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This Rustic BLT Sandwich is an ode to the classic BLT with a rustic twist. It has homemade, no-knead bread, heirloom tomatoes, savory Applewood smoked bacon, crisp Iceberg lettuce, and basil mayonnaise.

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Rustic BLT Sandwich

Hi Everyone, this Rustic BLT Sandwich is so delicious and satisfying.

It has fresh, Heirloom tomatoes and Iceberg lettuce to counteract the salty-savory flavor of the Applewood smoked bacon.

Last Summer, my husband, Eric, came up with this recipe for basil mayonnaise and it is a great way to add a garden-fresh, aromatic flavor to this Rustic BLT Sandwich.

Using whole ingredients and my recipe for Homemade No-Knead Bread, this Rustic BLT Sandwich is a delicious twist on one of my favorite sandwich classics: The BLT.

Read on to Meet our dog Cayli and see the inspiration behind this recipe DISH from Rachael Ray™ Nutrish®.

Look at that creamy basil mayonnaise, we call it "basil mayo."

If you are a purist about your BLT sandwiches and do not want to add any mayonnaise, you can skip it but try it once because it's so good!

When I picked up the ingredients for this recipe at my local grocery store, Stop & Shop, I actually forgot the tomatoes.

I went back a day later, and it turned out to be serendipitous because these gorgeous Heirloom tomatoes had arrived.

We had this Rustic BLT Sandwich recipe for dinner this week and it was amazing and it's really a satisfying, filling sandwich.

Meet Cayli

Meet Cayli, she is our dear, sweet American Pit Bull Mix whom we adopted from, ACCT in Philadelphia 6 years ago when she was under a year old.

The story she came with was that she had been thrown in the Schuylkill river - that's how she was found.

When we first met her, she was so skinny and just yearning for human love and affection.

We got her from the place where they put the dogs and other animals right after they rescue them in the city before they are screened to go to the SPCA.

It is a very sad place and every time I went there I could not leave without welling up with tears.

When we adopted her, they told me that they put down - 200 different kinds of animals per day - I found that statistic to be jaw-dropping.

There is absolutely an animal crisis in America and knowing that and actually seeing a ground zero place where animals are in dire need makes me want to let people know that there are loving, deserving, animals at shelters and the idea that people have to get their dogs from a breeder is a myth.

When we first got Cayli, to tell you the truth, in those first few days, we were slightly scared of her because she is, well, a pit bull and they come with this "reputation," but in reality and our experience, that reputation couldn't be further from the truth.

She is so affectionate, she follows us around everywhere, she is just the sweetest, kindest dog and she has really become the perfect family dog.

Read on, to hear a little bit about Cayli's food, DISH from Rachael Ray™ Nutrish®.

Inspiration from DISH from Rachael Ray™ Nutrish®

Here is a little background about the brand:  In 2007, Rachael Ray - with help from pet nutrition experts - created Nutrish super-premium food and treats for dogs inspired by recipes from her own kitchen.

I learned that the Nutrish recipes are made with simple, wholesome ingredients like real meat or fish, and do not contain poultry by-product meal or fillers.

I am glad that she created food for dogs taking inspiration from what she would actually feed her own family using real, whole ingredients.

For example, there is real U.S. farm-raised beef or chicken is always the #1 ingredient and there is never any corn, wheat, soy, or gluten, poultry by-product meal, fillers, artificial preservatives, colors, or artificial flavors on the recipe label.

I also found out that every DISH from Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® recipe is made with whole ingredients you can see, like slow-roasted chicken, carrots, peas, potatoes, and apples (as you can see in my photos below).

I feel good knowing that Rachael’s personal proceeds go to Rachael’s Rescue, which was created to help shelter pets in need. To date, she has donated over $10 M.

To bring everything full circle, it's nice to know that the food we purchase for our dog Cayli goes to help other shelter dogs 🙂

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Rustic BLT Sandwich

Yield: 2

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

This Rustic BLT Sandwich is an ode to the classic BLT with a rustic twist.  It has homemade, no-knead bread, heirloom tomatoes, savory Applewood smoked bacon, crisp Iceberg lettuce, and basil mayonnaise.

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Ingredients

• 1 recipe no-knead bread or pre-made artisan bread
• 4-6 pieces of Applewood smoked bacon, , cooked (or preferred bacon type)
• 1 Heirloom tomatoes, , sliced (I used 3 different ones to get a variety of color)
• 1 head Iceberg lettuce, , washed and quartered (this only requires some of the lettuce, you can use the rest for later, or in a salad to got with the Rustic BLT Sandwich)
• For Basil Mayonnaise:
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 2-3 fresh, , large basil leaves, chopped

Instructions

1. For preparing the Basil Mayonnaise: Combine ½ cup mayonnaise and 2-3 chopped large basil leaves. This can be prepared ahead of time or a day before.
2. Prepare recipe for No-Knead Bread ahead of time. When the bread is cool, slice the bread thick.
3. Cook the bacon over medium-low heat, put it aside on a paper towel on a plate, and save the bacon fat in a heat-proof container.
4. Using 1-2 tablespoons bacon fat, toast the sliced bread in the pan over medium-low heat until golden brown on both sides.
5. Spread basil mayonnaise on both slices of bread. Put the desired amount of Iceberg lettuce on the bread and heirloom tomatoes. Place bacon next to tomatoes (this tastes great when biting into the sandwich! You can also dot a little more basil mayonnaise on the bacon and tomatoes. Enjoy!

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 875Total Fat: 65gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 50gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 1522mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 8gSugar: 13gProtein: 26g

Please note that the Calculated Nutrition is an estimate at best.

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Sara Maniez

Owner at Life's Little Sweets

Sara is an architectural designer turned work-at-home Mom. She lives in New Jersey by way of New England and New York, with her husband and 3 kids under 8. She loves design, being creative, and spending time with family and friends. She loves checking out local businesses and eats and being apart of the local farm to table community.

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