Anatomy of a Vegan Sandwich

Mondays are usually a busy day for me, running errands and hitting up the farmer’s market and grocery store, which means when I get home in the late afternoon the last thing I want to think about again, is food. But you have to eat and since I’m not really a fan of fast food, it means I have to be creative. A lot.

Being creative doesn’t bother me but sometimes you just want something simple. For me, that means a sandwich. But I’m not talking about two slices of vegan lunchmeat on whole wheat bread. No, I’m talking about full on whole food plant based sammich. That kind of sandwich.

You can also call this the “kitchen sink” sandwich, as in it has everything in it, but the kitchen sink! Or as I sometimes like to tell my husband, “We’re having a salad sandwich.”

He rolls his eyes but that doesn’t make it any less true.

 

It starts with the bread.

Any good sandwich needs the perfect bread to act as its vessel. For this delicious deli style sandwich I chose potato rolls because I love potatoes and because this bread is just dense enough to soak up a little bit of red wine or balsamic vinegar, which we’ll get to later. Actually I love heading to the bakery to find different types of bread to see what I like. Just be sure to check those tiny labels to make sure they didn’t sneak any milk or egg in there.

The Perfect Tomato

There’s a little open air market up the street that sells the most amazing beefsteak tomatoes, or coeur de boeuf as they are sometimes labeled in supermarkets. To me, these are the perfect sandwich tomatoes and for the vegans in the room, it’s the perfect “meat” for a quick deli sandwich. Cut them into relatively thick slices and season with salt, pepper, garlic granules and basil on both sides and set aside.

Don’t forget the VEGGIES

When it comes to cucumbers, the answer is always yes. But if you’re like my sometimes finicky husband, feel free to use pickles instead of fresh cucumber slices. I tore off a handful of butter lettuce, rinsed & spun it until it was dry because I really don’t like wet lettuce and because the vinegar won’t stick to it as well if it’s still dripping with water.

Instead of using mustard and vegan mayo, I grabbed some carrot greens to make carrot green pesto. All you need is:

Carrot greens (a handful or two)

4 Garlic cloves (roasted or raw)

7 Mint leaves

1 Scallion, sliced

1 tbsp. Capers

Orange zest & juice

Drop it all into the food processor until it’s blended. Add more citrus or water if necessary.

 

As you can see, I was pretty liberal with the pesto and again, the potato roll soaked up some of the juice from it so there was flavor EVERYWHERE!

Other Fixins

Once you have the sandwich basics settled, it’s time to dress it up! I added a few shavings of cheese by using the potato peeler or the slice option on your grater. I rarely use it, but it was a nice addition with the pesto and tomatoes.

Sprouts are your friend and don’t let anyone tell you any differently. I grab a container every trip to the store because they are excellent on salads and sandwiches, and they help aid digestion, contain a ton of nutrients (vitamins A, B, C & E for starters), fiber and even protein. Experiment with different sprouts too, because they do taste different.

Add whatever else makes your mouth water and enjoy!