit up and realise doesn't it. We seem to have lost the time and the desire to shop for fresh foods more than once a week.
DeleteWe have been indoctrinated with the idea of a 'big shop' that has to last us a week or longer and thus creates the need to buy foods that won't go off. Happily so many people are now seeing the light and reverting to shopping twice or even three times a week for fresher, healthier and simpler foods.
It's difficult with the current (over?) hype about Ultra Processed Foods. Guar gum and Xanthan gum are both similar and are used for their thickening properties. Guar gum is extracted from beans, and Xanthan gum from wheat/corn or sometimes dairy. So they are basically naturally occurring but are processed and used to make shelf friendly products. I agree: if you use some oil, vinegar, mustard powder and seasoning you can make lovely dressings/salads but, I must admit, with a busy lifestyle it's good to have a few 'stand by' products? A lot of (basic) processed food is there to ensure that enough food can stay on the shelves long enough! It's all a question of moderation. Just remember that, under the current system, baby milk formula is classed as ultra processed!
ReplyDeleteYes, it's all over the news at the moment, but I think that can only be a good thing, we NEED to have our eyes opened to the lies that companies have sold us in their bid to make ever increasing profits. They are ruining the health of the nation and costing the NHS millions of pounds in health care.
DeleteYes Xanthan and Guar gums have their place for those suffering from coeliac disease and want to eat baked goods, and they are derived from what start off as naturally occurring foodstuffs, but when they are tampered with for profit driven reasons THAT is what make them UPF.
A few standby UPF products are exactly what I am aiming for and I am slowly deciding the ones which I will no longer purchase. The book itself says to try and aim for an 80 natural/20 UPF mix, it was when Chris van Tulleken switched it to 20% natural and 80% UPF the health implications almost immediately kicked in. The rewiring of his brain even astounded the doctors monitoring his progress. To think that's this is what children are being raised on today is scary and makes modern behaviours and health concerns understandable.
I've been baking my own bread for about two years - my husband loves it - whole grain rye with sourdough, rye from the farmer (I paint fresh with my own mill) so the flour only gets salt and water and the whole thing has a long fermentation time several times before it's baked ... precious. The sandwiches are prepared with butter and cheese or ham, plus radishes, kohlrabi and fruit, currently strawberries, currants and gooseberries. Tastes great and is very filling.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, there are far too many harmful substances in food, variety is important.
A hug to you.
Now that my back is a bit better I am hoping to get back to making my own bread again, something I used to do a lot of on our smallholding. I will be digging Ken the Kenwood mixer out of Alan's cupboard and putting him back to good use.
DeleteYour sandwiches sound healthy and nutritious.
Your choppy salads always look good. My favourite sandwich is chopped celery, grated cheese and mayonnaise.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea why I stopped making my choppy salads for so long, but I am back in the habit now for sure. Celery, cheese and mayo is great isn't it, I used to serve a bun with that filling and a sliced apple on the side, something that you now have me craving!
DeleteI am finding this book a real eye opener,but, as a coeliac, any baking recipe tells you to add xantham gum to help replace the gluten that isn't in free from flour! Anyone out there know of an alternative to help cakes rise other than the dreaded xantham.
ReplyDeleteLove the blog by the way
Plain Jane x
Yes, for coeliacs this is a necessary binding agent for all baked goods, and it does have it's use there. Perhaps if you are veering away from UPF you just consider xanthan gum as a part of your 20% allowable UPF allowed in your diet.
DeleteI'm almost finished the book and have already started to change what I eat, as a vegan I was a label reader anyway but many of the facts were shocking. It may be coincidence but in the last ten days I have already lost four pounds after being stuck at my weight for many months.
ReplyDeleteSeemingly, weight loss once we steer ourselves away from foods that our bodies do not recognise as natural foods is a common side effect, and a very happy one too.
DeleteI watched 'Food Unwrapped - The Vegan Aisle' on Channel 4 the other night and I was shocked at some of the revelations. When they tell you sausage skins are made from sea algae it sounds so natural, but the processing of it really isn't. Thank goodness I don't like my meat free sausages with skins!!
I think I will be picking just a few of the plant-based alternatives to keep eating and jettison some of what I have been buying over the past few years.
I used to love sandwich spread - what a good idea to make your own. I wouldn't touch it nowadays for the same reason. I don't think it is possible to go totally UPF free but I can certainly cut it to a minimum and to read those labels! xx
ReplyDeleteNo I doubt in our modern world any of us would be able to go completely UPF free, but I am going to try and set myself a 20% target to aim for. Nothing rigid or anything, but just keeping in my mind that most meals and most ingredients will be as natural as possible going forwards with wiggle room for 'treats' or conveniences some days.
DeleteI'm loving adding the male cucumber flowers to my salad bowls. They look absolutely beautiful and make a simple salad a treat for the eyes.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we should be eating natural foods, not processed; and have looked up the book on your recommendation.
ReplyDeleteAs for xanthan gum, it certainly sounds suspicious, but I know that wallpaper paste can be made with flour and water.
It reminds me of a joke that went around about students from a very religious school: "why, do you know, those students have been drinking latex paint thinner!" Which, of course, is water.
But I'll continue to weed out the non-food additives.
Anne in Wyoming