Summer Harvest Sandwiches
Submitted by Lauren S.
Ingredients:
Chive Spread
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
Salt and pepper, to taste
Avocado Salad
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
1 tomato, cored and chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
Squeeze of lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or cilantro
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 slices whole grain bread or 4 small mulitgrain tortillas
1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts
2 to 4 slices lite pepper jack cheese
Directions
In a small bowl, mix the Greek yogurt and chives. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, gently toss together the avocado, tomato, cucumber, lime juice and basil or cilantro. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
Spread the chive-yogurt mixture on all four bread slices. Divide the sprouts between two slices of bread, and top with avocado salad and cheese. Cover with the remaining slices of bread. Makes 2 large sandwiches or 4 small wraps.
Nutritional Information (from www.nutrition-and-you.com)
Health benefits of Basil herb
Basil leaves contain many notable plant derived chemical compounds that are known to have disease preventing and health promoting properties. Basil herb contains many polyphenolic flavonoids like orientin and vicenin. These compounds were tested in vitro laboratory studies for possible anti-oxidant protection against radiation-induced lipid per-oxidation in mouse liver. Basil leaves contains many health benefiting essential oils such as eugenol, citronellol, linalool, citral, limonene and terpineol. These compounds are known to have anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties.
Health benefits of avocado
Avocados, like olives, are high in mono-unsaturated fats and calories. However, they are very rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals and packed with numerous health benefiting plant nutrients. Their creamy pulp is very rich source of mono-unsaturated fatty acids like oleic and palmitoleic acids as well as omega-6 poly-unsaturated fatty acid linoleic acid. Research studies suggest that Mediterranean diet that is rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids help lower LDL or bad cholesterol and increase HDL or good cholesterol, thereby, prevent coronary artery disease and strokes by favoring healthy blood lipid profile.
Health benefits of Tomato
Tomatoes are one of the low calorie vegetables containing just 18 calories per 100 g. They are also very low in any fat contents and have zero cholesterol levels. Nonetheless, they are excellent sources of antioxidants, dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins. Because of their all-round qualities, dieticians and nutritionists often recommend them to be included in cholesterol controlling and weight reduction programs.
Health benefits of Cucumber
It is one of the very low calories vegetable; provides just 15 calories per 100 g. It contains no saturated fats or cholesterol. Cucumber peel is a good source of dietary fiber that helps reduce constipation, and offers some protection against colon cancers by eliminating toxic compounds from the gut.
Health Benefits of Alfalfa Sprouts
Anti-oxidant rich: Alfalfa sprouts are the top source of anti-oxidant among all vegetables. By eating alfalfa sprouts regularly, it could prevent untold number of degenerative diseases. Some examples are heart disease, menopausal symptoms, osteoporosis and even cancer.
Health Benefits of Greek Yogurt
It’s higher in protein: If you’re looking for a good source of protein, Greek yogurt wins out over regular yogurt. Most commercial Greek yogurts at supermarkets have almost double the protein content of standard brands such as Dannon. One cup of plain, low-fat convention yogurt has between ten and twelve protein grams, whereas most Greek yogurts average around twenty.