Meatless Monday: Pesto Chik’n Sandwiches

As most of you know Meatless Monday is everyday at our house but even so I’m always looking to add some new dishes to our weekly menu. I’m always on the look for easy meatless ingredients to create quick and easy recipes like the one I am going to share below.

While most of the time we are beans, greens and grains kind of eaters over here we sometimes have one of those days where we really want great veggie patty. I’m not one to make a lot of my own so I usually have a stash in the freezer for lazy days. Yesterday was one of those days where we just wanted sandwiches so I whipped up some Pesto Chik’n Sandwiches using MorningStar Farms® Grillers® Chik’n Veggie Patties. These Chik’n patties only have 80 calories per serving, are a great source of protein and they are cholesterol free!

The best part? Almost all the ingredients in to make my Pesto Chik’n Sandwich can come right from you pantry making this the perfect Meatless Monday dinner because really who wants to spend their Monday nights in the kitchen?

What you’ll need for 2 servings:

4 slices of really good bread or two ciabatta rolls
2 roma tomatoes (plus salt, pepper, thyme and olive oil)
2 tablespoons of your favorite pesto (or see my recipe below)
2 tablespoons of (vegan) mayo
2 MorningStar Farms® Grillers® Chik’n Veggie Patties

Add on’s you might enjoy:

sundried tomatoes
artichoke hearts
(vegan) cheese
baby spinach

Assembly:

First I love to broil my roma tomatoes to really get the best flavor out of them. Simply turn the broiler on high and then I cut my tomatoes in half place them on a sheet pan drizzle with olive oil and dust with a sprinkle of salt, pepper and dried or fresh thyme. Place the tomatoes under the broiler for 3-5 minutes until lightly browned on top. Warning: be careful when you open your oven as these babies let off a lot of steam so make sure to keep your face away.
I also love to toast my bread up so I just stick it under the broiler as well for 3 or so minutes. Keep your eye on this one or you’ll end up with burnt toast!
For the Chik’n patties I simple cook them based on the skillet directions on the package.
Now the best part the Pesto Mayo. Pour both in a bowl, mix together and then slather on both sides of your bread. The place cut the chik’n patty in half and place on one side and the tomatoes on the other, put your sandwich together and serve!

Arugula Pesto

Ingredients:

1 cup raw walnuts
2 garlic cloves
3/4 cup nutritional yeast
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
2.5 cups loosely packed baby arugula
1/2 teaspoon salt + 1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Place the walnuts, garlic and nutritional yeast in the base of a food processor fitted with the S blade. Process until a small crumble.
Add the lemon juice, arugula, salt and pepper to the food processor and process on low.
With the food processor on slowly pour in the olive oil through the feed tube. Process until smooth.

Tip: This makes a lot of pesto so place your leftover pesto in a food storage container and top with just a thin layer of olive oil to keep it from browning. Store in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

For those nights when I am not in the mood to create my own new recipe I love being able to have access to tons of other meatless recipes that make my life easier. Here are a few other Meatless Monday recipes you might enjoy:
• Good Morning Breakfast casserole
• Barley Vegetable soup
• Moroccan Veggie Soup
• Buffalo Chik Wrap
• Mushroom Spinach and Artichoke lasagna
• Spicy Mango Stir Fry

Find your fresh take on eating well. Browse hundreds of meat-free recipes at MorningStarFarms.com.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Kellogg’s MorningStar via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Kellogg’s MorningStar.

What’s your favorite Meatless Monday recipe? Do any of the recipes above sound good to you?