I’ve been trying to figure out ways to make vegetables a bigger part of my lunch. As you might know, I love hiding greens in my breakfast smoothies, and I always make some type of vegetable with dinner, but lunch usually gets left out. The other thing is, in general, I’m not sure if I eat enough vegetables on a regular basis so I wanted to come up with an easy and delicious way to do that. 

A lot of my food inspiration comes from Pinterest and I saw a picture of vegetable “sushi” and I knew I needed to recreate it for myself. My finished products look a little more like volcanoes than sushi, so I decided to rename it. Also, volcanoes sounds cool and maybe that will help non-veggie eaters  to get more excited about vegetables.  Basically, this whole thing is combining dip and vegetables in one small bite-able package that you can pack away in your lunch box. I mean yes I could just have hummus and vegetables. However, when I do that sometimes I eat more hummus and only a few actual sticks of vegetables. This gorgeous little package means that I eat more vegetables, more kinds of vegetables, and only a little hummus.

I really like this recipe in part because I’m big on the idea of “eating the rainbow,” or basically trying to eat lots of different colors of fruits and vegetables. It’s meant to  be good for you because you get lots of different vitamins and minerals. Also it just look delightful.

This recipe is also really flexible to your tastes because you can use whatever vegetables you like or have on hand. For example, if you have a farm share with tons of vegetables you don’t know what to do with – this can be a way to redistribute them (think kohlrabi or garlic scapes). For example, I like radishes but I don’t ever know what to do with them and this helps use them up. Finally, if you are able to make them neatly you could serve them as a appetizers for a party. So simple,  yet so versatile.

Messy level: The hummus can squish out of the wraps and make a bit of a mess and hurt the presentation. But when all’s said and done, that’s barely a mess right? Just get some more vegetables and sop it up and the mess is clean.

Vegetable "Volcanoes"

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Serves: about 8-10 depending on size of zucchini

Ingredients

• 1 zucchini
• 1 carrot
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 2 small radishes
• other vegetables and herbs as you like
• hummus

Instructions

1. Cut the zucchini lengthwise in thin strips. This is best done with a mandolin, but you can do it as well with your knife or with a peeler. You want the zucchini thin enough to roll but thick enough to hold its shape.
2. Cut the rest of the vegetables into thin matchstick strips about 1.5-2 inches long. The cut doesn't have to be perfect don't worry.
3. On a clean work surface lay our your zucchini slices.
4. Spoon a healthy dollop of hummus on one end of the zucchini. Spread it out so it's covering about ¼-1/3 of the zucchini slice. (Ryan spread it across the whole thing, that works too but it's a bit messier when you take a bite)
5. Place a bunch of the matchstick vegetables on top of the hummus.
6. Roll up the zucchini so the vegetables are held in a tight bunch.
7. Take your spoon and place a little hummus on the inside edge of the zucchini. This is the "glue" that is going to hold your volcano together.
8. If it's looking a little empty, you can shove in a few more slices of vegetables through the opening in the top. Fill until it's full enough for your liking (but can still hold its shape).
9. Place on a plate or in your lunch box.
10. Serve with a napkin, eat and enjoy! Any leftover vegetables dip into the leftover hummus and eat it the old fashioned way.

3.3.3077

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Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about sandwiches. I’m been dreaming about this amazing smoked meat sandwich we had in Montreal. It was simple, just meat, rye bread, and mustard but the size of it was massive and the taste was delicious. I still regret not getting a second one immediately after I finished the first. I’ve also been dreaming about the turkey cranberry sandwich I used to have at Earl’s Sandwiches when I lived in Arlington. That sandwich was like Thanksgiving any time of year.

But those are specialty sandwiches, and although I sort of need to find a specialty sandwich place here in London, I’ve turned my attention to takeaway sandwiches.  You know, the kind you can just grab on the go. I’ve found I don’t often like the takeaway sandwiches, and usually it’s because of too much mayonnaise. But I did find some local flavors I like, such as coronation chicken, tuna and sweet corn, or salt beef and gherkins. However, nothing has truly been cutting it. The sandwich I am craving and missing is such a simple one! It’s the Mediterranean sandwich from Potbelly in the US. Once I got thinking about it, I was sure I could recreate.

I discovered this sandwich the summer after I graduated with my Masters in Museum Studies from NYU. I felt like having a Masters meant I should have a real job and be a professional, whatever that means. But instead, I was working at a temporary science exhibit in a place that had no air conditioning and no plumbing. In DC. IN. THE. SUMMER. If you don’t know DC in the summer, it’s like 95°/35° all the time and it’s about 1000% humidity. A woman who lived in the apartment building upstairs and regularly brought her granddaughter to the exhibit would sometimes offer us water and popsicles. It was so hot that the plastic balls in one of the exhibits would become misshapen so the exhibit no longer worked. Needless to say, I didn’t feel especially professional sweating it out and I hadn’t thought that this was where my degree would take me.

My one solace from the heat was Potbelly restaurant around the corner. There I could enjoy cool air and a bathroom. I’d buy a cold water and a Mediterranean sandwich and luxuriate in the comfort of the restaurant and the food. The Mediterranean sandwich might not look like much, but for me, it has a special significance because it was there for me during frustrating time. And besides, it is freaking delicious. I love Mediterranean flavors, as I told you when I confessed that I eat tons of Greek salad when Ryan is away. I love the crunchy, salty, oily, creamy combination of fresh and canned vegetables all coated in cheese and hummus.

I love this recipe also because it allows you to have a little freedom. For example, use whatever hummus you like. I found lemon and coriander (cilantro) hummus here and loved it. But I think regular, garlic, or roasted red pepper would all be amazing. I used a jar of roasted red peppers because I like the roasted flavor and I didn’t feel the sandwich needed additional crunch. However, feel free to use fresh peppers if you like that flavor better. Also, I mixed all the ingredients, minus the hummus, together and then stuffed the pita. I like this because it makes the bites diverse. If you like layering your ingredients for uniform flavor bites, that works too. Do what you like, just be sure to enjoy this in a cool and comfortable place.

Messy level: Ordinarily a sandwich is an easy one spoon recipe. I’m giving this two spoons just because you have to do a little chopping, draining, and mixing. The added steps create more dishes, but help make the sandwich more delicious.

Copycat Recipe: Potbelly's Mediterranean Sandwich

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Copycat recipe for Potbelly's Mediterranean sandwich. I am counting one serving as two halves of a round pita. Depending on size of pitas, this recipe will make 2-3 servings.

Serves: 3

Ingredients

• ½ cup artichoke hearts, drained from a jar
• 2 roasted red peppers, drained from a jar
• ½ cup roughly chopped cucumber
• ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2-3 tablespoons hummus (any flavor you like)
• 2-3 pita pocket rounds (size depends on how many sandwiches you get)

Instructions

1. Preparation note: If you haven't already prepared the cucumbers, chop them now. I cut the whole cucumber lengthwise in quarters. Then I chopped along those quarters and made tiny little wedges. (As if you cut coins of cucumbers then cut those circles into quarters) However, shape doesn't really matter, it just needs to be easy to stuff in your sandwich.
2. Cut the roasted red peppers into slices. Again, size isn't so important, just medium length slices that can easily be stuffed into a sandwich.
3. Scoop the artichokes out of the jar and let excess oil or water drain off. You can pat them with a paper towel if you want them especially dry. Put the artichokes in a small bowl.
4. Add the chopped cucumber, sliced roasted red peppers, and feta cheese to the small bowl with the artichokes.
5. Mix the sandwich ingredients until things are mixed up and a little cheese looks like it's gotten stuck to everything.
6. Cut the pita rounds in half and open the pita pockets. Using a knife generously spread hummus inside each half of the pita pocket. You don't have to measure, but about 1 teaspoon should do. If you like more, do more. [Note: If you make sandwiches from 3 pita rounds, then you'll use a total of 1 tablespoon of hummus]
7. Fill the pita pockets with your mixed sandwich ingredients. Depending on how much you fill and the size of your pita pockets, you'll have about 2-3 sandwiches.
8. Serve the sandwiches on a plate. Spoon a large dollop of hummus on the edge of the plate. Use this for dipping your sandwich or any vegetables that fall out. The more hummus the better!

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The post Copycat Recipe: Potbelly’s Mediterranean Sandwich appeared first on Cooking is Messy.