sandwiches

Americans love sandwiches so much, there's a whole month devoted to the sammy. That's right — August is National Sandwich Month. Americans have always adored a loaded sandwich, but fancy sandwich joints like 'wichcraft in NYC and chefs like Jeff Mauro, the Sandwich King, are pushing the limits, stacking just about anything between two slices of bread. Some will scoff that a sandwich is no beef bourguignon, but this convenient deli lunch is gaining reputable culinary cred with rapid momentum. To celebrate the month and to maintain your sandwich-making prowess, try out these six sandwich recipes.

Meatball Sandwich	Cheese and Pickle Sandwich	Teatime Finger Sandwiches
Ham, Egg, and Cheese Sandwich	Turkey Club Sandwich	Fennel, Lemon, and Tuna Sandwich

In America, finger sandwiches are reserved for special-occasion brunches, but in the UK, these small sandwiches are traditionally served daily during afternoon teatime. This assortment of sandwiches highlights classic British fillings, like watercress, cucumber, and salmon.

If you've never had watercress, its texture is like a cross between kale and spinach, with fibrous stems but buttery soft leaves. It has a fairly bitter flavor, but the contrast of butter helps to cut that out, and whole wheat bread adds natural sweetness from the oats.

Another standard combination that can't be missed is cucumber and cream cheese. Instead of falling back on dill, try the less-traditional addition of mint, a light and refreshing Summer herb.

Smoked salmon and lemon make for another classic duo; the two go together like, well, bread and butter. Savory mayonnaise bonds the flavors (and the bread pieces).

Tea sandwiches are easy to assemble, have sufficient sustenance for a casual afternoon pick-me-up, and are dainty enough to serve guests alongside refined refreshments. Learn how to make the simple tea sandwiches.

We just got off the phone with Jeff Mauro, season seven winner of Food Network Star and host of Sandwich King on the same network.

On his show, the approachable chef empowers us to make gourmet — but no-fuss — sandwiches at home. For Chef Mauro, it's more about purchasing fresh, high-quality ingredients than stuffing a sandwich with 20 fixings. Find out what you should always store in your pantry and what makes up his favorite sandwich.

Wraps seem like a healthier option than a traditional sandwich since they're not made with thick slices of bread, but depending on what you fill yours with, they can end up being a huge plate of calories and fat. Whether ordering a wrap at your local cafe or rolling one up at home, keep these tips in mind.

• Choose your wrap wisely: There are a whole range of flavors from spinach to sun-dried tomato, and even though these seem to offer extra veggies, they're often made with enriched flour. Be a label reader and ensure the first ingredient in your wrap is a fiber-filled whole grain.
• Use veggies as wraps: For even fewer calories, use greens such as chard, romaine, or spinach. Check out this recipe for veggie chard wraps, or get a little creative by using cucumber as the wrap.
• Experiment with protein: Make the texture of your wrap more exciting and up the nutritional content by getting creative with proteins you normally wouldn't wrap up. For a thick and chewy texture, add flavored tempeh as in these kale avocado wraps with spicy miso-dipped tempeh. Grilled fish or hard-boiled eggs are another tasty protein-packed addition, or go for baked tofu, beans, and even cooked whole grains.

Read on for more tips for healthier wraps.

Club sandwiches, like burgers or fried chicken, come in a myriad of styles and spinoffs. Some prefer turkey to chicken, rye bread to white, or aioli to mayonnaise. This recipe isn't a true classic club, as it has avocado, cheese, and mustard, but I consider it to be the best. Here, smoky turkey and bacon complement the buttery flavors of the ripe avocado and cheddar cheese. This sandwich — fully loaded with my favorite sandwich fixings — is so good that it converted me back to eating meat after years of vegetarianism. Keep reading to make the sandwich yourself.

Not-quite-soft-boiled, not-quite-hard-boiled eggs get the special treatment in this otherworldly sandwich creation from OnSugar blog Between the Bread.

My houseboy has been on a soft-boiled egg kick lately — or maybe you'd call them gently boiled eggs, because the whites have the firmness of a hard-boiled egg, but the yolk is not quite firm, not quite runny. On sandwiches, they are a revelation.

After a recent egg-boiling session, we put together this twist on a ham, egg, and cheese sandwich. The trio of crisped prosciutto, manchego cheese, and gooey egg provided a fascinating flavor and texture combination — salty, creamy, and reminiscent of some of the best parts of French and Italian sandwich concepts.

Like a good club sandwich, the balance of firm ingredients (toast, hard cheese) with moist (egg, mustard) made it all too easy to eat. This reinvention will most definitely be repeated.

Want more? Start following Between the Bread, then get to work on your own food blog. Your gastronomic adventures could wind up featured here.

Before you shake your head at this flavor combination, hear me out. Fresh mint and feta cheese are made for each other. Many of my friends have scoffed at the thought but were easily converted once they had the chance to try them out. Enveloped by a warm piece of pita, the salty cheese is woken up by the bright, aromatic flavor of the mint leaves. Finish it off with a drizzle of fruity extra-virgin olive oil and enjoy it for lunch or as a snack.

Find out how to make this satisfying pita treat when you keep reading.