June 19, 2014

Loaded Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich

Thick and fluffy whole grain bread stuffed with layers of thinly sliced fresh vegetables, jalapeno-cilantro hummus, feta cheese, and a surprise ingredient – peppadew peppers. My very favorite veggie sandwich – Light, healthy, and oh so flavorful!

Now that school is out for the summer I have had the luxury of being able to make a fresh meal every day for lunch instead of having to pack… and what does that meal usually consist of? Fresh vegetables! More specifically, this sandwich. I make it all the time. Sometimes my little brother even asks for it! Say what? A meat lovin’ teenager requesting a veggie-lover’s sandwich?? YES! Sorry, I’m yelling. It’s just that good.

And today we are sharing our favorite veggie recipe of all: Loaded Mediterranean Veggie Sandwiches. So colorful and so so delicious!

I would label this sandwich one of those ‘semi-flexible’ recipes. Some things can be alters and changed, but some cannot.

Substitutable ingredients? We often change up the lettuce to fit whatever we have on hand. I’ve used green leaf, micro-greens, sprouts, and butter-leaf lettuce. All work just fine. I’ve also used goat cheese instead of feta… which I guess wouldn’t make it necessarily “Mediterranean,” but it still tastes good. 🙂

If you don’t like tomatoes? Leave ’em out! Don’t like red onion? Leave them off!

The two things you can’t change are the peppadew peppers and the Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus. They are what make the sandwich so, so good!

Trader Joe’s is the only place I have been able to find Cilantro Jalapeno hummus; but if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s near you, Tribe Hummus has a Spicy Sweet Red Pepper Hummus that you can use and just add chopped cilantro to your sandwich.

The other must-have ingredient is peppadew peppers. They are a little bit sweet, and a little bit spicy at the same time. They have such a unique flavor and add an awesome layer of flavor to the whole sandwich. And because they are so unique, there is nothing that can really serve as a substitute. Good news though, pretty much all grocery stores sell them at the olive bar. If you’re local grocery store doesn’t sell them, I’ve also seen them at the olive bar in Whole Foods.

Want to know a secret? This is the same Mediterranean Veggie sandwich that Panera sells! The Mediterranean Veggie sandwich at Panera is hands down our favorite sandwich of all time. So much so that we were going there at least once or twice a week until it occurred to me that we could easily make it at home!

The only difference is that they use their Tomato Basil Bread, but I actually like our Whole Grain version just as much. And you get completely control over how high you stack your sandwich with veggies. Just like a girl can never have too many shoes, this sandwich can never have too many vegetables.

If you have never tried this sandwich, then you are in for such a treat. Even it you aren’t normally a cold sandwich person, this baby can compete with the best of paninis!

Make this as a healthy lunch for one or as a light dinner for your family. This is also the sandwich we always pack in the cooler for long days at the baseball field or road trips – the bread doesn’t get soggy because the hummus acts a barrier keeping all the moisture in the middle without seeping into the bread. Enjoy 🙂