What’s the Best Way to Eat Superfoods? In a Sandwich!

Just one of the many stunning images inside Katie Chudy’s new book. All photos provided to bostonmagazine.com

Katie Chudy, a 34-year-old Belmont resident, got her book deal the way many people do nowadays—through her blog.

In 2009, she created the delightful, The Small Boston Kitchen, a blog that details all the fun—and fails—of cooking in a tiny apartment kitchen. Then, in 2011, Chudy attended the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. After graduating, she and her husband Richard opened The Skinny Beet, a boutique personal chef and catering company that services the Greater Boston.

But when you are busy cooking for others, it can be hard to feed yourself. So when the publishers at Fair Winds Press asked if she had ever thought about writing a book, the first thing that came to her mind was sandwiches.

“We’re always on the go and sandwiches are a quick way for us to feed ourselves, especially when we come home late,” Chudy says.

And so Chudy’s new book was born. Set to be released June 15 (but available for pre-order now), “Superfood Sandwiches” features 85 different sandwiches, plus an additional 15 recipes for bread and condiments. But if baking your own bread sounds too daunting, there are suggestions for using bakery bread and other store bought options as well.

Chudy says that her goal for the book was to find a better way to incorporate healthy foods into everyday sandwiches. (Read: Your boring store-bought bread with turkey and mayo doesn’t have to be your everyday lunch.)

“It’s about getting a better balance and finding unique ways to add fruits and vegetables into food,” Chudy says. “Plus, my recipes are so personal.”

For example, Chudy says that she revamped the classic turkey meatball sandwich using her mom’s “secret ingredient,” which is oatmeal, instead of breadcrumbs. You can expect these kind of swaps throughout the book, plus mouthwatering photography.

Below, two examples of the types of sandwiches (with excerpts) you can find in the book.

Middle Eastern Pomegranate Chicken Sandwich

Za’atar is a popular Middle Eastern spice blend that includes sumac, dried herbs (most often dried thyme, oregano, and/or marjoram), and usually sesame seeds. It provides a tangy, intensely herbal note to food. Depending on where you get it from and who made the blend, you’ll find a variety of spice mixes. You can buy it premade in most Middle Eastern markets as well as online, or you can blend your own mix. Pomegranate molasses is becoming more readily available and is usually found in the Asian/Middle Eastern section of the grocery store. It’s essentially just pomegranate juice reduced down with some sugar until it turns into a thick syrup with an addictive tang to it.

Sweet Potato “Steak” and Avocado Sandwich with Red Onion Cranberry Tarragon Jam

I’ll admit, it seems silly to draw a parallel between a steak and a sweet potato, but in this sandwich, the heartiness of the roasted sweet potato rounds are almost steak-like and a great vegetarian option. Avocado, which tends to be a meatier fruit, adds another layer, and the Red Onion Cranberry Tarragon Jam sweetens the mix and ties it all together.