Potato and Bean Open-Faced Sandwich

This tasty, rustic sandwich would be good for breakfast, lunch, or anytime. It is great with a nice salad.

2 or 3 small potatoes, sliced
2 to 4 cloves garlic, crushed
olive oil
butter
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
1 sprig of fresh sage
salt and pepper
1 cup cooked cannellini beans or other beans
slices of bread, toasted
minced parsley

In a hot skillet, heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil and add a pat of butter. Add the potatoes, 2 cloves of the garlic, rosemary and sage. Salt and pepper to taste. When the potatoes and garlic are browned and cooked, remove. Add more olive oil to skillet if necessary, then add the beans and 1 or 2 more cloves of garlic and saute until heated and flavored. Add the potatoes back and stir everything together. Serve on toasted bread, drizzle with more olive oil if desired, and garnish with parsley.

Grilled Cheese and Apple Sandwich

This was a delicious twist on a classic sandwich. We made grilled cheese sandwiches by buttering millet bread on the outside and spreading stone ground mustard on the inside, paired with smoked cheddar cheese and slices of Granny Smith apples.

Moyetes

Moyetes are basically Mexican bruschetta or open-faced sandwiches. They are commonly served for breakfast. Typically they are made using a French-style bread, cut in half, and spread with refried beans and topped with cheese. Then they are toasted in the oven until the bread is crispy and the cheese has melted.

Although they are not a dish that comes from the Yucatan, we have been served them for breakfast there in recent years. In Yucatan we enjoyed them on Yucatecan French bread (pan frances) with refried black beans, salsa de jitomate, and sliced cheese. It's a delicious combination, but the options are limited only to your imagination. They are also great as snacks or served at informal parties, as they are so quick to prepare and easy to eat with your fingers. They can be made appetizer-sized too. Pictured above, we used millet bread rather than French bread, as millet bread is wonderful toasted.

Two Meals with Cabbage

I made a batch of pickled cabbage using a recipe in the Cafe Flora Cookbook. I added Mexican oregano to it as my own touch.

I used some of it in Tofu Reuben Sandwiches. They contain toasted multi grain bread, a slice of heated extra firm tofu (it comes in a package labeled grilled tofu), a slice of mozzarella, the cabbage, honey mustard and horseradish. Tasty! Lacto-vegetarian.

I was inspired by the Vegan Lunchbox to make Pupusas, something I love but can't get at any local restaurants. Pupusas are traditionally served with pickled cabbage (called curtido), so it was another great dish for my cabbage. It was delicious, even if the curtido was not exactly authentic. Inside my pupusas are refried black beans, cilantro and a touch of shredded asiagao cheese. If I were to make pickled cabbage/curtido with pupusas in mind before making the cabbage, I would next time try this recipe, as it is looks to be more like what I am used to eating with pupusas. Anyway, we salivated over them! Vegan.

Peanut Butter & Jelly French Toast

This is a peanut butter & berry jam sandwich on whole wheat, dipped in french toast batter and cooked on a cast iron griddle. The idea for this sandwich was found on page 86 of the March 2007 issue of Vegetarian Times. Here's a recipe for this dish if needed. Served with a side dish of sauteed apples flavored with cinnamon. And to top if off, a soy cappuccino. This dish was a hit, and we've made it several times already. Ovo-vegetarian.