Grilled vegetable sandwich recipe

This post was originally published as Day 2: Cold Weather Recipes by Laurel on Health Food blog. 

It’s Day 2 of the “7 Days of Cold Weather Recipes” blogathon, and I’m so thankful for the sun shining through my window. It’s a “warm” 38 degrees right now in New York, but we’re supposed to drop to 14 tonight, so I’ll definitely be bundled up on my way out to the gym.

Today’s recipe is a grilled vegetable sandwich. While there are no meats or cheese, you won’t miss them! I fixed it for my boyfriend over the weekend and he said, “you should tell people NOT to underestimate this sandwich. I don’t miss the meat at all! It’s so filling!” I was like, “I’m gonna quote you on that.” He knows that people are often scared off by meals full of vegetables, but this one is packs a punch.

To make the sandwich, I bought this amazing fresh bread from the bakery at Whole Foods called “Seeduction.” It’s a hearty whole grain bread full of seeds (poppy seeds, millet, sunflower seeds, etc.) If you have a Whole Foods nearby, definitely look out for it.

As you can see, I didn’t put exact measurements of all the vegetables in the sandwich. Just buy one loaf of bread, and one each of the veggies. You’ll have plenty to build sandwiches for dinner and have leftovers for a few days.

Cold Weather Tip: This recipe uses garlic-rubbed toast and grilled vegetables to provide the warmth you crave in winter time. All the vitamins and minerals in fresh vegetables help keep your immune system strong and your skin looking great.

Hearty Grilled Veggie Sandwich

Grilled vegetables on Whole Foods' Seeduction bread.

2 slices whole grain bread
1/4 avocado
Fresh arugula
Roasted red bell pepper (canned)
Yellow onion
Zucchini
1 garlic clove
1 slice lemon
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper

Mash up the avocado in a small bowl and sprinkle lemon juice on top to prevent it from browning. Set aside. Slice the zucchini, yellow onion, and roasted red bell pepper into thin strips that will fit on your bread. Heat up your grill pan (or sauté pan) to medium heat. Drizzle olive oil in the pan and add the zucchini. Grill on both sides until tender but still crispy. 

Set zucchini aside and add onions. Grill until they are translucent and starting to caramelize. Set onions aside with the zucchini. Add the bell pepper strips to the pan for just a minute to heat them up. Set bell peppers aside and add the slices of bread to the pan. Lightly toast on both sides. Smash a garlic clove and rub it on both sides of the slices of bread. 

Build your sandwich by spreading a thick layer of mashed avocado on one side and topping the other side with a handful of fresh arugula and the warm zucchini, onion, and red bell pepper. Sprinkle black pepper on top. Serve immediately.

See also Day 1 of this marathon.

Open face sandwich

Rubbing the garlic on the bread

Leftover veggies for lunch the next day