Roasted Mushroom Sub with Carmelized Onions and Carrot Garlic Spread...whew!

Apologize for the long name... wanted to give this a special name, given that it's such a special sandwich! Hmmm... any ideas? So far, I got "QuizNO's on Shrooms" and "The Mushroom McHater,"and I was throwing around "The Cropper"- but no one got that. Of course, Mark wanted to call it "The Three-Way Sandwich" to add it the Sexy Vegan Line, but I said no.

Anyway- I roasted some mushrooms and garlic, and microwaved 4 or 5 big carrots (we just got a 10 lb. bag from Costco-gasp!), and was thinking about what to do with it all, when Mark suggested enthusiastically that we should make a sandwich. I happily stepped back and let him have at it (so to speak). The last input I had was to make a carrot puree, and he did the rest while I gladly played siou chef. So, maybe he does have some say in what it's called -don't tell him though!

What he came up with tasted like sheer genius. Meaty roasted mushrooms smothered in grilled onions with a sweet tangy carrot spread on one side and a creamy savory hummus on the other- adorned with optional tomatoes and lettuce. If only this was on the fast food menus!

Makes about 5-6 sandwiches (depending on how big you make them)

Ingredients:

-white button mushrooms (about 3-4 cups), cut in halves or quarters
-olive oil to toss (about 2 T.)
-salt & cracked black pepper
-4 large whole garlic cloves, peeled
-4 large carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
-lemon juice
-1 yellow onion, sliced
-1 T. margarine
-store-bought or homemade hummus
-sandwich buns of choice
-sliced tomatoes and lettuce (optional)

Spinz:

Roasted mushrooms and garlic:
Put the cut mushrooms in a large bowl and add a bit of the oil to toss. Also add salt and pepper and toss well. Scatter them onto a prepared baking sheet. For the garlic, add the cloves to the bowl that you just tossed the mushrooms in, and toss the garlic in the remaining oil left in the bowl. Put the garlic in a small piece of foil and close loosely. Put the baking sheet and foil wrap in the oven at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until nicely roasted. If the garlic needs it, leave it in there a bit longer until it's golden.

Carrot spread:
Put the cut carrots in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic and poke a couple of holes in it. Microwave on high for about 10 minutes, or until very tender (these are SO good just like that, with a little melted margarine btw). Strain the cooked carrots and put into a food processor with the roasted garlic. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Process until smooth- I like to leave little chunks of the garlic.

Carmelized onions:
Sautee onions with a little margarine (or oil) in a med-hot skillet until golden and tender.

To assemble, simply spread hummus on the bottom half of a toasted bun and spread the carrot spread on the other half. Pile on the mushrooms and onions, and serve!