So this sandwich is the s***. I have always been a huge fan of sandwiches but due to a sluggish metabolism I can’t eat nearly as many as I would like. I can however dream…..and that is what this beauty started as. I eat roasted veg every week. I love roasted vegetables and toss them in with most of my weekly dishes. Because I eat so many roasted vegetables I’m always thinking of new ways to incorporate them into my meals. The idea of this sandwich was just too good not to bring to life. Enjoy. serves 4

• 1 large head of cauliflower, sliced in slabs (remove the leaves, then leaving the core intact cut into 1/2 inch slices)
• 2 large red peppers, sliced
• 2 cooking onions, sliced in rounds
• 1 head of broccolini
• 2 small zucchini, sliced length ways
• 2 avocado, sliced
• 8 slices of jalapeño havarti cheese
• 8 slices of light rye bread
• safflower oil

Spice mix for veggies:

• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 1/2 smoked paprika
• 1/2 – 1 tsp salt
• pinch of pepper
• 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder

For the sauce:

• 4 tbsp mayonnaise or vegenaise
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1-1/2 tsp sriracha, adjust to taste
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
• splash of worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp honey (more or less depending on how sweet you like it)

To make -

1. preheat oven to 425.
2. brush oil on both sides of the sliced veggies (minus the onions and red peppers)
3. season both sides with spice blend.
4. lay on baking sheet. Bake for 25 -35 minutes flipping half way through (the broccolini and zucchini will cook a little faster, remove when nicely charred)
5. while the vegetables are baking drizzle some oil in the bottom of a medium sized pan and toss in the onions and peppers. Cook on med-high until caramelized, about the same amount of time as your other vegetables will be roasting for. Stir often.
6. make your sauce. Toss all of the sauce ingredients in your food processor and pulse until fully combined. set aside.
7. when your roasted veggies are done, remove from oven and set aside.
8. place your bread directly on the rack of your oven. 4 of those slices should have 2 slices of havarti each. remove from oven when toast begins to brown and cheese is beautiful and bubbly.

Assemble - first cover the bottom of the non cheesy rye with cauliflower. Now place in layers the zucchini, broccolini, peppers and onions and avocado. Slather the cheese covered rye with a generous amount of sauce and sandwich those beauties together. Devour.

Serves 4

Pumpkin Seed Pesto

1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds, roasted

1 large clove of garlic

2 tsp capers

1/2 cup of fresh italian parsley

1/2 cup fresh basil

3-4 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 325. Evenly distribute the pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet. Bake for 3-5 minutes or until slightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool. Add all of the above to your food processor and mix until fully blended and smooth.

Pasta 

4 servings Pasta of choice, I used vegetable pasta

2 peaches, pitted and sliced

1 med zucchini, sliced in half moons

Feta, for topping

Cook 4 servings of desired pasta. While the pasta is cooking grill the peaches and zucchini. First take a ziplock bag and add the raw zucchini and peaches. Add 1 tbsp olive oil or safflower oil. Seal the bag and give a little shake making sure to coat everything. Place the zucchini and peaches on a grill over medium heat for about 3-5 min per side. You want them to be tender but not falling appart.

To serve: Toss the pasta with desired amount of pesto. Gently mix in the zucchini and peaches. Top with feta and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Enjoy!

*Note: Pesto can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Recipe adapted from smitten kitchen

This is so yummy, however I must warn that it is definitely not a quick meal to prepare. To save time you could prep your greens and do your measuring, chopping and slicing the day before; that way the following day all you will have to do is cook your roux, assemble and bake!

1/2 stick butter

1 large cooking onion, diced

2 large bunches of red chard, stemmed and chopped

2 cups organic 2% or whole milk, 

2 large cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbsp flour

2 small zucchini, sliced into 1/8 inch thick rounds

4 medium russet potatoes, sliced into 1/8 inch thick rounds

1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced

1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/4 cup grated cheese of choice, I used a mix of cheddar,  mozzarella and parmesan

Onions and Chard:

in a large pan cook onions with 2 tbsp of butter over medium-low heat until softened (making sure to stir often) about 5 minutes. Turn heat to medium-high and add the rainbow chard. Stir until the chard is wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a collander and using a dish towel press down on the chard to remove andy excess liquid.

Sauce:

In a small saucepan combine the milk and garlic; bring mixture to a simmer to keep it warm. In a medium saucepan melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Continue cooking the roux by whisking for one minute then while you continue to whisk slowly add the warm milk and garlic and bring to a boil. Whisk for about 1 minute more then season with salt and pepper. set aside.

Assemble:

Preheat the oven to 400. grease a 9×13 baking dish. Spread out half of the potatoes and half of the zucchini. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, 1/4 of the herbs and 1/4 cup of cheese. Spread half of your chard over the cheese, then sprinkle with salt and pepper, 1/4 of the herbs and a 1/4 cup of the cheese. Pour half of the roux over these layers then continue with the remaining potatoe and zucchini, salt and pepper, 1/4 of the herbs and 1/4 cup of cheese. Now top with the last of the chard. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the remaining sauce over the gratin, making sure it is as evenly distributed as possible. Finally top it off with the last of the cheese.

Bake for 40 minutes to 1hr or until golden and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes and serve!

These are perfect as a quick on the go breakfast or snack. Pair them with a handful of berries or warm them up with a little butter or, for a sweet treat, try them with a smear of date paste…soooo good.

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1 super ripe banana, mashed

2 pear, mashed

1/2 cup date paste + 1 tbsp water

1 cup gluten free flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup ground oats

2 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp psyllium husk powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

2 carrots, shredded

1 small zucchini, shredded

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1 egg, lightly beaten

*date paste- Place about a cup of dates into a mason jar and cover with water. Let soak for a few hours or over night. Empty the dates into a food processor with about a tablespoon of the soaking water. Pulse until you have a beautifully smooth paste.

Preheat oven to 350

In a food processor pulse together the zucchini and carrot until nicely shredded. In a medium bowl mix together the yogurt, applesauce, banana, pear, zucchini, carrots, date paste, coconut oil and egg until combined. In a separate bowl add the flours, oats, baking powder, baking soda, psyllium husk powder and cinnamon; whisk together. Dump the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients. Using a wooden spoon stir until well combined. Grease an 8 inch square baking pan with a little coconut oil. Evenly spread the batter into the pan and bake for approximately 1 hour/ 1 hour 10 min. To tell if they are done insert a toothpick into the center of the pan, if it comes out clean the squares are done! Enjoy.

2 tbsp olive oil

2 medium onions, diced

1 large red pepper, chopped

1 medium zucchini, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp chipotle chili powder ( more or less depending on how much heat you like )

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4-1/2tsp liquid smoke

1 lb ground turkey

1 can diced tomato

1 can organic pumpkin puree

4 cups beans of choice ( I used black beans, black eyed peas and chickpeas )

4 cups veg stock

In a large pot over med heat add the oil. Now add the onions, red pepper, zucchini and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes or until tender. Add the turkey and cook for a few minutes until browned. Stir in the spices and add the tomato, pumpkin, beans and stock. Dump in the liquid smoke and worcestershire. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes to an hour ( Keep in mind the longer it simmers the better it tastes! ) 

To serve:

Top with your choice of- grated cheese, avocado, plain yogurt or sour cream, fried egg, hot sauce

Enjoy!!

Getting Poppy to eat has been a challenge. From the start it was quite clear that Poppy was going to eat what she wanted when she wanted and if she didn’t like it then there was no way it was staying in her mouth. We have been through the “headshaking” phase where I would try to distract her to get a quick bite in ( this doesn’t work well if you want to get more food in after the first distraction ); then we were in the “just because it’s in doesn’t mean it’s staying in” phase where she would happily eat a ton of food, stuffing her cheeks to the brim and as I sat watching with joyful relief that she was finally eating she would open her little mouth and proceed to spit every last bit out. This was beyond frustrating. I knew there were a few different options on how to deal with this and I chose simply not to react as it seemed to me she was trying to get a reaction every time she did it. Thankfully after a few weeks this phase ended and now we are into the “Mommy gives Poppy a wide variety of food and Poppy decides what she wants” phase. These days what Poppy wants is smoothies ( this is how I get veggies into her )  bread, cheese and fruit. Because she is so into bread I thought I would try and make my own bread and see how much good stuff I could throw into it without Poppy knowing. This bread was my first try. It is quite good – both Poppy and “grownups” love it. It’s full of goodness and super moist..maybe a bit too moist but that hasn’t stopped anyone from devouring the 2 loaves I have made so far. I have a few tricks I will try next time to see if I can shorten the baking time and take a bit more of the moisture out of it but for now this is my go to bread recipe for Poppy and if she could talk she would absolutely tell you to make it!

• 1/2 cup cottage cheese, pulse in food processor if you don’t want any chunks
• 1/2 cup pitted dates + 1 tbsp water, puree in food processor until the dates turn into a paste
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 super ripe banana, mashed
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 med zucchini, shredded and pressed between paper towels to get some of the excess moisture out
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon

You can also add about 1/4 cup flax seeds or other seeds, dried fruit, nuts, choc chip or carob chips if you want.

Preheat oven to 350. In a Med bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. In a separate medium bowl mix the cottage cheese, date paste, apple sauce, mashed banana, pumpkin, oil and egg. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Fold in the zucchini ( and nuts, seeds, fruit, choc chips etc if using ). Pour batter into a well greased 9″ loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour 30 min. Insert thickest point of loaf with a wooden skewer; if it comes out relatively clean it’s done. Remove from oven let sit for 10 min and then turn out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.

I serve this to Poppy as is or with a little organic apple butter for a treat.