Veggie Sandwiches with Goat Cheese and Pesto

The summer before I set off for university (yikes, 4 years ago!) I often invited friends over for mini dinner parties and craft nights. My mom went on an adventure to Africa for 2 months, so I was in Colorado keeping the fort. It wasn't a lonely time, rather it was a summer filled with creativity and exploration--most of which happened in the kitchen and in front of a canvas.

Luckily, I had some amazing friends by my side that summer who also wanted to have picnics and fly kites at Chitaqua Park, paint huge canvases together, go camping in Nederland, test vegan cookbooks, drink bubble tea with our feet dangling into the Boulder Creek, and all-around have a wonderful and light-hearted summer.

That summer, there was one recipe that was requested over and over by both my vegetarian and meat-lovin' friends. Veggie Sandwiches.  It's a perfect mix of veggies, cook until soft and juicy, on tangy sourdough bread smeared with goat cheese and pesto.... oh my. So good. Soooo addictive. Beware the Veggie Sandwich.

Recipe is good for 2 sandwiches, but you should buy enough ingredients to make 4-6 because you will want another one soon!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 yellow onion
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1/2 green bell pepper
• 4 cups fresh baby spinach
• Salt/Pepper/Cumin/Garlic Powder
• Sourdough Bread (4 slices)
• Goat Cheese
• 2 tablespoons Pesto
• Optional: Roasted Red Pepper spread (Sundried Tomato)
  

Directions:

1. Slice the onion and peppers into thin strips. Preheat a skillet to medium-high heat, then add a splash of olive oil. Immediately add the onion and peppers. 
2. Meanwhile, toast the slices of sourdough. Smear 1 tablespoon of pesto on two slices of the bread, then smear some goat cheese on the other slices of bread... get it? Each sandwich will have 1 side pesto, 1 side goat cheese. If you have (or want) to add some roasted red pepper spread to the goat cheese sides, you can do so now.
3. The onions and peppers should be soft and slightly blackened by now. Add the spinach to the veggies and add 2 tablespoons of water. This will steam and wilt the spinach, so don't worry about how full the pan will be at first. 
4. Add the salt, pepper, and cumin to the veggie mix to taste. Scoop half of the mix onto a goat cheese-smeared slice, then top with a pesto-smeared slice. Repeat for the second sandwich. Eat right away because the juicy veggies will soak the bread if you leave it too long!

Enjoy!

PS - you could add sliced chicken or bacon or sausage to this sandwich, but  I can assure you that meat-lovers will not miss a thing.