By Angela Stephens
Gannett News Service

Even if you have the time and energy to create a complex meal for dinner, sometimes a lighter, simpler meal just sounds good. That's when creative versions of ordinary foods come in handy.

Take the sandwich. What could be easier? At the least, you're smearing a couple of tablespoons of natural peanut butter on some whole-grain bread and serving it up with a tall glass of milk. The ultimate tummy-filling, to-go meal.

But sandwiches can also be an exciting entree for a hearty lunch or fun weeknight dinner? We've discovered that a wide range of vegetables can be prepared to stack on bread or stuff a roll. There's something exotic and nearly naughty about grilling up your favorites and creating an interesting sauce to top them with that makes it all the more delicious.

Here's a favorite combination of broiled or grilled vegetables. It takes on a Mediterranean twist with a bold tahini sauce and is accented with olives and capers.

The recipe calls for broiling these vegetables in steps, but if you are accomplished at grilling them in larger pieces, that would make for a cooler summer kitchen, with the same tasty results.

Broiled Vegetable Sandwich with Tomato-Basil Tahini

1 small eggplant (about 1/2 pound) cut into 3-inch slices

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise, about 3/8-inch thick

1 large onion, peeled and cut in rounds 1/4 to 3/8-inch thick

1 red or green bell pepper, halved, cored, seeded and quartered lengthwise

4 fresh pita breads or crusty French rolls

1/2 cup Tomato Basil Tahini (recipe follows) or more to taste

4 teaspoons capers, drained, optional

12 Mediterranean olives, green or black, pitted and halved, optional

Preheat broiler. Arrange eggplant in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush lightly with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil about 8 minutes. Turn over and broil an additional 7 minutes, or until tender. Transfer to plate.

Lightly oil baking sheet and add zucchini slices. Brush lightly with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and broil about 3 to 4 minutes per side, until crisp-tender. Transfer to plate.

Brush onion slices with oil and add to pan. Broil about 5 minutes per side. Remove onion slices and add pepper pieces, skin side up and repeat, broiling about 5 minutes, until slightly charred but still crunchy.

Cut small piece off of one end of each pita bread to form pocket to fill or cut pita in half. Cut broiled vegetables into smaller pieces and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Fill pita with vegetables and spoon a little of the tahini sauce into each. Add capers and olives, if using. Serve sandwiches, with remaining sauce on the side. Makes 4 servings.

Tomato-Basil Tahini Sauce

1/2 cup tahini paste

4 tablespoons water

1/4 cup tomato juice

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 large garlic cloves, minced

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cayenne or hot sauce, to taste, optional

3/4 to 1 cup finely diced tomatoes

2 to 3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

Stir tahini paste with water, tomato juice, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper and the cayenne or hot sauce, if using. Adjust consistency with water or lemon juice. Just before serving, stir in the tomatoes and basil. Makes about 1 cup or 4 to 6 servings.

— Feast from the Mideast (HarperCollins; $29.95)