By Kathryn Reed

For whatever reason, I seldom eat sandwiches. But I really like them. I may be on a roll, so to speak, since I’ve had one each of the last two weekends.

A week ago I had one of my favorites with my mom – avocado, tomato and lettuce on multigrain bread. I never get tired of this combo. Sometimes I add cheese. Mustard is usual.

Long ago I stopped putting mayonnaise on sandwiches. At some point I figured out the condiment is not the healthiest of choices. The other reason mayo can be bad is when the sandwich can’t be kept chilled – like on a hike.

I was reminded of this last weekend as I was preparing food to take with me on a hike with friends. The plan was to stop for lunch along the way. Instead of bringing my normal sticks and twigs to snack on I decided to create a unique sandwich.

The night before the hike I steamed a little asparagus. I left it out overnight to cool, wanting it at room temperature and not chilled.

Because it wasn’t a hot day I knew cream cheese would fine. I wouldn’t use it if I were hiking in the middle of summer or lived someplace with a warmer climate. Low fat cream cheese tastes fine and means I don’t have to hike as far to burn off the calories.

I put on one layer of roasted red peppers. Next time I’ll add more. You could make your own. The jar variety works fine for me.

A flavorful cheese meant not needing to season the sandwich further. I think more slices would have overpowered the other ingredients.

Hiker’s Veggie Sandwich

1 sourdough roll

3 cooked asparagus spears, cut in thirds

Roasted red peppers

Cream cheese

3 slices cheddar horseradish cheese

Steam asparagus until tender. This should take just a few minutes. Let cool.

Cut roll in half – just to make it easier to eat and for sharing. Put as much cream cheese on as you like. Layer with asparagus so it covers the bottom of the roll. Top with roasted red peppers. Add slices of cheese.