Delicious Vegetarian Sandwiches

SSSSSAMMMMEEEEEZZZZZZ!

Alright.  I still haven't had any big ideas or innovative bursts of creative energy, but I did make some of my favorite sandwiches for lunch today.  As a new vegetarian (passed the 1 year mark this past thanksgiving!) I often find myself lamenting about the lack of sandwich options available.  Oh, peanutbutterandjelly again?  Sigh.  I miss coldcuts sometimes, I really do!

Cold Cuts!!!???!!!???

So this year has been about a quest to find and procure delicious vegetarian sandwiches. 

As far as places to go for vegetarian sandwiches?  My favorite place is The Better Bean in bridgewater centre.  They even have more than ONE option for vegetarians! Can you believe it???  Most places just slap a bunch of random 'veggies' on a bread product and expect it to satisfy the odd vegetarian who wanders through.  As though black olives, mushrooms, banana peppers and onions makes a satisfying sandwich for most people.  I feel like asking them:  "Would you eat this?  I mean seriously, would you choose this sandwich?"  Because I believe that to be a good sandwich, it must be palatable to most people.  Sure, there will always be people like my dad who won't touch a product unless it has meat or comes with meat in some form, but I'm talking people like The Pigeons or my sister-in-law, who are omnivores who actually enjoy a fucking vegetable, you know?

So sub places like Subway and D'Angelo's offer one kind of sandwich.  If you want what I affectionately term a 'condiment sandwich' then head over to subway, where they'll kindly toss any and all of their various sandwich topping onto your choice of bread for you.  Yum.  Oh, wait, nope.  Aaron will stomach this nonsense but I find it remarkably lackluster and uninspired.  (Many Subways will now offer a veggie patty melt, which can be OK, but is still pretty bleck if you ask me!)

If you want a hot sandwich then try your luck at D'Angelo's, where they'll take what normally tops a steak or chicken sub and cram it into a subroll for you.  Mmm.  Mushrooms peppers and onions with cheese. This can sometimes hit the spot if I feel like smelling like a carney for the rest of the day.

     Classic Vegetable Our Veggie Pokket^® made us famous! It's filled with sautéed sweet peppers, onions, mushrooms, and topped with melted American and Provolone cheese. No wonder it's one of our most popular!   --Oooh, two 'k's and no 'c' in pocket? that MUST be delicious!

Or, many mom&pop places may offer you an eggplant parm sub, if you want a big sloppy mess that has likely not been prepared with any flair, finesse, or understanding of how eggplant ought to be cooked.

But overall most vegetarian sandwich options always leave me saying: "Where's the turkey?", which, by definition, leaves a vegetarian in a quandry.

Hey, where the fuck is the TURKEY?

We have had some success at home, however, creating some sandwiches that are both tasty AND filling, if you can believe it!  Sandwiches that don't seem like they're MISSING something...

So I though you might be interested in a couple o'recipes?!?!?  Yeah, you know you are!!!!

We got a menu for a new sub shop in our mailbox.  It's one of those places that has a theme and a cutesy name for all their sandwiches, you know?  This makes Aaron 'grrrr' outloud, because as far as he could discern the sandwich names have no rhyme or reason for their monikers; the names are just slapped on their and aren't actually evocative of  or indicative of their ingredients.  "What's so 'BABE RUTH' about steaktips, lettuce, tomato and feta?!"

In any case, the only vegetarian option on the menu was the following sandwich, which somehow escaped a baseball name (maybe assusimg ALL baseball players are carnvivores ALL of the time?), and is termed: "The Sicilian".

Buffalo Mozzarella, 

Fresh tomatoes, 

basil,

oregeno, 

olive oil & balsamic vinegar.

Well the other day Aaron decided to make this sammy at home.  He used Fresh Mozz, cut it into slices, used baby spinach in place of fresh basil (as we'd used that all up the night before), sliced up some delicious plum tomatoes and drizzled the whole dealie with balsamic and put it on toasted fiber-enriched potato bread.  Wholly Moley!  It was SOOO filling and delicious and satisfying.  Plus it tasted so FRESH FRESH FRESH!  Mozz is such a clean tasting ingredient!  And the spinach upped the nutritian value too, so it might even be something you want to keep in the sammy even if you happen to have fresh basil on hand.  I think he also mixed up some dried oregeno and basil into the balsamic drizzle.  Yum Sandwich, quite literally!  I like to think of this as a CAPRESE SANDWICH, which makes a helofalot more sense than calling it The Sicilian, which always puts me in mind of smoked, dried meats like prosciutto.  

Now, I make a killer sandwich, which was inspired by my need to have a BLT replacement. Oh the simple, crispy beauty of the BLT, how I missed thee!  A character in a movie I saw ordered a BLT hold the B and add P&C; Pickles and Cheese.  Ok.  I'm not averse to either of those things!

So I set down to make a tasty ass sandwich and here's what's in it:

Lettuce (Or baby Spinach to up the health & nutrician factor!)(Or why not both, if you're saucy!)

Tomato (Take it or leave it. I love the Plum kind.)

Cheese

Vlasic Sandwich Stacker Dill Pickles (AKA Heaven in a Jar!)

and my killer ingredient:  Peeled Carrot slices!

Assemble the above ingredients on toasted bread spread with whatever you like to spread on bread.  I use laughing cow cheese spreads in lieu of mayo, (Swiss, garlic & herb, french onion, oh yummdadummdumm) but if I'm outta laughing cow I find that a good honey mustard works wonderfully!

I buy the biggest, fattest carrots I can manage to get my hot little hands on when I plan on making this sanmmy. And yes, ladies, I do quirk an eyebrow and wonder what the check-out lady thinks of my phallic monstrosities. 

Well, not THAT phallic! lolz.

I also sometimes toy with the idea of playing with my food instead of consuming it, but this sandwich is so good, it is a no-brainer! 

 

(And while others may be into screwing-then-chewing, I have never eaten anything that I've masturbated with...maybe that Popsicle...but 'masturbate' would be a very loose term for that incident, that was more like: 'wouldn't it be soooo sexy if... OH SHIT! THAT IS FUCKING FREEZING! GET IT OUT GET IT OUT GET IT OUT!!!!"  And then, well, they melt, you know, so....  But that banana that other time?  Not even fit for banana bread by the time I'd had my way with it! Anyway.... oh yeah, the sandwich...sorry...)

Now, I don't speak the language, but.... Seems like a good, sanitary message!

Oh man!  I wish I'd taken pictures of my delicious lunch sandwich like EMMY does!  She makes the other veggie sandwich I really dig, but it is a hot sandwich, which is more like a whole Meal,meal: Grilled Cheese with Green apple and Brown Sugar Carmelized onions!  Woot!

So Effing Delish!  Thanks Emmy!

Also, don't underestimate a good Peanut Butter & Banana Sandwich.  Divine.  Or use Almond butter for a healthier twist, and for FLAVAH use a hazelnut spread! 

Another thing that makes a sanwich AWESOMESAUCE  is AVOCADO!  At the bean I've taken to making my own veggie sandwich that goes like this:

Avocado

Green Apple

Cheddar Cheese

Carrots

Honey mustard 

on a baguette (For heft)

I wasn't initially sure about the avocado with the green apple, but let me tell you: it is the cat's pajamas.  So yummy.  It is like a health bomb in my face!  

Hummus is a yummy vegetarian thing to throw on a sandwich.  And I LOVE LOVE LOVE roasted red peppers. And those two things happen to taste fab together. Hearty and warm and so savory. Maybe I'll work on making a sandwich with those guys.

I made OPENFACE sandwiches once which were ambrosia-like, and based off a recipe of my dear friend Adam's.  It involves steps and the overn, which makes it more of a dinner endeavor than a lunchy one, but hey, it is filling and great, so why not have big open face subs for dinner??

Roasted Zuccini (Sliced thin, obv)

Roasted Yellow Zucchini (I believe the official name for this vegetable is Summer Squash)

Roasted Eggplant sliced (would be a good idea if I ever cooked with this item, lol)

Roasted Red Peppers (Sliced)

Sauteed peppers, garlic, and onions

Fresh OR Sauteed Apples & Pears  YUP

CHEESE!  I think I used Mozz and Provolone, but feel free to experiment.

On Open face long sub rolls done up garlic bread style.

Basil?  I probably threw in basil because it roasts up so nicely.

So layer those bitches on the sammy however the fuck you want, prolly putting the sauteed business on top, then sprinkling some delicious shredded cheese of your choice, and throw that stuff back in the oven till it is all melty and browning on top, and VOILA!  One tasty-ass open face masterpiece!

*Not an ACTUAL picture of my handiwork.  An Approximation for illustrative purposes...

Ok, those are the big ones.  I know there have been some more along the way, but obviously the ones with staying power made it to this post.  If I dream up\remember any more then I'll keep you posted.  I made carrot meatloaf sandwiches once and slapped a country gravy over top.  Holy christ that was yum city.  But, then, anything with country gravy tends to be yum city.

Oh, and please note that I have not included EGG sandwiches of any kind, as that is a whole breakfast miliue that I don't care to get into at present.  I like egg sandwiches, but that felt like a separate type of category, don't you think?

How about you guys?  Have any splendid ideas for filling and tasty vegetarian sandwiches?  Any hints or tips?  Lemme know!

Manna from Heaven!  Making sandwiches taste like sandwiches since 1942!

ADDENDUM:

Who amongst you thought the title of this blog was an invite to a sexual funfest betwixt myself and my husband? LOL.   This one's for you:

"I eat Vegetarian..."