Roasted Veggie Sandwich

Here's another great picnic food that is colorful, filling and extremely easy to make. Sandwiches are perfect picnic food as they don't require the use of any cutlery and most don't have to be refrigerated. This is a pressed sandwich that can be made at least 4 hours or even the night before the picnic, giving you time to get other things ready for the picnic.

The choice of veggies used in the sandwich is endless, any roasted, grilled or blanched veggie can be used in the filling. I used eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and roasted peppers, but mushrooms, blanched asparagus or green beans etc. taste awesome too. I saw a recipe in Vegetarian Times that had boiled eggs, so feel free add some protein to your sandwich but make sure that you have a good cooler to keep the sandwich chilled.

Any crusty bread like french baguette or ciabatta can be used. Pressing the sandwich lets the crusty bread soak up the juices from the roasted vegetable juices and the make them super delicious by the time you get to the picnic.

Ingredients:

Crusty bread - 1 loaf (12" long)

Eggplant - 1 small, cut into ¼" slices

Zucchini - 1 medium, cut into ¼" slices

Yellow Squash - 1 medium, cut into ¼" slices

Roasted Peppers - 3-4, drained (Or roast 1 large red pepper chopped along with the other veggies)

Cheese - 4-5 slices (I used vegetable jack cheese, but mozzarella/ pepper jack or monterey jack can also be used)

Salt & Pepper - to taste

Balsamic Vinegar - 2tsp

Olive oil - 2tsp

For the pesto:

Basil leaves - 2 cups packed

Pine nuts - 3tbsp, lightly roasted

Garlic - 2 cloves, crushed

Extra virgin olive oil - 3tbsp (or more to make a smooth paste)

Salt & Pepper - to taste

Method:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the chopped veggies. Spray with cooking spray and season the veggies with salt & pepper. Roast for 18-20 minutes or until browned around the edges and they turn tender.
• Place all the ingredients for the pesto in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Keep aside.
• Cut the bread in half and hollow inside to make room for the vegetables.
• Spread both sides with the pesto, arrange the vegetables on the pesto and pour the balsamic vinegar and olive oil on the veggies.
• Place the cheese slices on the veggies. Close the sandwich and wrap tightly with a plastic wrap.
• Put the sandwich on a plate and put some weight on it and refrigerate for at least 4 hour or up to 12 hours.

Enjoy with some baked chips for a delicious picnic meal.

Lets see what my fellow marathoners have cooked up for Day 2 of BM# 6.

Update 6.30.11: Sending these wraps over to Valli's Sandwich Mela.