Pea Shoot, Feta, and Olive Sandwich

In addition to this blogging thing, I have a day job. I'll be hanging on to it for some time because this blog isn't exactly paying the bills. Scratching that creative itch, definitely. But bringing home the bacon? Um, no.

The day job has many benefits, but one of the best is its flexibility. My schedule allows me to work at home a couple of days a week. It's an excellent perk for a working mother, especially because my office is an hour away from home. I love this arrangement, but it also has a down side.

As I'm sure many work-at-home parents can tell you, it can be a bit, well, lonely. When the kids were little, I could still hear the occasional giggle or footsteps from my basement office. But now that they're in school all day every day, it's just me and my Buddy. Thank goodness for my shaggy friend, who gives me an excuse to chatter without feeling like I've completely lost my mind.

Usually on these days at home, my lunch is a fairly dull affair. I somehow have inherited my grandmother's Depression-era mentality and I cannot bring myself to waste food. So I feel compelled to eat that half-eaten sandwich that Chloe didn't eat in her lunch. I've been tempted to keep sending it back in her lunch box day after day in the hopes that one day she will eat it, but at this point, it's more important to me that she eat something for lunch to avoid her having a complete melt down by the end of the school day. I eat it for lunch. Maybe I doctor it up a bit or reheat leftovers from the previous night's dinner. Not very exciting.

The other day, though, I just needed something to get me through the afternoon, and those random bits in the fridge were not going to do it. So I got a (new!) loaf of bread out of the freezer, thawed and toasted it, and added lots of my favorite toppings. The result was this sandwich and it was delicious. The saltiness of the olives and feta played well off the greens, and the onion added a bit of crunch. The tomatoes were a nice, sweet note, but the sandwich would have been just as good without them.

When I had lunch that day, I sat down with a napkin on my lap and a dog at my feet and ate the whole sandwich. I didn't get up even once to get someone something for someone and I didn't field a single complaint about the meal on the table. Quite a treat.

Okay, it didn't quite make up for the absence of those little feet, but it was a very good start.

Second Helping: Wacky Sandwiches (make sure to check out the comments for more sandwich ideas)

Pea Shoot, Feta, and Olive Sandwich

1 slice of baguette about 4 inches long, sliced lengthwise (or 2 thick slices of another crusty bread)
olive oil for drizzling
1 generous handful pea shoots or spinach
6-ish cherry tomatoes, halved
6-ish kalamata olives, halved
1 teaspoon chopped red onion
a tablespoon or two of feta, crumbled

Toast the bread. Drizzle it with olive oil. Load the greens on top of one slice of bread. Add the remaining ingredients and top with the other slice of bread. Get a fork out of the drawer to clean up anything that falls out of the sandwich.

Sit down, turn on the radio, pull out a good book, or just sit in silence. Enjoy.

Print Recipe

Comments

[Susan]

What a gorgeously photogenic sandwich. How did you get it to hold still and pose for the pictures?!

[Betsy @ zen-mama.com]

I think it's very important to have a good lunch when you're working hard. It's good for your mental health as well as your stomach! I'm definitely making this!!

Your photography is amazing!!!

[Betsy @ zen-mama.com]

I think it's very important to have a good lunch when you're working hard. It's good for your mental health as well as your stomach! I'm definitely making this!!

Your photography is amazing!!!

[Anna Johnston]

wow., what wonderfully healthy looking food, lovely photos.