I suppose I might as well introduce him now since he is my child and all. This is Wilson. He likes long walks in the park, giving hugs, and eating everything besides cucumbers and bananas.
He has also become my running buddy. He runs like a high-school freshman cross-country runner. He sprints out ahead for the first quarter mile only to have to be dragged along after the adrenaline rush wears off. Unless of course, he sees another dog or squirrel he just has to be friends with immediately.
Running with a 10-month-old puppy can be a great one-armed workout. It can be an excellent creative thinking exercise by trying to find the fastest route to a trash can so you can throw away the bag of dog poop you’ve been flinging around for a mile. It can be a wonderful mix of extreme tempo work one minute and pretty much walking the other. But most importantly, it achieves the daily goal of tiring the puppy out so it’s totally worth it.
What exactly does it say about me that I evaluate whether my day has been successful based on how tired my dog is? Hmmm…
Anyway, having a tired puppy is important for this recipe because it requires your vigilance as your oven turns an ordinary bell pepper into pure gold.
Well actually, it just gets all burnt and wrinkly-looking. But I promise it tastes amazing! Imagine creating this beautiful sandwich in your pristine kitchen as your angel-of-a-dog sleeps at your feet. Life at its finest. Now imagine you are trying not to set your house on fire with a pepper underneath a broiler while your dog is upstairs tearing up the carpet…
My life yesterday. If only I had taken him with me on my run.
So make this red pepper mayo as your dog sleeps at your feet and you’ll feel like you are winning at life. Once you’ve spread the mayo on bread and constructed the pile of grilled mushrooms, cheese, caramelized onions, kale, and avocado into a glorious creation you’ll feel like you’ve straight up won life.
This sandwich will fill you up post run just as well as a sandwich with meat would, but without emptying your wallet. However, feel free to go crazy and add chicken. Only, of course, if you share a bit with your four-legged running buddy.
Grilled Veggie Sandwich with Roasted Red Pepper Mayo
Ingredients
For the Roasted Red Pepper Mayo
- 1 red bell pepper or 1/2 jar of roasted red peppers, drained
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 2/3 cup mayo
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
For the Sandwich
- 2 sweet onions, thinly sliced
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 2 tsp sugar or other sweetener
- 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 8 slices good sandwich bread like ciabatta
- 1/2 cup roasted red pepper mayo, instructions above
- 2 cups kale, chopped
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1 avocado, sliced
Instructions
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Roasted Red Pepper Mayo (If you are using jarred roasted red peppers instead of making your own, skip down to step 5)
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Move your oven rack to the top third position in your oven. Turn on the broiler. Place your whole red pepper on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and set it under the broiler with the stem facing you.
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Once the side of the pepper facing the broiler is blackened, use tongs to grab the stem and rotate the pepper so another side can blacken. Once the pepper's skin is uniformly blackened and wrinkly (about 20 minutes), remove from oven and wrap tightly with aluminum foil. Set aside to cool.
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Once the pepper is cool enough to handle, peel off the black skin and remove the stems and seeds. Cut the remaining pepper into chunks.
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Using a food processor, combine mayo, roasted red pepper, basil, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
Veggie Sandwich
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In a bowl, combine chopped kale and a tsp of salt. massage salt into the kale for 30 seconds then set aside.
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Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan. When at a medium-high heat, add sliced onions and salt and pepper.
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Once the onions have started to become translucent, add the sugar or other sweetener. Turn down the heat to medium and stir occasionally. Once the onions have turned a caramel color, remove from heat and set aside.
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Add another 2 tbsp to a pan. When at medium-high heat, add sliced mushrooms, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Continue cooking on medium-high heat until all the liquid has dissolved. Continue cooking on medium heat until the mushrooms have a golden sear. Set aside.
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Heat a skillet to a low temperature. Brush the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil on each slice of bread. On the other side, spread the roasted red pepper mayo. place bread open-face on the skillet, oil-side down.
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Add cheese on top of each side and pile the mushrooms and onions on one side. Once the cheese melts and the bread is golden, remove from skillet. Add kale and avocado on top of the mushrooms and onions before putting together the sandwich.
