After experiments and many test trials, I am proud to introduce to the world the final form of my creation.
Drumroll please….
Let’s give it up for… the Tomesto Sandwich!
It is a toasted and vegetarian sandwich with (you guessed it!) tomato and pesto as its main ingredients, making it a delicious and nutritious meal.
Sandwiches are full of flavors, unusually simple to make, and easy to eat. It’s no wonder why they’re a classic. Since I came to Amherst, I have tried challenging myself to choose more vegetarian food options. So far, let’s just say, it has certainly been a challenge. I really wanted to add a slice or two of deli meat in this sandwich, but I managed to steer away from actually doing so.
The course of my adventure went something like this:
- I carefully picked the two lucky slices of sourdough bread.
- Then, I spread a thin layer of mayo and honey mustard onto the two, separately.
- I added two slices of white American cheese, and then placed pesto onto the cheese.
- Again, I made my careful selection of ingredients, but this time, with tomato slices.
(Sidenote: All of these ingredients can be found in the sandwich/deli bar)
- Before officially sealing the sandwich, I sprinkled a dash of black pepper.
I carried the almost-completed sandwich to the panini presses. (This always make me nervous because panini press creations are a hit or a miss.)
After folding the brown parchment paper over the sandwich, I pulled the handle down and waited a couple of minutes.
And the rest was all a dream.
****
I wanted to acknowledge my first idea, with just cheese, mayo, and pesto. I had originally made it with no tomato and honey mustard, and it was pretty good too.
To get reviews, I made another Tomesto Sandwich for my friends (Thank you so much!):
“I like tomatoes.”
“The pesto added a nice twist to the sandwich. I’ve never tasted something like this.” (There’s always time to try something new!)
“I don’t like tomatoes.” (If this is you, feel free to substitute it with something else, like lettuce. Lesto Sandwich doesn’t sound too bad. Or Green-infused Sandwich.)
“Eating this sandwich made me feel healthy.”
“The tomato slices added an element of freshness, which I enjoyed”
“It was refreshing.”
To wrap it up, I would say that this was an overall success. Maybe you will find out that Val actually isn’t as bad as people make it out to be. As one of my favorite quote says, “Happy people don’t have the best of everything. They make the best of everything.” I hope that this inspires you to step out of the normal cereal or pizza bar, and challenge yourself to be creative in the dining hall! I’m expecting to see new yummy creations on your dining trays now. Or rather, on your plates. (Go trayless!) Can you take another challenge?