Vegan Focaccia Caponata Sandwich – DrNewMed Healthy Recipes for Healthy Eating

As lunchtime draws near, we are hungry and need a delectable concept that will nourish and truly sate our appetite. Today, we’re going to share a straightforward and tasty vegetarian recipe for gluten-free focaccia with caponata!

Ingredients

1 loaf of vegan focaccia bread
1 medium eggplant, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1 small red onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon capers
1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave nectar
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh basil leaves for garnish

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the eggplant, bell pepper, zucchini, red onion, and garlic. Sauté for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are slightly tender.
In a small bowl, mix together the tomato paste, red wine vinegar, capers, maple syrup or agave nectar, salt, and pepper. Pour this mixture over the sautéed vegetables and stir well. Cook for an additional 5 minutes until the vegetables are coated and cooked through.
While the vegetables are cooking, slice the focaccia bread horizontally to create a top and bottom layer for your sandwich. You can also cut it into smaller individual sandwich sizes if desired.
Place the sliced bread on a baking sheet and brush the remaining tablespoon of olive oil on the cut sides of the bread.
Bake the bread in the preheated oven for about 8-10 minutes until it is slightly crispy.
Remove the bread from the oven and spread a generous amount of the caponata mixture on the bottom half of the bread.
Top the caponata with fresh basil leaves and cover with the top half of the bread.
Cut the sandwich into individual servings and serve warm or at room temperature.