Baking for my family and friends is WHY I do what I do. I love to think about WHO I am feeding and make a meal that is something they will truly enjoy. My best friend, Natalie, loves a good Vegetarian sandwich and I just so happened to have a fresh garden zucchini, some bell peppers, mushrooms, pea shoots and burrata cheese on hand.
Personally, I like to keep a stocked fridge and create recipes out of the ingredients I have on hand. To make it even better, I opened a fresh jar of store-bought pesto and added a little lemon zest to round out all of the flavours.
And, if you know me, you know it is important to season everything you make with just the right amount of sea salt and black pepper to bring out all the best of the flavour within the ingredients.
Who doesn't love a good sandwich. This one is a huge hit for those that love grilled summer veggies, the rich flavours of fresh herbs into pesto, and the creamy addition of a little burrata cheese to top it all off. If you do not have burrata on hand, feel free to use cream cheese, a sprinkling of feta or even your favourite vegan cashew cheese. The goal of the burrata is to add a creamy, smooth texture and subtle flavour to balance out all those veggies.
Author:
Shannon Peckford
Ingredients
1 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise
2 bell peppers, quartered
1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced
10 crimini mushrooms or 2 portobellos, thinly sliced
4-6 homemade sourdough potato buns or any store-bought soft bun or bread
Directions
Preheat the grill or grill pan to high.
In a large bowl, toss the zucchini and peppers with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and some salt and pepper.
Place the red onions and mushrooms on a large sheet of tin foil. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt and pepper.
Place the red onions and mushrooms on the sheet of tin foil directly on the grill. Close the lid and grill for 2-3 minutes. Open the lid, and stir and continue to grill until soft and caramelized.
When nearly done, add the peppers and zucchini and grill until softened, 2 minutes per side. Remove everything from the grill. You can do this step up to 2-days in advance and store the ingredients in the refrigerator.
If desired, rub each half of the bread with olive oil. Grill the bread, cut side down, for 2-3 minutes or until light grill marks appear.
Spread grainy mustard on the bottom piece of bread. Spread pesto on the top piece of bread. Then layer on the vegetables, burrata, pea shoots, pickled shallots, and salt and pepper. Place the top half of the potato bun on top and gently push down on the sandwich. At this point, you can slice the sandwich and serve warm or wrap the sandwich tightly and place in the fridge for 1 hour or up to 1 day. Makes 4 sandwiches.
Feel free to make your own homemade pesto if you have a big herb garden and/or add other veggies you love. You can also add mayo or your favourite salad dressing to spice it up.
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