Brea Getting Fit

I love making new recipes, and since my omni-hubby generally gives good input, I gave him a stack of vegan cookbooks and told him to pick a recipe. He chose the chickpea-avocado muffalatta recipe out of Vegan Planet: 400 Irresistible Recipes with Fantastic Flavors from Home and Around the World. I was skeptical at first (I don’t generally like green olives), but agreed to try it. I dutifully made a grocery list (didn’t have any pepperocinis or green olives on hand) and headed out to the grocery store. I realize that a muffalatta is supposed to be made with a large round crusty loaf, but since it’s just the two of us, I found some great rolls (actually, they were more like small round loaves) in the “freshly baked” section of my market. Ingredients in hand, I headed home pulled everything out. The recipe calls for a roasted red bell pepper, so I used my toaster oven (which worked out beautifully!!). Once I assembled the sammies, it was time to try them. Hubby thought that the green olives were a bit much, and he probably won’t be asking for me to make it again anytime soon, but I enjoyed it. I liked all the different flavors, especially the olive spread! I dog-eared the page in my cookbook just so I could find it again! I think that next time I make a muffalatta, I’ll take some liberty with the ingredients. I think it would be awesome with some marinated tofu, avocado, tomatoes, sprouts and olive spread…I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!

My final verdict on this recipe: It’s a good place to start if you’re wanting to try muffalattas for the first time. I’ve never been to New Orleans, but this sandwich makes me want to go visit!