Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Mexican BLTs

I didn't say it wasn't messy.
I've been making a lot of sandwiches lately.  I blame it on my new found love (and New Year's resolution) of making our own bread.  There's just something about a freshly made loaf that makes a sandwich better, don't you think?

So the other day, I came home to a box from Foodbuzz.  Inside was some Pace Picante Sauce, thanks to Foodbuzz's Tastemakers program.  I'll be honest, I don't usually buy salsa at the grocery.  I prefer mine chunky and fresh.  But Pace is different.  It reminds me of being at a Mexican restaurant.  The salsa is usually thin and packs some heat.

I pondered what I would make with the sauce.  Should I stick with a Mexican theme since it made me nostalgic?  Or should I go a different route?  If you know me, I don't like to go with the obvious, so of course, I had to do something out of the box.  And so ties in my love for sandwiches.  BLT's in particular.


Ingredients:
Adapted from Mommy Cooks!'s recipe



Fresh baked bread, sliced
olive oil
pinch of cumin powder

pinch of chipotle chili powder  
8 slices of thick-cut bacon
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Pace Picante Sauce
1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup romaine lettuce, chopped
1 tomato, sliced


Preheat oven to 400 F.




Place bacon a rack over a baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 15-20 minutes.  Drain on a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

Brush the olive oil over the top of the pieces of bread.  Sprinkle cumin and chipotle chili powder over top of bread slices.

In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, Pace Picante sauce, and the chopped poblano pepper.

Spread the mixture over the top of your bread slices.

Top bread slices with pepper jack cheese (you can do one slice if you want, but I like the cheese coming at me from both ends!)



Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and bake for about 5-7 minutes, or until cheese is nice and melted.  You could always broil it also if you want the cheese to brown and crunch up a bit.

My bacon slices were pretty long so I just snapped them in half.  Place about 4-6 pieces of bacon (and of course, you could get buck wild and go with more if you're so inclined) on top of one slice of bread.  Top with a tomato slice and finally some romaine lettuce.  Close sandwich with another slice of bread.

This was one hell of a BLT.  It comes mighty close to beating my ultimate favorite BLATE (Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, Tomato, Egg - of the poached variety, of course).  I loved the salsa/mayo mixture, which is odd because I usually stray away from mayo at all costs.  This was new to me, this was fresh, and it was a different way to use up some Pace Picante!  Definitely give it a go if you're in the mood for a delicious BLT!


* The Pace Picante Sauce was provided to me by Foodbuzz's Tastemakers program and no additional compensation was given.  The opinions of this post are strictly my own.

* This post was also entered to take part in Foodbuzz & Denny's BACONALIA challenge for a chance to win.

23 comments:

  1. Awesome BLT, looks delicious, fresh homemade breads are delicious.I like picante salsa sauce, my hubby is huge fan of it.

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  2. I didn't like bacon before I became a vegetarian, but weirdly, I've been craving it lately!

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  3. I've never been a huge fan of Pace, but that sounds pretty awesome!! BLTs are so classic, and this is a clever spin!

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  4. Seriously - just what i need - another bacon delivery system! Love the spicy bacon.

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  5. The sandwich looks delicious. I agree pace is different, I do my own sauce but when I have to buy I prefer pace. I think I will be doing this this upcoming weekend.

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  6. I love a healthy and yummy sandwich, especially with homemade bread. I also use Pace, and always have it in my fridge for all kinds of uses.
    Great sandwich!

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  7. That looks so good, I'm so sad there is no bacon in my home. Drooling will have to do.

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  8. Healthy and yummy especially with freshly baked bread and great sauce!

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  9. Very clever twist on a very popular sandwich. Love it!

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  10. i am loving it peggy---makes me go for a grab !

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  11. Nigel bought me a new breadmaker just before Christmas, it is waiting for my return to France before I use it as the UK house is too small. I am just longing to try it out :) Dciane

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  12. The bread looks so perfect, I'd be making sandwiches like crazy, too! Love this BLT looks delicious!

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  13. Haven't made sandwiches long time...Your lovely sandwiches make me crave for one now.. :)

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  14. Whenever I have homemade bread around, I find every opportunity possible to make a sandwich. Now that I've seen these...I need to find every opportunity to make some bread! Delicious sandwich.

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  15. It's 9:30 AM here, so I'm thinking: put a fried egg on this delicious looking sandwich and I've got breakfast on my hands!

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  16. You're sandwich looks awesome!!!!
    Homemade bread is the best!

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  17. So going to have to try these! Looks tasty!! :P

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  18. This looks great! I love BLTs...and mexican food, so why not put them together :)

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  19. While I'm not much of a sandwich person, this is something I could be happy with! Love the look of your bread... I used to make all of our bread and kind of fell out of the habit. Yours and Dionne's (I'll Try Anything Once) posts are inspiring me!

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  20. Ohhh, BLT's and then with a mexican twist - what's not to love :-D

    My best,
    Birthe

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