Gut friendly sandwich number 1

This week is British Sandwich Week and the sandwich has long been the go-to lunch for us Brits. There are so many sandwich options available, but unfortunately many are not supportive of health and particularly gut-friendly health. To help you with ideas for supporting your gut whilst also enjoying a traditional sandwich, we have three microbiome-supporting recipes to bring you through the week.

Sourdough bread is the best choice for your gut and we have written about this previously on our blog here. You can either buy this at a local specialist baker or make your own using our recipe, which you can find on the blog.

Today’s sandwich provides a feast for your gut bacteria – a glut of vegetables to feed the friendly gut bacteria with added fibre from the beans. It is an even healthier, vegetarian version of the ‘pan bagnat’, which is a speciality from Nice in France comprising a classic niçoise salad within a baguette. 

Ingredients

2 thick slices of healthy sourdough bread (recipe here)
¼ red bell pepper, sliced into strips lengthwise
Handful French green beans, trimmed
1 tsp drained capers, chopped
½ can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
4-5 olives, chopped (choose your favourites)

For the dressing:

1 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
½ tsp Dijon mustard
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Fry the peppers strips for a couple of minutes in a dash of olive oil on a low heat until softened.
2. Add the green beans to boiling water and cook until al dente (around 2-3 minutes). Allow to cool and cut diagonally into 2-3cm pieces.
3. Put the capers, parsley, chives, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper and garlic in a bowl and stir together. Drizzle in the olive oil to make the dressing and ‘spread’ some on the two slices of bread.
4. Coarsely mash the beans with a small amount of dressing and spread on the bottom slice of bread.
5. Toss together pepper slices, green bean pieces, onion, olives and remaining dressing. Place vegetable mixture on top of the beans and cover with the second slice of bread.
6. Enjoy 

Want to know more?

ProVen Probiotics aim to provide the best support for both you and your health. If you wish to know more about gut health and staying healthy please do not hesitate to call us on 01639 825107 or alternatively, learn more via our blogs or in-depth ProVen research.