vorace.: Open Faced Egg & Veggie Sami

One week vacation + one week catching up = now having time to cook and blog. Yay!

My boyfriend, pup, and I drove up to Cape Cod for our annual Labor Day week vacation. Last year San Fran, this year Cape Cod. We wanted a super chill, relaxing, stay-in-one-place type of vacation, and that is what Cape Cod delivered. It offered plenty of opportunity to explore, but in a laid back kinda way. Cape Cod must have a hundred different beach spots and every one seems to have a breathtaking view and uniqueness to it. Monomoy Island had crystal blue waters, white sand, and a seclusion that created a feeling of being on a deserted island in the Caribbean.

Nauset Beach had picturesque cliffs and seal sightings.

Skaket Beach was a great place to watch the sunset. We arrived early and observed dozens of people bringing chairs and setting up on the beach in loving pairs to watch the sun descend into the horizon.

Lighthouse Beach - well, we never made it onto the beach, but several times stopped to take photos from atop the cliffs because the view was so expanisive.

And our last stop for the week was First Encounter Beach. Incredible. We arrived at low tide and were able to walk about a mile out in sand and inch deep water before we found the bay.

[For more photos of Cape Cod, visit my photography site.]

OK, enough about the views. Let's talk about the food!

We ate a lot of good food. I mean, we were in New England, so we had to eat plenty of seafood! I made sure we had oysters almost everyday (I'm obsessed!), we ate our weight in lobster - Brian even got a four pound one for himself!

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And I even ordered cod at a fancy schmancy restaurant. Toss in some calamari and fish & chips and we had ourselves a proper New England seafood filled vacation!

Two non-seafood items we were obsessed with were the panini at this local to-go food stop, The Corner Store. Brian got the Italian style one with a bunch of meats, provolone, and spicy pepper relish, and I ordered the eggplant one with assorted veggies, hummus, and feta. And by obsessed I mean we stopped there almost every day - even on our way out of town. I don't normally eat bread of any kind, but I made a concession for this delicious, quick and easy food to go when we were in a hurry to get out on the beach. I have to say though, by the end of the week and that last sandwich on the drive home, the sami was feeling a little greasy, a little unhealthy, and giving me indigestion! That's when you know vacay is truly over. Womp womp.

I knew I could make a version of this sandwich at home and make it cleaner, healthier, and less greasy for sure. I decided to do it as an open-faced sami, which eliminates the need for the second piece of bread, limiting the grain intake. And I used Ezekial bread, which historically hasn't give me as many side effects as any other type or brand of bread. The hummus provides protein, but I wanted to kick it up a notch, so I added a fried egg to the top of my sami.

I have to say, the Corner Store version was pretty damn tasty, but mine was on a whole other level. I actually really like eating healthy food, so when I know something is homemade, I controlled what went into it, and it's hearty and filling, I enjoy it that much more. This sandwich hit all of those notes for me and I hope it does for your as well. Whether you're a vegetarian or meat eater, this open faced sandwich will fill you up and have your taste buds singing!

Let's get makin'!

Open Faced Veggie & Egg Sami

Servings: 1

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into slabs (see photo below)

1/4 sweet onion, sliced

6 1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon garlic paste

1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs

3 slices of eggplant rounds (see photo below)

4 slices of zucchini (see photo below)

1 egg

1 slice of thick bread (I used Ezekial bread)

4 heaping teaspoons hummus (I made some at home using Martha's recipe)

1 tablespoon feta crumbles

1 handful baby spinach leaves

2 slices beefsteak tomato

1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper (FCBP)

1/4 teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt

Start by pre-heating your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place the quartered red bell pepper slabs to a cookie sheet and drizzle with a half teaspoon EVOO and sprinkle with a pinch each of salt and FCBP.

Put the bell peppers in the oven and set the timer to 25 minutes.

Next, place a non-stick pan on the stove over medium heat and drizzle in 2 teaspoons EVOO. Add the sliced onions.

Cook the onions on medium for about five minutes until they become softened, stirring often. Turn the heat to low, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and cook for another five minutes, stirring often again.

Remove the onions from the heat when they're translucent and slightly browned.

Set aside.

Use the same pans in which you cooked the onions to cook the eggplant & zucchini. Place it back on the stove over medium heat. Drizzle in the remainder of EVOO and all of the balsamic vinegar. Add the garlic paste.

Place the eggplant and zucchini in the pan and sprinkle with the Italian herbs, and a pinch of each salt and FCBP.

Cook the veggies on the first side for three minutes and then turn over and cook on the second side for three minutes.

Remove the veggies and set them aside.

Let's use the same pan again! Crack the egg directly into the pan.

Cook on the first side for about three minutes, then flip over to cook on the second side. Remove the egg from the pan and set aside.

By now, your red peppers should be done. Remove them from the oven and set aside until ready to use.

Place your slice of bread into the toaster and toast to your preference.

Now, let's assemble our sami!

Slather the hummus onto your slice of bread. Sprinkle the hummus with a pinch of FCBP.

Sprinkle the feta crumbles over the hummus.