Veggie Dagwoods

It's been a while since I've posted but that is due to the crazy snow and freezing temperatures we've been having.  I've seriously eaten more potato/vegetable soup than I care to admit.  It was just so easy to make huge batches and reheat when I was hungry.  With spring FINALLY here (at least on paper... maybe not in weather yet...) I wanted to post a recipe that has gotten a lot of requests on my facebook page.

This can be served as one HUMONGOUS "DAGWOOD" sandwich or it can be split into smaller sandwiches and served up as mini sammies for a party.  A Dagwood is a tall, multi-layered sandwich normally made with a variety of meats, cheeses and condiments. It was named after Dagwood Bumstead, a main in the comic strip Blondie, who is frequently illustrated making/eating enormous sandwiches.  Today's recipe is a Veg version of this infamous kind of sandwich (no meat!)

I first made these sandwiches years ago as a Meatless Monday option at my parents house.  It is originally a vegetarian recipe (and I will post the easy vegan switches in parenthesis).

Marinated Tomatoes
2 large tomatoes
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp pepper

Marinated Radishes
1 bunch radishes
1 lemon, juiced
kosher salt and pepper

Marinated Zucchini
2 zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 lemon, zested and juiced
kosher salt and pepper

Pickled Onions
1 ¼ cups red wine vinegar
6 TBS sugar
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 bay leaf
pinch red pepper flakes
½ tsp salt
2 red onions, sliced

Grilled Eggplant
1 eggplant, thinly sliced
½ cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp thyme, minced

Grilled Mushrooms (I used my mushroom marinade instead- let me know if you'd like that recipe)
8 portobello mushroom caps
½ cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Spread
1 cup mayonnaise (*sub in your favorite vegan mayo, I like "Just Mayo" the best)
3 TBS ketchup
1 TBS sweet pickle relish

Sandwiches
24 slices bread
1 heart romaine lettuce
Grilled/Marinated Vegetables
12 oz. Dill Havarti Cheese (I like Daiya's provolone/swiss slices and then added some fresh dill to my sandwich or for a little more bite, thinly slice the jalapeño garlic havarti wedge from Daiya)

For Marinated Tomatoes: Thinly slice tomatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let marinate for 20 mins.

For Marinated Radishes: Thinly slice radishes. Toss with juice of lemon and season with salt and pepper. Let marinate 20 mins.

For Marinated Zucchini: Thinly slice 2 zucchini lengthwise. Lay on a platter and sprinkle with the zest and juice of lemon. Season with salt and pepper. Let marinate 20 mins.

For Pickled Onions: Bring vinegar, sugar, fennel seeds, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, and salt to a boil. Add red onions and simmer 1 minute. Let cool.

For Grilled Eggplant: Mix olive oil, garlic and thyme. Brush onto eggplant slices and grill 3 minutes per side.

For Grilled Mushrooms: Mix olive oil and garlic. Scrape out gills from mushroom caps. Brush caps with garlic oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill about 4 minutes per side.

For Spread: Whisk mayonnaise, ketchup, and relish together.

For Sandwiches: Lay out 24 slices of bread. Lightly spread 1 side with mayonnaise mix. Top 4 slices of bread with lettuce and grilled mushroom. Top with another slice of bread (mayonnaise side up) followed by cheese, grilled eggplant and third slice of bread (mayonnaise side down).

Top 4 more slices of bread with lettuce, cheese, and tomato. Top with another slice of bread (mayonnaise side up) and zucchini, radishes, and onions. Top with remaining slice of bread (mayonnaise side down).

And to make this one big sandwich, put the top slice of bread from the grilled veggie sandwich mayo side up and continue to stack the marinated veggie sandwich on top!  These are soooo yummy and filling!!!  **Side Note—I like to toast the bread to make sure it can sustain the moisture from all the veggies... But I don't like biting into a toasted top/bottom slice, so put two slices of bread into the same toaster slot, they will come out warm and soft on one side and crusty/toasty on the other side!!

Side Dish.. not necessary.  I've served with salt potatoes or have even grilled 2 romaine hearts, cut them in half lengthwise and drizzled Italian dressing on them… sooo good but we were STUFFED!