I don't know what to call these sandwiches. They are so darn good. Sandwiches are overrated yet underrated. I can't tell you how many times I've ordered a sandwich all excited and then am utterly disappointed. Too much mayo, or too much mustard, or not enough of something else. Bad tomatoes, you name it. It's terrible because sandwiches are simple enough but restaurants and delis sometimes try a little too hard with a food item that really doesn't need all that much effort. I could go on...

Anyway, all the veggies that you see came from our most amazing local farmers' market in San Mateo. The cucumber was 25 cents, the tomato 90 cents, the spinach a 1.50, and the bread was $4. The onions (which you can't see) came from Trader Joe's. I have generally purchased my produce from Whole Food's which I think is pretty good until I came to the farmers' market. There is such a huge difference in appearance, quality, and price. Everything I've purchased at the farmers' market is so much better.

Anyway, these sandwiches are really simple. Remember the white bean dip from 5.21.2006? We spread a good amount on one slice of toasted bread and Dijon mustard on the other slice. The mustard adds a nice little kick that I'm always looking for. Place veggies in between which can be whatever you want. I sauteed the onions in a non-stick skillet without oil until they became brown/blackened which brings out their innate sweetness. We forgot to add chopped black olives which also make a great addition to this sandwich.

In desperation, we used pinto beans to make the dip because we didn't have any white cannelini. Pinto beans are also good at absorbing flavors added to it. The only difference is that the dip came out thicker than it would have otherwise but was still great.

Yes, I did nibble on the sandwich before taking the picture. As I took the first bite, I realized that I had not yet taken a picture. I can't tell you how many times this has happened. Of the four, this is the best one. Being in a hurry to dig in, I let quality control slip in the pic department.