The art of a good sandwich

If you're anything like me you get very bored with standard sandwich fillings and end up buying lunch everyday, which is expensive and probably unhealthy. But I've recently been inspired to try making interesting and delicious cafe-style sandwiches - cheap, healthy, and surprisingly easy. The trick is preparation. Prepare your fillings ahead of time, and keep a well-stocked fridge.

Example 1: A few Sundays ago we had tandoori chicken for dinner, and I made enough for leftovers to go in sandwiches. Then, while making the other stuff for dinner, I popped some red capsicum/pepper in the oven to roast, enough to last for the week. Then on Monday morning I grabbed a couple of slices of whole-grain bread from the freezer and started piling on slices of the tandoori chicken thigh, roasted red capsicum, rocket, a smidge of minced coriander/cilantro, and a drizzle of natural yogurt for the finishing touch. It took no more than 5 minutes to make. Then I toasted my sandwich just before eating, and boy were my lunch-mates jealous! Footnote: Tandoori chicken is very easy to make by the way- it's just tandoori paste, natural yogurt and a squeeze of lemon for the marinade; thrown on the BBQ to cook.

Example 2: The following week, again while preparing dinner on Sunday night, I roasted some pumpkin/squash and some more red capsicum. Then on my sandwich the next morning, I used whole grain bread, slices of the roasted pumpkin and capsicum, a few pieces of fetta cheese, toasted pine nuts, sundried tomatoes, and a drizzle of natural yogurt. Again I toasted the sandwich before eating, and it was delicious. Footnote: I toasted the pinenuts fresh each morning, simply by swirling around in a frying pan (no oil) on moderate heat for about 2 mins until they turn golden brown. Not sure if you can toast a larger batch ahead of time. I'll experiment and let you know.