What I had for lunch today

I spent a good portion of this morning trying to figure out what to post today. I have a pretty substantial number of tasty dishes waiting in the wings for days when I can't think of anything new, but really it's way too early in the game to be breaking out the old faithfuls. Fortunately, I happened to make a sandwich for lunch today that was just so good I had to share it.

Fresh Veggie Ciabatta Sandwich

Prep time: 10 minutes

~take & bake multigrain ciabatta rolls
~cucumber
~artichoke hearts
~alfalfa sprouts
~carrot
~kalamata olive tapenade
~fromager d'affinois

I'm not including any measurements here, because you can make this recipe for one or for fifty, it's all up to you. For my sandwich, though, I used one ciabatta roll (and if you can't find the take & bake ones at your grocery store, feel free to just get a regular one and warm it up in your oven or toaster oven on "warm"). The take & bake roll needs to heat for about 8 minutes (follow the instructions on your own rolls, of course) and while it's baking, you can multi-task and get your veggies prepared.

Peel and thinly slice the cucumber(s) into rounds, and peel and shred your carrot(s). If the artichoke hearts came from a can, chances are they're already quartered, but if they're whole, you need to quarter them, and you may also want to peel them apart just so the sandwich isn't too tall and falls apart.



Once the bread is done, slice the rolls in half lengthwise. Spread one side with the kalamata tapenade, and the other with the fromager d'affinois.

Cheese always deserves a special note from me. I love cheese, and use it in almost everything. For this specific sandwich I used fromager d'affinois that was actually made from goat's milk instead of cow's milk, which gave it that wonderful subtle bite that only goat cheese can offer. If you want the cheese milder to offset the tapenade, however, you could certainly use the regular cow's-milk variety, or if you would prefer it a brie would be just as tasty. For the timid, or those on a very tight budget, cream cheese might also be a yummy substitute.

The rest is even simpler than it started. Spread a few cucumber slices on the bottom half of the roll; place the artichokes on top of that, followed by your sprouts and some shredded carrot for color and crunch. Put the lid on your sandwich, and enjoy!

I know, I know, this is ridiculously easy, but it's the flavor that counts. We all love a challenge, but I love a good lunch even more.