Best Lunch Box Ever (6 page)

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cup loosely packed baby arugula

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Pile the prosciutto on the bottom half of the baguette.

In a small bowl, toss the arugula with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Pile the arugula on top of the prosciutto and drizzle any dressing remaining over it. Top with the remaining baguette half.

Wrap well or store in a snug container.

MAKE-AHEAD NOTES:
can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator, but best made the morning before school.

DURING GRAD SCHOOL,
I studied in a coffee shop where I always ate the same sandwich. It was so tasty that I never strayed. This Turkey and Veggie Dagwood is my interpretation of the original, whereby turkey, Havarti, and artichoke hearts melt together on a seeded baguette and are topped with crunchy vegetables. My kids like the mildly pickled taste of marinated artichoke hearts, which are packed in jars and sold in most supermarkets. This sandwich is excellent hot out of the toaster oven or wrapped up and eaten hours later.

MAKES 1 SANDWICH

2 or 3 thin slices turkey

One 4-inch piece seeded baguette, preferably whole-wheat, sliced in half horizontally

1 marinated artichoke heart, halved

2 thin slices Havarti cheese

4 thin slices English cucumber

4 thin slices red bell pepper

1 large lettuce leaf

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teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the toaster oven or conventional oven to 400°F.

Pile the turkey on the bottom half of the baguette. Lay the artichoke on top of the turkey, followed by the cheese.

Bake in the oven until the cheese is just melted and the bread lightly toasted, 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove from the oven and top the melted cheese with the cucumber, bell pepper, and lettuce. Drizzle the olive oil on the cut side of the remaining baguette half and place on top of the sandwich.

Wrap well or store in a snug container.

MAKE-AHEAD NOTES:
best made the morning before school.

MY DAUGHTER VIRGINIA
loves everything tiny, so these mini pita sandwiches are right up her alley. If you can't get your hands on little pitas, use half of a regular-size pita. For bigger appetites, increase the recipe by 50 percent, to make three mini sandwiches instead of two.

MAKES 2 MINI SANDWICHES

Two 2- to 3-inch whole-wheat pita breads, each split into 2 halves

1 tablespoon hummus

2 or 3 thin slices turkey

4 thin slices English cucumber

1 crunchy lettuce leaf such as romaine

Spread the hummus on the inside of two of the pita rounds. Pile the turkey slices on top of the hummus. Lay the cucumber on the turkey. Tear the lettuce in half and set it on the cucumber. Top each with the remaining pita rounds.

Wrap well or store in a snug container.

MAKE-AHEAD NOTES:
can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator.

WE DON'T OWN A PANINI PRESS,
but I've found our old-fashioned waffle iron makes a tasty grilled sandwich that holds up in a lunch box, even if it's no longer hot at noontime. The apple adds tartness and crunch, but can easily be left out. If you don't have a waffle iron or a panini press, cook this on the stove top as you would an ordinary grilled cheese. Since it's made in a waffle iron, it only follows that the sandwich doubles as an out-the-door breakfast.