Aubergine, Feta & Sundried Tomato Pesto Grilled Cheese

An aubergine (eggplant)

A red onion

Feta

Sundried tomato pesto

Fresh bread

Garlic 

A drizzle of balsamic vinegar 

A sprinkle of sugar

Salt & pepper to taste

1. Wash and finely slice the aubergine and leave it to marinate in some olive oil, a tiny bit of balsamic, salt, pepper, crushed garlic, sugar and sundried tomato pesto.
2. While it marinates, chop the onions and saute them in some olive oil until golden. Take them out and place the aubergine in the pan until it is cooked. 
3. Once the aubergine is ready, spread sundried tomato pesto on each side of the bread and fill your sandwich with aubergine, feta and the onions. 
4. Toss the bread in the pan and let the sandwich get toasty.

Sharp Cheddar & Honey Mustard Veggie Sandwich

Red onions

Tomato

Cucumber

Lettuce

Sharp cheddar

Mayo

Honey mustard

Bread

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Slice your veggies and cheese
2. Spread mayo on one side of the bread and honey mustard on the other before topping it with 
3. Put it together and eat!

Greek Salad Pita Drizzled with Tzatziki

So so so delicious!

You will neeeeed:

Cucumber

Tomato

Kalamata olives

Red onions

Feta

Tzatziki

Fresh Pita

Lemon

Seasalt

Olive oil

1. Chop your cucumber, tomato and onions and combine them with pitted and chopped olives
2. Mix them in some freshly squeezed lemon, salt and olive oil to taste
3. Fill your pita with your salad, sprinkle it with salad and drizzle tzatziki over it
4. Wrap your pita up and enjoy :)

Cucumber Alfalfa Sandwich

Simple, crisp and refreshing! 

Boursin

Slices of cucumber

Fresh bread

Alfalfa sprouts

Salt and pepper to taste

Falafel

•  2 cups of dry chickpeas/garbanzo beans
• 1 small onion, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 3-5 cloves garlic (I prefer roasted)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons of salt
• 2 teaspoons of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
• 1/4 of a teaspoon of black pepper
• 1/4 of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• Pinch of ground cardamom
• Oil for frying 

1.  Leave the chickpeas in a large bowl of water in the fridge overnight and then drain them the following day.
2. Combine the chickpeas/garbanzo beans, parsley, garlic, salt, cumin, flour, coriander, pepper, cayenne and cardamom in food processor and blend. Be sure to keep the mixture bitty so the consistency is right.
3. Set the mixture aside and refrigerate it for 1-2 hours
4. Roll it into balls and heat oil to fry the falafel in, making sure it is not too hot that the outside browns quickly and the inside doesn't cook. Ideally, each side will get golden in about 2-3 minutes.

My favourite way to have falafel is wrapped in a galette with minced lettuce, onions, carrot and either tzatziki or garlic sauce! Enjoy :)

Fried Egg & Sharp Cheddar Sandwich

So simple, so good for ANY meal. 

You will need:

• Brown bread
• Sharp aged cheddar
• An egg
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Mayonaise (I used light)
• Salt and peper to taste

1. Fry the egg with salt and pepper
2. Meanwhile, wash the lettuce, slice the tomato and cheese 
3. Toast the bread, place a small amount of mayonaise on either side
4. Put your sandwich together and eat it while it's warm 

Olive and Nüsslisalat Baguette

Full of flavour and so easy to make :)

You will need:

• A red onion
• Fresh baguette
• Kalamata olives
• Sundried tomatoes
• Boursin
• Nüsslisalat (lamb's lettuce/doucette, if you can't find it rucola will add a nice flavour too)

1. Slice the baguette and place Boursin on both sides
2. Slice the red onion and pit the olives
3. Lay down the sundried tomatoes, onions, olives and nüsslisalat leaves.. very complicated ;)

Mushroom Burger with Sundried tomatoes and Feta

You will need:

• A burger bun
• A large portobello mushroom
• Red onion
• Tomato
• Baby Spinach
• Sharp cheddar
• Feta
• Sundried tomatoes
• Dried oregano
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar

1. Stem the mushroom and marinate it in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Put it aside for 20 minutes.
2. Cook the mushroom (4 minutes on either side) on high heat 
3. Toast the bread
4. Melt the cheddar over the mushroom
5. Lay down sliced tomato and onion, baby spinach, crumbled feta and sundried tomatoes before sprinkling oregano on the top.

Grilled Vegetable & Mozzarella Piadina

Piadina's are probably my favourite Italian street food, they are so delicious. If you want to make your own piadina bread, it's a bit more complicated, but well worth it.

You will need:

• Piadina bread (recipe for the bread included)
• Eggplant
• Mushroom
• A tomato
• A clove of garlic
• A red onion
• Fresh basil
• Rucola
• Olive oil 
• Bufala mozzarella
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. To make your own piadina bread, in a bowl combine 2 cups of flour, 2 and a half tablespoons of oil, 3/4 of a cup of milk (or water), a pinch of salt and 1/4 of a teaspoon of baking soda
2. Knead the dough well
3. Break off a small piece rolled into a ball and flatten it using a rolling pin
4. Cook it in a frying pan piercing many holes in the dough and flip it until either side is cooked

1. Wash your veggies
2. Thinly slice the eggplant, mushrooms, onions and tomatoes, crush the garlic
3. In a frying pan with some olive oil, cook the onions, garlic, mushrooms and eggplant in some olive oil with salt and pepper
4. Once they are cooked, add the tomatoes until the soften slightly
5. Place mozzarella on the bread and top it with the grilled vegetables, rucola and fresh basil leaves
6. Wrap up the sandwich and toast it in a grill or frying pan so the cheese melts

Toasted Garlic Baguette with Avocado Puree and Grilled Onions

You will need: 

• An avocado
• A small onion
• A tomato
• Fresh baguette
• Mozzarella
• Salt and pepper to taste
• A clove of garlic
• A splash of olive oil

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius 

2. Slice the onion and toss it in a pan with olive oil on a moderately high heat until the onions are cooked

3. While the oven heats and the onions cook, slice your baguette and rub the garlic all over the baguette

4. On one half of the baguette, sprinkle minced garlic and mozzarella 

5. Place both pieces of baguette in the oven to toast and leave in until the cheese is fully melted

6. Slice the tomato

7. Once your onions are cooked and the cheese on the baguette is melted, spread avocado along the half of the baguette without cheese

8. Put your sandwich together, add salt and pepper and eat :)

Some healthy alternatives:

Use a brown or whole wheat baguette.
Avoid using cheese, the avocado is so rich and delicious you barely need it anyway!

My Favourite Bagel

This is so simple I almost feel guilty posting it and calling it a recipe. But wowy, is it ever good. This combination of ingredients just compliment each other so well and is just heavenly. Fresh ripe tomatoes, deli cream cheese and bagels that are crunchy on the outside, soft and doughy on the inside... ooh and those sesame seeds.

All you will need:

• Cream cheese
• Ripe tomatoes
• Salt
• A sesame seed bagel

1. While your bagel is toasting, slice the tomatoes
2. Spread the cream cheese over the bagel halves
3. Lay the tomatoes on top
4. Sprinkle some salt
5. And enjoy these simple tastes... they are the secrets of living :)

Ohh, how I love this song...

Olive Tapenade and Creamy Chevre on Warm Toasted Baguette

My mother and I stumbled upon a beautiful cafe in the Stanislavski Theatre in Amsterdam recently. The space was so lovely, great ambiance! It was bright with high ceilings and large windows everywhere - very perfect for people watching. I had an open-faced sandwich there which was very similar to this one and ohhh, was it ever delicious. 

Photo by Alvaro Chocano De Rossi

• 1 tablespoon of Olive tapenade
• Some leaves of fresh rucola (aruglia/rocket/roquette.... dayuum, these leave have a lot of names)
• 3 slices of sundried tomato
• Creamy Chevre (goats milk cheese)
• Baguette

1. Cut the baguette into long and thick slices
2. Toast it in the oven or toaster until slightly crunchy
3. Spread the tapenade over one piece of baguette and cover it with the chevre
4. Sprinkle the piece with the rucola leaves and sundried tomato

My dear friend Yuri introduced me to the Ukranian group 5'nizza a few years ago, and since they have been a consistent favourite. Hope you enjoy :)

Grilled Vegetable & Mozzarella Panini

Am I allowed to say this is the best sandwich in the world? Probably not. Let me clarify, this is my new favourite sandwich. Aside from the fact that is so huge and full of delicious things that it is almost impossible to eat... it is so good. The flavours are so strong. So beware, once you try it, you'll have a hard time not craving it again. Consider yourself warned!

Photo by Alvaro Chocano De Rossi

• Slices of zucchini (courgette)
• Slices of red and or yellow bell pepper
• Slices of eggplant (aubergine)
• Sliced tomato
• Mozzarella
• 1 tablespoon of pesto
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar 
• A pinch of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
• Mayo
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh bread
• 2 - 3 cloves of garlic

1. Slice the zucchini, bell pepper and eggplant
2. In a ziplock bag, mix olive oil, balsamic, crushed garlic, oregano, sugar and salt and pepper (this will be your marinade)
3. Toss your sliced veggies into the bag and leave them to marinate in the fridge (the longer the better)
4. In a grill pan, roast the vegetables until they are cooked and develop charred lines 
5. On the bread, spread the pesto evenly on one half and a small amount of mayo on the other
6. Lay the mozzarella, sliced tomato and vegetables on the bread and put the sandwich together
7. In a grill or pan, toast your sandwich
8. Enjoy :)

Suggestions: This sandwich also tastes amazing with sundried tomatoes, creamy goats cheese instead of mayo and even feta. 

Aaand just to make you even more happy...

Dill Egg Salad Sandwich

Photo by Alvaro Chocano De Rossi

Should make 2 sandwiches

• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon of plain yogurt
• 1/2 a tablespoon of mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard
• 1/4 of a spring onion
• 3 stalks of fresh dill
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Bread
• 1 large lettuce leaf

1. Boil the eggs
2. Finely chop the spring onions and dill and put them in a bowl with the shelled and boiled eggs
3. Mix in the yogurt, mayo, mustard, salt and pepper
4. Stir until the eggs are broken up as much as you'd like
5. Lay the egg mixture on the bread and cover it with lettuce
6. Put your yummy sandwich together and eat!

Mint Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

Very nice and proper little fancy finger sandwichies.

• Soft brown bread
• Fresh min leaves
• Thin slices of cucumber
• Boursin or cream cheese
• Salt

1. Finely chop the mint leaves
2. Slice the cucumber into thin pieces
3. Spread the creamy cheese of your choice on the bread
4. Sprinkle the mint leaves and salt over the bread
5. Lay your cucumber slices
6. Put it together and cut off the crusts to be extra proper :)