Spreads

A new sandwich place just opened near my apartment, Spreads, and it has been on my list of places to try.  Lunch is always tricky for me because I usually either bring something to work or have something in my apartment, so it is a rare occurrence for me to eat out during the week.  But, today I didn't have to go into work so I used it as an opportunity to finally give Spreads a try.  They have a lot of interesting sandwiches and salads on their menu, but the one that caught my eye was the Nutella sandwich.  I know, you are probably thinking that this doesn't sound like the most balanced lunch, and you are probably right.  However, after reading that the sandwich consisted of Nutella, Peanut Butter, carmelized rice puffed cereal, and banana on grilled challah bread, I did not really care!  This sounded like a killer combination, and I had to give it a try.

I originally planned to only eat half of the sandwich because I figured that it would be huge and rich, but it was surprisingly small.  After I took my first bite, I was very disappointed because I could barely taste any Nutella or peanut butter!  The banana slices were pretty thick and there was a lot of the rice puffed cereal, but only a very thin layer of Nutella on one side and peanut butter on the other.  All I could really taste was the challah bread, and it wasn't even that good.  Since I had already committed to having this as my lunch, I ate the whole thing because I knew if I only ate half I would be hungry within the hour.  

I left there feeling very disappointed and unsatisfied.  What originally seemed like a sandwich that could not possibly be bad turned into one of the worst I have had in a while.  If I get a craving for this combo again, I will just make it myself and I am sure it will be 20 times better.  I cannot comment on the other sandwiches there which I will say looked good, but I would not recommend getting the Nutella sandwich.  It is not worth the cost or the calories.  

Nutella Banana Swirl Muffins

I have been counting down the days until I got to make this muffin again, because it is one of my ultimate favorites.  I never used to be a huge Nutella lover, but now I really don't know why!  It is SO good and I could probably eat it on anything.  When I was looking at different muffin recipes on Pinterest a few months ago, I found this gem: Nutella Banana Swirl Muffins (http://www.thenovicechefblog.com/2013/01/nutella-banana-swirl-muffins/).  I love banana and I love Nutella, so to me this seemed like a no brainer!

From the recipe, I only made a few slight changes.  Instead of using vegetable oil, I used unsweetened applesauce, I omitted the chopped pecans, and I used an egg white instead of an egg (since I had to quarter the recipe, it was too difficult to use a quarter of an egg, and it was much easier to measure out the equivalent in egg whites).

After I made these for the first time, I knew that they would be on the remake list.  While the top of the muffin with the Nutella swirl was the star, the banana muffin on the bottom was still delicious.  I waited for the banana to get very ripe before baking it, so the banana flavor really came through.  When they first come out of the oven, the Nutella has a crunchy shell around it but is so soft and melty on the inside.  If you have any leftover after the first day like I always do, the Nutella on top loses the crunchiness and becomes soft, but it is still extremely delicious.  You can choose to eat these any way that you like, but I recommend eating the bottom part of the muffin and then saving the top for last!  The combination of the Nutella with the banana is spot on, and it really raises the bar from the classic banana chocolate chip combination.