Grilled Vegetable Sandwich Two Ways

Use veggies in season for grilling.

I usually don't eat sandwiches.  However, if someone goes to the trouble of putting together all the ingredients that I like in a meal, then I will eat it and probably love it.  This is one of those moments.  Headed out for a picnic at the beach, I wanted something delicious so I made one myself.

Early in the day, I pan-roasted summer squash, eggplant, pepper, and red onion slices.  These veggies made two meals - picnic and dinner sandwiches.  The picnic sandwich is vegetarian.  It was nice to come home before supper to the veggies and meat already cooked because after a fresh-air day at the beach, I felt so relaxed.

serves:  8                    prep time:  30 minutes, including roasting

1 large or 2 small zucchini
2 crookneck squash
2 Japanese eggplant
1/2 red onion
1/2 red or orange pepper
olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 ciabatta rolls
Homemade vinaigrette
Avocado slices
Fresh basil leaves

Vegetarian version:
Goat cheese

Meat version:
Sliced beef or chicken
Swiss cheese slice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Thinly slice zucchini, crookneck squash, eggplant, onion and pepper. Place them on a baking sheet and moisten with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast 10 minutes then turn sliced vegetables over and cook another 8-10 minutes until veggies are softened.



Generously brush the veggies with oil.

Meanwhile, slice the ciabatta rolls in half and moisten with vinaigrette.

To make a sandwich, start with Romaine lettuce then layer on 2 slices each zucchini and crookneck squash.  Add red peppers slices, onion, avocado slices, and several basil leaves.  If the sandwich is vegetarian, spread about 1 tablespoon or so goat cheese on top slice of bread.  If using meat, delete the goat cheese and top with Swiss cheese and meat slices.  Cut sandwich on the diagonal and enjoy.  To make this vegan, simply eliminate the meat and cheese.

Optional ingredients:  arugula instead of basil, fresh tomato slices, roast mushrooms and Gruyere cheese.  Experiment!  The sandwiches are filling and will hold you over for hours because they are nutritionally intact.  Bread/starch, veggies and protein.  It is amazing how this works!

Each half vegetarian sandwich provides about 415 calories and almost 5 g fiber.  Delete the goat cheese, add 2 ounces sliced roast beef, and 1 slice Swiss cheese and the sandwich contains about 100 calories more. 

- Kim Fielding

Grilled Vegetable Salad Dinner

Potatoes, peppers, eggplant, chards, red onion, green beans, and fennel sliced and ready for the grill.
 

End of summer produce is the best.  Hot days ripen tomatoes, eggplants and peppers mature, and other produce available in farmer's markets and stores is glorious.  For our cooking class I featured grilled vegetables in a pasta salad and a Nicoise salad.  Left-overs inspired this simple salad that was filling enough to sate my boy's bellies.

The vegetables were tossed only with olive oil before grilling.  The eggplant cooks quickly while the onions, fennel, chard stems, green beans, and peppers take a little longer.  Be watchful so that the veggies are neither under nor overcooked.

Composing the salad consisted of a handful of spring mix surrounded by halved cherry tomatoes.  Arugula is good also as are a variety of chopped herbs.  Next, layer on grilled veggies.  (I used them all).  Top with your choice of protein.   In this case we used thinly sliced grilled beef.  Other protein options include pressed and grilled tofu or seitan, chicken, or whatever your heart desires.

The finished product.  A salad composed of grilled and non-grilled vegetables topped with a lean protein. 

The final touch is the dressing.  As always, a freshly made vinaigrette is the first choice.  Two parts oil, one part vinegar, salt and pepper, and depending on how you feel, herbs or dry mustard.  In this case I ventured into something a little different.  I added ricotta salata which is a hard version of ricotta cheese and is crumbly.  Add a couple tablespoons of crumbled cheese to the vinaigrette and then drizzle over the composed meal.  For a vegan option, leave the cheese and meat out.  This was delicious.

One of the great things about eating healthy, besides not feeling guilty or glutteny afterwards, is that you can walk away with a sense of well-being.  A stroll after dinner with your family or spouse, your dog, or your music should end the evening and prepare you for restful sleep.

Calories for the salad with the ricotta salata dressing but not including the meat is about 550 and offers almost 15 grams of fiber and 12 grams of protein.  The measurement for this calculation included 1 cup greens, 3 cherry tomatoes halved, 2 red small red potatoes halved, a handful of green beans, 4 slices eggplant, about 1/2 head of fennel, several slices of red onion, and a couple tablespoons of vinaigrette.  All vegetables except the lettuces and tomatoes were grilled.

- Kim Fielding

Orzo with Grilled Vegetables

Whoa!  This is a terrible picture.  But you get the gist of what goes
into this medley.... lots of fresh veggies.

Any combination of grilled vegetables may be used in pasta salads. Cut all the vegetables into similar size pieces. This recipe has a Mediterranean flair and leftovers keep in the fridge for several days.

serves:  12               prep time:  45 minutes

1 eggplant, quartered and cut into ½ inch thick slices, salted*
3/4 teaspoon salt
Olive oil or Pam spray
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into ½ inch thick slices
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
6 cups hot cooked orzo pasta or Israeli couscous
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
Olive oil
Fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
Salt and pepper

Place eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with the salt.  Let stand for about ½ hour. Blot the salt and moisture off with a paper towel.
Lightly oil or spray a grill rack or pan for the barbecue. Place the eggplant, zucchini, pepper, and red onion in a bowl and moisten with oil.  Transfer the veggies to the grill pan or rack and cook for about 15 minutes, tossing occasionally with tongs or a spatula.  Remove from grill and let cool.  Add the cooked vegetables to the hot pasta along with ½ cup (minimum) fresh chopped basil leaves. Drizzle in olive oil, squeeze in lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to your satisfaction.

* Salting eggplant removes bitter juices

Each serving provides approximately 180 calories, about 3 grams fiber, 4 grams protein, a big boost of vitamin C, selenium, and thiamin.

This pairs well with just about everything.  Enjoy.

- Kim Fielding