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Avocado salad v
This is nice on lightly toasted Granary or walnut bread. Mash a medium avocado, adding a squeeze of lemon juice to preserve the colour, and salt and pepper to taste. Spread it over the bread. Add any salad leaves or fresh herbs you fancy – tender lettuce, fresh coriander, rocket, chopped spring onions – and press the slices of bread together gently but firmly.
Brie and peach chutney
Make this as described for stilton and cranberry for a lighter, more summery sandwich. It’s good made in a baguette which has had some of the middle scooped out.
Falafels in pitta v
Fill a pitta bread with chopped lettuce, add some whole or sliced falafels (#litres_trial_promo) and any other salad you fancy, such as sliced cucumber, spring onion, tomatoes and a few sprigs of coriander. Drizzle with a tablespoonful of tahini that you’ve mixed with water and a dash of lemon juice until smooth and creamy, or with tzatziki (#ulink_ec76c66c-58bf-5f82-914a-828a0ee43daa), yoghurt dip or mayonnaise thinned with water.
Goat’s cheese and red onion
This is made with the smooth, creamy goat’s cheese that looks like cream cheese. Spread it on your bread – whatever type you fancy (I like raisin and rosemary) top with some very thin slices of red onion, and press the slices together.
Greek salad in pitta bread
Make a Greek salad (#ulink_154e5e74-6733-5ab3-8a77-1f7b0832e50e) as described on page 90, or just quickly put together some chopped cucumber, tomato and onion, with some feta cheese, a squeeze of lemon juice, a few black olives, a drop or two of olive oil, and pile into a pitta pocket. So good!
Grilled Mediterranean vegetables and pesto v
Slice a selection of vegetables, such as courgette, aubergine, red onion and red pepper, into bite-sized pieces, brush with olive oil and put under the grill for about 10 minutes on each side or until tender and lightly browned, or save some from a previous meal. Mix with pesto and pile into a scooped-out baguette or roll them up in a wrap. You could also add some chickpeas, cubes of feta or some bought or homemade hummus (#ulink_7f6f74d4-d9db-55bc-b9d6-ea5bee9d66f9), to increase the protein content.
Hummus, coriander and black olive v
You can use pitta bread for this, or slices of whatever type of bread you like. The most important thing is to put in a generous filling of creamy bought or homemade hummus (#ulink_7f6f74d4-d9db-55bc-b9d6-ea5bee9d66f9) with sliced, pitted olives and some chopped fresh coriander.
Mexican wrap v
Use leftover refried red beans (#litres_trial_promo), if you have them; otherwise fry an onion in olive oil for 10 minutes, then mash into it the drained contents of a 400g can of red kidney beans, a chopped tomato and chilli powder to taste. Spread onto a tortilla wrap, top with any of the following: chopped avocado or guacamole (#ulink_282b5b3a-7d45-5911-a2e8-8e928eadf096), vegan or dairy soured cream, grated vegan or dairy cheese and chopped coriander. Roll up neatly, making sure everything is enclosed.
Ploughman’s
On the same theme as the two previous suggestions, but use your choice of British hard cheese – a good strong Cheddar or a crumbly Wensleydale, for instance – and a sweet-and-sour pickle.
Stilton and cranberry
For a luxurious winter sandwich, butter two slices of granary or walnut bread. Place a round lettuce on one slice, top with slices of Stilton and cranberry sauce (#ulink_b0de03ef-6d9c-5ebc-aa3e-b27e352846bc), finish with another lettuce leaf, and press together with the second slice.
Tomato, mozzarella and olive
Brush a panini or half-size ciabatta with olive oil and fill with sliced tomato and mozzarella, then add some lovely green basil leaves and pitted black olives. This is good with sliced avocado, too.
Parsley pinwheels
I love making and eating these! They look irresistible, like slices from miniature savoury Swiss rolls, and are an attractive addition to a sandwich selection. Fresh springy bread that’s not too thin works best, such as an ordinary, medium-sliced white or wholemeal loaf.
MAKES 25 PINWHEELS
60g (2 oz) soft butter
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1–2 tsp hot water
5 slices from a large sliced loaf of bread
Beat the butter, parsley and hot water together in a bowl to make a light, creamy mixture.
Cut the crusts off the bread and flatten each slice slightly with a rolling pin. Spread the bread generously with the green butter mixture, then roll the slices up like Swiss rolls and if possible chill them for an hour or so.
When ready to serve, cut each roll into about five fairly thin slices.
VARIATION
Pâté or hummus pinwheels
These are lovely made with Swiss vegetable pâté, which you can buy in tubes at health-food shops. Use white bread for these pinwheels, for a good colour contrast. Alternatively, use bought or homemade hummus (#ulink_7f6f74d4-d9db-55bc-b9d6-ea5bee9d66f9); same colour, different flavour.
Asparagus rolls
These are very retro, but I’ve always loved them: tender asparagus wrapped in buttery wholemeal bread; what’s not to like?
MAKES ABOUT 40 ROLLS
1 sliced wholemeal loaf
softened butter, for spreading
225g (8oz) asparagus, cooked and drained
Cut the crusts from the bread and roll each slice with a rolling pin to make it thinner and more flexible.
Butter the bread. Put one spear of asparagus on each slice and roll the bread around the asparagus. Cut each roll into pieces so that they are ‘bite-sized’. Cover and keep in a cool place until needed.
Asparagus and cheese on toast
Asparagus from a can may be a pale shadow of fresh asparagus, but it has its own charms, including tasting great on toast.
SERVES 1–2
small (400g) can asparagus
125g (4oz) grated cheese
2 pieces of hot toast
Drain the asparagus and place on the toast.
Pile the grated cheese on top and place under a hot grill for 3–5 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly. Serve at once.
Avocado toast v
My favourite! I love this combination of buttery, creamy avocado and crisp wholemeal toast.
SERVES 2
1 large avocado
juice of lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2–4 slices of hot wholemeal toast
a dusting of chilli powder (optional)
Peel, stone and thinly slice (or mash) the avocado, then sprinkle with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
Place, or spread, the avocado slices on the toast, dust lightly with chilli powder if you’re using this, and serve at once while the toast is still warm and crisp.
Melba toast v
This sounds a bit retro – indeed, it is retro – but I enjoy both making and eating it, and often find it just the perfect thing to accompany creamy dips. It’s best to use bought sliced bread to make it as it’s easier to cut. People always eat more of this than you think they will, so make plenty!
1–2 slices of ready-sliced bread, white or wholemeal, for each person
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), gas mark 6.
Toast the bread, then lay the pieces of toast flat on a board and, using a sharp knife and a sawing motion, cut the toast in half horizontally, so you end up with two very thin slices, each toasted on one side.
Place the toast halves, uncooked side uppermost, on a baking sheet and bake for about 7–10 minutes, until they are crisp and brown all over, and curling up at the edges. Leave to cool. Store in an airtight container or foil for up to one week.
Mushrooms on toast
Always a winner, you can’t go wrong with tender, buttery baby mushrooms on crisp toast.
SERVES 2
450g (1lb) button mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil
25g (1oz) butter
2–4 large slices toast, white or wholemeal
salt and freshly ground black pepper
chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, to garnish
Wipe the mushrooms, then slice and fry lightly in the oil and butter.
Just before the mushrooms are done, toast the bread.
Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper, then spoon them directly on top of the toast (no need to butter it), together with all their lovely juices. Sprinkle with a little chopped parsley and serve at once.
VARIATION
Garlic mushrooms on toast
Make as described, cooking 1–2 crushed large garlic cloves with the mushrooms.
Hummus on toast with vine tomatoes v
Quick, easy and so good!
SERVES 2
125g (4oz) hummus (#ulink_7f6f74d4-d9db-55bc-b9d6-ea5bee9d66f9), bought or homemade or
2–4 large slices of wholemeal toast
2–4 tresses of cherry tomatoes on the vine
Spread the hummus on the toast – no need to butter it first – and heat through under the grill.
Put the tresses of cherry tomatoes under the grill too for a few minutes until lightly roasted, then place one tress on each piece of toast and serve.
VARIATION
Swiss vegetable pâté and tomato toast v
Swiss vegetable pâté is a smooth, savoury spead that you can buy in a tube at health-food shops. My family have always liked it in sandwiches and on toast. Just squeeze it straight onto the toast, instead of the hummus, heat through under the grill and top with the tomatoes, as described.
Tomato and cheese on toast
This couldn’t be simpler, yet makes a lovely hot snack, rather like a very simple pizza.
SERVES 2
4 slices wholemeal bread
1–2 tbsp olive oil
4 tomatoes, skinned or not, as you wish
125g (4oz) grated cheese
