April showers bring May flowers, right? If the storming this weekend has you feeling a little cold and damp on the last day of April, maybe it’s time for a bit of comfort food.

A nice, warm, cheesy sandwich loaded with veggies and topped with a tangy mustard sauce probably sounds like it’ll warm you right up, doesn’t it?

This sucker also is perfect for using up stale bread and veggie leftovers, and if that weren’t good enough, it’s cheesy enough to trick kids into eating their veggies. All you have to do is make the sandwich base, whip up some sauce (only three ingredients) and top with the veggies and cheese of your choosing. The cheese hides the veggies from skeptical kids, while those who actually like veggies can chose their favorites to customize the sandwich.

Open-Face Veggie Melt with Herb Mustard Spread

Sandwich

Whole grain bread, sliced

Butter, softened
Finely diced sweet onions (or chopped green onions)

2-3 vegetables, raw or blanched (*see below)
Sliced chedder or or Muenster, Provolone, baby Swiss, or Monterey Jack

1/2 cup mustard (Dijon-style)

Mustard Spread
1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

3-4 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or tarragon, basil, or chives)

Heat oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees. Mix herb mustard spread ingredients in a bowl. For each serving, slather mustard sauce on two slices of bread. Cut one of the slices in half diagonally and lay the two halves atop the outer edges of the second slice, mustard side up, points facing outward.

Place on baking sheet and layer the veggies on the bread. Bake until veggies are heated, 12-15 minutes. Top with cheese slices and bake until cheese is melted and sandwich is hot, another 4-6 minutes. Serve immediately.

Vegetables

Blanched asparagus, chopped

Arugula leaves, cut into strips

Diced zucchini or yellow squash

Chopped broccoli florets

Thinly sliced mushrooms

Sliced or diced tomatoes

Diced cucumbers

Sliced avocado

Diced green, yellow, red or orange sweet peppers

Roasted sweet red peppers, cut into strips

Grilled eggplant, cut into strips

–Recipe by Terese Allen for www.organicvalley.coop

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