Paleo BLTs
or “BLATs”, rather 🙂
Certain foods always remind me of my childhood. Just to name a small few:
fresh, homemade tortillas -they’d still be warm from the stove and would literally melt in your mouth
Nana’s frijoles (THE BEST)
tomato soup in a coffee mug -still one of my favorites, especially when I’m fighting the sniffles
and BLTs.
We didn’t eat a ton of BLTs growing up, but just enough to know exactly how madre them, and that nothing else will ever be that good. I almost never order BLTs at restaurants unless by some profound fate they have turkey or tempeh bacon. Even if I did, they just wouldn’t compare. Madre would add everything to the sandwich and then throw it in the pan so the bread would be toasted and crispy. I think the fact that her hands touched it made it instantly better than anything I could try to replicate, just like all of her dishes. Simple ones like a BLT aren’t as good, and the more complicated ones, whelp, there’s no hope. (I’ll never live down the “sloppy loaf.”)
I’m not sure what came over me the other day, but I HAD to have a BLT. I’ve been enjoying Paleo bread quite a bit lately -love how satisfying and hearty it is- so I used a couple of slices for an at-home BLAT (bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato).
Not. too. shabby.
Here’s the bread recipe that I used.
It’s an almost-weekly staple in our house, and is absolute perfection with sunflower seed butter and a drizzle of honey.
I made the sandwich using organic turkey bacon (extra criiiiiiisp!), sliced heirloom tomato that was on its last leg, lettuce, and a smear of this horseradish sauce. Someone in the fam accidentally put it in our cooler while we were cleaning up 4th of July activities, so I’ve just taken it as a gift haha. If they ask for it back, I’ll have to get a new bottle.
Not quite like madre’s, but definitely amazing — I can tell they’ll be a frequent staple. For the record, the pretty photos above were just for blog purposes. It’s the best open-faced so you can top each slice of bread with lots of toppings and make a bit of a mess 😉
What’s your favorite childhood food memory? Any awesome BLT variations I should try? I’ve seen a few with fried eggs on top.. it’s going to happen ASAP.
Hope you’re having a great day <3
xoxo
Gina
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My mom makes the best BLTs, too! Her “secret” is to butter the toasted bread. I never do it, since I’m adding other sources of fat, but it really makes it taste good. 🙂 In the summer, I used to make cucumber, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches with fresh garden produce. Not very filling, but delicious.
Hi Gina-
I was wondering- what kind of pan did u use to make this bread?
Thanks 🙂
i use a loaf pan that’s larger than the suggested pan. the loaf is flatter, but still cookies perfectly
Oooh la la! That looks so tasty!
I have this weird memory of eating tuna sandwiches on the playground in first grade. To this day, I can’t smell or see a tuna sandwich without thinking of Catholic school and the little plaid jumpers we had to wear!
I love BLTs! Or Blat’s, rather! and have forgotten all about them! I will need to add them to the lunch and dinner (and even breakfast) rotation. As a child, I was big on cream cheese and jelly sandwiches! They were my favorite. I need to grab some cream cheese and jelly and make one right away! I was also always up for a toaster strudel.
that’s cute- i made livi cream cheese and jelly as her lunch sandwich today 🙂
Yumm! BLT’s remind me of my childhood too! My mom and I would always go to a little diner when I was younger and I would always order the BLT – it always takes me back!
My dad always made chop suey, turkey casserole, and the most absolute AMAZING German chocolate cake and chocolate frosting (passed down from my German great grandmother) and my mom made spaghetti and amazing meatballs when we were kids. And, of course, BLTs with real mayo!
I miss that comfort food! I should make stuff like that more often…good for the soul!
Also, do you think using garbanzo bean flour instead of almond meal would work in the paleo bread recipe? I’m allergic to almonds. 🙁
yum! I hadn’t thought of that. the boyfriend would LOVE a BLT…I may just have to start making those. Possibly with Ezekiel bread or store-bought almond flour bread to save some time. Thanks for sharing!!!
This sounds like my kind of BLT!!! Yummy!
Family food memory…tomato sandwich on white bread with mayo
BELTAS- Bacon, egg, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and sprouts—yum!
We just made some amazing “T(b)ATS” the other day haha! Two slice of 21 grains Dave’s Killer Bread, spread liberally with a homemade garlic tofu mayo, tempeh bacon (heated in a pan), avocado, garden heirloom tomatoes and sprouts, and crisped the Sammy in a lightly sprayed pan (grilled cheese style). Oh my gosh so good…
Sadly my favourite childhood meals were plain grilled cheese with ketchup (actually, more like ketchup with grilled cheese!) and Kraft dinner with ketchup slathered on top. Yeah, I had a maaajor ketchup issue! And looking back, all that cheese probably explains why my stomach doesn’t like it so much any more. As for BLTs, I don’t really remember having any because I was never a fan of raw tomatoes. Times have changed though, and this sounds amazing! Going to check out the paleo bread now!
That bread looks incredible!
Umm..YUMMM! I am SO excited to try this out 🙂 Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe, I look forward to making the bread 🙂 Love + Shine CourtStar
BLAT’s, I like that especially with the amazing avocados here in Arizona! That bread too, oh my gosh… my mind is like blown with all this 🙂
Can you make an attempt at your Nana’s frijoles? 🙂 I would love a post about THAT!
Does turkey bacon taste like real bacon? I’ve been nervous to try it because I’m a strange person who HATES bacon. even as a young child is freak out if my mom used the spatula for the bacon on the eggs because I could taste the bacon in my eggs. With all this hype about bacon lately I tried a bite of my husband’s bacon cheesecake dessert the other day and nope, still chugged my drink down trying to get the taste out haha.
Out of curiosity, how do you handle Livi’s diet with your family? Like if your mother made her a BLT would you be okay with it? Will you explain to her why you don’t eat regular BLTs? I ask mostly because I’m a picky eater and I fear about my pickiness rubbing off on my children when we have them (having to answer when they ask why I make and eat something different than what my mother serves, for example)
i haven’t had bacon in so many years, i’m not sure how close turkey bacon is. i think it’s definitely similar but not like real bacon?
livi eats everything except for pork, beef and food dyes. the pork and beef thing is because they’re not recommended before a child is two -she love fish, chicken and eggs, though- and we don’t eat them at our house. i skip the food dyes because of all the negative research concerning them and small children (they’re banned in other countries, but not the us)
my diet has changed a lot over the past year- i wrote a post about it here. i don’t really care that much anymore and am trying to teach her balance by showing her moderation and balance. we eat kale chips together, but we also eat gooey chocolate cake together 😉
I remember being quite picky with my moms food, being that I would rather eat processed junk food (esp. fish sticks with ketchup and boiled potatoes) instead of my moms home-cooked meals. My mom’s a chaotic cook, and let’s just say she get’s – umm – experimental, which I as a child apparently didn’t care for, but strangely as an adult I now do the same thing…
Also: Do you mind sharing the source/more info about the beef and pork thing? I’m just asking, because we’re not big on red meat, but our son was very low on iron and it was recommended by his pediatrician to give him extra red meat, well before he was two (I’m thinking around his 18 month checkup?). I’m aware that there are tons of sources of iron, such as fish, chicken, greens and legumes, which he is eating. I’m just curious as to why it would not be recommended to children under two (as we’ve been told the exact opposite) and would love to read more about it.
I’m also curious about the no beef or pork before 2. I’ve never heard that and a quick search on the Internet turned up nothing (but I don’t have much luck sometimes with searches!). Can you share your info source? My daughter is a few weeks younger than Liv, and we don’t eat beef often, but do occasionally.
Thanks!
@Susie OK, so I did a quick Google search and i found this article by Dr. Sears is usually one of our go-to sources for kid questions.
http://www.parenting.com/article/ask-dr-sears-red-meat-consumption
The main concerns seem to be that they’re hard to chew and digest (we mostly use ground beef for meatballs – great high-calorie toddler snack btw. with any kind of ground meat 🙂 – and add plenty to his diet of fiber for digestion), saturated fats, which contribute to heart disease and obesity (our son was born at 4lbs and is still only in the 5th percentile at almost 2, so not a too big concern for us).
Personally, one of my biggest concerns is the use of antibiotics and growth hormones and their effect on little growing toddler bodies, so we make sure to buy grass-fed organic beef.
There are other articles that claim it’s harmful to feed young children too little meat (incl. red) (http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/parenting/news+on+parenting-269261.html )and others that say any amount of red meat in children is harmful (http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/954907/is-red-meat-safe-for-children).
Sorry about the long comment, but I hope this helps. I think I’m just more confused than before, but am going with what worked for us so far.
@Susan – thanks for your reply! We’ve been buying grass-fed beef, so at least I don’t have to worry about that aspect! Thanks for the links. I’ll keep researching 🙂
There definitely is something about a mom’s home cooking that makes any other replication of the dish pale in comparison! This looks delicious, especially with the homemade bread 🙂
That sounds totally awesome. I am sure that paleo bread is a perfect fit for BLTs because of it’s savory taste. Also I never tried the combination of bacon and avocado, but it sounds delicious. Definitely worth a try this sammie!
I so want to try this paleo bread, it looks so good!
My Mom used to make stuffed potatoes with ground beef and carrots. I always wished for it on my birthday – back then with a LOOOT of white creamy sauce (ugh!) 🙂
BLTs must just be a kid thing – I loved them growing up too and recently made them the way my mom did, but I subbed the bacon for tempeh. I used to try to go all fancy with spinach and avocado, but the truth is it’s best with iceburg, tomato, mayo, and tempeh.
Mom made BLTs with a thick layer of mayo – so good! Another was tuna (from the can) mixed wtih hardboiled egg, mayo, celery and onion and ate on Ritz crackers. OMG, after typing that I realized that I need mom’s tuna fish!!!!
However, as a paleo follower, a real paleo blt would use regular bacon 🙂 just saying… Your missing out!
hahah true dat 🙂
I am so having this for lunch!! The best BLTs I had growing up where made by my Gramma…and she made them often!
Avocado is my #1 add on to BLT, #2 would definitely be gouda. It’s just yum 😀
so weird! i just told my bf i was craving a blt! loving your avocado addition 😉 doesn’t avocado make everyyyyything better?? mmmmm i totally need to make that paleo bread since you love it sooooo much!!
My favorite food memory is breakfast with my Grandma – country ham and biscuits. I don’t have them very often but on the rare occasion I do its like I’m right back at my Grandma’s kitchen table.
Where do you buy your almond flour for the bread? I could only find it at Whole Foods and they wanted an arm and a leg for a reallysmall amount. Thanks!
this looks so delish. I love simple ingredients that taste spectacular when paired together!
BLTs remind me of the summer I worked at a local golf course in the club house – it was the only thing I knew how to make when the cook wasn’t around haha.
I like how you’ve given a classic a fun paleo twist 🙂
That horseradish stuff is made in my small town- Springfield, OH. I actually teach the owner’s kids. They make delicious mustard, too!! It was fun to see in your post.