Toasted Tomato Cucumber Sandwich with Dill Mayo and Sweet Cajun Plantains

Today’s recipe(s) is super simple but also super delicious. It’s the perfect thing to whip up for a quick filling lunch or a light dinner. The best part is that it doesn’t have you slaving over a hot stove or grill in this agonizing heat. The sandwich is simple I know, using few ingredients, but it packs a flavorful punch. It’s very reminiscent of the toasted tomato mayo sandwiches I ate and loved during the summers of my childhood. Though grown this is still a meal I find myself craving at least a few times each summer season. Something about the texture, the toasted bread, the creamy mayo, and the cool refreshing tomato.... the sweet juicy taste of fresh vine-ripened tomato paired with black pepper... mmm... This version of course is slightly different then the Toasted tomato sandwich of my childhood, but no less delicious, more so in fact. Also back then my sandwich was usually paired with chips, fresh fruit or raw veggies. I highly recommend the fresh fruit and raw veggies but on this particular day I was feeling something slightly more decadent... sweet, fried plantains!

Revamped Toasted Tomato Cucumber Sandwich

2 Slices Whole Wheat Bread (lightly toasted)
4 Slices tomato
8 Thin slices cucumber
Fresh ground Black Pepper to taste (3-4 grinds of a pepper mill usually does the trick)
Pinch of White Pepper (Optional)
Dijon Mustard (Optional)
1 Batch Dill Mayo (Recipe Follows)

- Toast your bread till lightly golden. You don’t want it to be soft but you don’t want it to be super crunch either.

- Spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard over one slice if desired. Spread the Dill Mayo on the other slice of bread. Add cucumbers in an even layer over Dijon side of bread. Evenly layer over tomatoes, add your ground pepper and then place mayo slice of bread on top and cut in half if desired. Serve with fresh fruit, raw vegetables or Sweet Cajun Plantains (recipe Follows) like I did.

Dill Mayo

1 ½ Tbsp Vegan Mayo (My new Favorite is Earth Balance’s ‘Mindful Mayo’ original, SO GOOD!)
1-2 Tbsp fresh chopped Dill (or to taste) (I used 2 heaping tbsp)

- Place mayo and dill in a small bowl and whisk until well combined. May be a bit chunky depending on how much dill you use but that’s okay.

Fried Sweet Cajun Plantains

*** Note - Now normally I don’t eat fried foods, but every once and a while I don’t think it hurts to indulge a little, and in all honestly frying plantains is my all-time favorite way to eat them. If you prefer you can bake the plantains in the oven as you would any type of potato fries, but it will take a lot longer then the frying method, making this dish slightly less ‘quick’ so keep that in mind.***

2 Ripe Plantains (The yellow kind with black spots)
½ - 1 Tsp your favorite Cajun Seasoning (or to taste)
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar (or less if desired)

- To Peel plantains cut the a tiny bit off each end and use your knife to score down the side of the skin. Deep enough to get through the peel but not deep enough to cut into the flesh of the plantaine. Remove the peel carefully like you would a banana peel.

- Pre-heat your deep fryer. (If you don’t have a deep fryer you can fry your plantains in a pan on the stove using any kind of vegetable oil. Enough to cover the pan and the plantains. Set burner to medium-high heat) Slice each plantains into rounds on the diagonal. When deep fryer is ready, (or oil in pan is hot enough) add your plantains to the oil and fry for about 5 minutes, or until plantains are a light to medium golden brown.

- Remove plantains from oil and place in a paper towel. You want to remove some but not all of the oil otherwise the seasoning mix won’t stick as good.

- Place plantains in a container that has a fitted or locking lid. Add to the plantains the sugar and Cajun seasoning. Then close the lid and shake well for roughly a minute until all plantains are well coated with seasoning.

- Dump out onto a plate alongside your sandwich and enjoy!

PS: I thought since I was absent on both Saturday and Sunday it was only fair to give you more then one recipe today