One of my favorite lunch places, the sunny backroom of a bed-and-breakfast inn, offers a roasted vegetable sandwich on panini with red pepper spread. Delectable, but loaded with carbs.
The chef told me how simple it is to make: Vegetables, balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
My husband was making what I call his Not-Very-Chi-Chi Chili, which consists of meat and cans of beans and tomatoes, and simmers for hours. Very high sodium, but very good, in a homespun, Wisconsin-in-winter way.
I was seeking a lighter lunch. What about vegetables and dressing without the panini?
Easy Roasted Vegetables with Red-Pepper Mayo
1 slender eggplant
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 medium zucchini
1 green pepper
1 yellow or red pepper (or both)
1 purple onion
3/4 to 1 cup roasted red peppers, from a jar, puréed
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup salad dressing
1-2 teaspoons minced onions
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash dried red pepper flakes
Dash Parmesan cheese, grated
Cut the eggplant lengthwise in strips. Soak for one hour in sea salt. Drain and dry the eggplant strips with paper towels.
Cut the zucchini and peppers in strips. Quarter or slice the onion. Place vegetables in a bowl and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil for about an hour.
Pre-heat oven to 400. Arrange vegetables, including eggplant, in a shallow glass baking dish or a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Roast for about 20 minutes, turning frequently.
Meanwhile, purée roasted red peppers. Pour pulp into a small bowl and add mayo and dressing. For a tangier taste, use salad dressing instead of mayo. Kraft's Miracle Whip will do. Blend thoroughly with a hand-held mixer. Stir in the minced onions. Turn up the heat with the red pepper (be heavy handed) and even a dash of cayenne, if you like. Top with a small amount of grated Parmesan cheese. Makes two heaping plates.
I served the cold dressing over the warm vegetables. It was a tasty light lunch; we had the chili for supper.
Note: The addition of about a half cup of cream cheese turns this dressing into a dip for raw vegetables (excellent with cauliflower) or chips. And yes, it passed my Ultimate Taste Test: It is even better the next day.
12 comments:
That's my kind of lunch, too (and everything tastes better with Miracle Whip!). Sounds like a great sandwich spread, for those days when we can take in a few more carbs.
Mimi...that looks divine! I'll be adding that to my sandwich repertoire!
I'll admit it: I love Miracle Whip. And yes, this is a wonderful sandwich spread.
Elizabeth, I am so lucky that my two favorite lunch restaurants do roasted or sautéed vegetables so well. The one I talked about in my post uses panini, the other uses sun-dried tomato focaccia. Both are excellent.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My reaction, too, CF.
Roasted red peppers, red pepper sauce on pasta, red peppers with dip -- I love it all!
Me, too, BC. I could eat red peppers daily. They are usually very pricey here, though, and on sale only a few times a year. But when they are....
This sounds like a winner to me, but NO MIRACLE WHIP. Oh sorry, was I shouting. I really hate it, except for potato salad (which is not SBD friendly at all anyway.) I will have to make mine with all mayo, which is better for me anyway because Miracle Whip has a lot more carbs.
Kayla, I usually do half and half or even 2/3 and 1/3 — depends what I have on hand. I'm no purist, just frugal.
I recently tried the Smart Balance alternative, which is not too bad.
I like the "tangy zip" and wish I could get it with mayo — without the carbs, of course.
Well, this certainly tops it all-this is wonderful! How many times I have wanted an extra something to go on top of my roasted veggies! This should do it!
What a great recipe. I can't wait to give this a try.
Of course, I slather this on, and the restaurant is more sensible with it.
I think the vegetables are really good alone, but this is cold counterpart to their warmth — I like the mix of hot and cold.
I tried some in my husband's chili, in place of lite sour cream.
Post a Comment