My husband’s idea of a sandwich is slapping some lunch meat and cheese between two pieces of white bread, in spite of all the fresh veggies in the house! This is so foreign to me. Growing up, I came from a household that made sandwich making an art. Sandwiches always consisted of a variety of meats, cheeses, breads, and fresh and pickled vegetables. They’d be stacked so high, we were the envy at school and there’d be no room for snacking (which I secretly believe was mom’s main motive).
I hate going into restaurants that offer so called veggie sandwiches consisting of mounds of iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and poor quality feta cheese in a wrap. I refuse to spend money at these restaurants, which put little effort and creativity into their token one vegetarian / vegan sandwich option. It used to be that if the vegetarian sandwich option didn’t include at least one or two roasted vegetables, I would not consider ordering the sandwich at all.
I still love roasted vegetable sandwiches. In fact, I look forward to them during the bbq season, but have developed an appreciation for sandwiches consisting mostly of raw vegetables. If you speak with my husband, he’ll tell you that necessarily I have to load up my sandwiches with so many vegetables as a filler. He calls these sandwiches “salads” in disguise, hence the name, and often reminds me condescendingly that, “you don’t make friends with salad”.
I disagree. Just look at this monster stacked a mile high! Every time I take it to work, I’m inundated with positive feedback because it demands attention. The oat bread is thick and hearty and slightly sweet. The veggie pate is creamy and herby. And the vegetables – what an assortment of greens, freshness, juiciness, crunchiness and saltiness – they all work so well together. It’s all tied together with the creamy and vinegary avocado, as they meld into a tangled garden.
This is my go to sandwich, my weeknight back-up sandwich. If I have to work late or just don’t feel like cooking, this is my default. I have most of these ingredients in my kitchen at all times: bread, mustard, salad greens, onions, olives, tomatoes, marinated mushrooms, hot peppers, and pate/cheese. So, each week, I ensure I add a green pepper and sprouts to my grocery list. The sandwich works minus one or two ingredients or with the addition of other fresh vegetables, so don’t get stuck on this formula. This is my preferred version, but experiment and see what you come up with. I prefer it with the avocado vinaigrette, so when I actually plan to make the sandwich, I also make the vinaigrette, but on busy nights, I use whatever vinaigrette / dressing I have made for the week. There are lots of pre-made vinaigrette options available too. Along with the bread, pate and mounds of fresh vegetables, this sandwich is one of the most filling I make and by far, one of the most interesting, in spite of the fact it consists mainly of raw veggies. Believe it or not, I crave this sandwich.
Serves 1
Ingredients:
| Bread, oat, thick slices (toasted / untoasted) | 2 |
| Mustard | |
| Pate – veggie / cheese / cashew cheese | 50 g of pate / cashew cheese or 2 slices of regular cheese |
| Mesclum mix | generous handful |
| Sunflower Micro Greens | generous handful |
| Onion, red, thinly sliced | |
| Green pepper, thickly sliced | 2 slices |
| Olives, green, sliced in half | 4 |
| Tomato, thickly sliced | 2 slices |
| Salt & black pepper | |
| Hot peppers, pickled | 2 |
| Mushrooms, marinated | Garnish / on the side |
| Vinaigrette: (You’ll only need a couple of tsp per sandwich. The rest makes for a very nice salad.) | |
| Avocado | ½ |
| Lime, juice, freshly squeezed | 2 tbsp |
| Olive Oil | ¼ cup |
| Honey | 1 tsp |
| Salt | ¼ tsp |
| Black Pepper | 1/8 tsp |
| Garlic, clove, grated | 1 |
| Basil, dried | 1/8 tsp |
| Basil, fresh | 1 tbsp |
1. Using a hand held blender, in a small bowl, thoroughly combine all vinaigrette ingredients.
2. To assemble the sandwich, layer the ingredients in the following order: bottom slice of bread, mustard, mesclum mix, sunflower micro greens, red onion, green pepper, olives, tomato, salt and black pepper, hot peppers, and top slice of bread, inside brushed with 2 tsp of avocado vinaigrette.
3. Cut in half and serve with marinated, roasted mushrooms.
Delectably Insatiable 