Grilled Green Tomato and Pickle Sandwich

Even though I was born and raised in South Florida, which isn’t heavily immersed with typical Southern food, I sure do love Southern Food.  Ever since I was little, I always enjoyed taking road trips all over the South East in search of the best local Southern food—from BBQ to Shrimp and Grits, and Biscuits and Gravy to Collard Greens, I’ve never met a form of Southern Cuisine that I didn’t like.  But there always was that one delicious meal that held a very special place in my heart—a Fried Green Tomato BLT with a side of Deep Fried Pickles.  Come on, it sounds pretty tempting, doesn’t it?  Tempting for sure, but definitely not the healthiest and for several reasons, despite it being hard to, I do want to resist.  But who says a classic can’t be reinvented into a healthier, but just as delicious alternative?  Well, I tried, and I satisfied my craving to a T.  I’ve discovered that Green Tomatoes don’t have to be battered in buttermilk and breadcrumbs and then fried just to be delicious.  Neither do pickles.  Actually, dare I say it, I think I may prefer them grilled—grilling them still brings out the warm briny and tart flavors of both, without overpowering them and taking away from their natural flavor.  So I decided to take them both, grill them and combine them together onto one delicious sandwich—it's almost like a little bit of a Fried Green Tomato BLT with a side of Fried Pickles all in one, except without the bacon and without the fried element.  And it’s an epic win in my book!      

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 green tomato
• 3 baby Dill pickles
• A handful of lettuce, I used a mix of Butter and Spring mix
• 4 slices of Bread, I used Ezekiel 7 Sprouted Grain
• 1 tablespoon Vegenaise vegan mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons stoneground Dijon mustard
• Juice of ¼ of a lemon
• Dash of crushed red pepper seeds
• Dash of cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Slice Green Tomato and pickles.  The tomato should be thickly sliced and the pickles thin. 
2. Grill tomato and pickles until they develop nice grill marks and a bit of a char.
3. While tomato and pickles are grilling, toast bread.
4. While that’s happening, prepare sauce by combining Vegenaise, Dijon, lemon juice, red pepper seeds and cayenne. 
5. When the bread is toasted and the tomato and pickles are grilled, spread a generous amount of sauce onto two slices.  Pile those slices with some lettuce, tomato slices and pickle slices.
6. Serve and Enjoy!