Balsamic Zucchini Sandwich

I have actually been feeling much better today, but not 100% normal yet. I'm a little less tired too, so maybe the energy boost is starting to kick in. Not sure yet. I had a hard time not taking a nap this afternoon, so I'm obviously not that energetic yet. Hopefully that changes soon.

Breakfast this morning consisted of oatmeal with green apples, toast, and pineapple. I was supposed to have Citrus Sage Oatmeal, but I couldn't get all of the ingredients I needed for that. So, apples it was, and I needed to keep plugging away at all that diced pineapple as well. I hadn't really had plain oatmeal before, and accidentally got quick oats. They were pretty gross, but once I got the apple in there and doused it with cane sugar and soy milk it wasn't too bad. Not really all that picture-worthy though.

The Balsamic Zucchini Sandwich was my lunch for day three. I was astounded by how delicious this sandwich was. I mindlessly scarfed it in about three bites just because it was so yummy. And the really cool thing is that I am pretty sure that you could put just about anything on it and it would still be amazing. Next time I am thinking avocado... I was supposed to have a Artichoke and Tomato Salad with this, but I couldn't get all of the ingredients for that either, so watermelon it was.

Balsamic Zucchini Sandwich

The first thing you are going to want to do it prep the zucchini. I used one entire large zucchini to make the sandwich. Begin by slicing it long ways into strips. I was able to put my mandolin to work on this job (with the hand guard, of course... *nudge nudge* Rich).

Sliced Zucchini

If you've got any other veggies you want on the sandwich you can slice them up this way too. The next step is to toast your bread. I used a 12 grain bread that I like, but you could use a ciabatta roll or just about anything.



Layer One: 12 Grain Bread

 

 



The next layer is going to be whatever condiment you'd like. I used a generous smear of low-fat spinach and garlic hummus, and that was pretty much the cherry on top. I would definitely go with hummus again, but if you aren't sticking with a vegan diet mayo could be good as well. The book suggested red pepper hummus, and I bet that'd be nice too.

Layer Two: Spinach & Garlic Hummus

Next is the zucchini. What you do it saute it on medium-high with balsamic vinegar (again, I used red wine vinegar) and garlic. It only takes about a minute on each side, and you have to be careful about everything burning to the pan. I was able to do my zucchini strips in three batches, and it went so fast that I didn't have time to take any pictures. Then pile it on the bread.

Layer Three: Balsamic Sauteed Zucchini

From here you can do whatever you'd like. I was thinking about putting a roasted red pepper, but then I changed my mind. I sliced a fresh tomato to put on my sandwich, and was very glad I did. You could also do avocado, sprouts, fresh baby spinach, raw onion, and much more. I bet that even apple slices could be good.

Layer Four: Tomato

Next you are going to want to spice it up with some herbs. I used some lovely fresh basil that I got at the farmers' market. This is where you can really be imaginative with flavor profiles. Don't forget salt and pepper as well!

Layer Five: Fresh Basil

And last but not least, the final slice of bread. To be honest, I would probably do another layer of hummus next time just because it was so good.

Layer Six: Bread

There you are. This sandwich was so good that if this was put beside a BLT with real mayo and thick slices of bacon, and I only got to choose one, I honestly don't know which one I would choose. Yeah, that good. Crazy, I know.

This actually reminds me of a recipe in a cookbook that my G'ma sent me. It is from Cuisine Lite's Fresh & Fabulous magazine, and is called a "high-rise" sandwich. Their's looks pretty good too, especially since it looks like they went crazy with the cheese.

"High-Rise" Sandwich from Cuisine Lite's Fresh & Fabulous

Rustic Tomato Soup

This is dinner for day two of the 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart. The menu called for Rustic Tomato Soup, mixed salad greens with Red Pepper Vinaigrette, and a piece of sourdough toast.



Rustic Tomato Soup, mixed salad greens with Red Pepper Vinaigrette, and toast.

Surprisingly, the store had to sourdough so I had a slice of 12 grain bread. This was a loaf that I had had, and when I looked at the ingredients I saw milk on the list. Technically this is non-vegan bread, but I just couldn't in good conscience throw away a perfectly good full loaf of bread. Besides, in the study where Dr. Campbell fed rats a diet of 20% casein (milk protein) and 5% casein, those who ate only 5% in their diet saw their cancerous tumors begin to receed. I don't think a tablespoon of milk is going to kill me.

Tonight's dinner was fabulous, and much less of a hassel than day one. The tomato soup consisted of onion, garlic, diced Roma tomato, water, fresh thyme, freshly ground cumin, salt, and pepper simmered together until the tomatoes broke down. At that point I added half a cup of rice and let it simmer on low for 25 minutes. Super easy, right? The only problem I had was that there wasn't any liquid left when the rice was finished cooking, so I had to stir some water back in. I had to be quite heavy on the salt as well. I would definitely make this again, maybe with a little more tomato and a little less rice.

Rustic Tomato Soup

The vinaigrette was also very simple. I tried out the food processor again, and thankfully it only leaked a tiny bit. I think we may need a new one... Anyways, I put one roasted red pepper, one clove of garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and two tablespoons of red wine vinegar in the food processor and let it go until it was as fine as I thought it would get. The dressing was still a little pulpy--I think it would have been better as a puree. I'm not a huge fan of red bell peppers, so I don't think I would make this too often, but it was pretty good.

Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette

I went ahead and made the full batch (two servings) of soup because I knew I would eat the leftovers at some point. This turned out to be so filling that I couldn't even finish my salad either. Another winner!