By Kathryn Reed

It always amazes me – in a bad way – how few restaurants have a vegetarian sandwich. Even more rare is a hot veggie sandwich.

Usually I think of sandwiches more as summer food. But every now and then I have a hankering for one.

A food processor would work best to pulsate the beans. I used a blender and that was overkill. I would recommend using a pastry device or even a fork to mash the beans instead of the blender. This way they will be a better texture and hold up in the sandwich.

If you don’t want to roast the peppers, the ones in a jar would suffice – and really would speed up the process.

A spicy cheese would be good with this.

This made four sandwiches. I reheated one the next day and it tasted even better.

Grilled Vegetable Sandwich

1 large red bell pepper

2 T fresh lime juice

1 tsp oregano

1 T olive oil

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

¼ tsp cayenne

1 (15-ounce) can unsalted black beans, drained

Cooking spray

1 large zucchini, cut in half and then length wise

1 small red onion, cut into slices

Bread for 4 sandwiches

¼ tsp kosher salt

½ C cheese, shredded

Preheat broiler.

Cut bell pepper in half lengthwise, place skin sides up on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil 11 minutes or until blackened. Wrap in foil. Let stand 5 minutes; peel. Cut into strips.

Place lime juice, oregano, oil, cumin, pepper, saltcayenne, and beans in food processor.

Heat a grill pan over high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Arrange zucchini and onion slices on pan; grill 5 minutes on each side.

Coat each half of bread with cooking spray. Spread black bean mixture over half of bread; top with zucchini, onion, and bell pepper. Sprinkle with cheese. Place sandwich on grill pan. Grill 3 minutes on each side or until cheese melts.