Happy Monday, friends!
Sorry I kind of disappeared last week but it started busy and it just didn’t let up and here we are! Did you have a wonderful weekend? Did you eat some delicious vegan food? Tell me ALL about it!
It’s no secret that I’ve been on a weight loss journey that’s morphed into more of a fitness journey because I’m thisclose to my “goal weight”, and because of that I’m always very conscious about calories in and out, and also ways to make a dish healthier or more calorie friendly.
I’m okay with the fact that this will probably always be a part of my life, but if it’s not your jam, no worries.
Anyway, back to my rant. So one of the things I like to do is take sandwiches and figure out ways to have them without all that bread. No, I don’t have a secret vendetta against carbs, in fact just the opposite, I might be having an affair with them! Just kidding, but seriously I do try to not make carb heavy meals like big ass sandwiches, often.
One of those? Banh mi. Have you ever had it? It’s a Vietnamese sandwich made with big ol’ crusty bread and filled with goodness. That crusty bread is a key feature of this sandwich but that bread is, well…bread-y.
So what did I do? I turned that bad boy into a salad. I mean, if you really think about it, it’s practically a salad already. Just with bread.
This sandwich is ripe for being veganized because it already comes with cucumber, carrots, pickled daikon, chili peppers, and cilantro or parsley. Add in some delicious tofu or other vegan protein and you’ve got your sandwich.
Now, add a bed of lettuce or cabbage and you’ve got a vegan banh mi salad!
Kitchen Tools:
Cutting board
Knife
Salad bowl
Salad tongs
Whisk
Ingredients:
Carrots
Scallions
Green cabbage
Daikon radish
Cucumber
Peanuts
Tofu
Pickled shallots
Green chili pepper
Lime juice
Soy sauce
Peanut butter
Directions:
*Pickle the shallots quickly: slice thinly & place in a bowl with lemon juice, vinegar, agave syrup, black pepper & chili pepper. toss and set aside.
*Thinly slice the cabbage, scallions and chili pepper and place in the mixing bowl.
*Cut carrots, cucumber and radish into matchsticks and add to the bowl.
*Dice tofu and cook on the stove top, air fryer or oven until crispy.
I found this new tofu at Lidl that’s really good on calories (123 cal per 100 grams) and it came pre-seasoned. the seasoning pretty much fell off right out of the package and the rest during cutting, so I can’t say much about the flavor, but the tofu is fluffy and soft and pretty delicious.
*In a small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce and a splash of warm water. Get it thin-ish because this is your salad dressing.
*Toss the ingredients in the bowl and add salad dressing, toss until coated. Plate it up!
*Add tofu on top and garnish with chopped peanuts.
This is a hearty, healthy salad that allows you to get all the delicious flavors of a banh mi sandwich but veganized and salad-ified. If you’re looking for healthy vegan recipes, this is a great place to start.
And if you’re feeling bold, take your favorite sandwich and make it a vegan salad!
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What vegan sandwich are you obsessed with right now?
Tell me what you think about this!