Going Topless Cuts Calories

It's the heart of summer, and you're in your lightweight wardrobe. Perhaps it's time to shed the heavy-sandwich look, as well. Chuck the top slice of bread and create eye-catching, open-face sandwiches for the season.

You're better able to see and taste great-looking vegetable fillings without that top bread layer. And you'll never miss the 60 to 100 calories you save by eliminating one bread slice.

But don't ruin the effect of these lightweight sandwiches with butter or a mayonnaise spread that weighs in at about 100 calories per tablespoon. The purpose of a spread is to add moisture, and you can do that without adding fat, said Riska Platt, a registered dietitian in New York City and spokesperson for the American Heart Association.

"Puree roasted peppers (from a jar), and use those as a spread," she said. "Bake garlic until it's tender, and spread that on bread. It's sweet and mellow tasting." (To bake garlic, remove the outer skin from a whole head. Leave the inner skin intact. Put the garlic on a sheet of heavy-duty foil. If desired, spray lightly with olive oil cooking spray. Loosely close the foil to form a packet. Roast in a preheated 400-degree oven for 30 minutes or until the garlic head is soft to the touch. To use, squeeze soft garlic out of skins.)

"There are so many interesting mustards," Barnard said. "Some are too strong to put on a sandwich, but if you mix half mayonnaise with mustard, it's fine."

Here are two single-serve recipes for open-face sandwiches:

Roasted Tomato-and-Leek Sandwich
1 plum tomato
1 thin leek, white part only
Olive oil-flavored cooking spray
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, divided
1/8 teaspoon each, salt and pepper
1 (6-inch) slice Italian or sourdough bread
1 slice prosciutto

Cut plum and leek in half lengthwise. Place in a small roasting pan. Spray with cooking spray, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in a preheated 400-degree oven for 30 minutes or until tender.

Sprinkle remaining teaspoon vinegar on bread slice. Arrange the vegetables on bread. Drape prosciutto over the vegetables. Serves one.

Each serving has: 210 calories; 6 grams of fat; 8 grams of protein; 34 grams of carbohydrate; 5 milligrams of cholesterol; 745 milligrams of sodium; and 2.5 grams of dietary fiber.

Asparagus-Prosciutto Sandwiches
1 teaspoon reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 teaspoons tarragon or other herb-flavored mustard
1 large slice Italian bread
4 thin asparagus, cooked and well-drained
1 large slice prosciutto, cut into 4 long strips

In a cup, stir together mayonnaise and mustard. Spread on bread slice. Arrange asparagus spears in a row on the bread. Weave prosciutto strips in and out of asparagus spears. Serves one.

Each serving has 200 calories; 6.5 grams of fat; 9 grams of protein; 25 grams of carbohydrate; 5 milligrams of cholesterol; 700 milligrams of sodium; and 0.5 grams of dietary fiber.

Bev Bennett is the co-author of The Dictionary of Healthful Food Terms (Barron's, 1997).

©2001, Bev Bennett, Los Angeles Times Syndicate