Today we are sharing with you our favorite balsamic roasted veggies on pumpernickel with chive cream cheese. Roasting veggies with balsamic vinegar has got to be one of the most sure fire ways to guarantee flavorful perfection. We have been doing it for years and quite frankly, we don’t see a reason to stop. Cooking balsamic vinegar really brings out the sweetness and therefore turns the veggies into carmelized treats. There are so many different things you can do with these magical little yummies but today we decided to pair them with some fresh chive cream cheese and sandwich them between pumpernickel bread.
Believe it or not, this recipe is really quite simple to make. For these adorable little sandwiches, we chose to use Japanese eggplant, mini bell peppers and some portabello mushrooms because of both their amazing flavors and texture. All you have to do now is whisk up a simple marinade of balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, garlic and olive oil. Cut up all your veggies and toss them in a bowl with the marinade. Then, lay them on a parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle them with kosher salt. Pop them in the oven and roast until they are tender and slightly browned around the edges…about 30 minutes. This means they are going to be ah-mazing and bursting with flavor!
Just look at how pretty these guys look. I’m surprised I still had enough to assemble the sandwiches because they really are so easy to pop into your mouth…Don’t judge. Some people (not naming any names here) actually think roasted veggies are better than candy. Just sayin.
Anyway, I digress…back to the assembly process. So before you start putting together the sandwiches, you just need to whip up the cream cheese. This part is going to be really easy because we recommend the already whipped stuff! It’s just so fluffy and easy to spread on bread. Winning! Just chop up the chives and stir them into the cream cheese. Done! Wasn’t that so easy?
Depending on how many of these cute little guys you are making, just get your system down and let it roll…Bread, chive cream cheese spread, arugula (don’t forget that part…it’s a perfect peppery green and it happens to look really fancy too) and then roasted veggies. Don’t you love it?
Serve these up at your next party and you are gonna be a rock star! Your guests are going to be blown away and you are going to be so proud of yourself because it really wasn’t so hard to do! The other great news is that they would be perfect for a lunch or dinner party!
Here are some similar recipes you might enjoy as well:
http://www.goodthymekitchen.com/roasted-vegetable-quinoa-salad-with-maple-balsamic-vinaigrette/
http://www.goodthymekitchen.com/roasted-vegetable-salad-with-creamy-horseradish-dressing/
- 1 japanese eggplant, cut into 1 inch rounds with rounds cut in half
- 2 portabello mushrooms, sliced
- 18-24 mini bell peppers, halved with seeds and membranes removed
- ¼ C balsamic vinegar
- 3 Tbsp dijon mustard
- ⅓ C good quality olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tsp kosher salt
- 8 oz whipped cream cheese
- ¼ C chives, chopped
- 1c arugula
- 1 mini loaf pumpernickel bread
- Whisk vinegar, garlic and mustard in medium bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Dressing can be made 1 day ahead.
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss vegetables in a bowl with balsamic/dijon dressing. Divide vegetables between 2 large rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper, sprinkle with kosher salt. Roast until vegetables are tender and slightly brown around edges, about 30 minutes.
- Mix the cream cheese and chives together until incorporated
- Spread each side of bread with a generous amount of chive cream cheese. Topped with roasted vegetables and a few arugula leaves. Put the sandwich together and serve!
