Daily Favorites: Classic Italian Hoagie

It might sound strange, but this is my favorite meal of the series so far. It's up there with the best Italian sandwiches I've ever had at L'Appetito in Chicago and L'Antico Noè in Florence.

I think it's easily the best hoagie I've ever made for myself. Much better than my 2015 effort. I feel like you can see my progress as a home cook, even though this isn't cooking anything.

This is a ham, pepperoni and pepper jack hoagie with lettuce, red onion, cherry peppers and mayo. I'm going to be boosting the flavor of the mayo and the lettuce. 

First the mayo. I start with Hellman's light mayo. (2 tbsp of Hellman's is 180 cals. 2 tbsp of light Hellman's is 70 cals. Easy swap.) I add in some Montreal Chicken Seasoning which is my #1 go-to seasoning.  I use it daily on chicken but also in sauces, veggies, whatever. It's mostly garlic powder but it has some other flavors. I think of it like garlic+. Then I add in some dried basil. In ten seconds, I've got a delicious basil, garlicky mayo. 

For the shredded lettuce, I tossed it with red wine vinegar and juice from the jarred cherry peppers, plus oregano and pepper. Traditionally Italian hoagies would use a mix of vinegar and olive oil, but I don't want the cals from the oil. 

Then it's time to assemble. This is going to be a classic cold hoagie. An oven-toasted one with melted cheese will be coming later. 

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Hold on, can hoagies be part of a healthy lifestyle? 

Let's add up the calories:

Hoagie roll: 210

Light basil mayo: 50

Ham: 110

Pepperoni: 140

Pepper Jack: 80

Cherry peppers: 0

Lettuce, onion: 10

That's a 600 calorie hoagie. 

Just didn't use any olive oil, and used light Hellman's mayo. And hold the chips. 

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Really sad that I haven't been making hoagies all this time. Also, wild that making it with calorie counts in mind I was able to make the best one I've ever made. Honestly, didn't miss the olive oil even 1%. Using the juice from the jarred cherry peppers was another masterstroke. 

Ham and pepperoni is a great combo. Ham gets you a nice base of meat, good caloric value. Pepperoni brings a ton of flavor, more than salami (which has long been on of my favorite ingredients of all time) and this thick cut pepperoni is very satisfying to bite into. Impossible to miss. I love pepper jack and was surprised that the Sargento pepper jack is only 80 cals/slice instead of the usual 110. Mayo isn't traditional, but I love it and it acts a good moisture barrier so the bread doesn't get waterlogged with the dressed lettuce. 

In case you couldn't tell, I loved this. Will definitely be making over and over. I feel like I've finally brought honor to the Hoagie Central name.