Chickpea Slather

The idea here is to eat this spread like you would egg salad – sans eggs. This is a full-on vegan version. A jar of State Fair Bread and Butter pickles is really what motivated me in combination with wanting to get creative with the last few vestiges of the first week’s CSA: a small bunch of arugula, some radishes and green onions. The cool salad makes an easy and refreshing summer meal.

Chickpea Slather

• 6-8 small radishes, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup sweet pickles, finely chopped
• 4-6 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2Tbs. olive oil
• 1 Tbs. yellow mustard seed
• 1 cup arugula, finely chopped
• lime, juiced
• 4 cups cooked garbanzo beans, smashed or pulsed in food processor

Directions:

Chop the radishes and sprinkle with salt in mixing bowl. Next add chopped pickles, green onions, arugula, lime juice, garbanzo beans and 1 Tbs. olive oil. Mix well.

Heat another Tbs. of olive oil in a sauce pan. Add the mustard seeds and toast until they begin to pop. Pour the oil and seeds into the slather and mix together. Refrigerate and serve cold on toasted bread.

Caramelized Onion and Apple Sandwich

Big fat slices of Vidalia onions caramelized to perfection, thin slices of apple, a dash of olive oil, a slather of good grainy mustard, some nice sharp cheddar and a fresh loaf of Pugliese – all served with peppery watercress. This makes a delicious and very easy sandwich.

Ingredients:

• olive oil to coat pan
• 2 large Vidalia onions, sliced into rings
• 2 apples, cored and sliced
• dash balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste
• cheddar cheese
• 1 loaf Pugliese, or other Italian loaf with soft innards removed

Directions:

Saute onion rings on low heat until they turn a soft amber color. Add the apple slices and balsamic and continue to cook for a few minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Slice the loaf in half and remove the soft inner part of the bread leaving mostly crust. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the bread, and place both halves under the broiler (inside up) just until they begin to toast.

Remove bread from the broiler and slather a thin layer of mustard on the bottom half of the loaf. Next, layer the sliced cheddar and then spoon on the caramelized onions and apples. Top the sandwich and place low in the “broiler” heated oven. The cheese will melt within a minute or two and the top will start to brow, so keep a close eye on it.

Open Faced Patty

Not Corned Beef on Rye, but tomato and avocado instead. This is my green option for St. Patrick’s day. Pumpernickel Rye from local breadhouse, Great Harvest, is paired with a fat slice of tomato, topped with half an avocado, pickled onions and Drew’s Poppyseed Dressing. I threw in two cups of Romaine to make five servings of vegetables in one dish! I recently heard that only 20% of us actually consume enough daily veggies, so I thought I would stay present with that challenge! The dish would have been more picturesque and healthy with deeper greens, but I loved the flavor combination of Rye and Avocado. This will definitely be a repeat meal in my kitchen as it was both delicious and wonderfully simple – fantastic!

Here’s the other half, sans greens.

Peppers and Eggplant – Roasted Sandwich

This is one of those gigantic pressed “sexy” sandwiches as they are called in the blog world. This one hosts freshly made pesto, roasted red peppers and eggplant from my Foxtail Farm CSA as well as fresh mozzarella and a little lemon mayo.

The idea is to take a large loaf of fresh bread like chiabatta or stirato and remove the innards. Then you can stuff it with most anything you like on a sandwich, wrap it in plastic and press it in the fridge by placing it under a cutting board weighted down with cast iron pans. This beauty travels well, and tonight will be enjoyed at the music and movies at Lake Harriet Bandshell.

If you’ve got the gumption, wrap the beast in foil and warm it in the oven – I think it will be even better like that!

Peppers and Eggplant – Roasted Sandwich

Sandwich Ingredients:

• 1 loaf stirato or chiabatta sliced in half and soft bread removed
• 1 cup basil pesto
• mayo (optional)
• 6-7 red peppers, roasted
• 2 medium eggplant, salted and sweated then roasted
• 16 oz. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Pesto Ingredients:

• 1 large bunch basil
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Pesto Directions:

In a food processor, blend basil, walnuts, garlic, salt and pepper. While the machine runs, drizzle olive oil through the feed hole just until the pesto forms a paste. You may need to scrape down the sides once or twice. This pesto should be a little dry so your sandwich doesn’t get mushy.

Roasting Directions:

1) Slice the eggplant into 1/2 slices. Sprinkle with salt and place in a colander for thirty minutes to sweat. Rinse and pat dry with a clean towel.

2) brush the eggplant with oil and place on baking sheet in single layer.

3) Place whole peppers on baking sheet.

4) Roast eggplant and peppers at 425 degrees until they are browned. The peppers should be blistered on all sides so you may want to turn them a few times during the roasting process.

5) After the peppers are blistered, place them in a brown paper bag and roll the top down to seal. You want to steam the skins off as the peppers cool. Once they cool, the skins will slip off fairly easily. I have run into a few peppers that give me trouble, so I just leave those skins on. Don’t sweat it – keep it simple.

6) Spread the pesto on both halves of the sandwich and then layer the eggplant, roasted peppers and mozzarella cheese. Spread the mayo on top of the pesto and close the sandwich.

7) Wrap the sandwich in plastic wrap, place it between two large cutting boards and flatten with cast iron pans. It should press in the fridge for three to four hours before serving.