B L T --- Summer at Its Best and in Our Budget!Well, you know how I always tell you to check the weekly ad circular at Jungle Jim’s to decide what’s for dinner this week --- well, with Jungle’s BLT Special this week – you can make a delicious BLT combination for breakfast, lunch and dinner on a budget!!
In my opinion, BLT is Summer Comfort Food, PLUS the combination has endless variations. For a lowcarb/high protein way to start the day --- how about a combination of chopped tomato, chopped hard-boiled egg, and cooked crumbled bacon in a lettuce leaf cup – yummy! For lunch, wrap things up with a BLT Wrap with a spicy chipotle sauce or a BLT Mozzarella Stack. Dinner brings time for a Cobb Salad, a Chipotle Ranch BLT Pasta Salad, or even an Italian BLT Chicken Salad on Tuscan Toast. Maybe you’d like to start off a formal dinner with a BLT Wedge Salad with Egg Mimosa or even a BLT dip to snack on. Whether you’re making a classic BLT sandwich like Mom used to make or one of the 10 BLT recipes shown below, with the Bacon and the Lettuce and the Tomato all on sale this week, you can’t go wrong --- a perfect taste of Summer --- BLT --- all on a Budget --- Does it get any better?!??!
Any of these BLT creations for breakfast, lunch, or dinner come in under $10 for a family of four with the BLT Special at Jungle Jim’s --- Jungle Jim’s Bacon (my favorite bacon) at $2.50 a lb., head of iceberg lettuce at $.69, and vine-ripe tomatoes at $.79 per lb.-wow! Additional ingredients you may incorporate are also specially priced: a dozen large Jungle Jim’s eggs is only $1, Florida Avocados are $1.25 each, and if you want to incorporate grilled chicken breasts, Gerber’s Amish boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts are also on sale at $2.99 per lb. along with 8 oz. packages of Crystal Farms cheese at $1.25, and 16 oz. Ken’s Salad Dressings at $2.19. Shop smart, cook light, eat right!
Serve all the best of summer with ONE OF THESE 10 SCRUMPTIOUS BLT COMBINATIONS of your choice – all IN BUDGET --- gotta love summer!!!
Lo Carb - Hi Protein BLT Breakfast Cup4 SlicesCrumbled Cooked Bacon
1 LargeSeeded and Chopped Tomatoes
4 Chopped Hardboiled Eggs
Salt and Pepper to taste
4Outer Leaves of Lettuce
Combine the first three ingredients – salt and pepper to taste. Top each lettuce leaf with about 1/3 cup mixture – roll up and enjoy!Serves 4
Traditional BLT and then……..Naturally, you can have your BLT the old-fashioned way and it is still wonderful:
simply toast two slices of your favorite bread, spread some mayonnaise on the bread and top with lettuce, slices of tomato, and crisp, cooked slices of bacon.
And then, you can be a little creative with your BLT by using different types of bread or toasted rolls and adding ingredients like sliced avocado or fresh mozzarella slices and adding prepared pesto to the mayonnaise. Use your imagination or try one of these BLT variations:
BLT Smokey Spicy Wrap4Flour Tortillas – Burrito Size
8Cooked Bacon Slices
8Slices of Tomato
8Lettuce Leaves
Chipotle Mayo (Smokey Spicy Sauce)
½ CupMayonnaise
1 Tsp.Minced Chipotles in Adobo Sauce (or more to taste)
Optional: Can add other vegetables if desired: sliced Onion, Avocado slices, shredded
carrot, etc.
Mix the minced chipotles and mayonnaise until well blended. (Chipotles are smoked dried jalapenos so they turn the mayo into a smoky slightly spicy sauce.)
Spread each tortilla with Chipotle Mayo. Top with bacon, lettuce, and tomato and any other vegetables you like. Roll up like a burrito and enjoy! Serves 4
BLT Club version in a Lettuce Wrap
For a low carb version of the BLT Wrap, substitute a large lettuce leaf for the tortilla. Leaving the lettuce out of the center, add more protein by adding a slice or two of turkey breast and cheese – all rolled up in the lettuce wrap.
BLT Grilled Open-Face SandwichButter thick slices of Sourdough or Bakery bread and grill on low heat on one side until toasted. Turn and then top toasted side of bread with a slice of your favorite cheese – cover grill and grill until bread is toasted and cheese melts – just a minute or two.
Take grilled cheese toast from grill – place on plate – top melted cheese toast with tomato slices, crisp cooked slices of bacon, and small pieces of lettuce that have been tossed lightly in your favorite vinaigrette. Serve as a delicious open-face sandwich.
BLT Fresh Mozzarella StackDepending on how high you want to make your stack, start with a toasted slice of Italian bread. Spread the bread with a mixture of equal parts of mayonnaise and prepared pesto. Top with slice of lettuce or torn lettuce pieces, and then a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese, then a slice of tomato and top with a slice of bacon, broken in half and criss-crossed – can double stack if you like. Can top with chives if you like or drizzle with some balsamic vinegar.
Italian BLT Chicken Salad on Tuscan Toast2 CupsChopped Cooked Chicken
2-4Tomatoes, Seeded and Chopped
8 Slices of cooked crumbled Bacon
2 CupsArugula leaves or lettuce leaves torn into bite size pieces
4Thick slices of Italian Bread, toasted
Italian Salad Vinaigrette of your choice
Chopped fresh basil or parsley (optional)
If you like, you can spread a little garlic butter on the Italian bread slices before toasting.
Combine the chicken, tomatoes, bacon and arugula or lettuce and toss gently with as much Italian salad vinaigrette as you like. Can add a tablespoon of chopped herb of choice. Divide the mixture evenly over the four slices of toast and serve. Serves 4
BLT Pasta SaladChipotle Ranch BLT Pasta Salad
½ 16 oz. package of rotini (swirls) pasta
½ lb.Bacon, cooked and crumbled
½ headRomaine or Iceberg Lettuce
3Large Ripe Tomatoes, halved
¾ CupRanch style dressing whisked
with 1 tsp. chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
(or more to taste)
Optional: Sliced green onions for garnish
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook just until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a deep skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. When cooled, this crumbled bacon will keep in an airtight container at room temperature.
Rinse the lettuce and allow to dry thoroughly. Tear the lettuce into bite size pieces, bag, and refrigerate until serving time.
In a large bowl, stir together the dressing with the chipotle peppers (taste and adjusting seasonings). Add the cooled pasta and the tomatoes and toss gently. If you like you can also add the chopped onions instead of using as garnish at this point. Refrigerate until ready to serve (up to 12 hours).
When ready to serve, toss the pasta with the bite size pieces of romaine lettuce and the crumbled bacon. Garnish with sliced green onions and additional bacon if desired
BLT Wedge Salad with Egg Mimosa4Wedges of Iceberg Lettuce
1Tomatoes, quartered
8 SlicesCooked crumbled bacon
2Hardboiled eggs
Blue Cheese Dressing or Balsamic Dressing on SaleIf you would like a homemade blue cheese dressing, you can try this one:
Blue Cheese Dressing
1 cupMayonnaise
½ CupButtermilk
DashWorcestershire Sauce
1 Tsp.Lemon Zest
1 CupBlue Cheese, crumbled
1 Tab.Fresh Parsley (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Whisk the first four ingredients. Stir in the blue cheese and parsley – taste and add salt and pepper.
To make Egg Mimosa:
Press peeled, hardboiled egg through a fine strainer.
Place one wedge of lettuce on each salad plate. Arrange tomato quarters around wedge. Drizzle with blue cheese dressing or dressing of choice. Top with crumbled bacon and add egg mimosa. If you like, you can also top with chopped chives.
Cobb Salad1 headLettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
4 slicesCooked crumbled Bacon
1 CupChopped cooked Chicken breast
2 Tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2-3 Hardboiled Eggs, chopped
1Avocado, chopped
½ - 1 CupCheese – shredded or crumbled bleu cheese
¼ CupSliced Black Olives
¼ CupSlivered pieces of Red Onion
Salad Dressing of choice
You can make one big beautiful salad or 4 individual salads. Start with a layer of the torn lettuce pieces. In pie shape form, add the remaining 8 ingredients on top. Serve with the salad dressing of choice.
BLT Dip --- for summer snackin’ 1 lb. Bacon
1 Cup Mayonnaise
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 LargeTomato, peeled, seeded and diced**
Small Round Head of Lettuce (Bibb or Iceberg)
Using a large, sharp knife, slice entire pound of bacon in ½ inch slices and separate into pieces in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat until bacon pieces are browned and crisp. Using a large slotted spoon, transfer bacon pieces to paper towels and allow to drain and cool. (I find this method easier than cooking bacon slices separately until crisp and then having to crumble them, but you can do whichever way iyou prefer.)
In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise and the sour cream. Stir in the crisp, cooked bacon pieces. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.
Add the diced tomatoes right before serving. Fold Mixture into a hollowed out head of lettuce – Bibb Lettuce or Iceberg Lettuce. You can top with some reserved bacon pieces and chopped tomato if desired.
Serve with crackers or chips and watch it disappear!
So, there you have it! Ten delicious BLT recipes to make this summer the best on a budget!! Summer delight!!
The best of summer to you and yours!
Jungle Jim’s Margie Potts
