Before meeting Brent, I was not a sandwich girl. I used to eat deconstructed sandwiches, in bowl form, before they became trendy. I liked salads, and hot leftovers, snacks, and soups, but I would rarely get the fixings ready to make a sandwich. I think it stems from the fact that sandwiches just aren’t good when they’ve been sitting in a lunch box for hours. They get soggy, and the vegetables get wilted, and for a girl that likes toasty bread, you just can’t pull it off for a packed lunch. It’s not that I never eat sandwiches. My childhood favorites were Mr. Sub and Subway, when they were fresh out of the oven, with nice crispy vegetables, and my current favorites are Other Coast and Honey Hole here in Seattle. I guess you could say that I’m just a sandwich snob.

These days I live on sandwiches. I think it helps that I work from home, so I have my kitchen easily accessible. I have no shame in saying that we eat sandwiches probably 2-3 times per week for dinner. I am still a bit of a sandwich snob though. The bread needs to be a fresh loaf from the bakery down the street or a nice fluffy bagel. I need a good assortment of vegetables, some sort of cheese, and most importantly a good spread.

There’s a bagel shop here in Seattle called Eltana. They have the most incredible wood-fired Montreal style bagels I’ve ever tasted outside of Montreal. They have an assortment of cream cheeses that I love. My absolute favorite, hands down, is the scallion and za’atar. Having two kids and a part-time job, it’s hard to make it out of the house. So, instead of making the trek to Eltana, I like to make their scallion and za’atar cream cheese at home. It’s creamy and full of flavor and completes any sandwich. I can’t live without it, which is probably why I make it in bulk. Bonus, it’s also a lot cheaper to make at home!

Veggie Bagel Sandwich with Za’atar and Scallion Cream Cheese

(makes 8 oz of cream cheese and 4 sandwiches)

• prep time - 20 minutes

• baking time - n/a

INGREDIENTS

• 8 oz plain cream cheese

• 2 scallions (green onions)

• 2 tsp za’atar

• 4 bagels (plain, sesame, or everything)

• 4 slices of cheese

• 1/2 cup of pepperoncini peppers

• 1 tomato sliced

• 1 red pepper, sliced

• 1/2 cucumber, sliced

• 4 Romaine lettuce leaves, rinsed and dried

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, add the cream cheese, scallions, and za’atar. With a spoon or spatula, combine.

2. To prepare the sandwiches, slice the bagels in half and toast.

3. Spread a generous portion of cream cheese on top.

4. Followed by the pepperoncini, sliced cucumber, sliced red pepper, sliced tomato, lettuce, and cheese.

5. Cut the sandwich in half and serve.

6. Cream cheese can be stored in the fridge with a tight fitting lid for up to a month.