In Autumn I welcome the arrival of all things pumpkin, whether it's pumpkin lattes at Starbucks, pumpkin chocolate cookies, or pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. So why not pumpkin sandwiches? Inspired by carrot cake with cranberries folded in, this sweet sandwich would make a great dessert or an afternoon snack with cider.
When it comes to meaty sandwiches, it's hard to get much meatier than a sloppy joe. But with National Vegetarian Month on the horizon, you can enjoy a kinder, gentler, and healthier version of the old Manwich. Made with hearty portobello mushrooms flavored with bell peppers, onions, tomato paste, and a touch of spice, these vegetarian sloppy joes don't taste like beef, but in sentiment and sloppiness, they do the trick.
I could write a whole blog about sandwiches I make with Trader Joe's ingredients, from the Sloppy Jose to the naanwich. Of course, I love leftover sandwiches, so after enjoying TJ's marinated ahi tuna steaks for dinner, I used the extra fish to make a gourmet tuna melt with olives and sprouts. The photos don't do justice to how delicious it was.
I recently lunched at San Francisco's Cafe Claude to satisfy my pan bagnat craving. This classic French sandwich hails from Nice and features Nicoise olives, oil-packed tuna, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, and anchovies, among other yummy ingredients. The Parisian-style bistro serves its sandwich on a ciabatta-type roll, which I recommend over the kaiser in following recipe.
Another delicious result of my recent trip to Estela's Fresh Sandwiches, one of my favorite sandwich destinations in SF. Though I normally shy away from sandwiches served on focaccia, this bread was perfect: pillowy soft and flavorful but not at all oily. What I really loved, however, was the giant mound of shredded parmesan, which gave the sandwich a sharp, cheesy crunch.
This was one of those fridge-clean-out sandwiches that came together so brilliantly I wanted to make it again immediately. I started with some ingredients I needed to use up ASAP: precooked chicken patties from Trader Joe's, a bag of mixed Southern-style greens, and a yellow onion.
Then, to make things a little more interesting, enter a jar of roasted piquillo peppers and sliced white cheddar cheese. To balance out all that bite, I settled on cranberry-walnut bread from Acme, while sauteed onions also added sweetness.

After enjoying my fair share of sandwiches at 'Wichcraft, I finally whipped up one of the recipes from the 'Wichcraft cookbook. Inspired by a salad popular in Sisha Ortuzar's native Chile, this celery, avocado, and goat cheese concoction looked easy, summery, and delicious. Plus, I was intrigued by the use of celery in a sandwich.
"The Sentinel has a sandwich with figs on it today!" a coworker alerted me on Tuesday morning. I love figs, and I love sandwiches, so I hightailed it over to the SF sandwich shop founded by local chef Dennis Leary. This was my third time trying The Sentinel's sandwiches, but I was still somewhat disappointed. Why? because this sandwich was sweetened with fig spread. The menu promised fresh figs!
The other day I had a sudden, strong craving for an egg sandwich, so I headed to 'Wichcraft with the onion frittata in mind. A brilliantly constructed breakfast sammie, it uses precooked frittata and incredibly fresh ciabatta, so it's not at all messy. The combination of white cheddar, Parmesan, and slow roasted tomatoes creates a rich, multifaceted flavor that's almost — but just almost — too bold.
A friend of mine recently gave me some fresh eggs from her backyard chicken coop, complete with the hugest, yellowest yolks I've ever had the pleasure of eating. Since I love a sweet and savory breakfast sandwich, I got out the strawberry and meyer lemon marmalade that had done me so right before and combined it with crisped prosciutto and Bays English muffins.
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