Recipe created by Lynfred Brand Ambassador Laura Lorenz

Ingredients

Ciabatta bread*
Fresh mozzarella, sliced
Arugula
Basil pesto, store-bought or homemade
Bell peppers (yellow, red, or orange), cored and cut into 2” strips
Red onion (sliced into ¾ – 1” rings)
Zucchini and yellow squash (cut into quarters lengthwise)

(marinade)
1 c olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
½ tsp dried oregano
1 tsp Italian seasoning
¼ -½ tsp crushed red pepper flake
½ tsp kosher salt
2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped

(sundried tomato spread)
8.5 oz jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil (undrained)
1 tbsp tomato paste
4 oz cream cheese, softened
½ hot water
1 small garlic clove
4-5 large fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
½ tsp kosher salt (more to taste if needed)
¼ tsp sugar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions
To make the spread, add all the (sun-dried tomato spread) ingredients to a blender or a food processor and blend until smooth. This can be done up to 3 days in advance. When ready to assemble the sandwiches, let the spread sit out at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to soften up.

To marinate the vegetables, in a large bowl add the marinade ingredients and whisk until the oil and vinegar are emulsified. Add all the vegetables to a large plastic bag and pour marinade on top. Seal the bag and move the vegetables around until fully coated. Refrigerate for 3-12 hrs.

When ready to grill, preheat it to medium. Drain the marinade from the vegetables (don’t discard). Grill the vegetables until nicely charred (grilling time will vary depending on your grill, so keep an eye on them). Once the vegetables are cooked, set aside and lightly drizzle some of the marinade back on top while they are still warm.

To assemble the sandwiches, spread basil pesto on the bottom piece of bread, then some arugula, then the grilled vegetables, followed by the sliced mozzarella, and on the top piece of bread, smear on the tangy sun-dried tomato spread.

Tips
*This sandwich is very customizable. The amounts were not included because the servings will depend on the type of bread used and the amount of vegetables used. I used small personal-size ciabatta rolls.
*For the vegetables I used 2 medium zucchini, 2 medium yellow squash, 1 medium red onion, and 3 large bell peppers. I doubled the marinade to completely cover my vegetables. This gave me roughly 6 good size sandwiches. The sun-dried tomato spread makes 1 ¾ cups.
*Focaccia would be a great substitute for ciabatta.
*Trick to keep the onion rings together…skewer them, almost like a lollipop.
*Other vegetables that can be used, and will be equally as delicious, are eggplant and portobello mushrooms (don’t marinate the mushrooms longer than a few minutes, they will soak up too much liquid and be soggy).
*If you want to gild the lily, try topping the sandwich off with a balsamic drizzle!