Recipes | Pressed vegetable loaf

Pressed vegetable loaf

This is such a great way to transport delicious picnic food. You just fill a loaf of bread with your favourite fillings, press down, wrap it up and voilà you have yummy picnic sandwiches.

Stay fuller for longer
Rye bread is a great choice for the picnic loaf below as it not only imparts a delicious nutty taste but is also low GI, low-fat and more nutritious than wheat bread. Rye bread contains soluble fibre, which means that eating it will keep you feeling fuller for longer. It is a rich source of magnesium, which plays an important role in keeping blood sugar levels in balance.

Serves 8 | Prep time: 2 minutes | Cooking time: 30 minutes

Nutritional content per serving:
1100kJ | 38g carbohydrate | 8g protein | 9g fat | 4g fibre

Ingredients:
500 g packet roasting vegetables (like butternut, red onion, baby marrow and red pepper)
15 ml olive oil
1 loaf of rye bread, or any other bread like ciabatta
60 ml basil pesto
100 g soft sun-dried tomatoes
100 g pitted black olives, halved
handful each of rocket, basil and baby spinach
salt and ground black pepper

Instructions:
1. Place the roasting vegetables on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Season to taste and grill for about 30 minutes until cooked and golden.
2. Cut the loaf across the middle, leaving the one side attached. Hollow out, leaving a crust of 2.5 cm all the way round.
3. Spread the basil pesto over the bottom of the loaf. Layer with the roasted vegetables, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and herb and spinach leaves on top. Season to taste.
4. Replace the lid and wrap the loaf tightly in cling film. Chill overnight.
5. When serving, it’s easier to cut the loaf into slices and only then remove the cling film.

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Elsa Krüger is Shape's beauty editor

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