dad’s birthday was on Saturday and he got to pick how to spend his day.
His request was pretty simple, a bike-ride through Central Park with
his family. Doesn’t that sound nice?Sounding nice and being nice are two completely
different things. First, it was like 85 degrees! HOT! Second, we
biked for 3 hours. I wondered throughout this time if Dad wouldn’t have
been happier just riding as fast as he could around
and around us in circles while we relaxed on the meadow. Or in an air
conditioned bubble. I’d take either.
Regardless, it was a great time. If I hadn’t just
made these sandwiches for dinner, they would have been the perfect lunch
in the park to cap off a great birthday! The cilantro pesto I made
yesterday and this one are completely different
– this is a much more traditional pesto but with cilantro instead of
basil. It goes so nicely with the grilled vegetables and best of all –
it only takes a grill and a blender. YEAH! That is my kind of summer
dinner.
Grilled Veggie Sandwiches with Cilantro Pesto (adapted from here)
Serves: 4
Cilantro Pesto:
1 cup packed fresh cilantro sprigs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sandwiches
2 red peppers
4 slices peeled eggplant (approximately 1/2 inch thick)
4 hard rolls, split
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
In a blender, blend cilantro, Parmesan, garlic cloves, water, and pine nuts until well-blended. Add oil while the mixture is blending. Remove from blender and store in an airtight container up to 14 days.
Lightly coat the grill with cooking spray. Grill
peppers for about 10 minutes, until skins blister, turning frequently.
Place peppers in a large bowl and cover. Meanwhile, grill eggplant
slices, approximately 5 minutes, turning once.
Also grill hard rolls, cut sides down, until lightly browned.
To make the sandwiches, evenly spread 2 tablespoons
of cilantro pesto on both cut sides of each sandwich. Layer bottom
roll with part-skim mozzarella cheese, peppers, and eggplant. Place top
half over the sandwich. Serve sandwiches immediately.
Per Serving, Based on 4 Servings, from MyFitness Pal.com
Calories: 359
Carbohydrates: 58g
Fat: 8g
Protein: 12g
Sodium: 547mg
Sugar: 10g
*We used Europa Kaiser rolls which were 280
calories EACH! Subtract that from the calories above if you are going
to use a different kind of roll and add the amount of calories yours
has.
Until the next time my oven is on…
