Rainforest Cafe: The Plant Sandwich Recipe - Chef Todd Wilbur

Makes 4 sandwiches.

Ingredients:
Balsamic Vinaigrette:
½ cup mayonnaise
5 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon water
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon lemon juice
dash ground black pepper
dash salt

Sandwich:
4 portobello mushroom caps
1 medium zucchini, sliced thinly lengthwise
1 red bell pepper, seeded and quartered
7 large romaine lettuce leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons Caesar salad dressing
fat-free butter-flavored spray
an handful fresh spinach leaves
8 slices 7- or 9-grain bread

Procedure:
1. Prepare the balsamic vinaigrette by mixing the ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.
2. Place the mushroom caps into a large resealable plastic bag. Pour the balsamic vinaigrette into the bag, seal it up, and chill for an hour or two.
3. When the mushrooms have marinated, preheat your barbecue or indoor grill to high temperature.
4. Place the mushrooms caps on the grill along with the zucchini and quartered bell pepper with the skin side
down. Cook the zucchini for 3 to 4 minutes per side, and the mushrooms for 5 to 7 minutes per side. Leave the bell pepper with the skin side facing the heat for the entire time, until the skin is well charred.
5. In a medium bowl, toss the chopped lettuce with the Caesar dressing until well coated.
6. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat.
7. When you are ready to build the sandwiches, spray a light coating of butter spray over the face of each slice of bread.
8. Build each sandwich by first arranging a few spinach leaves on the face of one slice of bread, followed by about ¼ of the tossed romaine lettuce.
9. Place a grill Portobello mushroom cap on the lettuce.
10. Remove the charred skin from one of the bell pepper quarters and then slice the pepper in half, lengthwise. Place the two slices on the sandwich.
11. Cut one grilled zucchini slice in half, across the middle and arrange the slices on the sandwich.
12. Top the sandwich with a grilled sliced of bread. Cut the sandwich diagonally and stick a toothpick in each half. Repeat for the remaining sandwiches.

Notes:
Inside each Rainforest Cafe, customers are immersed in a thunder and lightning storm every twenty minutes. But don't worry, you don't have to bring your umbrella, since the rain only falls over specially designed troughs that recycle the water and ready it for the next down pour.

This sandwich was introduced in 1998 and uses Rainforest Cafe's delicious balsamic vinaigrette to marinate the mushrooms, making it one of the most delicious portobellos you've ever munched on. For this clone, prepare the vinaigrette and marinate the mushrooms a couple hours before you plan to assemble the sandwich.




Recipe Type: Copycat
Book: Low-Fat Top Secret Recipes
Author: Todd Wilbur
Recipe Author: Chef Todd Wilbur
Photograph Retouched By: Recipe Spy
Restaurant: Rainforest Cafe
Source: http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/Rainforest-Cafe-The-Plant-Sandwich-Recipe.html