Recently, I had the pleasure and honor of having Dr. Andrew Weil “stop by my kitchen” for a chat. He mentioned one of his favorite foods growing up in Philadelphia was a hoagie. A HOAGIE! I love hoagies! I think it’s a Pennsylvania thing. Sure, around the country they are now called “Subs,” or submarine sandwiches, thanks to Subway. In New England they call similar sandwiches “grinders,” which aren’t hoagies at all, and are usually served hot. (Eww!) According to Wikipedia (not a legitimate source, I know!), there are more than 15 different names for this sandwich, and multiple theories as to how it got its name. The main thing is, the sandwich did originate in Pennsylvania (probably Philadelphia), and it is awesome to eat!
So, what’s a Pennsylvania girl to do? All the hoagies around here are made on squishy white bread, with toxic-chemical mystery meats (by the way, for the most delicious one of those around here, you have to go to Wally’s Deli). So I have learned to make my own at home for my kids, who are very grateful for my efforts, and for me. Turns out, it is very easy.
Basic Healthy Hoagie
Ingredients:
1 soft 100% whole wheat or whole grain bun
1 or more slices organic ham
1 or more slices organic provolone or American cheese
2 or more slices organic hard salami
Organic iceberg lettuce (finely chopped)
Thinly sliced purple onion
Thinly sliced tomato
Pinch of oregano
Dash of salt
Dressing:
Red wine vinegar
Olive oil
Directions: Assemble the sandwich, starting with the cold cuts and cheese, then the toppings, then the seasonings and dressing.
The bread: A typical hoagie roll is a long, submarine-shaped soft baguette. The main thing to making a hoagie healthy is to use 100% whole wheat or whole grain rolls (just plain bread doesn’t hold the dressing well enough). I often use whole wheat round sandwich buns, which are easier to find.
The meats: I prefer Applegate Farms organic sandwich meats. This is one situation in which home-cooked meats just don’t have the same flavor, oddly enough. You can do all sorts of variations, depending on what you can find. Substitute smoked turkey for ham. Add different types of sandwich meats. But if you ask me, the salami is fairly essential. Applegate Farms makes a good one that is not exactly organic, but is close enough.
The lettuce: Finely chopped is best, with the tomato and onion sliced thin. (This is not a sandwich you want to eat, and then immediately afterwards have a make-out session!) Earthbound Farms makes a great organic iceberg lettuce.
Oregano? An essential ingredient! It’s not a hoagie without it.
Salt? Yes. A dash of salt makes a big difference. Trust me.
Dressing: 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil; emulsify, and add to the lettuce on top of the sandwich (not to the bread because it makes it too soggy).
Other approved ingredients for variations include: pickled hot peppers, pickles, roasted peppers, roasted hot peppers (yum!). Vegetarians can just make a cheese hoagie.
Yum! Brings back childhood memories of gathering on Saturday mornings at the fire hall kitchen and making hundreds of hoagies to be delivered! Can’t wait to try the updated version:-)
Have you got a not-so-guilty version of a Philly cheese steak? I would love that!
YUM! I used to work for a chain sub shop and I still love the hoagie sandwich, this is such a good idea, I think I will make some all organic ones for the next party. I love loading them with tons of veggies, especially bell peppers, greens like spinach or kale, cucumbers, avocado, tomatoes, sprouts… fresh basil in the summer… Now I am hungry 🙂
In Maine, we call them Italian Sandwiches, and they usually include American cheese, green peppers, and black olives as a standard ingredient. A Grinder is something different.
For all the people unfamiliar and uneducated about the art of making a great HOAGIE!, the easy way to think of this is like this.
I am generally not a total troublemaker in life but it’s kind of worth getting stuck on death row just so you can get that familiar last request “What do you want for your last meal?”
Nothing like going to heaven after finishing a great Hoagie!
It just seems worth the trouble of planning your last meal instead of having it sneak up on you in an accident and you miss that one final special treat!
Great idea on the cheese steak! I will post in a few weeks. Thanks!
This is exactly a grinder in Western Mass. Yumyum!
Where can you purchase organic deli meats? I would love to make this and other sandwiches with organic meats.
I buy mine (Applegate Farms is one brand) at Wegmans. But Whole Foods has them too. Where are you located?
a grinder is a hoagie baked in oven
My hubby loves anything piled between two big slices of homemade whole wheat bread and this sounds just right. I have a batch in the breadmaker right now. (Yeah, I make it the lazy way – there is only two of us.) I think I would add Romaine lettuce, organic, of course.
White bread is not bread. A friend once told me that all it was good for was to make children’s craft paste.
Thanks for the recipe and the options.
MyraSaidIt
http://healthylivingtodayandtomorrow.blogspot.com/
Visit me here to learn ways to have better health
love hoagies, and sandwiches in general…but really love that Dr. Weil was hanging with you!
Superb blog! Do you have any recommendations for aspiring writers?
I’m hoping to start my own site soon but I’m a little lost on everything.
Would you recommend starting with a free platform like WordPress or
go for a paid option? There are so many choices out there that I’m
totally confused .. Any ideas? Thanks a lot!
Do you got other expert articles correlated to this particular one???
My partner and I want to explore more details on this specific topic!!
😉 I really appreciate all your blogposts, nonetheless I might need even more information and facts regarding maria rodale\’s blog.
Many thanks!!!
Hoagies.net
Hello, my name is Mark from TDS. We have a domain that is currently on sale that you might be interested in – Hoagies.net
Anytime someone types Hoagie, Hoagies For Sale, Hoagie Recipes, The Best Hoagies, or any other phrase with this keyword into their browser your site could be the first they see!
The internet is the most efficient way to acquire new customers
Avg Google Search Results for this domain is: 7,370,000
You can easily redirect all the traffic this domain gets to your current site!
GoDaddy.com appraises this domain at $1,000.
Priced at only $398 for a limited time! If interested please go to Hoagies.net and select Buy Now, or purchase directly at GoDaddy.
Act Fast! First person to select Buy Now gets it!
Thank you very much for your time.
Top Domain Sellers (TDS)
Mark Angelo Campillos