VEGAN SANDWICHES SAVE THE DAY! REVOLUTIONARY NEW TAKES ON EVERYONE’S FAVORITE ANYTIME MEAL CELINE STEEN and TAMASIN NOYES CONTENTS INTRODUCTION The best thing to happen to sliced bread CHAPTER ONE SANDWICHING MADE EASY Tips and tricks to make your sandwich-building experience a breeze CHAPTER TWO RISE AND ’WICH The early bird gets the breakfast sandwich CHAPTER THREE GOING TOPLESS Bread at the bottom, filling on top: Rated R for ravenous CHAPTER FOUR KEEP IT COOL Chilled, make-ahead sandwiches ready for eating whenever hunger strikes CHAPTER FIVE THE CLASSICS AND DELI DELIGHTS Retro, diner-style sandwiches that will rock your world CHAPTER SIX BOLD NEW GROUND Pushing the boundaries of taste-bud adventure. No passport required! CHAPTER SEVEN SWEETNESS FOLLOWS Sweet desserts for a perfectly sandwiched final touch to your meal CHAPTER EIGHT THE BUILDING BLOCKS A few incredible and indispensable staple recipes ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABOUT THE AUTHORS INDEX INTRODUCTION: THE BEST THING TO HAPPEN TO SLICED BREAD Something Blackened This Way Comes, page 118 If you’re like 99 percent of the people we know, including ourselves, we’re ready to wager that sandwiches are as important to your eating life as they are to ours. Maybe it’s because they bring forth fond childhood memories, such as Maybe it’s because they bring forth fond childhood memories, such as picnics with family and friends, or because they’re the edible solace that sustains many of us when we find ourselves flooded with work. And what’s not to like about them? They’re portable, affordable, and easy, and they make a healthy option for lunch, dinner, or even breakfast. They also present us with endless possibilities as far as the type of bread, filling, and preparation go, so everyone can be happy. In these pages, vegans and nonvegans alike will find endless eats to tickle their fancy, from pressed sandwiches to open-faced delights, burgers, wraps, and even dessert sandwiches. Where some people see bread, we see opportunity, as well as another chance to play with textures and flavors. Sure, you might need forks and knives for a few of these, but sometimes the best things just can’t be contained. When it comes to these sandwich creations, the world is our stage. All it takes is one quick glance at the incredible variety that abounds—Vietnam and its bánh mì, India and its pav bhaji, France and its pan bagnat—to realize that slapping tasty stuff between a couple of slices of bread is one of the greatest culinary delights on the planet. So grab your brown paper bag, and join us on this trip to supreme “sandwich-hood.” We can’t wait to get started! Some cookbooks have you follow the instructions they contain to the letter, but we’re not sticklers for rules. We want you to look at our recipes and let your imagination run wild. FOR EXAMPLE: You have a favorite bread you’d rather use instead of the one we recommend? Go for it! You eat gluten-or soy-free foods for medical reasons or just because you prefer it that way? We absolutely understand and encourage you to follow your heart, needs, and taste buds. It’s obvious that most breads vary in size, and while our recipes are correct for what we used, subbing in a different type might give you a smaller or larger yield than ours, so plan accordingly. We like to alternate between using whole grain breads and plainer ones, and this part is entirely up to you: If you prefer using whole grain all the time, rest assured our recipes will work just as well for you. On the other hand, if you’re more of a white bread kind of person, that’s just fine by us, too. We are also A-OK with the fact that not everyone has the time or inclination We are also A-OK with the fact that not everyone has the time or inclination to make everything from scratch, be it bread or cold cuts. We won’t think any less of you if you choose to purchase these items from your favorite store instead of using the recipes herein. Just remember to check the label for nonvegan ingredients, as they have this annoying habit of showing up in the most unexpected places. Want to shake things up even more? Go nuts by picking a filling you like from one of our recipes and seeing how it works with a different spread, wrapper, bunch of veggies, or preparation . . . the possibilities are close to endless. TIPS FOR SANDWICHING ON THE GO It’s undeniable: we’re all super-busy people, so chances are we’re going to have to take our sandwiches on the road sometimes, and no one wants to look forward to lunch only to come face to face with a soggy, sad excuse for a sandwich. We also all want to make sure that our sandwiches remain as safe to eat as when we prepared them in the morning, especially when the high summer temperatures are relentless. Here are few nifty tips that will help keep such sandwiching nightmares at bay. SANDWICH ACCESSORIES There are numerous online stores that sell affordable, durable, and reusable sandwich bags, wraps, and other eco-friendly goodies that will take away the guilt from wrapping up your own lunches at home. For hand-crafted packaging, we like to shop at Etsy. Just typing in “sandwich bag” brings up some good-looking and, more important, useful finds. • Place thick lettuce leaves, spinach, or any such barrier-like leafy vegetable on the bread, and then add the spread. This will keep the moisture of the spread away from the bread. Let’s give it up for all-powerful lettuce leaves, willing to take one for the team! Just be sure to thoroughly spin your washed lettuce leaves dry, not only to keep them fresh and robust for a longer period but also to prevent them from being the culprit in bread soakage. • Lightly toast your bread to make it a little more resistant to moist fillings. Be sure to let it cool a little if you’re going to apply lettuce leaves directly to it so the residual heat doesn’t make the lettuce wilt.