Happy Sandwich Tuesday! Low Carb Smoky Sonoran Turkey and Bacon Slider

Hello LilyOnTheLam.com Readers:  

If you read my blog posts from last week, you will know that I have started experimenting with low carb cooking and baking.  In my July 17th blog post, I wrote about my first experience making low carb coconut flour "bread" by following a recipe I found on the 24-7 Low Carb Diner blog. 

My first experiment inspired me to create my own spin-off recipe.  The following blog post details how I created a recipe for what I am calling my "Low Carb Smoky Sonoran Turkey and Bacon Slider."  

Once I made the coconut flour bread from the 24-7 Low Carb Diner blog described in the July 17, 2012 post, I immediately thought of various ways to add flavor to the bread.  I took the bread recipe and decided to give it more of a smoky, spicy twist.   

I added several dashes of chipotle peppers, dried jalapeño flakes and ground cumin to the coconut bread batter.  Instead of the "pinch of salt" required by the recipe, I threw in some fresh ground smoked sea salt.  I also added a bit more baking powder.  If I had some tomato powder, I would have put in a few dashes of it as well.  But alas, no tomato powder in the pantry!  I am calling this spin-off recipe: "Smoky Jalapeño Coconut Flour Bread."

Whoops, I got out of control with the chipotle peppers!

I mixed the batter with a fork and then let it sit for a few minutes to thicken.

The end result was a larger "loaf" of coconut bread than my previous attempt.  The seasonings made it look like whole wheat bread.  Learning my lesson from the last time I baked coconut flour bread (see July 17th's blog post), I decided to let the Smoky Jalapeño Coconut Flour Bread completely cool and dry out a bit.  I would suggest making this coconut bread the day before and letting it sit out at room temperature to draw out some of the moisture.    

Hello Big Lovely Loaf!

Because the loaf had completely cooled and was allowed to dry out for a little while, I was able to slice it into thinner pieces much more easily than my previous experiment.  The recipe for this loaf yields 4 slices, I was able to slice it into 8 slices instead.


As you can see in the picture below, there is a hole in my coconut bread.  Gently tapping the bottom of the coffee mug on the counter after you add the batter helps drive out air bubbles before you microwave the "bread."

The jalapeño flakes were nicely distributed throughout the bread

Meanwhile, I fried one slice of center cut bacon.

Hello Bacon Deliciousness!

 While the bacon was frying, I took a teaspoon full of the leftover Basil Lime Mayonnaise.  (My recipe for this is listed in last Thursday's blog post.)

I added a dash of cumin and a dash of cayenne pepper and mixed it well.  I should have added a bit more cumin than this below to really amp the smokiness.  If you like heat, you may want to add a dash of hot sauce or some additional jalapeño flakes.  I would recommend leaving this amped mayo in the refrigerator for a few hours before using to bring out all the flavors.  However, I used it right away and it was very tasty.

When the bacon was crispy, I removed the bacon from the frying pan and fried 2 slices of the thinly sliced coconut bread in the bacon fat.  I got a nice brown color to it.  (Doesn't it look like polenta?)

After I had fried the coconut bread on both sides, I added my spiced up basil lime mayonnaise to both slices.

Learning the lessons from my past coconut bread slider recipe, I decided to add a lot more meat to my sandwich.  I added one serving of thin-sliced smoked turkey breast (45 calories, 1 g. carbs total), which for this product (Oscar Meyer) was 6 slices.  I cut the fried bacon piece in half and put both halves between the slices of turkey on the sandwich.


The end result?  I'm calling it Lily's Low Carb Smoky Sonoran Turkey and Bacon Slider.

I took the above picture and then realized you could not see any bacon, so I tried again in the picture below.  See the bacon peeking out?

Lily's Recipe Review:  

A+ for this one!  I will absolutely be adding this slider to my low carb recipe collection.  I was very happy with the results.

I learned a lot about working with this recipe for coconut flour bread the first time I made it.  I detailed those lessons in previous Sandwich Tuesday blog posts.  The smokiness of the cumin and chipotle peppers as well as the heat of the jalapeño flakes made this coconut flour bread very tasty.  No more bland flavor coconut bread!  

Adjusting the bread to meat ratio also helped for overall flavor.  More meat, less bread!  Although next time I'll use four slices of thin sliced smoked turkey breast instead of six.  I went from my July 17th slider sandwich not having enough meat to having too much meat in this week's sandwich.  Ahhh well, live and learn!

The thinner bread slices fried in bacon fat were still not as crispy as whole wheat toast, but it was a lot less spongy-tasting.  I didn't have the "Am I eating meat between two slices of bland cake?" feeling that I had in my last coconut bread sandwich experience.  The smoky cumin-cayenne basil lime mayo was delicious and added a richness that made it completely unnecessary to have any cheese on this slider sandwich.  The combination of smoky turkey, crisp bacon and the lime and cumin notes of the mayonnaise went together very well.  

If you like sandwiches with a bit of smoky heat to them, you should try this Low Carb Smoky Sonoran Turkey and Bacon Slider recipe.  Depending on the calorie count of the meat you use and how much mayonnaise, your total calories might vary from mine.  However I estimated that this slider sandwich was around 208 calories and 2.5 grams of carbs total.  It was very filling and tasty.  I would absolutely serve this recipe, with each slider sliced in half as a great appetizer for a cocktail party.  It would also make a nice accompaniment to a smoky bowl of roasted red pepper soup.  

Other recipe variation suggestions:  You could add basil leaves, a leaf of Boston butter lettuce or arugula to the slider as well.  Chopped sun dried tomatoes added to the mayonnaise would be add a great touch versus a bland slice of tomato.  If you like cheese on your sandwiches, a thin slice of brie or pepperjack cheese would work well too.  

I sliced the rest of my Smoky Jalapeño Coconut Flour bread and separated each slice in foil before putting it in the freezer.  I took it out of the freezer several days later and toasted them in my toaster oven.  The drying out in the freezer as well as the toasting made the bread slightly crunchier than before.  The flavor was still deep, smoky and delicious.  I'm glad that it froze well.

Thanks for reading - if you try this recipe, let me know what you think about it in the comments section!      


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