Recipe - Summer Grilled Veggie Sandwich

I am going to try including recipes on this blog. (I promise I will try to learn to take better pics!)  Let me know in the comments if this is something you would like to see more of.  I get tired of eating the same things on the grill all summer. So, this night I wanted to try something different while still taking advantage of the nice day and being able to cook outside.  I also like to create recipes that use mostly ingredients from my garden.  This year I have been having trouble and had to purchase most, but hopefully you are having better luck than me!  I bought a large crusty loaf of french bread, baby eggplant, small zucchini, large tomato, goat cheese, and spinach.  You can put whatever veggies you enjoy eating on this sandwich.  Red bell pepper and onion are good on the grill, as well as summer squash.  Cut the veggies long to make it easier to grill and to fit perfectly on the sandwich.  This makes for fewer cuts and a fast prep time.  The tomato needs to be cut thick to stay together on the grill.

I also used olive oil, fresh garlic and basil, cracked pepper and sea salt which I always have on hand.  I cut the basil, chopped the garlic, ground the pepper and salt and added all to the olive oil in a flat bowl.  Other fresh herbs could also be used in this oil but I like to keep it simple.  I used the oil mixture to soak the veggie so they do not burn on the grill.  I used to brush the oil on, but found this soaking to be a better method.  It was easier and we didn't have to add more oil while it was cooking.  Save the remaining oil for the sandwich.  I used about a half cup of oil for our 3 sandwiches.












I sent TBG out to grill the veggies.  You have to be careful with the tomato but when done it comes out beautiful.  In the house I cut the sandwiches from the large loaf, I like that I was able to cut the sandwiches to whichever size I wanted.  I made TBG's bigger than mine and got about 3 sandwiches out of the loaf.  Spread the olive oil mixture on the bread.  I tried to use a lot because the bread soaked it up, the more you use the messier the sandwhich is, but TBG and I have never been bothered by a messy sandwich!  Next spread on the goat cheese.  Sometimes this isn't easy to spread but try to get a good thick layer.  I used about 3/4 of the small log.

After TBG brought the veggies back I added them to the sandwiches and finally topped with the spinach.  The tomatoes fall apart easy, but as soon as they are on the sandwich they add a great flavor and some more moisture.  We both really enjoyed these sandwiches, TBG even went up for seconds.  I will definately make again, and they would be perfect for entertaining on a relaxing summer day.  I did not show a side dish for this, but it can be enjoyed with a side of chip(p)s of course :)