Dinner @ 226 - Smoked Salmon Sandwiches

There are nights when I don't feel like cooking. I know, it seems unfathomable from a lady who reads cookbooks like novels and proceeds to have dreams about specialty ingredients. Who pins more recipes and food ideas than any other boards combined. A woman who takes 1/2 an hour in the cooking section of the second hand bookstore, and then pours through her findings like they contain a map to a buried treasure. Who could help it when their findings included this book that I've lusted after for at least 717 years!

This no cook thing only happens once in a very long while, but it does happen.

I had such an evening last week. The irony is that I had just returned from the grocery store with nearly $150 worth of groceries and after stuffing them all in the fridge, I looked around and nothing seemed like it would be worth the effort. I didn't have quite enough time to delve into a complicated curry or get tangled up in hours of slicing and stewing. In fact, I didn't even want to turn the oven on. I wanted a dinner that merely had to be assembled, not cooked.

Dinners of assembly don't have to be boring or tasteless.

*happy and stuffed after two sandwiches*

I have a few of them in my repertoire, but this is a new addition and I promise I will be reaching for it often as the weather gets hotter and the pots and pans and burners look less alluring. It was that good.

*Beckett's creation - no tomatoes, please and "I want two tops!" Apparently, open-faced sandwiches are against his religion.*

I've found that interactive dinners like this Spinach Salad Bar invite the kids to assemble what they like and as a result, dinner is fun for them and they eat more. They get to participate and I can really see the little chefs in their heads deciding what would taste best to them. It's super sweet.

Smoke Salmon Sandwiches - serves 4 with a big salad

Assemble the following on a serving platter:

Small package of smoked salmon pieces (mine was 6 ounces)
2 tomatoes - sliced
1/4 a small red onion - very finely sliced
1/2 English cucumber - thinly sliced
1/4 cup sunflower seeds (we used roasted & unsalted)
a little salt and a pepper grinder for sprinkling
4 Tbs capers
herbed goat cheese (recipe below)

To make the herbed goat cheese combine the following:
4 oz goat cheese (at room temperature to make it easier to mix)
1 Tbs chopped chives
1 Tbs chopped dill
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste (goat cheese is already pretty salty so go easy on the salt, if you add it at all. we didn't)

Serve the sandwich fillings with 8 slices of *dark rye, slightly warmed and have fun creating the best salmon sandwiches ever, without cooking AT ALL! Don't forget the big green salad with a sliced avocado and lemon garlic vinaigrette.

*If you are gluten free - Trader Joe's carries a fairly delicious rye-less rye. Or just substitute your favorite gluten free bread.

*Mama's creation - everything and open-faced.*