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Veggie muffalettas for a healthy Mardi Gras
Melissa Elsmo lines up her Mindful Mardi Gras Muffaletta Sandwiches, featuring roasted peppers and eggplant. | Melissa Elsmo~For Sun-Times Media
Mixed Olive Salad
1 ½ cup pitted mixed olives
½ cup giardiniera with cauliflower
3 garlic cloves
1/3 cup capers
½ cup sliced celery
½ cup parsley, minced
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup olive oil
Combine the olives, giardiniera, garlic and capers in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until coarse and combined. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper.
Use any leftover salad as a bruschetta topping.
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Updated: February 22, 2012 12:08PM
Foodies clamor, with good reason, to take a bite out of iconic New Orleans fare like fried oyster po’boys, glorious gumbo, andouille-laden jambalaya, and rich crawfish étouffée.
Mardi Gras is the perfect excuse for everyone outside of Louisiana to indulge in these heavy dishes, but let’s face it … The Big Easy isn’t too easy on the waistline.
Carnival fare traditionally serves as a last supper of sorts before the fasts of lent begin, but some folks would probably prefer to take a little bit of the fat out of Fat Tuesday. In order to leave room for a slice of King Cake, a sugar-doused beignet, or a serving of Bananas Foster, try starting your Mardi Gras celebration with my vegetarian version of a New Orleans signature muffaletta sandwich.
Creole-Italian fare lives in the shadows of the more popular French-influenced dishes of the region, but Italian immigrants settled in the Louisiana area in the late 1800s and laid the foundation for the creation of the muffaletta sandwich in the early 1900s.
Traditionally, the monstrously large muffaletta sandwich is piled high with Italian deli meats including salami, mortadella and capicola. Cheeses and homemade olive salad round out the indulgent dish.
In my lighter version the cheese and olives remain, but all of the meats have been replaced with a slew of colorful roasted fresh vegetables. Use my Mindful Muffaletta to cut a few calories without sacrificing that magical Mardi Gras flair!
Melissa Elsmo is an Oak Park mom, wife and chef/foodie. She speaks regularly about reclaiming the family dinner hour with nutritious meals. Check out her food blog at www.outofmelskitchen.blogspot.com.
Mel’s Mindful Mardi Gras Muffaletta Sandwiches
In lieu of using an array of. Italian meats in this classic New Orleans sandwich try substituting an assortment of fresh roasted veggies for a make ahead meatless meal!
6 Portuguese round rolls
2 cups mixed olive salad (recipe follows)
4 fresh mozzarella balls, sliced into 3 rounds
12 thin slices sharp Provolone
4 red peppers, roasted, peeled and cut into 2-inch squares
1 small red onion, sliced into 6 rounds
1 small eggplant, sliced into 12 rounds
1 medium zucchini, sliced ¼-inch thick
1 medium yellow squash, sliced ¼-inch thick
Olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Sprinkle the eggplant with salt and allow to drain in a colander while you prep the rest of the vegetables. Toss the onions with a little olive oil to coat and season with salt and pepper and spread evenly on a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with the eggplant, zucchini and squash (adding 1 tablespoon minced garlic to the zucchini and squash) and place each vegetable on its own parchment lined baking sheet. Roast veggies in the oven until lightly colored and tender (about 10-20 minutes; some will finish faster than others). Cool and set aside.
Cut the rolls in half horizontally and pull the middle out of the bread creating a hollow dome in the top and a shallow “plate” in the bottom. Place ¼ cup olive salad in the bottom of each roll and 2 tablespoons olive salad in the top of each roll. Fill each side of the bread with layers of roasted vegetables and cheese (the tops will hold more than the bottoms), but take care to avoid putting toppings on the outer rim of the bread. When sides are filled sandwich the two sides together pressing down to create a sandwich that looks like a cohesive roll. Wrap each sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
To serve, allow sandwiches to stand at room temperature for an hour, unwrap and slice each one in half with a bread knife.
*Feel free to use a 10-inch Italian boule to create one large sandwich. Hollow the bread, fill, wrap and refrigerate as directed. Cut into sixths before serving. Yields six sandwiches.
Mixed Olive Salad
1 ½ cup pitted mixed olives
½ cup giardiniera with cauliflower
3 garlic cloves
1/3 cup capers
½ cup sliced celery
½ cup parsley, minced
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup olive oil
Combine the olives, giardiniera, garlic and capers in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until coarse and combined. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper.
Use any leftover salad as a bruschetta topping.
