Sandwich Night

Sandwiches were on the menu for dinner at our place last night. But not just any old sandwiches. These were pesto gouda, broccoli rabe and tomato jam sandwiches on grilled sourdough bread.

When I make my dinner lists before the biweekly grocery shopping trip, I usually include some kind of sandwich, whether it's a vegetarian BLT, a green apple panini or a grown-up grilled cheese. They make fun, easy weeknight dinners and I like to find creative ways to incorporate fruit or vegetables into them. Sometimes your veggies are just more appealing when stuffed between slices of bread. :)

To make these sandwiches, I piled garlicky broccoli rabe on top of a slice of sourdough bread, then added one ounce of pesto gouda cheese (to see how I make my broccoli rabe, check out this post). Then I topped them with the other slice of sourdough bread, which I had spread with some tomato jam I made last summer. Then I grilled 'em in the George Foreman with some cooking spray until they were golden and crispy.

This tomato jam, by the way, is seriously amazing. I got the recipe last summer from In Jennie's Kitchen, and figured it'd be a great way to use up a bunch of my garden tomatoes that were threatening to go bad on me. I used one jar right after I made it, and couldn't wait to open my second jar last night. It's sweet, tangy and has all the flavors of sundried tomatoes (although only fresh tomatoes were used), brown sugar, caramelized onions and balsamic vinegar.

We ate our sandwiches with the rest of the broccoli rabe and some fresh string beans from the garden. Sandwich heaven!