I'm a horrible hypocrite. I posted all about wonderful,
healthy recipes last week... and then I go and make this over the weekend.
Pulled chicken. Bourbon barbecue Sauce. Corn on the cob. Honey-cayenne butter. Mac & cheese. Corn bread. A peach-bourbon sweet tea cocktail. All homemade. All delicious. A full-on, Southern-style indoor barbecue. Because it was gloomy and gross out all weekend. And because I was feeding 3 grown men. And because I could.
I also discovered a container of homemade Christmas cookies from my mother-in-law that had somehow crept to the way-back of the refrigerator {aka Siberia}. It was game over. Ok, not really. I ate probably 4 the entire weekend. But still. I thought we had moved on from the Christmas cookies. I was wrong.
Anyway, I'm not making excuses or anything. I believe you should eat what you want when you crave it, moderately. Eating moderately is a lot easier to do when you are eating with a bunch of boys who have the appetites of a pack of lumberjacks. Just a tip for ya.
So, the rest of my weekend was pretty non-eventful. We took down Christmas. {sob.} I organized a bunch of different things that have been bugging me, including my cooking magazine hoard. It's a problem, guys.
It was hard work. Work that is often avoided because it's annoying and no one wants to do it. I was so proud that I finally got around to it, a feat that I must credit to that "New Year, fresh start" feeling that happens at the beginning of every January.
When the last magazine was put in its proper place {I have magazine bins where I organize them by season... sick, I know.} and all my cookbooks were sorted, I was hungry. Probably because I had just spent several hours looking at mouthwatering food photography.
That's when I decided that this would be dinner:
My own creation, the "BKTA Sandwich". Inspired by the classic "BLT", but oh, so much more. My version contains a layer of creamy avocado topped with sauteed kale, juicy tomato, salty bacon and one more layer of avocado for good measure. All of this goodness is nestled between two slices of my favorite multi-grain bread. And topped with an egg because, again, I could.
You know how I know this idea was a success? Because I was sort of sad when I took the last bite and realized it was done.
The individual elements of this sandwich are all considered "healthy", except for the bread, maybe. And the bacon, perhaps. {Unless you're Paleo. Paleo people put bacon on
everything and have no qualms about it
.} So can we just pretend this is a healthy sandwich and call it a day?
On another note, I debated whether or not I should post a sandwich "recipe" when, in fact, it is more assembly than actual cooking. But in the end, the fact that I had separation anxiety at the end of my meal made it obvious that clearly I needed to share it. So here it is.
I hope your weekend was more relaxing and less cleaning/organizing/vacuuming your Lab's hair from every surface of your house. Regardless, enjoy this sandwich. Yum.
BKTA {Bacon, Kale, Tomato & Avocado} Sandwich with Egg
2 slices natural multi-grain bread, toasted {my favorite is
this brand}
1/2 an avocado, sliced
4 slices of a small tomato
2 slices cooked bacon, halved {I use this
nitrate-free kind}
2 stems of kale, leaves removed & chopped
1 egg
1. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a small skillet {non-stick if you have one} over medium-high heat. Add chopped kale and saute until tender and slightly wilted. Transfer kale to a bowl.
2. Assemble sandwich: Place one slice of toasted bread on a plate. Top with 3 slices of avocado. Arrange sauteed kale on top. Place tomatoes on top of kale. Lay bacon strips on top of tomatoes. Finally, if you're an avocado-lover like I am, top with 3 more slices of avocado. Place second slice of bread on top. Did I really just tell you how to
make a sandwich?? We've reached new lows, folks.
3. Using the same skillet {because we are definitely not using more than one pan to make a stinkin' sandwich}, add about a teaspoon of olive oil and fry your egg. Or not. I'm not going to tell you how to make your egg, everyone likes them differently. I used to love, then hate, then love runny yolks. So yeah. Just make your egg however the spirit moves you. Then put it on top of that gorgeous stack of wonderfulness that's sitting on the plate.
4. I highly suggest you eat/serve this with a fork and knife. Unless you're home alone and the shades are drawn. Then dive in with reckless abandon.
Note: I didn't season the kale, tomato or avocado with anything because 1. I try not to add salt if it isn't really necessary, and 2. Bacon is salty enough. And this is a "healthy" sandwich, remember? So let's keep it that way. But if you really, truly want to, you can add a sprinkle on any of the parts you'd like.
Another note: Among the things I did NOT get accomplished this weekend: Real non-sandwich recipes to share; the recaps of the past five zillion events I've attended that I need to hurry up and finish. Sorry. It'll happen.
