Monday, July 09, 2012

on sandwiches

I have a confession to make:

I kind of hate sandwiches.

Why?  Well, I can't really say.  Part of it probably stems from my early childhood, when I craved foods served separately.  You remember those huge sectioned trays you'd sometimes get at church potlucks, that had something like 7 or 8 holes in them?  Those made my day.  Even my roll had it's own compartment.  You know, so it wouldn't get "juice" from something on it and get a soggy corner.

Part of it is probably because there aren't many creative vegetarian sandwiches out there.  How many times have you had to choke down a mediocre-to-poor hummus and veggie sandwich/wrap because that was the only healthy/non-meat option?  Right.  I've had my fair share, too.

Part of it is definitely because, even though sandwiches are portable and that's probably their biggest selling point, sandwiches DON'T keep well.  Can you think of a single sandwich that is better 4 hours later?  I can't.  Soggy bread, soggy veggies, misshapen and squashed overall.  No thank you.

But, I don't hate all sandwiches.

I love egg salad.

I love avocado, mayo, and sprouts on toast.

I love sloppy joes.  (Well, sloppy lentils.  Or sloppy tofu.)

I love vegetarian "barbecue" sandwiches, made with homemade seitan and topped with tons of creamy coleslaw.

Every once in a while, I love a good PBJ.

And hot damn, do I love tofu banh mi:




















More often than not, I really prefer to make my own -- and this recipe is one of the best I've found to date.  (However, I double the tofu marinade ingredients, and add a teaspoon each of grated fresh ginger and grated garlic to the marinade.  What Asian food isn't better with extra garlic and ginger?)  This sandwich has all of the things I love most about banh mi, in reasonable quantities -- plenty of flavorful tofu, plenty of sriracha mayo, and plenty of carrot/daikon pickle.  MMMMMMMM.

What are your thoughts on sandwiches?

4 comments:

Emily said...

I'm kind of with you, I find that when I make sandwiches at home they are pretty boring, but when I eat them out (not often) they seem much more exciting! I have had a craving for a tofu rueben lately though...that was amazing!

Catherine Weber said...

Ooo! I forgot about tempeh reubens. I love those, too. And grilled cheese, obviously. :)

Anonymous said...

I am actually not a fan of sandwiches either. But "hate" is a very strong word, lol ;-) Think a good vegetarian sandwich is hard to come by? Vegan ones are even harder! I honestly can't even remember the last time I had a sandwich!

The flavors sound and look so delicious in the link you provided, though, I may try to figure out a salad version or something...yum!

Courtney

Braelin said...

I'm TOTALLY with you--- I think that it stems from the gross roasted veggie sandwiches that are served at most catering functions at work events. Icky and slimy peppers and eggplant are GROSS. I love the ones that you describe too though-- and I'd add a GOOD (not gross from the catering company) caprise sandwich. I also love myself a good grilled cheese with tomato... oh, and a pressed/panini style caprise is heavenly. But, generally speaking I kind of hate sandwiches too...