BLT Redefined

I'm sad that my digital camera is broken--this picture from my phone doesn't do this delicious sandwich justice. I'm not reinventing the wheel here, but tonight I made what I thought was a fun and slightly healthier update to the traditional BLT.

I call it... The Open Face TBST (Turkey Bacon, Spinach & Tomato) Sandwich.

And here's the recipe in case you'd like to replicate it!

Ingredients:

2 slices of a multi-grain baguette (I got mine from Trader Joe's--very good!)
Several leaves of raw spinach, washed and dried
Several slices of fresh tomato
1 string cheese (that's all I had in the house, but slices of fresh mozzarella would be best)
3-4 slices of turkey bacon
Olive oil (optional)
Balsamic vinegar
A dash of pepper

Directions:

1. Prepare the turkey bacon according to the package. I just cooked it on the stove at medium heat in a skillet (slightly greased with oil). (Even healthier would be to use a nonstick skillet.)
2. Turn on the oven to broiler mode.
3. Place the bread (inside facing up) on a cookie sheet. Pull the string cheese apart into several strings and place on the bread (or, place slices of mozzarella on the bread).
4. Place the cookie sheet with bread and cheese in the oven and watch like a hawk (seriously, otherwise it'll burn if you're not careful) until the edges of the bread are toasted and the cheese begins to bubble and brown.
5. Remove the bread from the oven and layer the turkey bacon, raw spinach and tomatoes on the bread.
6. Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil (optional) and balsamic vinegar on top of the sandwich. Add black pepper (cracked would be best :-)) to taste.
7. Enjoy!

I can't believe I'm recommending a sandwich that contains two ingredients I avoided as a kid: spinach and tomatoes. But, I realized a few years back that raw spinach tastes pretty much like lettuce... I'm just not as much of a fan of cooked spinach (unless it's mixed in with something else that's tasty). Plus, spinach has more nutrients than regular lettuce, so take the plunge and try it!

As for tomatoes, I think my tastes have finally grown up a bit. My recommendation is to splurge for the really good tomatoes. Otherwise, they're tasteless and kind of gross. I love grape tomatoes, plum tomatoes... the really red, smaller varieties that are packed with deliciousness. So, if you've not liked tomatoes in the past, perhaps you've just had the large, tasteless variety that they slap onto your burger at a fast food joint. Try them again!

Turkey bacon is also key. 20 calories a slice... not bad! I'm sure any form of bacon is slightly less healthy than fresh sliced turkey, but for that bacon taste, I'm a fan of the turkey bacon (which tastes a lot like regular bacon, by the way).

Enjoy!