Mediterranean Pressed Sandwich

Ingredients

1 large loaf of fresh bakery bread

2 cups button mushrooms, sliced in half

1 tsp ghee

2 cups fresh spinach

1 can black olives, drained & rinsed

1 jar of artichokes

1 ball fresh mozzarella, sliced

1/2 cup basil

Marinade

1 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs balsamic vinegar

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1 tsp himalayan salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions

Slice the loaf of bread horizontally and pull out some of the insides to create room for the filling (then snack on the delicious insides:). Saute the mushrooms in ghee until tender about 5 minutes. Place all marinade ingredients in a mason jar, cover, and shake until combined. In a large bowl, mix mushrooms, artichokes, black olives, spinach, and marinade together. Place mixture inside loaf of bread and top with mozzarella and basil. Put the top of the bread on, wrap in plastic wrap, place a heavy weight on top (I used my cookbooks), and allow it to be pressed for at least an hour. Once it has been pressed, slice the loaf into preferred serving sizes, and enjoy!

I remember years ago when I was watching the Food Network someone had made a pressed sandwich. I always wanted to attempt my own, but I think I forgot about it. I decided to go with some of my favorite ingredients like the fresh mozzarella they make at my local co-op, black olives, and my go-to balsamic vinaigrette. Eric and I were crazy about this sandwich. I think the two of us could have finished this by ourselves. I have made this with tomatoes before and more vinaigrette and it turned out soggy on the bottom, so I would recommend using ingredients with a low water content and only using enough vinaigrette to cover the ingredients. This is the perfect potluck pleaser and it is easy to travel with. It's also great because you don't need to be hovering over the stove in this hot summer heat.