Grilled Vegetable Sandwich

I was watching a cooking show this morning were the chef was making a grilled vegetable sandwich I knew I could improve on it.  I had most of the ingredients on hand so this was a snap.  Rick loved it so I'm adding the recipe. (Note: if you don't have a grill then you can roast the vegetables at 375 degrees following the same directions).

Ingredients:
1 eggplant, sliced1/4 inch thick
1 red pepper, cut lengthwise into 3 or 4 large pieces
1 zuchinni, split in half lengthwise, then into 4 long slices
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
4 slices tomato
1 tbsp pesto (store bought is fine)
2 tbsp soy mayonnaise (or regular)
2 slices rice cheese, Swiss flavor (or real Swiss cheese)
fresh arugula
Olive oil
Salt
Ciabatta bread

Directions:
Toss the vegetables with olive oil and salt in a large mixing bowl or roasting pan. Heat grill to med high. Place eggplant and red pepper on grill (these vegetables take longer) and let cook for 15 minutes.  Turn eggplant and pepper and add zucchini and onions. Cook 10 minutes. After 5 minutes add the tomato slices.

Meanwhile mix pesto and mayonnaise together, and slice the bread lengthwise.  drizzle olive oil on bread and place on grill, cut side down.

Remove the vegetables to plate and keep warm. Remove the bread from the grill and spread pesto mixture.  Add the arugula to the sandwich and layer the vegetables. Top each sandwich with a slice of cheese.

Fassoulia - Giant Beans in Tomato Sauce

Fassoulia is the Greek name for beans in general, and any bean at all pairs beautifully with tomatoes. Gigandes Plaki is another name for this dish, specifically referring to the gigandes beans or elephant beans from Macedonia, in plaki or sauce. Butter beans are their closest cousins.

This dish is a regular feature on a Greek dinning table, but traditionally, not as part of mezedes , “little dishes”, or appetizers. Fasssoulia would actually be categorized as a small course or fagakia, when part of a multi-course meal, but it is hearty enough to make a meal themselves. When served with pita bread and a salad this could make for a great lunch or dinner. Fassoulia can be served warm or cold, and when left overnight the flavor improves.

Ingredients

4 tbsp olive oil

2 medium onions

4 plump cloves garlic, chopped

2 14 oz cans elephant beans, butter beans, or other white beans, drained and rinsed

2 14 oz cans diced Italian plum tomatoes

1 tsp dried oregano or 2 tsp fresh, chopped

1 tsp dried dill or 2 tsp fresh, chopped

2 tsp dried thyme or a small bunch of fresh thyme sprigs

1 tbsp honey

2 tsp red wine vinegar

sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Toasted pita bread, to serve

Directions

Heat a large saute pan on low heat and add olive oil. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent.

Add the garlic, beans, tomatoes, herbs, honey, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste, bring to a simmer, cover and cook for about 1 hour. Some of the beans will break up and thicken the mixture towards the end of the cooking time. If the mixture seems to be sticking to the bottom of the pan you ca add a tiny bit of water, but this dish is not supposed to be soupy - it should be thick enough to stay on one side of the pan when pushed to the side.

Serve warm, with toasted pita bread. The flavor of this dish improves the next day.

Pappardelle alla Pangratto e Noci (Pasta with Crumbs and Walnuts)

This dish is from the less affluent region of Puglia in the south of Italy, and is also know as Alla Molica.  This peasant-style recipe evolved not doubt, when nothing else could be found in the kitchen cabinets, and is wonderful (Rick loved it so what else can I say?).  In the poorer regions of Italy breadcrumbs would often be used to substitute the more expensive grated cheese. Any type of pasta works well with this dish but I used fresh pappardelle.

Ingredients

5 oz fresh of slightly stale country bread, such as ciabatta

5 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

3 large clove garlic

3/4 cups walnuts, chopped

Handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Fresh ground black pepper

1 lb pasta

sea salt

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to boil and add salt (the water should taste salty)

Tear the bread into smallish pieces and place in food processor.  Process until you have light crumbs - you'll need about 2 cups - save to a small bowl. Add garlic and walnuts to food processor. Process for 30 seconds or until you have small pieces.

Heat a large saute pan over low heat and add 4 Tbsp olive oil. Add the breadcrumbs, increase the heat and stir frequently until the crumbs are crisp and golden brown.  Push the breadcrumbs to one side of the pan. Add the remaining oil and the garlic and walnut mixture. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant, then stir through the breadcrumbs.

Cook the pasta in the salted boiling water until al dente. Drain the pasta very thoroughly and lace back in the hot pot that the pasta was cooked in - the heat will help dry the pasta and keep the breadcrumbs crisp. Add the breadcrumb mixture and parsley to the pasta, toss and serve immediately with a big drizzle of olive oil and plenty of grated Parmesan cheese and black pepper.

Serve with roasted asparagus.

Grilled Vegetable Burritos

Hooray! A recipe where my husband will eat tofu. This sounds time consuming but it’s actually very easy. Substitute the pico de gallo for ready made salsa to cut down on prep time.

I just received a couple of vegetarian cookbooks and have found many recipes to try. Maybe I can become a vegetarian foodie, what do you think? My sister-in-law Rhonda (hi Rhonda) didn't think we'd make it past 3 weeks as vegetarians. BTW, it's been 4 1/2 now and I really don't miss meat, poultry or fish at all.


Grilled Vegetable Burritos

Ingredients

For the filling:
2 medium zucchini, cut into small chunks
1 red, 1 green bell pepper, cut into chunks
1 red onion, cut into wedges or chunks
7oz smoked, flavored, or plain tofu, cut into cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp dried oregano
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

For the pico de gallo (salsa):
3 vine-ripened tomatoes, finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1-2 red chillies, or to taste, seeds removed, finely chopped
Handful of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp salt

For the guacamole:
1 large or 2 medium ripe avocados
1 tsp lime juice
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1 tsp Mexican chili powder
Tabasco sauce, to taste

To serve:
4 large or 8 small flour tortillas or “wraps”
Shredded lettuce
Alfalfa sprouts
Sour cream (or plain greek style yogurt)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425F. Place the vegetables and tofu in a roasting pan and add the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and oregano. Toss well with your hands to coat everything evenly. Grill or roast for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and golden. Remove from oven and stir in the beans. Turn the oven to 225F and put the mixture back in the oven to keep warm. Separate the tortillas, then wrap in fiol and place in oven to warm.

Meanwhile, make the pico de gallo. In a bowl, mix the tomatoes, onion, chilies, cilantro, lime juice and salt together. Set aside until ready to use.

To make the guacamole, cut the avocado(s) in half and remove the stone (pit). Scoop out the flesh with a spoon into a bowl. Add the lime juice. Using a fork or potato masher, mash until fairly smooth. Put garlic through a garlic press. Add garlic, chili powder, Tabasco, and taste for seasoning. Set aside until ready to use.

To assemble each burrito, lay out a warm tortilla and place a spoonful of vegetables and tofu towards the bottom. Top with a handful of lettuce and alfalfa sprouts. Fold sides over and roll up. If tortillas are small it may be easier to roll up without tucking ends in.

Place on serving dish and top with pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream.