Table of Contents
Click on any of the titles to take you to the appropriate piece
Features
Columns
When Is a Sandwich Not Really a Sandwich? 16
What’s Cooking? 4
By Jill Nussinow, MS, RD
Gluten‐free wraps and tasty sandwich fillings make for good eating.
The PB&J: America’s Favorite Sandwich 20 By Robin Robertson
Robin spins the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich with delicious flare!
Sandwich Activism 22 By Madelyn Pryor
Madelyn shares some easy‐to‐ make Thai recipes that are soul‐ satisfying and fun to make.
The Reuben: An American Melting Pot Sandwich 25 By Tamasin Noyes
Reubens are one of the most famous American sandwiches int eh world. Explore the intricacies and history of this outstanding sandwich and find out what’s up with its cousin, the Rachel.
The Celestial Sandwich 28 By Angela Elliott
A nut free raw foods sandwich with ninja sauce? Awesome. July 2013
Find out what’s up with the Vegan Culinary Experience this month.
Vegan Cuisine & the Law: What You Should Know About How the Pharmaceutical Industry Is Poisoning Pigs, Poultry, and People 41 By Mindy Kursban, Esq. & Andy Breslin
Read about the drug Ractopamine and its insidious effect on both the farm animal and human populations with a healthy dose of corruption on the side.
From the Garden: Tasty Homemade Vegan Breads 44 By Liz Lonetti
Discover how to mill your own wheat to flour and how to make bread with just flour, water, yeast, and salt.
The Vegan Traveler: Hudson Valley, NY 46 By Chef Jason Wyrick
Chef Jason spends a couple of days in upstate New York eating his way through the Hudson Valley. see the following pages for interviews and reviews…
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Table of Contents 2
Features Contd.
Columns Contd.
The Heart Healthy Greens of Marketplace 9 Spring Sandwich 31 By Mark Sutton
Mark shares his fabulously detailed recipe for a unique and tantalizing creation of his, a mint sorrel hummus sandwich with cinnamon and cumin scented bread.
Religion, Politics, and the Third Rail: Sandwiches! 36 By LaDiva Dietitian
Think you know what exactly a sandwich is? Think again!
Sandwich Construction 39
Recipe Index 63
A listing of all the recipes found in this issue, compiled with links.
Interviews Cookbook Author Tamasin Noyes 51
With a heart as big as his arms, Mike is winning the world over and proving that vegans are powerhouses of good.
By Jason Wyrick
Building the perfect sandwich isn’t
just about flavor. Learn about the five key principles to sandwich construction.
What We’re Eating: Food Reviews 54
What We’re Reading: Book Reviews 59
By Jason Wyrick
By Madelyn Pryor
Find out what we think of Beyond Meat, Eppa Organic Sangria, Casa Noble Organic Tequila, Daiya Creamcheese, and Earth Balance Cheese Puffs. Plus, recipes to go along with the tequilas and Beyond Meat!
Book reviews of Whole Grain Vegan Baking, Vegan before 6, Practically Raw Desserts, and Vegan for Her.
Reviews
July 2013
Get connected and find out about vegan friendly businesses and organizations.
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The Vegan Culinary Experience Sandwiches July 2013 Publisher Jason Wyrick Editors Eleanor Sampson, Madelyn Pryor Nutrition Analyst Eleanor Sampson Web Design Jason Wyrick Graphics Jason Wyrick Reviewers Madelyn Pryor Jason Wyrick Contributing Authors Jason Wyrick Madelyn Pryor Liz Lonetti Sharon Valencik Mark Sutton Jill Nussinow Marty Davey Robin Robertson Mindy Kursban Andy Breslin Dynise Balcavage Ani Phyo Tamasin Noyes Photography Credits
Cover Page Jason Wyrick Recipe Images Jason Wyrick Madelyn Pryor Milan Valencik of Milan Photography Jill Nussinow Mark Sutton Liz Lonetti Lori Maffei Dynise Balcavage Tamasin Noyes Angela Elliott Travel Photos Jason Wyrick Earl of Sandwich Public Domain Hudson Valley, Wheat Creative Commons Field, Wheatberries Tamasin Noyes Courtesy of Tamasin Noyes Ani Phyo Courtesy of Jeff Skeirik
July 2013
What’s Cooking? I have recently fallen in love with sandwiches again. Why did I ever break up with them in the first place? It was probably that year I went gluten free. While I don’t load up on gluten anymore, I also don’t eschew it and that’s left some space to welcome back a favorite friend. I’m not sure what it is about the sandwich that is so captivating. Maybe it’s all the flavor melded into a single, manageable bite or the heartiness of it all. It might be the versatility of the sandwich, able to serve as a meal or a snack, as a portable lunch, and even better when you’ve got leftovers of it. I think it must be all of those, and that’s why I enjoyed putting this issue together so much. The range of recipes in this issue run the gamut from quick, five minute sandwiches all the way to some crazy culinary endeavors. You’ll see some completely original sandwiches and a few fun spins on favorite classics, and some not‐so‐well‐known sandwiches, as well. Make what you feel comfortable making and try to find the time to stretch your cooking chops a bit. The recipes in this issue will reward you for doing so (and so will all your friends and family waiting to eat your awesome sandwich)! Eat healthy, eat compassionately, and eat well!
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Contributors Jason Wyrick ‐ Chef Jason Wyrick is the Executive Chef of Devil Spice, Arizona's vegan catering company, and the publisher of The Vegan Culinary Experience. Chef Wyrick has been regularly featured on major television networks and in the press. He has done demos with several doctors, including Dr. Neal Barnard of the PCRM, Dr. John McDougall, and Dr. Gabriel Cousens. Chef Wyrick was also a guest instructor in the Le Cordon Bleu program. He has catered for PETA, Farm Sanctuary, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Google. He is also the NY Times best‐selling co‐author of 21 Day Weightloss Kickstart Visit Chef Jason Wyrick at www.devilspice.com and www.veganculinaryexperience.com.
Madelyn Pryor ‐ Madelyn is a lover of dessert, which she celebrates on her blog, http://badkittybakery.blogspot.com/. She has been making her own tasty desserts for over 16 years, and eating dessert for longer than she cares to admit. When she isn’t in the kitchen creating new wonders of sugary goodness, she is chasing after her bad kitties, or reviewing products for various websites and publications. She can be contacted at thebadkittybakery@gmail.com or madelyn@veganculinaryexperience.com. Robin Robertson ‐ A longtime vegan, Robin Robertson has worked with food for more than 25 years and is the author of twenty cookbooks, including Quick‐Fix Vegan, Vegan Planet, 1,000 Vegan Recipes, Vegan Fire & Spice, and Vegan on the Cheap. A former restaurant chef, Robin writes the Global Vegan food column for VegNews Magazine and has written for Vegetarian Times, Cooking Light, and Natural Health, among others. Robin lives in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. You may contact her through her website: www.robinrobertson.com.
Mindy Kursban, Esq. ‐ Mindy Kursban is a practicing attorney who is passionate about animals, food, and health. She gained her experience and knowledge about vegan cuisine and the law while working for ten years as general counsel and then executive director of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Since leaving PCRM in 2007, Mindy has been writing and speaking to help others make the switch to a plant‐ based diet. Mindy welcomes feedback, comments, and questions at mkursban@gmail.com. Jill Nussinow, MS, RD, The Veggie Queen ‐ Jill is a Registered Dietitian and has a Masters Degree in Dietetics and Nutrition from Florida International University. After graduating, she migrated to California and began a private nutrition practice providing individual consultations and workshops, specializing in nutrition for pregnancy, new mothers, and children. You can find out more about The Veggie Queen at www.theveggiequeen.com.
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Contributors Liz Lonetti ‐ As a professional urban designer, Liz Lonetti is passionate about building community, both physically and socially. She graduated from the U of MN with a BA in Architecture in 1998. She also serves as the Executive Director for the Phoenix Permaculture Guild, a non‐profit organization whose mission is to inspire sustainable living through education, community building and creative cooperation (www.phoenixpermaculture.org). A long time advocate for building greener and more inter‐connected communities, Liz volunteers her time and talent for other local green causes. In her spare time, Liz enjoys cooking with the veggies from her gardens, sharing great food with friends and neighbors, learning from and teaching others. To contact Liz, please visit her blog site www.phoenixpermaculture.org/profile/LizDan. Sharon Valencik ‐ Sharon Valencik is the author of Sweet Utopia: Simply Stunning Vegan Desserts. She is raising two vibrant young vegan sons and rescued animals, currently a rabbit and a dog. She comes from a lineage of artistic chef matriarchs and has been baking since age five. She is working on her next book, World Utopia: Delicious and Healthy International Vegan Cuisine. Please visit www.sweetutopia.com for more information, to ask questions, or to provide feedback. Andrew Breslin ‐ Andrew Breslin is the author of Mother's Milk, the definitive account of the vast global conspiracy orchestrated by the dairy industry, which secretly controls humanity through mind‐controlling substances contained in cow milk. In all likelihood this is a hilarious work of satyric fiction, but then again, you never know. He also authors the blog Andy Rants, almost certainly the best blog that you have never read. He is an avid book reviewer at Goodreads. He worked at Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine with Mindy Kursban, with whom he occasionally collaborates on projects concerning legal issues associated with health and food. Andrew's fiction and nonfiction have appeared in a wide variety of print and online venues, covering an even wider variety of topics. He lives in Philadelphia with his girlfriend and cat, who are not the same person. Dynise Balcavage ‐ Dynise Balcavage’s newest cookbook Pies and Tarts with Heart: Expert Pie‐Building Techniques for 60+ Sweet and Savory Vegan Pies hits the stores this summer. Dynise blogs at urbanvegan.net and tweets at @theurbanvegan.
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Contributors Mark Sutton ‐ Mark Sutton has been the Visualizations Coordinator for two NASA Earth Satellite Missions, an interactive multimedia consultant, organic farmer, and head conference photographer. He’s developed media published in several major magazines and shown or broadcast internationally, produced DVDs and websites, edited/managed a vegan cookbook (No More Bull! by Howard Lyman), worked with/for two Nobel Prize winners (on Global Climate Change), and helped create UN Peace Medal Award‐winning pre‐college curriculum. A vegetarian for 20 years, then vegan the past 10, Mark’s the editor of the Mad Cowboy e‐newsletter, an avid nature photographer, gardener, and environmentalist. Oil‐free for over 5 years and author of the 1st vegan pizza cookbook, he can be reached at: msutton@hearthealthypizza.com and http://www.hearthealthypizza.com Milan Valencik ‐ Milan Valencik is the food stylist and photographer of Sweet Utopia: Simply Stunning Vegan Desserts. His company, Milan Photography, specializes in artistic event photojournalism, weddings, and other types of photography. Milan is also a fine artist and musician. Milan is originally from Czech Republic and now lives in NJ. For more information about Milan, please visit www.milanphotography.com or www.sweetutopia.com. Angela Elliott ‐ Angela Elliott is the author of Alive in Five, Holiday Fare with Angela, The Simple Gourmet, and more books on the way! Angela is the inventor of Five Minute Gourmet Meals™, Raw Nut‐Free Cuisine™, Raw Vegan Dog Cuisine™, and The Celestialwich™, and the owner and operator of Celestial Raw Goddess Tonics and Teas. www.celestialrawgoddesstonicsandteas.com. Angela has contributed to various publications, including Vegnews Magazine, Vegetarian Baby and Child Magazine, and has taught gourmet classes, holistic classes, lectured, and on occasion toured with Lou Corona, a nationally recognized proponent of living food. LaDiva Dietitian! ‐ Marty Davey is not only LaDiva, Dietitian!, but a Registered Dietitian with a Masters degree in Food and Nutrition. She became a vegetarian in 1980 when she discovered that there were more chemicals in cattle then attendants at a Grateful Dead concert. Her family is all vegan, except the dog who drew the line at vegetarian. She conducts factual and hilarious presentations and food demos. While her private practice includes those transitioning to a plant‐based life, LaDiva's most popular private consulting topic is "I'm too busy and I don't cook." Her website is www.ladivadietitian.com.
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Contributors Ani Phyo – Ani is the world’s leading author on detox, raw food, and wellness and has written six award‐winning and best‐selling books, including Ani’s 15‐Day Fat Blast, Ani’s Raw Food Essentials, and Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen, awarded “Best Vegetarian Cookbook USA 2007″ by Gourmand International. She offers Mastery Raw Food and Detox Certification Courses to help people learn how to make delicious, healthy food at home and/or for business while providing guidance to students who wish to start their own small business in the wellness and natural food categories. Please visit her at www.AniPhyo.com. Tamasin Noyes – Tamasin Noyes is the author of American Vegan Kitchen, Grills Gone Vegan, and co‐author (with Celine Steen) of Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day! and Whole Grain Vegan Baking. A committed vegetarian since 1980 and vegan for the past 10 years, Tami loves to cook with big, bold flavors while exploring food from different cultures, as well as redefining American comfort food. Tami lives and blogs in Ohio, with her best friend/husband, Jim, and three love kitties. Follow Tami’s blog, www.veganappetite.com, and find her on facebook. Eleanor Sampson – Eleanor is an editor and nutrition analyst for The Vegan Culinary Experience, author, and an expert vegan baker with a specialty in delicious vegan sweets (particularly cinnamon rolls!) You can reach Eleanor at Eleanor@veganculinaryexperience.com.
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About the VCE The Vegan Culinary Experience is an educational vegan culinary magazine designed by professional vegan chefs to help make vegan cuisine more accessible. Published by Chef Jason Wyrick, the magazine utilizes the electronic format of the web to go beyond the traditional content of a print magazine to offer classes, podcasts, an interactive learning community, and links to articles, recipes, and sites embedded throughout the magazine to make retrieving information more convenient for the reader. The VCE is also designed to bring vegan chefs, instructors, medical professionals, authors, and businesses together with the growing number of people interested in vegan cuisine. Eat healthy, eat compassionately, and eat well.
Become a Subscriber Subscribing to the VCE is FREE! Subscribers have access to our Learning Community, back issues, recipe database, and extra educational materials. Visit http://veganculinaryexperience.com/VCESubscribe.htm to subscribe. *PRIVACY POLICY ‐ Contact information is never, ever given or sold to another individual or company
Not Just a Magazine Meal Service The Vegan Culinary Experience also provides weekly meals that coincide with the recipes from the magazine. Shipping is available across the United States. Raw, gluten‐free, and low‐fat diabetic friendly options are available. Visit http://veganculinaryexperience.com/VCEMealService.htm for more information.
Culinary Instruction Chef Jason Wyrick and many of the contributors to the magazine are available for private culinary instruction, seminars, interviews, and other educational based activities. For information and pricing, contact us at http://veganculinaryexperience.com/VCEContact.htm.
An Educational and Inspirational Journey of Taste, Health, and Compassion July 2013
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Marketplace Welcome to the Marketplace, our new spot for finding vegetarian friendly companies, chefs, authors, bloggers, cookbooks, products, and more! One of the goals of The Vegan Culinary Experience is to connect our readers with organizations that provide relevant products and services for vegans, so we hope you enjoy this new feature! Click on the Ads – Each ad is linked to the appropriate organization’s website. All you need to do is click on the ad to take you there. Become a Marketplace Member – Become connected by joining the Vegan Culinary Experience Marketplace. Membership is available to those who financially support the magazine, to those who promote the magazine, and to those who contribute to the magazine. Contact Chef Jason Wyrick at chefjason@veganculinaryexperience.com for details!
Current Members Bad Kitty Creations GoDairyFree.org Robin Robertson (www.badkittybakery.blogspot.com) (www.godairyfree.org) (www.robinrobertson.com) Dynise Balcavage Sweet Utopia Milan Photography (www.sweetutopia.com) (www.milanphotography.com) (urbanvegan.net) Jill Nussinow, MS, RD Heart Healthy Pizza LaDiva Dietitian (www.theveggiequeen.com) (www.hearthealthypizza.com) (www.ladivadietitian.com) Ani Phyo Tamasin Noyes Celestial Raw Goddess Tonics & Teas (www.aniphyo.com) (www.veganappetite.com) (www.celestialrawgoddesstonicsandteas.com) Non‐profits Vegan Outreach Rational Animal Farm Sanctuary (www.veganoutreach.org) (www.rational‐animal.org) (www.farmsanctuary.com) The Phoenix Permactulture Guild (www.phoneixpermaculture.org) July 2013
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When Is a Sandwich Not Really a Sandwich? Gluten-free Sandwiches: They’re a Wrap and More By Jill Nussinow, MS, RD, aka The Veggie Queen™ When you’re eating gluten‐free, sandwiches become more of a challenge when you haven’t yet found bread that you love to eat. That would be me. I love the bread at New Cascadia Bakery in Portland, Oregon but it’s a 2 hour plane ride from where I live so I just skip eating traditional sandwiches, unless of course I’ve been to Portland. Then I bring back a loaf of teff bread and a loaf of seeded bread and slice them, wrap the pieces in waxed paper and freeze them. I can assure you, though, that this only happens about once a year, leaving me generally bread‐free. (I have a local bakery: Grindstone that has some gluten‐free breads that will suffice, yet I only buy them once in a while but infrequently.) Not one to give up on eating something sandwich‐like, I generally have some kind of wrap. The wrapper also poses a bit of a challenge but here I share with you some of my favorite wrappers (aka sandwich filling holders). One of my favorite ways to wrap a sandwich filling is in between 2 large leaves of lettuce. It’s often mighty messy and not something that I am likely to do in front of other people but it’s often easy because I generally have lettuce on hand. I like to put any of my favorite fillings, listed below, into the leaves with sprouts, onion, avocado or whatever is on hand that day. I wrap the lettuce leaf around the filling and eat. A more civilized approach to wraps involves getting the best wrappers that you can. My favorite wrap is the large teff tortilla made by La Tortilla Factory. The factory happens to be in Santa Rosa, California where I live but I believe that they are also available elsewhere. These wraps have oil added so if you want to go oil‐free you might want to try the Engine 2 brown rice tortillas. I have not had as much luck using them as they tend to break, they contain nuts and they are a smaller size so I find them a bit harder to wrap. Udi’s just came out with July 2013
a gluten‐free tortilla but I haven’t yet tried it. (If you do, let me know what you think, please.) We all have to pick and choose what works for us. Look around for your favorite wrapper and get to work making the fillings. My two favorite wrap fillings are Roasted Red Pepper White Bean Spread and Asian Bean Dip or Spread. I like to spread these on the tortilla, add shredded carrots, thinly sliced red cabbage, onion, homegrown sprouts and roll the whole thing up and cut it in half on a diagonal for a pretty presentation. Or I might use cooked ingredients, mentioned below. Fresh hergs always add zip. Or you can use something more substantial and make a batch of Tempeh No‐Chicken Salad. Click here for the recipe. If you want something a bit more substantial, I like to make “crepes”. The recipe Basic Buckwheat Crepes‐ Vegan and Gluten‐Free is not mine, it came from Food.com. I was inspired to make these crepes after I had a very tasty raw veggie burger from Lydia’s Sunflower Café in Petaluma, California served with buckwheat crepes as the bun (this is a don’t miss spot if you find yourself in Sonoma County). While I have not attempted making the raw burger, I like to use these crepes to cradle my cooked burger, a version of which I have included here. Generally when making crepes you want them to be very thin so that you can roll them. In this version, you want them to be a bit thicker so that they can hold up to a potentially messy burger. The nice thing about making the crepes is that you can make 16 to 20 at one time and freeze them with waxed paper between the crepes and take them out of the Sandwiches |16
freezer as you need them. You can do the same with the burgers. And you can freeze the spreads and dips, too which, eliminates your saying, “There’s nothing to eat.” Having a well‐stocked freezer makes it easy to say, “It’s a wrap.”
Asian Bean Spread or Dip for Wraps and Veggies This tantalizing dip was created in front of a McDougall diet class. Luckily, someone wrote down the ingredients. It was their favorite dip of the day. You’ll notice that the beans aren’t Asian but I suspect that it would work well with azuki, mung or soybeans, too. Makes about 2 cups 1 clove garlic 1‐2 tablespoons peanut butter 1 1‐inch piece of ginger, peeled 1 ½ cups cooked garbanzo or cannellini beans 1 teaspoon rice vinegar 1 tablespoon mellow white or any other miso (my favorite is South River Miso) 3 tablespoons water or vegetable broth 1 tablespoon or more cilantro leaves 1 tablespoon agave, Sucanat or equivalent sugar substitute, such as stevia 1 green onion, sliced Put the garlic, peanut butter and ginger in a food process and process until finely chopped. Add the beans, vinegar, miso and water or broth and blend until slightly chunky. Add the cilantro, sweetener and green onion and process briefly until combined. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking by adding more vinegar, miso or sugar. Use as a filling for wraps or as a dip for vegetables.
Roasted Red Pepper White Bean Spread or Dip This spread or dip makes a wonderful base layer for wraps of any kind. In the summer, you can layer in roasted red peppers and grilled summer squash and onions for a true taste treat. Put in fresh basil or parsley to give it a fresh and lively flavor. Serves 6 as an appetizer 2 cups cooked white beans ½ cup roasted red peppers, drained 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional) 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped 2 teaspoons fresh thyme ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper Combine beans, olive oil, lemon juice, sage, thyme, salt and pepper in food processor. Process until smooth. Use as the base for wraps or for a vegetable dip. ©2013, Jill Nussinow, MS, RD, The Veggie Queen™
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©2013, Jill Nussinow, MS, RD, The Veggie Queen™
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Vegan and Gluten-free Buckwheat Crepe Buns from Food.com Once you mix the batter, it will take about 30 minutes to make the crepes. My favorite filling is a veggie burger because these crepes stand in for the bun. Use 2 to 3 tablespoons batter for each one. Make them about the size of your burger. I think that these can be made oil‐free but I haven’t tried it yet. Makes 16 to 20 bun sized crepes ½ cup buckwheat flour ½ cup rice flour (use a finely milled flour) 1 tablespoon coconut oil (can use other oil of choice), [I used sesame oil] 1 ¼ cups soymilk (can use other milk if wished) [I used unsweetened almond milk] 2 teaspoons arrowroot or 2 teaspoons tapioca starch 1 pinch salt ~ spray oil, for pan frying Place the buckwheat flour, rice flour and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Make a 'well' in the center of the flour. Add oil and a little of the milk, beating well with a wooden spoon. Gradually beat in the remaining milk, drawing the flour in from the sides to make a smooth batter. Spray the oil in an 18 cm/7 inch non‐stick frying pan. Pour in just enough batter to coat the base of the pan thinly. [I only added about 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter and made the crepes smaller.]Swirl the pan to spread the mixture thinly across the base of the pan. Cook until golden brown, flip and cook the other side. [I did not need to respray the pan until I had made about 12 crepes.] Place cooked crepes onto a plate and using baking paper between cooked crepes to stop them from sticking together. You can freeze these, too. ©2013, Jill Nussinow, MS, RD, The Veggie Queen™
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Lentil & Red Rice Burgers I have been known to make burgers out of almost any leftover bean or grain. Since lentils cook so quickly, I often make extra and freeze them or you can make them from scratch. Using a food processor for blending helps a lot. Makes 6‐8 burgers 2 cups cooked whole grain rice 2 cups cooked lentils 1 teaspoon grated or minced ginger 2 cloves garlic or 1 stalk green garlic, minced ½ cup minced onion or leeks 1 tablespoon tamari or 1 teaspoon salt ~ Seasoning of your choice, like curry, to taste ¼ cup hemp or sunflower seeds ~ Ground oats, for binding, if necessary Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the rice, lentils and seasonings in a food processor. Blend until sticky. When well blended, stir in the hemp seeds. With wet hands, form into burgers. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, sprayed or lightly rubbed with oil. Bake the burgers for 15 minutes on one side. Remove from oven, turn over and bake on the other side until browned. Serve hot on crepes, a bun, or not, with garnishes. Note: precooked burgers can be frozen in wax paper in plastic bags. To reheat, put in toaster, or regular, oven until warmed through. ©2013, Jill Nussinow, MS, RD, The Veggie Queen™ Sandwiches |18
The Author Jill Nussinow aka The Veggie Queen™ makes sandwiches her way. No matter what they are always tasty, even if they are extremely messy. You can read more about what she does at http://www.theveggiequeen.com
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The PB & J: America’s Favorite Sandwich by Robin Robertson
When you consider the fact that before the age of eighteen, the average American child consumes 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, it’s easy to see why the iconic PB&J is America’s favorite sandwich. When I was a kid, the only PB&J choices were smooth or crunchy peanut butter and maybe swapping out strawberry jam for grape jelly. These days, you can choose from over a dozen kinds of nut butters, paired with an orchard full of jams, jellies, preserves, and marmalades, and served on a wide variety of breads. You can get even more creative by adding another flavor layer to your sandwich with anything from dried or fresh fruits to crushed nuts, chocolate, shredded carrots, or even vegan bacon. Variations on the PB&J are, in fact, infinitely versatile when you consider that by combining various nut butters with different jams, jellies, or preserves, “add‐ons” and breads, you can enjoy more than 32,130 different variations of America’s favorite sandwich. (see chart on next page) I love the creativity of putting a new spin on the traditional PB&J. You can even go savory by combining lime marmalade, peanut butter, and shredded carrot with a little cilantro and sriracha sauce. Or create a sweet treat with a dessert panini made with hazelnut butter, raspberry jam, and chocolate. Another favorite twist on the classic is this recipe for Peach‐Almond Butter Quesadillas from my cookbook, Nut Butter Universe: Easy Vegan Recipes with Out‐Of‐This‐World Flavors.
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Peach-Almond Butter Quesadillas
Serves 2 Almond butter stands in for the peanut butter and peach jam replaces the classic grape jelly in this new spin on the classic PB & J. But that’s not all: tortillas replace the bread to make delicious quesadillas. Variations are endless so feel free to use different combinations of nut butter and jam or other spread. Sliced bananas or fried vegan bacon slices make good additions. This recipe is easily doubled. For gluten‐free, use gluten‐free tortillas. This recipe is from Nut Butter Universe: Easy Vegan Recipes with Out‐Of‐This‐World Flavors. 2 (8‐inch) flour tortillas 1/3 cup almond butter 1/3 cup peach jam Spread one side of each of the tortillas evenly with the almond butter and peach jam. Fold the tortillas in half to enclose the spreads. Place both quesadillas in a large non‐stick skillet and cook until lightly browned on both sides, turning once. To serve transfer the quesadillas to a cutting board and cut them into wedges. © 2013, used by permission Vegan Heritage Press
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The Author Robin Robertson is the author of more than twenty cookbooks, including Quick‐Fix Vegan, Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker, Vegan Planet, 1,000 Vegan Recipes, Vegan Fire & Spice, and Vegan on the Cheap. Her latest book is entitled Nut Butter Universe: Easy Vegan Recipes with Worlds of Flavor. A former restaurant chef, Robin writes the Global Vegan food column for VegNews Magazine and has written for Vegetarian Times, Cooking Light, and Natural Health, among others. She blogs regularly on her website: www.robinrobertson.com.
Sandwiches Unlimited If you choose one ingredient from column A, one from column B, add one from column C, and then put them all on one of the choices from column D, you could potentially enjoy more than 30,000 different variations of America’s favorite sandwich. A. Nut Butter Peanut butter Almond butter Cashew butter Macadamia butter Walnut butter Pecan butter Pistachio butter Brazil nut butter Hazelnut butter Chestnut Butter Soy nut butter Sesame butter Sunflower seed butter Pumpkin seed butter
B. Sweet Spread Grape jelly Peach jam Strawberry preserves Lime marmalade Orange marmalade Apricot preserves Cherry jam Blackberry jam Apple jelly Fig jam Raspberry jam Blueberry preserves Pineapple jam Mango jam Guava jam
Red pepper jelly Quince Jelly C. Optional Add‐Ons Raisins Dried cranberries Dried blueberries Sliced bananas Grated chocolate Crushed nuts Minced celery Shredded carrot Thinly‐sliced cucumber Cooked vegan bacon Sliced apple Sliced pear
Sliced peach Ground flaxseeds Vegan cream cheese D. Bread of Choice Whole‐grain bread Gluten‐free bread Tortilla Pita Bagel Lavash Baguette English muffin Bagel
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Sandwich Activism By Chef Madelyn Pryor There is pressure from every side in modern American life. There is pressure to get things done, pressure to look a certain way, pressure to be there for everyone (including yourself). Those are just a few of the external pressures we face every day. I also face internal pressure, not the least of which is a desire to eat delicious, healthy vegan food. There are several reasons this is a huge driving force. One is that I am a hobbit trapped in a human woman’s body. I love food. LOVE LOVE LOVE. But I also love using something as simple as my lunch as a way to get other people thinking. It has happened to us all – lunch envy. Especially at work or school you see what someone else has and instantly you start thinking about what you brought. When I was a college student, I brought my own lunch and snacks. I have a habit of wanting to munch when I am reading and concentrating so I would cut up bell peppers (at least two colors) and throw those into a container along with baby carrots and grape tomatoes. As I munched my way through lecture I was getting my veggies in for the day and getting my classmates minds moving. Always by the end of the semester there were fewer bags of chips around me and more fruit cups and veggie bags. This is especially effective with a great vegan sandwich. Most animal products have a sharp, unpleasant odor. In the confines of a lunch room, this can be really harsh. When I opened my lunch bag I would produce delicious easy sandwiches that were beautiful, full of great nutrition, and colorful. Usually that would open up a dialogue with a classmate or co‐worker that heard I was vegan and wanted to see what I was eating. I talked to them not about the ethics, but about flavor profiles and health benefits. Often they would ask for my recipes. It was the start of their vegan journey.
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I teach cooking classes now, so no more lunch rooms for me. I still take vegan sandwiches wherever I go – the mall, the game store, travel. Recently I had two days of travel. I brought fresh fruit and veggies in baggies, and three vegan sandwiches. The first two I knew I would eat (breakfast and lunch) and the third was there in case of a delay. I was full, comfortable and happy for my flight. While the people around me ate ‘food’ I would never partake of, I felt refreshed and replenished. Vegan sandwiches saved the day once again!! So now you might be asking, well, what does make a great vegan sandwich? If you are then flip through the magazine. I wish I had this collection of recipes years ago! But I try for a few things every time. These are Madelyn’s laws of making a great sandwich. 1. You need a great bread. Find something that works with the rest of your sandwich. A whole wheat is a fine bread for a traditional PB&J, but cinnamon raisin bread makes it amazing. The same is true with a roasted vegetable sandwich. Regular bread makes that sandwich ok, but a true sourdough makes a roasted vegetable salad sing! 2. Twist one tradition – Much like choosing a more complex bread, if you take a traditional sandwich and change one element, it is much more exciting! I loved making BLTs into BATs, vegan bacon, avocado and tomato. By making that one change, it was suddenly more exciting. Again, look at the classic PB&J sandwich. What about using peach jam and adding some chili flakes? That will wake up your taste buds and beat away the lunch time sleepies.
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3. Always include one ‘pop’ of flavor – In savory sandwiches I almost always use a little white balsamic vinegar if I have a hearty bread, or mustard and sprinkle of a spice blend if my bread is softer. This makes the sandwich much more interesting to the pallet. In sweet sandwiches, I add some spice, or sometimes some acid such as lime juice. The tartness of the lime helps to balance the sweetness of a jam and gives your taste buds a refreshing burst. Those are my basic essentials. You can use those rules to make a thousand, no a million, different sandwiches. However, in case you’re feeling some of those time pressures I talked about, I have included some of my favorite simple sandwiches. Hugs and happy eatings from my corner of the shire to yours. The Author Madelyn is a lover of dessert, which she celebrates on her blog, http://madelynpryor.blogsp ot.com/. She has been making her own tasty desserts for over 16 years, and eating dessert for longer than she cares to admit. When she isn’t in the kitchen creating new wonders of sugary goodness, she is chasing after her bad kitties, or reviewing products for various websites and publications. She can be contacted at thebadkittybakery@gmail.com or madelyn@veganculinaryexperience.com.
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Madelyn’s Miso Dijonaise Makes about ¾ cup ¼ cup white miso ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp yellow mustard (organic preferred) 2 tbsp maple syrup (grade B preferred) ½ teaspoon – 1 teaspoon of black poppy seeds Combine and whisk until smooth. Store in the refrigerator after creation.
Chopped Miso Chickpea Sandwich Makes 4 sandwiches 4 whole wheat hamburger buns 1 cup of cooked chickpeas ¼ cup of Madelyn’s Miso Dijonaise 2 tablespoons of capers ¼ cup of celery, chopped fine 2 tablespoons of finely minced red onion Mash the chickpeas using a potato masher until they have texture, but are slightly creamy. Add the miso dijonaise, capers, celery, and onion. Mix together and place about 1/3 cup of the mixture on a whole wheat hamburger bun or other bread and enjoy.
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Thousand Island Dressing Makes about 1 cup ½ cup vegenaise or other vegan mayonnaise 2 tablespoons ketchup 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon agave 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish 1 tablespoon white onion ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1‐2 pinches of salt Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour into an airtight container and it to sit in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours. Stir and serve.
Deconstructed “Dee” Burger Makes 4 sandwiches 1 package of beefless seitan strips, about 8 oz 1 medium onion, sliced 1 medium green bell pepper, sliced 1 vegan bouillon cube 1 teaspoon ancho powder 1 teaspoon smoked paprika ¼ cup water 4 soft oblong sandwich rolls 1 cup shredded cabbage 1 recipe of Thousand Island Dressing Cut the onion and bell pepper into fajita strips. Heat a wok over medium heat and add the onion, bell pepper, and seitan. Cook over medium about 8‐10 minutes, until the onions are slightly browned. Heat the water with the vegan bouillon cube, ancho powder and smoked paprika until the bouillon is dissolved. Add to the peppers and onions and cook for an extra 10 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Stuff one of the rolls with some of the seitan mixture, dress with the Thousand Island Dressing, and top with cabbage.
this is my version of a childhood favorite burger I had at dee’s restaurant
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The Reuben: An American Melting Pot Sandwich By Tamasin Noyes The Reuben sandwich has a long and contested history. There are at least three different contenders who claim its creation. The earliest mention of the sandwich dates to 1914 when a “reuben special” was a featured at Reuben’s Deli in New York City. The deli was owned by Arnold Reuben, giving the sandwich its name. The next claim on the sandwich comes from Nebraska and a man named (you guessed the first part) Reuben Kulakofsky, circa 1930. Kulalofsky, a Lithuanian immigrant, held a weekly poker game at the Blackstone Hotel in Omaha. Legend has it that the poker players combined their ideas to come up with the combination. The last version of the story takes us back Reuben’s Deli. In this story, the sandwich was created by Arnold Reuben’s chef, for the son of his German‐born boss. Now that we’ve talked about the somewhat checkered history of the reuben's creation, let’s talk about creating one for ourselves. Like all good sandwiches, the choice of bread is important. In some sandwiches, the bread takes a back seat to the filling in the sandwich. Not so with reubens. They breads are known for the distinctive flavor of either rye or pumpernickel, which are flavorful enough to share the stage with the boldly flavored main element. Instead of the traditional corned beef, vegan reubens often feature tofu, tempeh, or seitan which are all well‐seasoned with the expected reuben flavors found when marinated with pickling spices and mustard. Less commonly, the mighty portobello mushroom has been known to stand in for the "meat" of the sandwich. Next up: the salad layer. Traditionally, sauerkraut has filled this spot, but recently I’ve seen other versions using cabbage slaw and even kimchi! For dressing,
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either Russian dressing or Thousand Island is the most frequently used. When I say “Russian dressing”, I am speaking of the Americanized version which is made with vegan mayonnaise, ketchup, and horseradish. In Russia, Russian dressing contains caviar. Pickle relish replaces the horseradish to create 1000 Island dressing, and other minced ingredients such as onion may be added. The “dressing”, which is really more of a sauce or spread, is an easy way to make the sandwich your own. Try adding minced pickled jalapeno peppers, minced sun‐dried tomatoes, or some minced fresh dill. The sandwich is often finished with a slice of Swiss cheese, which sometimes adds a subtle accent, and at other times can be lost in the mix. Although vegan Swiss cheese has recently become available, a few slices of fresh avocado also bring a creamy roundness to the flavor of a reuben. Closely related to the reuben, is the Rachel. The Rachel is made with coleslaw rather than sauerkraut and usually pastrami rather than corned beef. In Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day, we’ve got a recipe for the Rachel, as well as for the One World Reuben, my melting pot version of the sandwich. After all, with the origins of the sandwich decidedly European and carried to the United States via immigrants, it’s only natural to embrace global flavors. Try sneaking some unexpected flavors into your version of a reuben for a tasty surprise! No matter which history you choose to believe, there is just something about the wholesome almost sweetness of the bread, the creamy dressing (try it with a little heat as written below!),
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the crisp, salty sauerkraut, and the bold, low‐note flavors of the protein of choice that make reubens my very favorite sandwich. I couldn’t resist trying a portobello burger variation, and hope you enjoy it, too.
While rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the buns for 15 to 18 minutes, until the bottom sounds hollow when tapped with your knuckles. Cool on a wire rack until serving. Yield: 6 buns
thousand island sauce
light rye burger buns 180 g (1 ½ cups) dark rye flour 180 g (1 ½ cups) bread flour 2 tablespoons dry minced onion 2 teaspoons caraway seeds 2 teaspoons instant dry yeast 1 teaspoon fine sea salt 1 cup lukewarm water 2 tablespoons neutral oil 1 tablespoon molasses Nonstick cooking spray Put the flours, onion, caraway seeds, yeast, and salt in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix to combine. Add the water, oil and molasses. Knead the dough 5 to 7 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Add an additional tablespoon of flour (15 g) or water, if needed to form the dough. Lightly spray a medium bowl with cooking spray. Shape the dough into a ball. Put the dough in the bowl, turning to coat so the oiled side is up. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 to 1 ½ hours. On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into six even portions. Lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Shape each portion into a bun shape, slightly flattening with your hands. The buns should be between 3 and 4 inches across. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until nicely puffed, about 40 minutes. July 2013
This is a basic version, because the burger flavor is bold. Think of it as a blueprint, and customize it to suit your own tastes for any reuben. ½ cup vegan mayonnaise 2 tablespoons ketchup 2 tablespoons minced red onion 2 tablespoons minced dill pickle 1 teaspoon hot sauce, more to taste ½ teaspoon grated horseradish, more to taste Generous pinch ground black pepper Yield: 1 cup
portobello reuben burgers
The burger buns may be toasted, if desired. Spread the top and bottom of the buns lightly with the Thousand Island Sauce, and top with a burger, then the sauerkraut, and the bun top. We use a generous ½ cup of sauerkraut for each burger, but you may prefer less. ¼ cup vegetable broth ¼ cup dill pickle juice (drained from a jar) 2 tablespoons dry red wine (or additional broth) 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 2 teaspoons coriander 2 teaspoons ground cumin
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2 teaspoons onion powder 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon smoked salt ½ teaspoon dried dill ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 6 portobello mushroom caps, stems and gills removed Neutral oil, for cooking Heated sauerkraut, for serving Thousand Island Sauce Combine the broth, pickle juice, wine, Dijon, coriander, cumin, onion powder, paprika, salt, dill, and black pepper in a 9 X 13 inch pan. Put the mushroom caps in the marinade with the cup side up. Spoon the marinade into the caps and let marinate 30 minutes. Pour a thin layer of oil in large skillet and heat over medium high heat. Cook the mushrooms, cap side up, for 4 to 5 minutes, until the outside of the cap is lightly browned. Baste the inside of the mushrooms with the remaining marinade as they cook. Turn over to cook the second side, about 4 minutes, continuing to baste. The centers of the mushrooms should be tender, when pressed. Yield: 6 burgers July 2013
The Author Tamasin Noyes is the author of American Vegan Kitchen, Grills Gone Vegan, and co‐ author (with Celine Steen) of Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day! and Whole Grain Vegan Baking. A committed vegetarian since 1980 and vegan for the past 10 years, Tami loves to cook with big, bold flavors while exploring food from different cultures, as well as redefining American comfort food. Tami lives and blogs in Ohio, with her best friend/husband, Jim, and three love kitties. Follow Tami’s blog, www.veganappetite.com, and find her on facebook.
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Angela’s Famous Celestial Sandwich By Angela Elliott This is the most amazing sandwich on the planet! First we start with our delicious olive focaccia bread, then we add our Ninja Sauce, Presto Pesto, Marinated Onions, "Sautéed Mushrooms", Avocado, Tomatoes, Marinated Sun‐ dried Tomatoes, BBQ "Meatballs" and Bio‐ dynamic Greens. At a time when the only raw bread out there consisted of cracker type, practically break your teeth on it, I was determined to create something wonderful you could truly sink your teeth into that resembled bread. After lots of experimenting, I successfully created the first raw bread. That alone would have been a great discovery considering what raw foodists had been eating for some time, but to create what came next was even better than anything I could have ever imagined. The end result was this Dagwood style sandwich that not only let your teeth sink into it, but also held together. I knew right then that I had a goldmine on my hands and mentioned it to my best friend, Caneman and we decided to market it and sell it at every raw event. Oh, did I mention it is ALSO NUT FREE? That was the huge seller right there, because raw foodists were tired of the usual nut fare and this tasty sandwich was free of the heaviness of nuts and tasted so much like a regular sandwich, everyone had to have one. No other sandwich has been written up more times than this one. I created this fabulous sandwich back in the late 90's and it has been selling out ever since. Here's your chance to not only taste it, but also make it at home. This is the first time this TOP SECRET RECIPE has ever been shared. This sandwich sold for $22 and sold out at July 2013
every raw event we've been at since 2000 in under two hours. Fans of this sandwich include, David Wolfe, Stephen Arlin (Thor), Chef Ito of Au Lac, Rawsheed, Pear Magazine, Owner and creator of Ocean Grown, Lou Corona, and many more.
focaccia bread 4 cups golden flax, ground 2 cups almonds, soaked 2 cups apples, grated 2 tomatoes, chopped 4 tablespoons olive oil 4 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped 1 tablespoon Himalayan salt Sliced olives of choice Place the four cups of ground golden flax flour in a bowl and set aside. Place the almonds, grated apples, chopped tomatoes, olive oil, fresh basil, and salt in a food processor and process until you achieve a light fluffy texture. Scrape out the contents of the processor into the bowl with the flax flour and stir until well incorporated. Divide the mixture in two and place on Teflex lined dehydrator trays. Use an offset spatula to spread the mixture evenly to all 4 corners of the Teflex sheet. Score each tray into 9 squares and place 4 olive halves into each square. Dehydrate for 4 hours, remove the Teflex sheets by placing another dehydrator tray (mesh on top) and invert so that your original sheet of bread is upside down. Peel the Teflex sheet off and dehydrate for another 7 hours. Your bread should be soft and pliable.
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ninja sauce 2 ½ teaspoons mellow red or white miso 2 teaspoons tahini Squeeze of fresh lemon 1 clove of fresh garlic Himalayan salt and black pepper to taste Place all the above ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
angelina's sassy bbq sauce 6 sun‐dried tomatoes, (presoaked or the ones packed in olive oil) 3 tablespoons miso 1 tablespoon molasses 2 tablespoons agave ½ teaspoon maple syrup 2 red chiles (like jalapeno or fresno) Place all the above ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
presto pesto 1 large bunch of fresh basil 2 cups sunflower seeds 4 cloves of fresh garlic 1 teaspoon black pepper Juice of half of one lemon 1 teaspoon Himalayan salt ¼ cup olive oil Pinch of cayenne Place all the above ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
marinated sun‐dried tomatoes 8 oz bag of sun‐dried tomatoes ½ cup olive oil Fresh Thai basil ¼ teaspoon each of dried oregano, basil, and thyme 1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary Himalayan salt and black pepper to taste Let marinate overnight.
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marinated onions 1 onion sliced into rings Juice of one lime Cayenne, black pepper, and Himalayan salt to taste 1/4 cup olive oil Drizzle a small amount of agave Let marinate overnight.
"sautéed" mushrooms 2 packages sliced cremini mushrooms ¼ cup olive oil Juice of one lemon 4 cloves garlic Himalayan salt and pepper to taste ¼ teaspoon tarragon Let marinate overnight.
burger paradise! 1 cup ground sunflower seeds 3 tablespoons tamari 1 cup sun‐dried tomatoes (packed in oil) 1 cup chopped kale ¼ cup ground flax 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, basil, and thyme 1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary 1 ½ tablespoons mustard Place sunflower seeds in a food processor and process until ground. Add remaining ingredients except for ground flax (you can buy flax meal or grind your flax seeds into a meal with a coffee grinder ahead of time). Transfer to a bowl, add flax meal and mix by hand. Shape into individual burger patties and place them on a teflex sheet. Dehydrate at 105 degrees F for 6 hours, flip and dehydrate for another 6.
gettin’ it ready Now that you have everything ready, you can assemble the CelestialWich. First place two slices of Focaccia bread on a plate, on one side of the bread spread on the ninja sauce, on the other slice, spread on presto pesto. Add marinated onions and mushrooms. Next, place the
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burgers in a bowl and pour BBQ sauce over them, add the BBQ burgers to one slice of the focaccia bread. Add sliced tomatoes, marinated sun‐dried tomatoes, slices of avocado, and lettuce. Now, place the other slice on top and VOILA! You have the greatest raw sandwich of all time. The Author Angela Elliott ‐ Angela Elliott is the author of Alive in Five, Holiday Fare with Angela, The Simple Gourmet, and more books on the way! Angela is the inventor of Five Minute Gourmet Meals™, Raw Nut‐Free Cuisine™, Raw Vegan Dog Cuisine™, and The Celestialwich™, and the owner and operator of Celestial Raw Goddess Tonics and Teas. www.celestialrawgoddesstonicsandteas.com. Angela has contributed to various publications, including Vegnews Magazine, Vegetarian Baby and Child Magazine, and has taught gourmet classes, holistic classes, lectured, and on occasion toured with Lou Corona, a nationally recognized proponent of living food.
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A Heart Healthy “Greens of Spring” Sandwich by Mark Sutton One of the earliest signs of Spring in our communal garden is the visual "jolt of green" that arrives every year from the perennial Sorrel and Mint plants. This wonderful reminder that the Plant Kingdom is re‐awakening and anxious to re‐assert itself, helps to shake out Winter lethargies and provide new inspiration and initiative to get things ready for the plantings to come. Common Sorrel, being the rare green leafy vegetable to be a hardy perennial, is not well known in the United States, but quite popular in Europe. Native to both Europe and Asia, it has been cultivated for centuries, most commonly pureed in soups, added to salads, or mixed with vinegar and sugar to become the infamous English "green sauce" most often served over decidedly non‐vegan food. "Sorrel sharpens the appetite, assuages heat, cools the liver and strengthens the heart..." ‐ 1720, John Evelyn (English writer and gardener)
Mint, like sorrel, is very easy to grow, but unlike sorrel, it is incredibly aggressive in the ability to spread throughout a garden. As a testimony to its invasiveness, mint pretty much grows everywhere in the world where the ground doesn't freeze 365 days a year! Originating in Asia and the Mediterranean region, mint is so old historically, that it's mentioned in early mythology and even the Bible:
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"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. ‐ Matthew xxiii, 23 (King James Version)
To take full advantage of this gracious bounty from the garden, we'll use the natural lemony tang of sorrel leaves and combine them with the bouquet of fresh mint, blending the results with early garlic, roasted sesame seeds, and chickpeas ‐‐‐ creating a flavorful "Sorrel & Mint Chickpea Hummus." This bright green hummus is the foundation for a heart healthy plant‐based sandwich, and since it is reminiscent of Middle Eastern fare, cinnamon and cumin will "scent" a whole wheat and millet seed bread for sandwich slices, with various vegetables and sprouts layered in between to complete the tasteful edifice. Packed with fiber and serious nutritional qualities, this unique
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sandwich provides a myriad of colors, fragrances, and textures that will intrigue and delight your eyes, nose, and palette, while pairing marvelously with a cool glass of your favorite white wine or light beer, as you propose toasts of "good riddance" to Winter and "how nice to see you again" to Spring... ...with hearty thanks to Mother Earth for a Vegan Culinary Experience worth celebrating!
THE 'GREENS OF SPRING' SPECIAL SANDWICH Cinnamon/Cumin Scented Wheat & Millet Grain Bread (recipe follows) Sorrel & Mint Chickpea Hummus (recipe follows) Balsamic vinegar‐broiled eggplant slices (see Method below) Tomatoes (sliced) Cucumbers (sliced) Alfalfa sprouts (or sprouts of choice) Plain mustard Method Lightly brush balsamic vinegar on top of ¼" slices of eggplant, broil until starting to darken, turn over, brush again with balsamic vinegar, broil until slightly
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brown on top. Spread desired amount of hummus on 1st slice of non‐toasted bread. Place eggplant slices on hummus. Add tomato slices. Add sliced cucumbers. Add sprouts. Spread second slice of bread with mustard. Place on top of sprouts Notes ¼" sliced eggplant works best, as thinner pieces won't broil as well for a good "mouth" texture. Lightly broiled (& similarly basted) sliced potatoes and/or summer squash could be used in place of eggplant. Cucumbers don't need to be peeled. Lettuce could be used instead of sprouts. Plain mustard is preferable over flavored, as there's so much taste complexity happening with the intense sorrel, the garlic, balsamic vinegar, etc.
SORREL & MINT CHICKPEA HUMMUS A "greens and beans" powerhouse of nutrition, this spread's sorrel is an excellent source of Vitamin C (1/2
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cup provides over 50% of your daily requirements). Both the sorrel and mint are good sources of Vitamin A, iron (1 cup of mint provides just about all the daily need!), and magnesium. The strong lemony flavor of sorrel comes from oxalic acid, a potential problem for those people with kidney stone issues. The added chickpeas are a superb source of dietary fiber (helping to lower blood cholesterol), protein, copper, zinc, and especially iron. They contain 10 different vitamins, including folate (essential to red blood cell development) and provide more dietary phosphorous than an equivalent amount of whole milk.
2 cups cooked chickpeas 3‐4 cloves "chunked" garlic (to taste) 1 ½ to 2 T. roasted sesame seeds 1 t. salt (optional) 2 cups chopped fresh sorrel leaves ¼ cup chopped fresh mint leaves ¾ cup water 1 T. lemon juice Method Put drained chickpeas into a blender or food processor. Add garlic pieces, salt, sorrel, and mint leaves. Add lemon juice. Add water in small increments, blend, stopping to push or scrape mixture down the sides of your blender or food processor with a non‐metal spoon or rubber spatula. Continue blending until desired texture is obtained, adding additional water if necessary, and stopping to taste a few times for adjusting as desired. Notes A 15 oz. can of chickpeas is slightly less than 2 cups. If used, drain, rinse, and use a little less water when blending hummus to compensate. Sesame seeds can be roasted under a broiler on a non‐stick baking sheet (shaking the
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sheet occasionally), but it's easier to purchase them at an Asian Grocery store. Fresh spinach should work as a substitute for sorrel, and if using, add another tablespoon (to taste) of lemon juice and decrease water slightly to compensate for the very lemony sorrel taste.
The hummus also goes well with raw vegetables as a dip, using such as: carrots, celery, peppers, cherry tomatoes, summer squash, and jicama. This recipe makes just over 3 cups, and will keep 5 days or more in the refrigerator in a sealed container.
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CINNAMON & CUMIN‐SCENTED WHEAT & MILLET SEED BREAD
Notes
Has not been tested with other non‐dairy milks, results will vary. For extra flavor, roast cumin seeds, then powderize in a spice grinder. Use non‐rapid acting yeast. If not using a bread machine, proof yeast in
The addition of whole seed millet to this bread gives a nice crunch to its overall texture. Cultivated for over 10,000 years, aside from many vitamins (especially niacin, B6 and folic acid), millet provides a significant amount of phyotochemicals, including phytic acid, which is believed to help lower cholesterol.
¼ cup warm water until it bubbles, then add.
Molasses should work as a brown sugar substitute.
¾ cup soy milk 1/3 cup warm water 2 T. oil (optional) ½ t. salt 2 T. brown sugar 1 ½ cups bread flour 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour 1/3 cup raw millet seeds 1 t. onion powder ½ t. cinnamon powder ½ t. ground cumin 2 t. yeast
Makes one 2 lb. loaf of bread.
Method Add ingredients into a bread machine in the order indicated. Use "whole wheat bread" setting.
Monitor the initial dough mixing and add additional water in 1 T. increments, if need be, to get right consistency of dough.
The "dough/pasta" setting on a bread machine could also be used, and as with mixing dough by hand, after 1st rise (near double in size), put dough into a non‐stick bread loaf pan, cover, let rise again 30 minutes to an hour, then bake in a pre‐heated 350 degree F. oven for around 30 minutes. Let cool before removing.
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The Author Mark Sutton has been the Visualizations Coordinator for two NASA Earth Satellite Missions, an interactive multimedia consultant, organic farmer, and head conference photographer. He’s developed media published in several major magazines and shown or broadcast internationally, produced DVDs and websites, edited/managed a vegan cookbook (No More Bull!
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by Howard Lyman), worked with/for two Nobel Prize winners (on Global Climate Change), and helped create UN Peace Medal Award‐winning pre‐ college curriculum. A vegetarian for 20 years, then vegan the past 10, Mark’s the editor of the Mad Cowboy e‐newsletter, an avid nature photographer, gardener, and environmentalist. Oil‐free for over 5 years and author of the 1st vegan pizza cookbook, he can be reached at: msutton@hearthealthypizza.com and http://www.hearthealthypizza.com
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Religion, Politics, & the Third Rail: Sandwiches! By LaDiva Dietitian!, MS, RD, LDN
What is a sandwich? Wait before you answer that. If you are going to start with a PBJ, you may be surprised to find yourself quickly embroiled into a discussion about Greek philosophers and Debbie Does Dallas. Here’s how that happens. When writing about a subject a good place to start is the dictionary. Previous online searches about “sandwich” returned a history including the 4th Earl of Sandwich and his famous gambling obsession. He asked for a food which would be easily eaten with one hand to allow playing cards with the other. Although, he is claimed to be the inventor of the sandwich, he probably got the idea from his travels to Greece and Turkey where gyros or strips of spiced lamb are enclosed, partially, in bread. Of course, there is NO reference to the chef who put the Earl’s edible package together. Here are some of the definitions from an online search of the word, sandwich: The Free Dictionary: 1. Two or more slices of bread with a filling such as meat or cheese placed between them. 2. A partly split long or round roll containing a filling. 3. One slice of bread covered with a filling. Merriam‐Webster: 1. Two or more slices of bread or a split roll having a filling in between 2. One slice of bread covered with food 3. Something resembling a sandwich; especially: composite structural material consisting of layers often of high‐strength facings bonded to a low strength central core July 2013
th john montagu, 4 earl of sandwich The Oxford Dictionary: 1. An item of food consisting of two pieces of bread with meat, cheese, or other filling between them, eaten as a light meal: a ham sandwich 2. Something that is constructed like or has the form of a sandwich. What is interesting about this one is that history shows that the English had beef mostly between the bread and Americans had ham. Since the idea of the sandwich hit the American shore shortly before the American
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Revolution it is thought that having ham instead of beef was another defining themselves as not English. Someone should inform Oxford. But does that really define a sandwich? What about those Greek street vendor things? Should a Croissan’wich really be called a Cross’yro? And what about Panera Bread? Panera Bread sued Qdoba in 2006 for opening a store on the same block. Supposedly, Panera had a wrap [all puns intended] on the zoning of sandwich shops in this area. However, Qdoba sells burritos. So when is a burrito a sandwich? According to the judge it’s not. The judge agreed with Merriam‐ Webster, that a sandwich needs two pieces of bread and not one tortilla.
vs But what about the other sandwich criteria? One main component of a sandwich is its ability to be eaten with the hands. In fact, the Earl himself required that it be able to be eaten with one hand, which would have not only changed the judge’s ruling, but made H.D. Renner have a more favorable review when he gave his treatise on the sandwich in 1944. Mr. Renner stated that a sandwich had positive traits due to its ability to be “put in a man’s pocket” when going to work. A sandwich of two pieces of bread keeps the “fingers from being smeared” and “avoid the necessity of carrying cooking utensils about.” One the other hand, H.D. thinks that the science of nutrition is ill served by denying the “psychological” pleasure of seeing food by hiding what is inside with the second bread slice. He calls it, “the coffin‐lid which spells death to the flavour." How do you explain the “Open‐Faced Sandwich”? This is where the true intelligentsia enter the foray. In 2011, Adrienne Crezo asked, ‘What Exactly is a Sandwich’ on the website, Neatorama.com. Below is a summation of this intricate and deep thinking for this new question of the ages. Adrienne gives us the basics on the conservative and liberal camps. On the conservative side is the “It must be between bread” group which adhere to not only to the Earl’s July 2013
description, but intent of usage. These people accept burgers as a sandwich even though they use a bun, because it is bread. These purists always use two pieces of bread and are so stringent in their sandwich philosophies, they may feel they are straying from the truth by using rye for a PB&J. Definitely, a PB&J is never toasted and not referred to as PBJ. Quesadillas cross the red line. They are between two tortillas, but cannot be eaten with one hand. Also, they need a plate. The liberal camp starts with those who accept hot dogs due to the bun, but also accepts wraps and burritos because they adhere to the intent in that they can be eaten by one hand. Ice cream sandwiches were mentioned and created no negative response. Apparently, dessert is something everyone agreed on. They accept quesadillas because they are between two pieces of bread. Well, some do. Then there are the more heavy weight items. If a sandwich is a filling between two pieces of bread where does that leave pop tarts and other toaster pastries? The response to this was mixed, but had one good answer: They are an “encasement” of the filling. Hiding it, enclosing it. So the ball is back in the burrito corner. Aren’t burritos an encasement? And what about tacos? You can still see the filling, but they are not bread. And even if you accept that a tortilla is bread, hard shelled tacos are an entirely different mouth feel. If you allow hard shell tacos don’t you open up the slippery slope of egg rolls and samosas. It appeared that the definition of a sandwich, whether made of bread or tortilla, whether it encased or allowed for peeks of the filling must lie in a missionary position. Additionally, the top and bottom “bread” aspects were rendered gender neutral. Of the many discussions researched for this article one phrase was repeated: Just like porn, I can’t define it, but I know it when I see it. The Author Marty Davey, RD, MS is not only LaDiva, Dietitian!, but a Registered Dietitian with a Masters degree in Food and Nutrition. She became a vegetarian in 1980 when she
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discovered that there were more chemicals in cattle then attendants at a Grateful Dead concert. Her family is all vegan, except the dog who drew the line at vegetarian. She conducts factual and hilarious presentations and food demos. While her private practice includes those transitioning to a plant‐based life, LaDiva's most popular private consulting topic is "I'm too busy and I don't cook." Her website is www.ladivadietitian.com.
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Sandwich Construction Building the Perfect Sandwich By Chef Jason Wyrick
There is more to a sandwich than just taste and texture. Sandwiches are designed to be picked up, have big bites taken out of them, carried around, packaged up for hours, and not fall apart. It’s one of the few foods we talk about where we use the term construction and building. It’s a monument to taste destined to be lovingly demolished in our mouths and not before, or at least it’s supposed to be if it is built well. Before I go any farther, I have to say that I don’t want you to make your food fussy. Fussy food drives me crazy and sucks the joy out of eating. If it comes down to either having a messy sandwich, or having a well‐built sandwich that takes you thirty minutes to construct and a whole lot of stress, get a napkin. With a few tips, though, you should be well on your way to putting together the perfect sandwich. When I think about building a sandwich, I primarily consider five aspects of the sandwich. Bread integrity, keeping the sandwich together, when the flavors hit the tongue, mouth feel, and evenness. Most importantly is how long the sandwich needs to keep before I get around to eating it. If I am preparing it and eating it right afterwards, I have a little more leeway with the ingredients and I don’t need to protect the bread from getting soggy. If I am making it, but not eating it for a couple hours (or sometimes even half a day if I am traveling), then I need to do something to protect the bread from getting too wet. That usually means putting the driest ingredients against the bread and putting the wettest ingredients in the middle. Lightly toasting the bread also helps here since it gives the bread a little more structure to handle excess
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moisture. Think about little touches like patting lettuce dry before adding it to the sandwich. Dry lettuce makes a barrier between the bread and the wet ingredients. Vegan deli slices do the same as does some melted vegan cheese. Wet roasted red peppers or a slab of roasted eggplant, maybe not so much. Building your sandwich this way will keep the integrity of your bread intact. I like to cut the bottom of the bread a little thicker than the top since the bottom is really the support mechanism for the sandwich. Next, I consider how to keep all the ingredients within the sandwich. Some ingredients are just slippery against each other and they want to explode out the side of the sandwich. Think about placing ingredients that have some traction against the more slippery ingredients and don’t stuff your sandwich so much that everything wants to jump out the side. A neat trick you can do is to scoop out just a little from the bottom of the bread and some from the top, creating a shallow boat in which your ingredients can rest. This is perfect for ingredients like sautéed mushrooms, seitan strips, and other small cut items. You need to make sure your bread is not too tough either, because a tough bread puts pressure on the ingredients when you bite into it and that forces them out the side. I don’t mind a chewy bread when I make a sandwich, but I don’t want to have to struggle to chomp down on it! After that, I think about how the flavors of the sandwich are going to be experienced. For example, the same amount of vinegar on the bottom slice of bread of a sandwich will be more
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intense than if it was on the top of the sandwich, simply because there is more going on in the bite once your tongue gets all the way to the top ingredients. If you have an intense ingredient that you want to mingle with the other flavors more, then put it towards the top. If you want a shot of saltiness as one of the first tastes of the sandwich, put olives or other salty ingredients towards the bottom. If you want a jolt of hot sauce to happen a moment after you bite into the sandwich, put it towards the top. Mouth feel is also important. I love bread, but when I eat a sandwich, I don’t want to scratch the top of my mouth up with rough, super‐crusty bread and I don’t want to have to struggle with a tough, chewy bread. That’s why I underbake my ciabatta bread when I make a sandwich. Some people like to cut the crust off their bread to achieve a gentle mouth feel, but I don’t go that far and I think you lose some interesting flavors and textures when you do that. Just make sure to get a bread that you can bite down on without having to wrestle with it and one that won’t tear your mouth up! That means don’t overtoast it. Speaking of toasting, I learned a neat tip from Tom Colicchio. He toasts the interior cut of the bread, but not the exterior. It means when you bite down into a sandwich, your palate gets the soft exterior part of the bread before getting the nice toasty part on the inside. Finally, an ideal sandwich has an even spread of ingredients. All that means is that you don’t want one bite to be heavily of one flavor and the next to be completely different. Take some care to spread your ingredients out across the whole sandwich as best you can. All those ingredients in the sandwich are meant to go together in one bite and not be jumbled across the entire sandwich in a haphazard manner.
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The Author Jason Wyrick is the executive chef and publisher of The Vegan Culinary Experience, an educational vegan culinary magazine with a readership of about 30,000. In 2001, Chef Jason reversed his diabetes by switching to a low‐fat, vegan diet and subsequently left his position as the Director of Marketing for an IT company to become a chef and instructor to help others. Since then, he has been featured by the NY Times, has been a NY Times contributor, and has been featured in Edible Phoenix, and the Arizona Republic, and has had numerous local television appearances. He has catered for companies such as Google, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, and Farm Sanctuary, has been featured in the Scottsdale Culinary Festival’s premier catering event, and has been a guest instructor and the first vegan instructor in the Le Cordon Bleu program at Scottsdale Culinary Institute. Recently, Chef Jason wrote a national best‐selling book with Dr. Neal Barnard entitled 21‐Day Weight Loss Kickstart. You can find out more about Chef Jason Wyrick at www.veganculinaryexperience.com.
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Vegan Cuisine and the Law:
What You Shold Know about How the Pharmaceutical Industry is Poisoning Pigs, Poultry, and People By Mindy Kursban, Esq. & Andy Breslin Jumping on what is misperceived as a fast‐food health trend, Burger King is offering its customers a turkey burger, following in the footsteps of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. Burger King now presents itself as a retailer of life‐supporting fast food‐health food, guaranteeing a secure position in the word “oxymoron” for “moron.” The proud purveyors of the Triple Whopper with Cheese are now serving up 530 calories, 1,210 mg of sodium and 26 fat grams worth of hot, steaming irony. It doesn’t come with a special sauce. But every one of those hundreds of calories might be laced with a secret ingredient: Ractopamine. Russian Roulette? Earlier this year, Russia banned all U.S. beef, pork, and turkey imports because of concerns that the meat contains residues of Ractopamine, a drug added to animal feed as a “productivity enhancer.” Russia has the fourth‐highest per capita consumption of both alcohol and tobacco, and a life expectancy nearly 10 years shorter than the average throughout the European Union. One Russian was brave enough to be shot into space on the tip of a rocket built by 1950s Soviet bureaucracy and held together with little more than duct‐tape and ideology. And these people are afraid to eat American meat because they think it’s too dangerous. In December 2012, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, along with the Center for Food Safety, petitioned the FDA to stop the use in food production of this controversial substance, shining “a light into the shadowy overlap between human health and animal welfare threats in food production.”
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Why should you care, not only for the millions of cows, pigs, and turkeys killed as food in this country, but for your own health? If you’re going to be playing Russian roulette, it pays to have an idea how many bullets are in the gun. What is Ractopamine? Part of a class of drugs called beta‐adrenergic agonists, racotopamine is the active ingredient in the turkey‐feed additive Topmax. It’s administered during the final two weeks of their lives, in a last‐ditch effort to fatten them up, and never withdrawn before slaughter. Ractopamine is also similarly used as a feed additive for cows (Optaflexx) and pigs (Paylean), increasing the rate at which animals convert feed to muscle, growing faster and leaner without any additional food or time. Pigs fed ractopamine produce an average of 10 percent more meat than ractopamine‐free animals given the same amount of food. That raises profits by $2 per animal, according to Elanco Animal Health, the division of Eli Lilly that manufactures all three products.
a ractopamine molecule
Mystery Meat An estimated 60 to 80 percent of pigs and 30 percent of cows in the United States are pumped full of this drug in the days leading up to their slaughter. Numbers for Sandwiches |41
turkeys have proven far more elusive. We decided to go straight to the horse’s mouth and called Elanco to ask them directly. It turns out the horse’s mouth was surprisingly tight‐lipped on the subject of horses or any other animal. They wouldn’t confirm the widely reported statistics on cows and pigs, and they absolutely would not talk turkey. We also asked Burger King and Hardees/Carl’s, Jr. whether the turkeys in their burgers are getting high (or at least wide) on this drug. None responded. The Food and Drug Administration approved ractopamine use for pigs in 1999, for cattle in 2003, and for turkeys in 2008. They’re in a rather small club that believes that it’s safe. In addition to the U.S., only 25 other nations allow the use of ractopamine. In addition to Russia, the 27 European Union countries, China, Taiwan and 130 other countries have banned its use. In the U.S., Chipotle restaurants and Whole Foods Markets avoid ractopamine‐laced meat. The U.S. even has a certified‐ractopamine‐free program in place specifically for marketing pork to the EU. The guiding principle seems to be that they’ll forego using this drug if that’s the only way to sell meat to foreigners who appear to be more opposed to suffering a heart attack, but they are perfectly willing to let Americans play Russian roulette. Human Side Effects Ractopamine’s label says: “Individuals with cardiovascular disease should exercise special caution to avoid exposure. Not for use in humans. When mixing and handling [Ractopamine], use protective clothing, impervious gloves, protective eye wear, and a NIOSH‐ approved dust mask.” Only one human study has attempted to investigate the human health effects of ractopamine exposure. This study, conducted by Elanco, involved six healthy male volunteers. One of them was removed because his heart began racing and pounding abnormally, according to a detailed evaluation of the study by European food safety officials. What do you call a drug that almost causes a heart attack in 17% of the otherwise healthy men who take it? Perfectly safe, apparently. Animal Side Effects Ractopamine has triggered more reports of adverse effects in pigs than any other animal drug on the US market. It’s been linked to cardiovascular stress, tremors, increased aggression, broken limbs, lameness,
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hyperactivity, trembling, collapse, depression, diarrhea, spasms, vomiting, and death in pigs. NBC News reported that USDA meat inspectors found that ractopamine has increased the number of downer pigs, pigs who are too lame to stand or walk on their own to their death onto the slaughterhouse kill floor. So they are dragged, beaten, pushed with forklifts, or shocked with electric prods to get them to move, or they die where they are after hours or days without food, water or veterinary care.
As a result, the FDA required Elanco to put a warning label on Paylean to warn of increased risk of downer pig syndrome. It reads: “Pigs fed Paylean® 20 may be at an increased risk for exhibiting the fatigued/downer pig syndrome particularly when marketed at high body weights. Pig handling methods to reduce the incidence of fatigued/downer pigs should be thoroughly evaluated prior to initiating the use of Paylean® 20.” Pig farmers across the nation immediately stopped using it of course, now that they had read about how much agony it would cause their precious, precious pigs, whom they then clutched lovingly while flushing their remaining stocks of now‐reviled Paylean down the toilet. This did not, it should be pointed out, actually happen, but it’s difficult not to take some solace in therapeutic sarcasm. The FDA took no action to regulate the use of ractopamine. All it did was require that pig farmers be aware of how much suffering it might cause pigs. As far as demographics who have voiced serious ethical objections to modern pig production, pig farmers rank close to the bottom. Rac‐ket‐opamine An article unashamedly titled Lilly hopes Elanco unit becomes a cash cow, reports that “[Eli] Lilly is counting on rapid growth from its hitherto sleepy Elanco unit to help offset some of the $10 billion in current revenue it Sandwiches |42
stands to lose over the next five years as patents on its best‐selling drugs expire.” So while Elanco calls itself “A World Leader in Animal Health Products and Services,” animal health is not one of its goals. In fact it’s largely the opposite. Ractopamine has no therapeutic applications at all. Its sole intended purpose is to make animals bigger. Its unintended effect is to make them sicker. Our government regulatory agencies are supposed to protect our health, not the health of Eli Lilly and Burger King stock portfolios. Yet they routinely approve rampant and reckless use of drugs in animal agriculture, even as the rest of the world turns away in amazement and disgust. It’s just so upside‐down that we’re tempted to implement a Russian solution, and by that we mean, “where’s the vodka?”
The Authors Mindy Kursban is a practicing attorney who is passionate about animals, food, and health. She gained her experience and knowledge about vegan cuisine and the law while working for ten years as general counsel and then executive director of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Since leaving PCRM in 2007, Mindy has been writing and speaking to help others make the switch to a plant‐based diet. Mindy welcomes feedback, comments, and questions at mkursban@gmail.com. Andrew Breslin is the author of Mother's Milk, the definitive account of the vast global conspiracy orchestrated by the dairy industry, which secretly controls humanity through mind‐controlling substances contained in cow milk. In all likelihood this is a hilarious work of satyric fiction, but then again, you never know. He also authors the blog Andy Rants, almost certainly the best blog that you have never read. He is an avid book reviewer at Goodreads. He worked at Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine with Mindy Kursban, with whom he occasionally collaborates on projects concerning legal issues associated with health and food. Andrew's fiction and nonfiction have appeared in a wide variety of print and online venues, covering an even wider variety of topics. He lives in Philadelphia with his girlfriend and cat, who are not the same person.
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Tasty Homemade Vegan Breads! by Liz Lonnetti Can vegan bread be quick and simple, support local economies and be a truly transformative moment in your relationship to your food? And can it all be fun? You bet! Until I came across the 5 Minute a Day technique from Jeff Hertzberg, M.D., and Zoë François, I hadn’t really tried to make my own bread. I knew how to make bread, but never really had the time. Despite being skeptical about this “5 minute” claim, requiring no kneading or complicated proofing, I tried it and found it really was as easy and fast as they make it look. The ingredients are very simple: flour, water, yeast and salt. If you want to use whole wheat flour for a healthier loaf, plan on sourcing another ingredient called vital wheat gluten. It provides the bread with a lighter texture if you plan on storing your dough for up to two weeks in the fridge. You can find vital wheat gluten at many healthy grocery stores. Click here for a video of their Original recipe and here for their whole wheat version. If you have never made your own bread before, then this is the time and the recipe to start. It is fast, easy and affordable by any measure, plus if you don’t use all the dough you can freeze it for later. The only downside to the “5 Minute” bread, in my opinion, is the space used in your fridge. Whole wheat flour is best kept in the freezer and, coupled with a 6 quart container in the fridge, that is a lot of space dedicated to bread. Many people purchase wheat berries for significant savings and longer storage life than whole wheat flour, but then what? How are those whole grains ground into flour? If you are lucky enough to own a Vitamix blender, you also have a flour mill that can easily and quickly turn hard grain seed into fresh healthy flour. Vitamix manufactures a special dry ingredient blade just for grinding grains, but you can also use your wet blade with good enough results.
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The easiest recipe to begin your own flour grinding journey is to make pita bread. Jane at Blend It and Mend It has a wonderful video sure to inspire you to try it at home (and probably start saving up to buy a Vitamix if you don’t already have one)! Keeping your wheat berries in the freezer certainly extends their freshness, but it also helps keep the temperature lower as they are ground to flour. It’s as easy as taking 1 ¾ cups wheat berries, grind for 1 ½ minutes. Add 1 cup water and optional 1 tsp salt. Alternatively pulse on High for a second or two and scrape sides until the dough forms into a rough ball on top of the blades. Dump it all out, knead and shape the dough into a ball form and pinch off small handfuls about the size of a golf ball. Flatten them out with your hands and a rolling pin and bake on a bare oven rack at 475 degrees F for 3 minutes. That’s it, and from personal experience these are tasty! Oh, and you don’t need a pizza type stone for these, I’ve found they puff up even better just on the bare oven rack as long as you try to get the ends as close as possible to a wire support without big overhangs. What happens when you take your bread making to the next level? These quick and easy breads using wheat purchased at your grocery store are a fantastic starting point, but what about learning more about where your flour was grown? I was lucky enough to hear Jeff Zimmerman, of Hayden Flour Mills, speak at an Arizona Herb Association meeting. He spoke about the history of producing wheat here in the desert, the recent
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The Author
efforts to revive heritage grains, and bringing back to market Arizona Rose and Hayden Mills flour. The efforts of the Zimmerman family, local farmers such as Steve Sossaman of Queen Creek and local business like Pizzeria Bianco, have recreated a local food economy and revived old wheat strains like White Sonoran and Red Fife. Chef Chris Bianco uses this wheat in his nationally known pizzas and breads. As if superior taste, texture and support of local economies were not enough, these grains are better for the environment. The heritage wheat varieties being grown are so well adapted to our desert that they requires about half as much water compared to conventional wheat, no fertilizer and no chemicals to grow! Hopefully you are inspired to take the plunge into bread making, please do watch the video links, they are what inspired me and I’m happy to share them with you. Happy baking!
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As a professional urban designer, Liz Lonetti is passionate about building community, both physically and socially. She graduated from the U of MN with a BA in Architecture in 1998. She also serves as the Executive Director for the Phoenix Permaculture Guild, a non‐profit organization whose mission is to inspire sustainable living through education, community building and creative cooperation (www.phoenixpermaculture.org). A long time advocate for building greener and more inter‐connected communities, Liz volunteers her time and talent for other local green causes. In her spare time, Liz enjoys cooking with the veggies from her gardens, sharing great food with friends and neighbors, learning from and teaching others. To contact Liz, please visit her blog site www.phoenixpermaculture.org/profile/LizDan.
Resources www.phoenixpermaculture.org
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The Vegan Traveler: Hudson Valley, NY By Chef Jason Wyrick
I love traveling, especially when I get to go to a place I have never been to, Hudson Valley. I frequently travel around the US teaching vegan cooking classes and my latest one brought me to Rhinebeck, NY, a town I had never heard of before. Seeing new places is one of my favorite things about teaching and if you like antique stores and boutique shops, Rhinebeck is a great town to visit. I, however, am not a fan. Put me in a used bookstore or a tabletop game store and I’ll spend hours of my day there looking for cool treasures. Put me in an antique, or worse, something that looks like a country arts and crafts shop, and I will flee for sanity’s sake. Of course, that just means I have more time to drive around and try as many vegan and vegan‐friendly restaurants I could find! Plus, the area was beautiful, so I had little to complain about. I happen to live in a desert, so getting to cruise down winding roads through a lush forest with the windows rolled down in
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summer (not something I usually get to experience) is a real treat. I will start out by saying that the Hudson Valley, at least north of Newburgh, did not feel like a mecca of vegan cuisine. There were no iconic vegan restaurants, or must‐eat‐at dining spots (with one exception,) but it did end up being one of the most vegan‐friendly areas I have been to. In just about every restaurant, there were a number of prominent vegan items. Because I was a bit worried when I didn’t see a lot of vegan options on the typical review sites, I was quite relieved when I actually got to the area and started talking to the locals about what was available. No shopping at some random grocery store and eating even more random food in a hotel room for me!
tito santana
My first stop was at the taqueria Tito Santana. This cool restaurant, located in Beacon, NY, serves tacos (if you couldn’t guess from the fact that it’s a taqueria) and burritos and has vegan desserts.
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While itself not a vegetarian restaurant, their tacos and burritos can be made with tofu or portabellas. The portabella tacos were a little skimpy on the mushrooms and left me feeling hungry, but the tofu ones were quite satisfying. They were also both pretty delicious and they were done in a style that was more reminiscent of real Mexican street tacos than the mundane fare often seen in the states. The tacos were served with pickled red onions, shredded cabbage, and a habanero pineapple salsa. The tacos were small and the portions a bit skimpy, so plan on ordering three tacos when you head into the taqueria. They also had vegan fudge cake! I wanted to get another one after I finished the first, but self‐control won out. Damn you self control! All in all, Tito Santana wasn’t mind‐blowing, but it was a cool, fun place to stop in and get a bite to eat and well‐worth the time.
After Tito, I headed to my hotel room the first night in Poughkeepsie. There were a couple vegetarian and one vegan restaurant there, though they didn’t look too note‐worthy when I drove by (I have eaten at so many Asian mock‐meat restaurants that all seem the same) and I was already full by this time. I did come across a massive beer store, though, claiming that they had the largest selection of beer in the world. Later that night, after I couldn’t sleep, I decided to see if their claim was true. I’m not sure if it was, but it was pretty close! It was all beer and they had hundreds of beers from around the world available. If you are a beer connoisseur, you will July 2013
love this place. It was by no means vegan, but if you bring a smartphone with you, you can hop on Barnivore and check out what’s good. I promise you will find a horde of good‐quality vegan beers there. A horde. Now that was a fun find.
karma road café
The next day I headed farther north. Driving around this part of Hudson Valley was a completely different experience than what I was used to. It was like the area was one big scattered village with pockets of shops and restaurants dotted throughout. These pockets were ostensibly the townships like Rhinebeck and Woodstock, but it often felt like the villages just kind of merged one into the other. My first stop was in New Paltz, where I visited the Karma Road Organic Café. Karma Road is located just past the main thoroughfare of shops and was super busy when I was there. Immediately upon walking in, it felt like a throwback to the vegan restaurants that were around twenty years ago. Lots of wraps, sprouts, and sandwiches on the menu. Typically, those places turn me off, but Karma Road had a vibrancy to it that totally made it work and made me want to stay and eat there rather than get my food to go. I ended up getting a tempeh, lettuce, Sandwiches |47
and tomato sandwich (this is the type of food you can expect to find there) and while it wasn’t anything other than what you would expect, and maybe a bit expensive for what it was, it was still satisfying and a fun place to eat. I also got there blackened tofu, which was really good and definitely worth the price. They used some blackening spices and a touch of tahini on it, which made all the difference. If I was traveling that way again, I would go out of my way to stop in for a bite. After that, I drove over to Woodstock after hearing from a few people that I should walk around the town and check out some of the food places there. The first place I went to was a tea shop called The Tea Shop. I know, not the most creative name, but it did its job and got me to step in. The Tea Shop has a good selection of loose leaf tea and tea brewing accessories, but more importantly, they had some really good quality ice tea on tap and it was getting pretty hot that day. Actually, I wouldn’t say it was super hot, but the humidity kills me (desert, remember) and ice tea was exactly what I needed. They offered soy, vanilla soy, and almond milk with their teas at no extra charge and I usually don’t get those three offered to me, let alone for free. Thanks The Tea Shop! Having secured my tea, I walked over to my real target, the Garden Café on the Green.
garden café on the green
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This small vegan restaurant was well‐reviewed and it seemed like the premiere vegan place in the area. I lucked out and managed to get there right between lunch and dinner service, so I was one of the only few people there. Looking over the menu, it looks like they might live up to the reputation. I saw some creative items on the menu, but it was the daily special that caught my eye. A potpie bowl made with corn bread and tempeh and greens on the side (and I was really craving some greens at this point). Perfect for an early dinner and it sounded satisfying. However, just across the road was a street vendor selling what he called vegeterranean cuisine that caught my eye. Was he vegan? I better save some room, just in case, I thought. Or, I’ll just be a bit of a glutton, order the full bowl at the Garden Café, and walk over to the street vendor afterwards, and that is just what I did.
The bowl arrived, eventually (like I said, I caught them between services), and I dug in. Ok, I have to say that the “bowl” stretched the boundary of what I consider a bowl. It was a very small ramekin with the pot pie in it, with a few slices of spiced tempeh on the side and a heeping pile of sautéed greens…all served in a bowl. I was hoping for more of a pot pie, but since it was the greens I was really craving, I wasn’t too sad. The tempeh had a weightiness to it, like it was dressed with a nut or seed butter and the pot pie needed a bit of salt, but that corn bread was super soft with just a light crust on the outside and the veggie medley inside Sandwiches |48
was delicious. The greens were cooked perfectly, right to the point where they are soft, but not so much that they just collapse down onto the plate, or the bowl as it may be. It was definitely good, soul satisfying food, just maybe not quite what I expected. I will also say that you should seat a patron at the bar when there are plenty of tables available, and then have a dinner service staff meeting at said bar. By this time, I was full, but there was one more place I needed to check out. It’s a trial, yes, but I do have to do a good job of reporting my food journey for you, don’t I?
green palate – sadly, this is the best picture I had
Across the street I went to the pavilion and grill setup that was The Green Palate. The sign said vegan friendly, so I was hoping it was a vegan place, but I wasn’t sure. Usually, vegan friendly means a restaurant that is something other than strictly vegan. Hmm. I wondered if I should just hop in my car and head back to the hotel room, but the grill and the vegeterranean advertisement kept pulling me back. I’m glad I did! This was easily the best food I had on the trip. It turns out the food stand was indeed vegan and they were doing grilled vegan pizzas and panini. Not only that, the ingredients I saw on the pizzas were ingredients and flavor combinations I had seen on pizzas in Southern Italy, like broccoli rabe and grilled onions. Plus, it just smelled right. I had to have some, but I almost missed out. Turns out, The Green Palate July 2013
only takes cash and I had neither cash nor a debit card on me to get some. Sad, I asked if I could at least get a picture of some of their food and that’s when Giovanni, the owner of The Green Palate, stepped out from behind his grill and offered to make me a pizza for free, and what a pizza. It was a personal sized pizza with broccoli rabe, caramelized onions, a light tomato sauce, and a drizzle of olive oil. Sounds simple, but simple foods are the easiest ones to screw up. This pizza had a perfectly crisped crust and the balance of flavors was sublime. I am getting hungry just thinking about that pizza, the combination of lush sweetness from the onions and sauce, the crispy nuttiness from the whole grain crust, the smokiness from the grill, and the mellowed out bitterness from the broccoli rabe. I expected to get it, take a picture, and eat it on the way back to my car, but I just stood there and devoured the whole thing. On top of that, I got to chat with Giovanni while he made the pizza and learned that he used to own a pizza restaurant, but no one knew it was vegan, and that he distributed several of his dishes to the restaurants around the area. His grandfather was a Sicilian restaurateur and I think Giovanni must have gotten the cooking gene from him. An all around nice guy and great food, and I didn’t even get to the espresso or panini! While he only has his pavilion open on the weekends, if I am back in the area, I will go quite a bit out of my way to visit The Green Palate again.
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My one regret during my food journey through the Hudson Valley was that I did not get over to Sweet Maresa’s Upstate Cupcakes or Lagusta’s Luscious, a chocolatier and sometimes restaurant. I have heard both are quite excellent and I am curious to know if I will have to revise my opinion of there being no iconic places in the Hudson Valley. Hopefully I will get to travel back there soon! Contact Info Tito Santana – www.tacosantana.com Karma Road Café – www.karmaroad.net Garden Café – www.gardencafewoodstock.com Green Palate – www.facebook.com/thegreenpalategrill Lagusta’s Luscious – www.lagustasluscious.com Sweet Maresa’s Upstate Cupcake ‐ www.facebook.com/SweetMaresa Hudson Valley – www.hudsonvalley.org
The Author Jason Wyrick is the executive chef and publisher of The Vegan Culinary Experience, an educational vegan culinary magazine with a readership of about 30,000. In 2001, Chef Jason reversed his diabetes by switching to a low‐fat, vegan diet and subsequently left his position as the Director of Marketing for an IT company to become a chef and instructor to help others. Since then, he has been featured by the NY Times, has been a NY Times contributor, and has been featured in Edible Phoenix, and the Arizona Republic, and has had numerous local television appearances. He has catered for companies such as Google, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, and Farm Sanctuary, has been featured in the Scottsdale Culinary Festival’s premier catering event, and has been a guest instructor and the first vegan instructor in the Le Cordon Bleu program at Scottsdale Culinary Institute. Recently, Chef Jason wrote a national best‐selling book with Dr. Neal Barnard entitled 21‐Day Weight Loss Kickstart. You can find out more about Chef Jason Wyrick at www.veganculinaryexperience.com.
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An Interview with Cookbook Author Tamisin Noyes
Please tell us about yourself! My husband, Jim, and I live in Northeast Ohio with our 3 wonder kitties. I grew up in a meat and potatoes family. I hated vegetables as a kid, but I liked to bake. I cooked some, but didn’t really get into it until going vegetarian in the early 80s. If I’m not cooking, I’m quilting! I dream of having a vegan bed and breakfast with a huge garlic garden (we have a small one now) and a cool old barn where my husband can host music events. With lots of quilts around, of course. What led you to become vegan and why did you make the leap to writing vegan cookbooks? While I was in college, I started learning about world hunger and happened upon Diet for a Small Planet. The amount of grain needed to feed a cow to produce a pound of beef compared to how many people that same grain would feed was mind‐melting. I got it on an intellectual level, but not an emotional one yet. Shortly after reading the book, I had a chicken sandwich at a local restaurant. I realized I was eating skin! I determined then and there that I never wanted an animal to suffer to feed me. From there, as a vegetarian, I went through many phases of being an on‐and‐off vegan, but I say I didn’t become a committed vegan until 2004. A light bulb clicked on and I made a more personal connection to the July 2013
dairy link. Eggs were never an issue, as I’m not a fan and never used them. At that time in 2004, I immediately jumped into recipe testing for some of the best vegan cookbook authors and began blogging a little later. It was the earlier days of vegan blogging, and my blog got noticed by Jon Robertson, husband of Robin Robertson. I was testing for Robin and Jon was starting Vegan Heritage Press. He approached me about writing a book, and I was off and running. What did you do before you became a vegan cookbook author? What didn’t I do? I’ve worked in a prison, a hospital, restaurants, bookstores, and libraries. I also started a nonprofit group which sent handmade cards to children with life threatening illnesses. Most recently before writing, I made handmade soap. That business lasted about 10 years before I was ready to move on. What is the biggest challenge you have faced writing your books and how did you overcome it? Good question! I get knocked sometimes for having ingredient lists that people think are too long, especially in my first book. Those long lists are mostly herbs and spices and I’m convinced that they really do add layers of flavor. I love big, bold Sandwiches |51
flavors and I think I’ve become known for that. But I get that they are intimidating to people, so I’m trying to focus more on techniques for flavor, and using fewer ingredients. One of the best things about cooking is that it is a never‐ending learning process, so I view it as more of an opportunity than a real difficulty. Where do you find inspiration for your choice of topics? All over the place! I keep a file of book ideas. Some are keepers that I hope to write one day, while others get on the list as a whim and end up being dropped. Your book, Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day, is one of my favorite vegan cookbooks. What is the most fun sandwich you created for that book and how did you come up with it? Wow, thanks. I’d have to say the Jimwich. Jim and I were riding in the car (no doubt on a trip from grocery shopping) and I asked him what his dream sandwich would be. He threw out the idea of fried pickles and seitan, then I set about creating the sandwich in an even bigger way than he imagined. With all the bold flavors in that sandwich, it’s a good example of how I cook. You’ve also got two more books coming out within just a couple months of each other. Please tell us about them and how did you find time to write so many books so quickly?
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I know it seems like those two were written at the same time, but they really weren’t. Grills Gone Vegan was written a couple of years ago and just didn’t hit the publication schedule until now. That one is with Book Pub Co. The recipes are for every course and they can be made inside on a grill pan or ‘griddler’, or outside on the grill. I love grilling because it’s so casual, and the results are always so flavorful. Grilling is a super fun, social way to cook, and probably my favorite way to spend time with friends. Whole Grain Vegan Baking is co‐written with Celine Steen of Have Cake, Will Travel. Fair Winds Press is the publisher. We’ve focused only on whole grain flours, “healthier” sweeteners, and haven’t used any margarine, but crammed it full of incredible recipes. This one was written in a relatively short time, but both Celine and I tend to be very goal‐ oriented, and we both spurred each other on with recipe ideas. Writing with a partner gives you an instant sounding board, too, which makes the process even more fun.
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If you had one essential piece of advice you could give to home cooks, what would it be? The best piece of advice I ever got was from Mike Crooker from What the Hell Does a Vegan Eat Anyway?. He said to just cook, cook all the time. Living in the middle of nowhere with very few vegan options, if I’m not cooking, we’re usually not eating. Mike’s wisdom worked well for me, so that is what I’d tell others. What is your favorite recipe that you like to cook at home? Tofu scrambles. They can be as gourmet and planned as anything or else, or as random as “clean out the fridge.” With a well‐stocked herb and spice cabinet, you can go in any direction. I always make tofu scrambles on the weekends, and have a couple of my favorite scramble recipes in AVK. Where do you see the vegan food scene headed in the next couple of years? Exploding! The American population is growing more and more interested. It is such an exciting time to be vegan. Just look at the rapid growth in the vegan cheese industry. That’s a big one because so many people say cheese is their hurdle. What advice can you give aspiring vegan cookbook authors? Theme, theme, theme! If you’ve got a terrific concept, be patient and you’ll find the right publisher. What projects do you have coming up? Celine and I are working on a new book. The theme is vegan finger foods. We’ve got mostly appetizers,
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snacks, and small plates, but we also have some desserts. How could we not? Thanks Tami! Contact Info You can see what Tami is up to at www.veganappetite.com. Bio Tamasin Noyes – Tamasin Noyes is the author of American Vegan Kitchen, Grills Gone Vegan, and co‐author (with Celine Steen) of Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day! and Whole Grain Vegan Baking. A committed vegetarian since 1980 and vegan for the past 10 years, Tami loves to cook with big, bold flavors while exploring food from different cultures, as well as redefining American comfort food. Tami lives and blogs in Ohio, with her best friend/husband, Jim, and three love kitties. Follow Tami’s blog, www.veganappetite.com, and find her on facebook.
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What We’re Eating Food Reviews and Recipes house, it lasts a couple of days. Eppa lasted about an hour. If you are looking for an organic, vegan wine perfect for a summer patio party, Eppa makes a great buy, especially at about $12 a bottle. Look for Eppa at Whole Foods and check out www.eppasangria.com for more details about this anti‐oxidant rich, super tasty wine.
Eppa Organic Sangria My experience with sangria has been a bit chaotic, so to speak. I’ve had super sweet sangria, sangria that tasted like it had fruit concentrate added to it, sangria that was too tannic, and some sangrias that were just right. Sweet without being cloying, refreshing, full‐bodied, and easy to drink. Eppa organic sangria is all those things, but with some added bonuses. First, it’s organic and it reflects in the taste. Second, Eppa uses a few extra fruit juices not found in traditional sangria, namely blood orange (often orange can be found, but usually not blood orange), blueberry, and acai, and they don’t skimp on the pomegranate. I loved the fruit and berry mix used for this wine. Not only does it up the antioxidant count for this wine, it ups the taste! Normally when a bottle of wine gets opened in my
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Casa Noble Organic Tequilas First off, these are sipping tequilas. They are way too high quality and have too much complexity and body to be otherwise. Unlike most tequilas, which are distilled twice, Casa Noble goes through one more distilling. They are also pure 100% blue agave and completely organic. Ok, that doesn’t always necessarily mean a tequila is going to be good, but Casa Noble completely exceeded what I was expecting. You see, I am not much of a tequila drinker. Most tequilas are single‐note entities with a harsh burn. All three of the tequilas I tasted, the Crystal, the Reposado, and the Anejo were anything but. The Crystal had the purest, brightest taste out of the three tequilas. The Reposado had a little extra body to it with a flavor profile that reminded me of almonds. The Anejo, the aged tequila, took this a step beyond the Reposado, with hints of oak and vanilla that
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played around the tongue and lasted for several minutes. The Anejo was my favorite, but I still loved the other two. They had a bite to them, but not a harshness, and they all tasted clean. Each of these really captured the essence of the blue agave plant and what a tequila should be. Bottles of Casa Noble are around $40 ‐ $50 and are well worth the expense. This is truly a tequila to drink for taste and it makes a classy after‐ dinner drink, ideal for a relaxed summer evening with friends. For more information about Casa Noble, check out www.casanoble.com, where you can learn more details about the product, about the estate where the tequila is produced, and about the tequila distilling process.
Sangrita Sangrita is a sipping palate cleanser served between tastes of high‐end tequilas blancos, like Casa Noble Crystal. It is basically the collected juices of a traditional northern Mexico fruit salad with some hot sauce added to it. 1 cup of fresh orange juice ¼ cup of fresh pomegranate juice Juice of 1 lime 2 tbsp. of Cholula hot sauce Combine all the ingredients and let them sit for about 5 minutes before serving.
Beyond Meat Beyond Meat is the new star on the vegan block. With a sleek look to the packaging and an exclusive debut at the Whole Foods deli, it made a quick splash, but does it hold up to its reputation? Emphatically, yes! Beyond Meat currently comes in three flavors, Grilled, Southwest, and Lightly Seasoned. The texture of each is the same, fairly dense, but not homogenous, with a meaty chew. It’s close enough to meat that I wouldn’t hesitate to use it as a meat‐substitute for a non‐ vegetarian and they wouldn’t hesitate to eat it. Out of the three, my favorite was the Grilled flavor. It has a nice mesquite taste to it (my favorite type of grilling July 2013
wood) and a mélange of spices to give it an extra flavor boost. It’s a nice way to get a taste of the grill without having to light up the coals. However, keep in mind that you don’t have as much control of the flavor with the Grilled or Southwest versions. If you want total control, go with the Lightly Seasoned, which is what I typically do if I am not going for a superfast meal, or if I want to grill it myself. Also, Beyond Meat is not a product that will cover all your needs. It is not the product of choice I would use if I wanted something that was very tender or one that shreds. The strips also dried out very quickly on the grill, so the second time through, I soaked them in water for about 30 minutes to keep them tender while on a hot grill. That being said, it is the perfect meat substitute for recipes where you want a dense, hearty product, like in a “chicken” salad, with particular types of tacos, satays, or with enchiladas. If you need that texture for your recipe, Beyond Meat is at the top of the pack. For more information about Beyond Meat, head to www.beyondmeat.com. You can find Beyond Meat in the freezer section of Whole Foods and at Tropical Smoothie Cafes. Sandwiches |55
Lime Kissed Beyond Meat Tacos
Earth Balance Vegan Aged White Cheddar Flavor Popcorn Decadent ‘Cheesy’ Popcorn for All!! I have always loved ‘cheesy’ popcorn. The year after I first became vegan this was one of the items I was tempted by the most. I went to the movies almost every week, and the smell of the cheesy popcorn would make me slightly insane. If only this had been around back then, all my problems would have been solved. Better late than never, Earth Balance has produced a wonderfully delicious product. This already perfectly popped popcorn is coated with the same delicious topping as their new puffs. The result is a product that is airy, ‘cheesy’, and intensely satisfying. Imagine a bright pop of popcorn that brings with it a touch of aged cheddar joy. That fantasy is reality with this wonderful new product. It comes in a big bag (about 16‐17 cups) and you will want all of that and more. Each and every kernel is a little bit of perfection. I must confess that I like this product a bit more than their ‘puffs’ because they have more coating and it
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These tacos are incredibly easy to make and pack a powerhouse of flavor. With smoky Beyond Meat strips and bright limes, they are sure to satisfy vegans and non‐vegans alike. 1 package of Beyond Meat grilled strips 1 tbsp. of mojo de ajo or garlic oil 1 tsp. of ancho powder ¼ tsp. of salt Juice of 2 limes 1 cup of shredded cabbage 1 radish, sliced thin 1 avocado, chopped Hot sauce to taste 4 thick corn tortillas Get your coals or mesquite wood lit and fairly hot. While the coals are heating up, soak the Beyond Meat strips in water (this will allow the strips to absorb water and stay moist on the grill). Once the coals are ready, pat them dry. Toss the Beyond Meat strips in the mojo de ajo or garlic oil, then toss them in the ancho powder and salt. Transfer them to a perforated grill pan. Grill the strips, slowly stirring them, for about 5 minutes, until they develop a slight char. Transfer them back to your mixing bowl and immediately dress them with lime juice. Shred the cabbage, slice the radish, and chop the avocado. Warm the tortillas and fill them with the Beyond Meat strips, then the cabbage, then the radish, then the avocado, and finish off with hot sauce to taste.
adheres better. That causes this product to be well worth the price of admission. So instead of reading this, grab yourself a bag. If you do not have a retailer near you, some of the vegan grocery stores have it. Best of all, once you have a bag and a big purse, you can bring this into the movies and have the same joy of snacking away while you watch the next big blockbuster, or host a movie night inside. Highest Recommendations. Sandwiches |56
Earth Balance Vegan Aged White Cheddar Flavor Puffs When I an omnivore and in the process of eating anything I wanted, I loved Cheezy Poofs. Call them Cheetos, call them the devil, I sought them out and relished in my neon orange tinged fingers. I didn’t like the crispy ones, I liked the little puffs of air that disappeared in my mouth, leaving nothing behind but a taste of cheese and chemicals. Flash forward to now. I no longer see those things as food, let alone something I would consume. I have been happily vegan for 6 years and counting. I love the way that being vegan makes me feel and look. And you know what? Sometimes I miss cheesy poofs. I miss them on road trips, or sometimes I just miss them out of the blue. Earth Balance has given us the best of both worlds. They made a ‘cheese’ puff that is vegan, based on navy beans, that tastes great. Bright, clean, with a slight ‘cheesy’ flavor, these disappear in your mouth in a cloud of not‐so‐guilty pleasure. Each bag contains four servings of 120 calories each, and these come with a little fiber and protein for your snacking pleasure.
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Now, if you’re looking strictly for the neon orange thrills of yesteryear, these will not work. They are white, with no artificial coloring. For me, the lack of artificial color is a huge plus, since it can trigger a headache. These are an all natural, more healthy than conventional treat. The only downside to these little wonders is they do not have a ton of the coating. This is sad because that coating is pure gold and you enjoy every single bite – no, every single molecule. A lot of the coating falls to the bottom of the bag, and this is why I make sure that I have a bag for both my husband and I. That way, we don’t have to fight over the coating crumbs. However, if Earth Balance could include more coating and find a way to make it stick to the puffs they would have a product that would bankrupt me buying it all. As it stands, it is a tasty treat that leaves you feeling clean and bright after you eat it – something that not all snack food can say. Highly recommended. For more information about Earth Balance puffs, go to www.earthbalancenatural.com.
Daiya Cream Cheese Daiya quickly became the big vegan cheese on the market and within just a couple of years, they have expanded to blocks of havarti, slices of provolone, cheddar, and Swiss, and now cream cheese. In fact, I am surprised it has taken this long. The question is, was it worth the wait? And the answer is, yes. If you were ever a fan of that thick cream cheese found in the dairy section of most grocery stores, then Daiya totally nails
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it. If you are, or were, a fan of high quality artisan cream cheeses, this product is not for you since it is almost a direct analogue of the standard commercial cream cheese. Like other Daiya products, their cream cheese is soy free and it has a particular undertaste to it. On its own, that undertaste may be a little too prevalent, but as soon as it is mixed with other ingredients, it gets lost. I will say, it actually works to complement the chive and onion cream cheese that they make and not so much the plain. Speaking of the chive and onion version, the texture of this was a little flakier (as far as cream cheeses go), not quite as dense as the plain. It threw me at first, but I ended up really enjoying this one and used it for several quick wraps. All in all, a very good vegan cream cheese.
Madelyn is a lover of dessert, which she celebrates on her blog, http://madelynpryor.blogspot.com/. She has been making her own tasty desserts for over 16 years, and eating dessert for longer than she cares to admit. When she isn’t in the kitchen creating new wonders of sugary goodness, she is chasing after her bad kitties, or reviewing products for various websites and publications. She can be contacted at thebadkittybakery@gmail.com or madelyn@veganculinaryexperience.com.
The Reviewers Jason Wyrick is the executive chef and publisher of The Vegan Culinary Experience, an educational vegan culinary magazine with a readership of about 30,000. In 2001, Chef Jason reversed his diabetes by switching to a low‐fat, vegan diet and subsequently left his position as the Director of Marketing for an IT company to become a chef and instructor to help others. Since then, he has been featured by the NY Times, has been a NY Times contributor, and has been featured in Edible Phoenix, and the Arizona Republic, and has had numerous local television appearances. He has catered for companies such as Google, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, and Farm Sanctuary, has been featured in the Scottsdale Culinary Festival’s premier catering event, and has been a guest instructor and the first vegan instructor in the Le Cordon Bleu program at Scottsdale Culinary Institute. Recently, Chef Jason wrote a national best‐selling book with Dr. Neal Barnard entitled 21‐Day Weight Loss Kickstart. You can find out more about Chef Jason Wyrick at www.veganculinaryexperience.com.
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What We’re Reading Book Reviews
Authors: Tamasin Noyes and Celine Steen Publisher: Fair Winds Press Cost: $19.99 ISBN: 9781592335459 This is not your typical baking book. Thankfully! Nowhere in this book will you find white flour, refined sugar, vegan butter, or any other highly processed product. What you will find are delicious whole‐grain recipes with plenty of fun surprises. Check out the recipes for Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies that have sriracha and Chinese five spice or the Tapenade and White Bean buns if you have any doubts. You will also find plenty of tips for using flours that go beyond the standard whole wheat variety, like teff, millet, amaranth, barley, and a whole lot more. Whole Grain Vegan Baking isn’t just about breads and flours, though. It’s filled with tasty desserts, breakfast dishes, breads, muffins, snacks, and cupcakes. All told, it has over one hundred morsels of deliciousness. Whole Grain Vegan Baking is all taste with none of the guilt. July 2013
Author: Mark Bittman Publisher: Clarkson Potter Publishers Cost: $26.00 ISBN: 9780385344746 When I heard that Mark Bittman was writing a vegan friendly book, I was pretty excited. I have his massive opus of vegetarian recipes and I thought this would be a fun addition. When VB6 arrived I read it and re‐read it. I just didn’t know how I felt about it, and I still don’t. This is why. Mark Bittman is advocating a vegan diet (yay!) only before 6 o’clock (boo!). His justification is that by eating two vegan meals a day you are improving your health and then you can eat what you want once a day. By doing this, you’ll take in far more good food and some animal products are ok. Specifically, he has six principals for this way of life. 1. Eat fruit and vegetables in abundance. Sandwiches |59
2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Eat fewer animal products. Eat almost no junk food. Cook at home as much as possible. Consider quality over quantity. See your weight as one component to good health.
I agree with five of these principals with all my heart. Principal #2 I just cannot get past. Mr. Bittman spends so much of this book putting out great information about how bad the typical American diet is, and how bad for your body. He says so many things right, but how much poison is ok? We know that in addition to the suffering of food animals that animal products are loaded with carcinogens, insulin‐like growth factors, and other pathogens. I also take great exception to the quote from page 2 “Yet, the idea of becoming a full‐time vegan was neither realistic nor appealing to someone accustomed to eating as widely or as well as I do.” Excuse me, Mr. Bittman. What have you been eating? I eat widely and well from foods across the globe. So many delicious wats from Ethiopia (shiro is my favorite), curries from India, and don’t even get me started on all the amazing foods of Mexico that are also vegan. Because Mr. Bittman is used to ‘eating well’ he is unwilling to make a full conversion to this beneficial way or unwilling to ask others to do so? Therein is the quandary. While I agree many of the book’s messages, I do not agree with all of them. I also found the vegan recipes to be quite pedestrian and the meat recipes to be insulting in their presence. I cannot in good conscience recommend this book.
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Authors: Virginia Messina, MPH, RD and JL Fields Publisher: DeCapo Lifelong Cost: $16.99 ISBN: 9780738216713 Wow. The second I heard about Vegan for Her I started a countdown to the second I could get it in my hands. This book is my most eagerly anticipated vegan book of the year. There are several reasons. One is I am vegan, and the other is I am a woman. Of course, it’s not JUST that. My mother has high blood pressure. My maternal aunt has diabetes type 2 as does my mother in law. I tell them to eat vegan, a shot gun approach, but I knew this would give me the ability to hone my advice. Messina and Fields did not disappoint. Vegan for Her takes a woman through every phase of her life, which is wonderful. It also addresses female centered issues, such as fertility, and being happy beyond the scale. There are chapters on breast cancer, heart health, controlling diabetes and managing stress and depression. I loved the chapters on managing stress and depression and weight from a female centered view since both men and women’s bodies and needs are slightly different. There is even advice on cruelty free beauty!
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I have now read this book twice, and friends and family members now have copies. But I would like to recommend this book to men, too. Reading through this book will give you an idea of how you can support the female vegans in your life and assist them with their journeys. Frankly, I don’t know why you are still reading this review. Go get a copy of Vegan for Her and start reading that instead. Highest Recommendations.
Author: Amber Shea Crawley Publisher: Vegan Heritage Press Cost: $19.95 ISBN: 97800980013184 Amber Shea Crawley has become one of my favorite raw foods chefs. Not only does she make great food, she has a no‐guilt, inviting manner about her writing that sets her above a lot of other food writers. I have thought for a long time that recipes and food advice don’t matter if said advice makes food a chore. Both Practically Raw (her previous book) and Practically Raw Desserts give readers the emotional leeway to go as raw as they want to with cooked variations on the recipes for those that don’t want to go quite all July 2013
the way. On top of that, she has tips for making the recipes easy and plenty of little hints and tricks peppered throughout the book. There are also plenty of recipes for making basics like nut butters, nut milks, and other necessaries for making great raw desserts. Coupled with lots of pictures, this book is a must have for anyone looking to add delicious, no‐hassle raw desserts to their repertoire. Below is one of my favorite recipes from the book, published with permission by Vegan Heritage Press.
Tuxedo Cheesecake Brownies Yield: 16 servings These black‐and‐white bars contain a layer of silken cheesecake filling sandwiched inside a rich, sticky brownie. When frozen, they can be picked up and eaten out of hand, while at room temperature, they’re decadently gooey. You will hardly believe these are sugar‐free! (From Practically Raw Desserts by Amber Shea Crawley © 2013. Used by permission of Vegan Heritage Press.) Brownie Layers: 1 cup dry pecans 1 cup dry walnuts 1/3 cup cacao powder 1/8 teaspoon sea salt ¾ cup pitted dates Cheesecake Layer: 1 cup cashews, soaked for 2 to 4 hours and drained ¼ cup water or nondairy milk of choice 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil 2 tablespoons lemon juice ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon sea salt 30 drops liquid stevia (or equivalent sweetener of choice), or to taste
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Brownie Layers: In a food processor, combine the pecans, walnuts, cacao powder, and salt and pulse until finely ground (be careful not to overprocess). Add the dates, 2 to 3 at a time, pulsing between additions until each date is well‐incorporated and the mixture is sticky. Taste for sweetness, and add another date or some stevia if desired. Press half of the mixture (about 1 heaping cup) firmly and evenly into an 8‐inch square baking pan (lined with plastic wrap for easy removal, if desired). Place the pan in the freezer to chill. Set the other half of the mixture aside while you make the cheesecake layer. Cheesecake Layer: In a high‐speed blender, combine the cashews, water, coconut oil, lemon juice, vanilla, salt, and stevia and blend until smooth. You can add more water, a teaspoon at a time, as needed to help the mixture blend. Taste for sweetness and add more stevia if desired. Remove the pan from the freezer and transfer the cheesecake mixture onto the brownie layer, spreading it evenly with a spoon or spatula. Place the pan back in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours to allow the cheesecake layer to firm up. Once frozen, remove the pan from the freezer again, and evenly scatter the remaining half of the brownie mixture on top of the cheesecake layer. Gently but firmly press the brownie bits into the cheesecake. You may still be able to see the cheesecake layer underneath; that’s ok. Place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before cutting and serving. Store the brownies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month. Though best served cold, straight from the fridge, you can bring them to room temperature before serving if you prefer; you just may need to eat them with a fork instead of your hands!
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Nutrition: Per serving: 189 calories, 15.6g fat (3g sat), 12.5g carbs, 3g fiber, 4g protein The Reviewers Jason Wyrick is the executive chef and publisher of The Vegan Culinary Experience, an educational vegan culinary magazine with a readership of about 30,000. In 2001, Chef Jason reversed his diabetes by switching to a low‐fat, vegan diet and subsequently left his position as the Director of Marketing for an IT company to become a chef and instructor to help others. Since then, he has been featured by the NY Times, has been a NY Times contributor, and has been featured in Edible Phoenix, and the Arizona Republic, and has had numerous local television appearances. He has catered for companies such as Google, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, and Farm Sanctuary, has been featured in the Scottsdale Culinary Festival’s premier catering event, and has been a guest instructor and the first vegan instructor in the Le Cordon Bleu program at Scottsdale Culinary Institute. Recently, Chef Jason wrote a national best‐selling book with Dr. Neal Barnard entitled 21‐Day Weight Loss Kickstart. You can find out more about Chef Jason Wyrick at www.veganculinaryexperience.com. Madelyn is a lover of dessert, which she celebrates on her blog, http://madelynpryor.blogsp ot.com/. She has been making her own tasty desserts for over 16 years, and eating dessert for longer than she cares to admit. When she isn’t in the kitchen creating new wonders of sugary goodness, she is chasing after her bad kitties, or reviewing products for various websites and publications. She can be contacted at thebadkittybakery@gmail.com or madelyn@veganculinaryexperience.com. Sandwiches |62
Recipe Index
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Click on any of the recipes in the index to take you to the relevant recipe. Some recipes will have large white sections after the instructional portion of them. This is so you need only print out the ingredient and instructional sections for ease of kitchen use.
Recipe
Quick Sandwiches Avocado Sandwich Ciabatta Club with Smoky Mayo Mushroom Pesto Bagel Sandwich Seared Zucchini Sandwich Truffled Philly Cheese Steak Complex Sandwiches Black Bean Mushroom Torta BLT Club (Raw) Carnitas Sandwich French Toast Sandwich Chipotle Seitan Sandwich Citrus Muffaletta El Cubano French Dip Lavash Pesto Sandwich Pan Bagnat Po’boy Roasted Red Pepper Sub Tartine d’Aubergine Tempeh Morel Meatball Subs Tofu Steak Sandwich Chopped Miso Chickpea Sandwich Deconstructed “Dee” Burger Celestial Sandwich (Raw) Lentil and Red Rice Burgers Greens of Spring Sandwich Peach Almond‐butter Quesadillas Portobella Reuben Burgers Dessert Sandwiches Apple Pie Panini Chocolate Marzipan Mini‐cookie Sandwiches Tuxedo Cheesecake Brownie Sandwich (Raw)
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Recipe
65 68 72 75 78 80 83 85 88 90 93 96 100 103 106 109 113 116 119 122 23 24 29 18 32 20 26 125 129 61
Condiments and Base Ingredients Arugula Pesto Coconut Bacon Roasted Garlic Sauce Ketchup Basic Ketchup Quick Ketchup Roasted Tomato Ketchup Curry Ketchup Sundried Tomato Ketchup Salty and Spicy Ketchup Green Tomato Ketchup Mayo and Aioli Basic Mayo Basic Healthier Mayo Aioli Nut‐based Mayo (Raw) Chipotle Mayo Salted Lime Mayo Lemon Tarragon Mayo Roasted Garlic Mayo Mustard Classic Yellow Mustard Brown Mustard Dijon Mustard Chinese Hot Mustard Spicy Beer Mustard Agave Mustard Whiskey Mustard Smokey Pub Mustard Creole Mustard Miso Dijonaise Bean Spreads for Sandwiches Hummus
Page 131 134 135 138 138 138 139 139 139 139 141 141 141 141 142 142 142 142 143 143 144 144 144 144 145 145 145 23 146
Recipe Index
Click on any of the recipes in the index to take you to the relevant recipe. Some recipes will have large white sections after the instructional portion of them. This is so you need only print out the ingredient and instructional sections for ease of kitchen use.
Recipe Breads Ciabatta French Bread Cuban Bread Hoagie Rolls Bolillo Rolls Tuscan Loaf Sliced Sandwich Bread San Francisco Style Sourdough Focaccia with Sage Round Country Bread Sunflower Bread (Raw) Freshly Milled Wheatberry Bread Gluten‐free Buckwheat Crepe Buns Cinnamon and Cumin‐scented Wheat and Millet Seed Bread Light Rye Burger Buns Focaccia Bread (Raw) Miscellaneous Sangrita Lime‐kissed Beyond Meat Tacos
July 2013
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Recipe
148 148 149 149 150 151 151 152 152 152 44 18 34 26 28 55 56
Condiments & Base Ingredients Contd. White Bean Spread Mexican Black Bean Sauce Sorrel & Mint Hummus Roasted Red Pepper White Bean Spread Asian Bean Spread Thousand Island Dressing Thousand Island Reuben Sauce Ninja Sauce (Raw) Angelina’s Sassy BBQ Sauce (Raw) Presto Pesto Marinated Sundried Tomatoes Marinated Onions Sautéed Mushrooms (Raw)
Page 146 146 32 17 17 24 26 29 29 29 29 29 29
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Avocado Sandwich Serves: 1 Time to Prepare: 5 minutes Ingredients 2 slices of sourdough bread, toasted ½ of an avocado, sliced ¼ cup of shredded purple cabbage Pinch of salt ¾ cup of sprouts 2 tbsp. of hot sauce Instructions Toast the bread for about 1 minute, until it is just crispy, but not brown. Slice the avocado and shred the cabbage or slice it very thin. Place the sprouts on the sandwich, then the avocado, then the pinch of salt, and then the cabbage. Spread the hot sauce on the top piece of bread, close the sandwich, and serve.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
Sandwiches |65
Kitchen Equipment Knife Cutting Board Measuring Cup Measuring Spoon Knife or Small Spatula to spread the hot sauce Toaster or Oven Presentation Cut the sandwich along the diagonal, but hold the bread gently when you do it so you don’t smash the avocado. Time Management Serve right away so the avocado doesn’t brown. Complementary Food and Drinks A side of garlicky black beans would be perfect for this sandwich. Where to Shop These ingredients can be purchased anywhere, but because there are so few of them, the quality of this sandwich is highly dependent on the quality of the ingredients. Try to get the bread as fresh as possible and the avocado should be firm with just a touch of give. If it feels soft, it may be too mushy for the sandwich. My preferred hot sauce for this sandwich is Cholula. How It Works It’s pretty simple. Creaminess and heartiness from the avocado, crunch from the cabbage, earthy base notes from the sprouts, and acidity from the hot sauce and a bit from the sourdough. The bread is toasted since the meaty part of the sandwich, the avocado, is soft. That way you don’t have soft on soft. Chef’s Notes As much as I write fancier recipes, the five to ten minute ones are just what I need when I don’t feel like being in the kitchen or I am simply running short of time. That doesn’t mean I want to trade convenience for flavor, it just means I need something quick and satisfying and this sandwich fits the bill. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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Nutrition Facts (per serving) Calories 381 Calories from Fat 117 Fat 13 g Total Carbohydrates 55 g Dietary Fiber 9 g Sugars 2 g Protein 11 g Salt 450 mg Interesting Facts Cholula hot sauce was originally produced as a component of sangrita, a fruit and chile palate cleansing drink sipped between shots of tequila blanco.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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Ciabatta Club Sandwich with Smoky Mayonnaise Serves: 1 Time to Prepare: 20 minutes Ingredients Meat Substitute Version 1 Gardein “chicken” breast, sliced thin or 8‐10 strips of Beyond Meat, sliced thin ¼ tsp. of black pepper 1 package of tempeh bacon All Veggie Version 2 zucchini, sliced as thin as possible ¼ cup of lemon juice 2 tbsp. of olive oil 2 tbsp. of water ½ tsp. of salt ¼ tsp. of black pepper 1 cup of chopped oyster mushrooms 2 tsp. of olive oil ¼ tsp. of salt The Bread 2 ciabatta rolls, cut in half and toasted Sprinkle of red wine vinegar The Fixings ¼ cup of vegan mayonnaise 1/3 tsp. of mesquite smoked salt (you can substitute regular sea salt) 1 heirloom tomato, sliced 4 pieces of crispy lettuce, torn Instructions The Meat Substitute Version Gardein: Slice (if you have a thick Gardein breast) this thin (about 1/8” pieces) working your way from the top to the bottom, or smash (if you have a thin Gardein breast) it flat with your hand and then cut the smashed breast in half. Toss it in the pepper. Spread it on a baking sheet and bake it at 350 F for 10 minutes. Beyond Meat: Slice the strips along the length into thin 1/8” thick pieces and toss them in the pepper. Cut the tempeh bacon strips in half. The Veggie Version Cut the ends off the zucchini. Slice the zucchini along the length as thin as you can get it (using a mandolin helps immensely). Combine the lemon juice, oil, water, and salt and marinate the zucchini in this mix for about 4 hours (skip this and omit the marinade if you want the sandwich right away). Remove the zucchini from the marinade and toss it with the pepper. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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Over a high heat, sear the oyster mushrooms in the oil and salt until they are heavily browned and slightly crisp (this can takes about 10‐12 minutes). Assembling the Sandwich Cut the bread in half and toast it. Sprinkle red wine vinegar and the bread. Combine the vegan mayonnaise with the smoked salt Slice the tomato. Place the meat substitute or zucchini on the bottom half of the bun, then the tempeh bacon or seared oyster mushrooms, then the vegan mayonnaise, then the tomato, and then the lettuce, close, and serve!
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
Sandwiches |69
Low‐fat Version Omit the vegan mayonnaise and use the meat substitute version. I would add an extra sprinkle of red wine vinegar to the bread to make up for the loss of moisture from omitting the vegan mayo. Also, toss the meat sub in the smoked salt since it won’t be in the mayo. Kitchen Equipment Knife Cutting Board Measuring Cup Measuring Spoon Mixing Bowl Small Whisk Oven and Baking Dish or Sauté Pan Presentation For the true club sandwich experience, cut the sandwich into quarters and hold each one closed with long toothpicks. Time Management If I am doing the meat sub version, I make the mayo and get everything cut while the meat substitute is in the oven. If I am doing the veggie version, I sear the oyster mushrooms just before I am about to serve the sandwich so they will still be warm. Complementary Food and Drinks Pickles and potato chips. I’m not a fan of dill pickles, so I serve this with sweet crispy ones. Where to Shop Whole Foods is pretty much the only place to get the Gardein or Beyond Meat products and you usually have to go to the deli area to get the Gardein breasts (you can get some flavored ones in the refrigerated section, but that flavor interferes with the other flavors of the sandwich). When purchasing the tomato, make sure it is firm. Many heirloom tomatoes are soft and these do not slice as well as the firmer ones. I either make my ciabatta rolls or get them at Trader Joe’s. For the mesquite smoked salt, head to the spice section of any high end store and you should be able to find it. It’s also available for order online, as well. It’s tasty enough that I usually order a big batch of it and then I have it on hand for at least a year. Approximate cost per serving is $4.00. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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How It Works A classic club sandwich is really just an upscale blt. It’s got turkey, bacon, tomato, lettuce, and mayo. Using the meat substitutes creates a similar experience. Gardein needs a little heat applied to it to tighten it up, which is why it goes in the oven. Beyond Meat doesn’t have that problem, but they only have the strips available, so you can’t slice it into larger deli‐sized slices. For the veggie version, the zucchini marinades to keep its fresh flavor while still softening it and infusing it with some richness. The lemon juice brightens it and also ensures that it softens. Don’t be scared off by using so much oil in the marinade. Most of it stays in the bowl. My preferred “bacon” is actually the oyster mushroom version. I find they develop a nice browning, almost sweet, deep bacon flavor when they are heavily seared, but they need to be cooked to the point where they start to crisp for this to happen. Chef’s Notes My favorite version of this sandwich is a combination of the two methods, with sliced Beyond Meat strips and oyster mushroom “bacon.” It’s hearty and tasty and reminds me very strongly of the club sandwiches I used to eat when visiting my grandfather (probably because he was a member of a golf club!). Nutrition Facts (per serving, meat sub version) Calories 637 Calories from Fat 225 Fat 25 g Total Carbohydrates 67 g Dietary Fiber 6 g Sugars 3 g Protein 36 g Salt 858 mg Interesting Facts Although popular at many golf clubs, the sandwich is actually purported to have been developed at a gambling club in upstate New York in 1899.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
Sandwiches |71
Mushroom Pesto Bagel Sandwich Serves: 1 Time to Prepare: 10 minutes Ingredients 1 bagel (an onion bagel works best), cut in half 5‐6 cremini mushrooms, sliced 1 tsp. of olive oil 1/8 tsp. of salt ¼ tsp. of black pepper 1 cup of basil leaves 1 clove of garlic 1 tbsp. of olive oil 2 tbsp. of pine nuts Pinch of salt Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes Instructions Cut the bagel in half and toast it. Slice the mushrooms. Sauté the mushrooms in the oil and salt over a medium high heat until they are browned (this will take about 5 minutes). Sprinkle the pepper on them immediately after you take them off the heat. Puree the basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, and salt. Spread the pesto over both halves of the bagel, add the mushrooms and crushed red pepper, and serve.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
Sandwiches |72
Low‐fat Version Sauté the mushrooms in a dry pan until they are browned. Omit all the olive oil in the recipe and substitute ¼ cup of white beans for the pine nuts. Kitchen Equipment Sauté Pan Stirring Spoon Blender Measuring Cup Measuring Spoon Knife Cutting Board Toaster Presentation Give the sandwich a press before you serve it. It helps keep the mushrooms from sliding out from the bagel. Time Management You can toast the bagel while the mushrooms are cooking to save a few minutes of time. You might even be able to get the pesto made. Complementary Food and Drinks Serve this with a side of chopped roasted red peppers, chickpeas, roasted garlic, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Where to Shop You should be able to get all the ingredients for this at just about any market. Approximate cost per serving is $3.00. How It Works I like to heavily brown the mushrooms. It develops their flavor, but it also cooks a lot of the water out of them, condensing them and making a heartier sandwich. This works best on a medium high or high heat. The pesto slightly moistens the bagel and gives the sandwich a rich feel while the crushed red pepper gives the sandwich some pop. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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Chef’s Notes This sandwich was inspired by a mushroom melt I used to eat as a child, but I decided to use pesto instead of vegan cheese to keep it made out of whole ingredients. Nutrition Facts (per serving) Calories 500 Calories from Fat 180 Fat 20 g Total Carbohydrates 65 g Dietary Fiber 4 g Sugars 1 g Protein 15 g Salt 565 mg Interesting Facts Bagels are Polish in origin and go back to at least the 1500s. They were brought to the US by Polish Jewish immigrants.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
Sandwiches |74
Seared Zucchini Sandwich Serves: 1 Time to Prepare: 8‐10 minutes Ingredients 1 zucchini, sliced 1 tsp. of olive oil Pinch of salt 1 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar 3 tbsp. of chopped sundried tomatoes Olive oil to sprinkle on the bread ¼ tsp. of freshly ground black pepper 2 slices of sourdough bread (sourdough with roasted garlic is even better) Instructions Slice the ends off the zucchini, then slice it along the length into ½” thick pieces. Bring the oil to a medium high heat in a sauté pan, then add the zucchini and salt. Sear the zucchini for about 3 minutes, then flip it and repeat (it should develop several heavily browned areas). Turn off the heat and immediately add in the balsamic vinegar and quickly toss the zucchini in the pan for about 30 seconds (until the balsamic coats and condenses on the zucchini). Chop sundried tomatoes until you have about 3 tbsp. of them. Sprinkle some olive oil on both slices of the bread. Add the zucchini, then the tomatoes, dress with black pepper, close the sandwich, and serve.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
Sandwiches |75
Low‐fat Version You can sear the zucchini without oil, but it works a little better if it is cut into rounds instead of long strips. Make sure to do this without any liquid in the pan and keep a spatula nearby in case it sticks. Once it starts to stick, add a splash of water to the pan and quickly stir the zucchini until the water evaporates. Turn off the heat and add the balsamic. Do not sprinkle the bread with oil. Kitchen Equipment Sauté Pan Spatula Knife Cutting Board Measuring Spoon Presentation Close the sandwich up, cut it in half diagonally using a serrated knife, and serve it. It’s a quick sandwich meant to be eaten just as quickly! Time Management The key to this sandwich is making sure the balsamic vinegar doesn’t burn, which is why you should add it until the heat is off. You only have a few seconds to add it, though, because you still want the pan hot enough to caramelize the vinegar onto the zucchini. Complementary Food and Drinks Serve this with a white bean dip and toasted flatbread dressed with sesame seeds. Where to Shop All of these ingredients are very easy to find. Approximate cost per serving is $2.00. How It Works It’s a simple sandwich. Basically, you sear the zucchini, which should be done around a medium high heat. This gets a nice sear on the zucchini without putting it on the heat too long (which would happen if the heat was lower), but it’s not so hot that the zucchini burns. The heat should then be turned off, leaving just enough heat in the pan to caramelize the balsamic vinegar onto the zucchini, but not burn it. Make sure you keep stirring until the pan is no longer super hot. The sundried tomatoes add a second sweet, tangy flavor, and the oil on the bread helps mellow out all the acidity in the sandwich. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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Chef’s Notes This is one of my favorite snack sandwiches. It only takes a few minutes to make and it’s not too heavy on the calories. Nutrition Facts (per serving) Calories 261 Calories from Fat 45 Fat 5 g Total Carbohydrates 44 g Dietary Fiber 5 g Sugars 12 g Protein 10 g Salt 466 mg Interesting Facts Although zucchini is a staple vegetable, it wasn’t developed into the modern version until the late 1800s in Italy.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
Sandwiches |77
Truffled Philly Cheesesteak Serves: 4 large sandwiches Time to Prepare: 10 minutes Ingredients 1 long French baguette, sliced into 4 sections 6 garlic cloves, minced 4 cups mixed exotic mushrooms (eg., shiitake, maitake, oyster, cremini, chanterelles), chopped 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil Salt and pepper, to taste About 1 tablespoon white truffle oil 8 slices vegan cheddar and/or provolone cheese [I recommend Daiya slices] Instructions Slice baguette lengthwise and remove most of the soft middle to form concave pockets (save the middle for bread crumbs, bread pudding or stuffing. You can freeze it in an airtight bag). Slice baguette into 4 sections and set aside. Prep the garlic and mushrooms. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium‐low. Add garlic and cook until it softens, about 2 minutes, taking care not to burn it. Add mushrooms and cook until they are very soft and tender. Remove from heat and stir in truffle oil and season with salt and pepper. Place vegan cheese slices into prepared bread. Divide hot mushroom mixture amongst the 4 bread sections – heat will melt the cheese – and serve immediately.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Dynise Balcavage * urbanvegan.net
July 2013
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Chef’s Notes Philadelphia, my home city, is famous for its meat‐ laden, calorie‐busting cheese steaks. It’s also famous for its tough edge, ruthless sports fans and no BS attitude. This is my attempt at trying to infuse my city’s reputation with a little more refinement – and a lot more kindness. Nutrition Facts (per serving) Calories 386 Calories from Fat 126 Fat 14 g Total Carbohydrates 51 g Dietary Fiber 8 g Sugars 5 g Protein 14 g Salt 770 mg Interesting Facts Pat’s King of Steaks is the restaurant started by the inventor of the cheesesteak sandwich, which ironically was first served without cheese.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Dynise Balcavage * urbanvegan.net
July 2013
Sandwiches |79
Black Bean Mushroom Tortas Type: Sandwich Serves: 2 or 4 as a half sandwich Time to Prepare: 20 minutes Ingredients The Bean Sauce 1‐2 chipotles in adobo, chopped 1 ½ cups of cooked black beans with about 3‐4 tbs. of liquid 1 tbsp. of mojo de ajo* ¼ tsp. of salt The Filling 2 cups of oyster mushrooms, chopped into large pieces 6 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced 2 tbsp. of mojo de ajo 1/8 tsp. of salt The Bread 3 tbsp. of pepitas, toasted 2 bolillo rolls, toasted and cut in half (and sandwich roll will work here) 1 cup of baby arugula * mojo de ajo is olive oil baked with garlic, salt, and lime juice. You can substitute 1 tbsp. of olive oil, 1 clove of minced garlic, and the juice of ½ of a lime for this. Instructions Making the Bean Sauce Chop the chipotles. Add the chipotles, beans, liquid, mojo de ajo, and salt to a pan and gently simmer while you prepare the filling. Making the Filling Turn the pan to a medium heat, add the pepitas, and gently stir them until they are lightly browned. Remove them from the pan and set them aside. Chop the oyster mushrooms into large pieces and slice the shiitakes into about 4 slices. Bring a sauté pan to a medium high heat and add the mojo de ajo. Wait a moment, then add the oyster mushrooms, shiitakes, and salt and sear cook until the mushrooms are lightly browned. Making the Bread Cut the bread in half for a sandwich and toast it. Puree the beans and add just enough water to get a semi‐thick sauce. Assembling the Torta Spread this on both sides of the bread. Add the mushrooms, arugula, and pepitas and serve. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
Sandwiches |80
Low‐fat Version Omit the mojo de ajo in the recipe. Add the juice of ½ of a lime to the bean sauce and sauté the mushrooms in a dry pan. Do not sauté them in any liquid or they will not properly brown. Kitchen Equipment Small Pot Masher Sauté Pan 2 Stirring Spoons Small Mixing Bowl to set the pepitas aside Measuring Spoon Measuring Cup Presentation Serve this open‐faced. The bean sauce and filling look so good, it’s a shame to hide them with the top part of the bread. Time Management Make sure you start the bean sauce first. The longer it simmers, the better it gets. Complementary Food and Drinks Serve this with a side salad of diced chayote and fresh corn. Where to Shop All of these ingredients are relatively easy to find, except for the mojo de ajo. I suggest using the cheat I outlined in the recipe, unless you want to make it yourself. You can find the recipe for it in our La Cucina Mexicana issue of The Vegan Culinary Experience at www.veganculinaryexperience.com/VCEAug10.pdf. Pepitas are green pumpkin seeds. I usually purchase them from a bulk bin since they are fairly inexpensive that way. Bolillo rolls are simply a type of Mexican sandwich roll, usually available in most bakeries. If you can’t find them, you can substitute any sandwich roll for them. I often use the Panini rolls from Trader Joe’s. Chipotles in adobo are smoked dried jalapenos that are then canned with a marinade. You can find them in the Mexican section of most markets. Approximate cost per serving is $3.00. How It Works The beans simmer so that the heat and smokiness from the chipotles and the lime and garlic from the The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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mojo de ajo can infuse the sauce. They are smashed so that they retain some texture. Oyster mushrooms, when they are seared, take on a flavor reminiscent of bacon while the shiitakes lend an earthy depth to the sandwich. The peppery arugula is the high note in the recipe. Chef’s Notes This recipe was inspired by a torta recipe I saw at one of Rick Bayless’ restaurants. I took the idea of a bean sauce and mushrooms as the backbone of the recipe and created my own sandwich out of it and it has turned out to be one of my favorite sandwiches I’ve created. Nutrition Facts (per serving) Calories 688 Calories from Fat 252 Fat 28 g Total Carbohydrates 85 g Dietary Fiber 21 g Sugars 6 g Protein 24 g Salt 572 mg Interesting Facts Tortas are a type of Mexican sandwich that always includes beans or a bean sauce.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
Sandwiches |82
BLT Club Serves: 4 Time to Prepare: 5 minutes plus time to make the components Ingredients 12 slices of Sunflower Bread (see recipe on page 152) 1 batch of Nut‐based Aioli (see recipe on page 141) 8 leaves of iceberg lettuce 1 tomato, seeded and sliced 1 ripe avocado, pitted and sliced 1 batch of Coconut Bacon (see recipe on page 134) Option: Use Eggplant Bacon if you don’t have any Thai Baby Coconuts for Coconut Bacon. Instructions Place a slice of bread on each of four serving dishes and spread with a couple of tablespoons of Nut‐ based Aioli. Top each portion with a lettuce leaf, then a slice of tomato, some avocado, and then another slice of bread. Spread that slice with additional Nut‐based Aioli, and top with slices of Coconut Bacon, lettuce, and tomato. Spread a couple more tablespoons of Nut‐based Aioli on one side of the remaining slices of bread, and place Nut‐based Aioli‐side down atop your sandwiches.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com
Recipe by Ani Phyo * www.aniphyo.com * recipe used by permission of Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group, from Ani’s Raw Food Essentials
July 2013
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Chef’s Notes This sandwich keeps for several hours, making it a great sandwich for the road when traveling or on a hike or picnic. Nutrition Facts (per serving) Calories 690 Calories from Fat 522 Fat 58 g Total Carbohydrates 28 g Dietary Fiber 22 g Sugars 4 g Protein 14 g Salt 403 mg Interesting Facts The BLT is the second most popular sandwich in the United States.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com
Recipe by Ani Phyo * www.aniphyo.com * recipe used by permission of Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group, from Ani’s Raw Food Essentials
July 2013
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Carnitas Sandwich with Roasted Garlic Chile Pequin Sauce Serves: 2 Time to Prepare: 10‐12 minutes Ingredients 2 cups of beefless seitan strips (the ones from Trader Joe’s are ideal for this recipe) 1 tbsp. of olive oil 1 tsp. of dried Mexican oregano ¼ tsp. of salt Water 1 avocado, sliced ½ cup of Roasted Garlic Chile Pequin Sauce (see recipe on page 135), or a vinegary hot sauce 2 torpedo shaped rolls (bolillo rolls work well), sliced to form pockets Instructions Over a medium high heat, sauté the seitan strips in the olive oil until they brown (about 6‐8 minutes) – some of the seitan will probably stick to the pan, which is ok. Add the oregano and salt and give everything a few quick stirs. Add about ¼” of water to the pan and let it cook out (make sure to keep stirring while the water evaporates), then immediately remove the pan from the heat. Cut the rolls open. Slice the avocado. Add the seitan, then the avocado, and then liberally spread the sauce over the sandwich.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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Low‐fat Version Toss the seitan with the oregano and salt, wrap it in foil, and bake it at 450 F for 20 minutes. This replaces the sautéing step. Kitchen Equipment Sauté Pan Stirring Spoon Measuring Cup Measuring Spoon Knife Cutting Board Presentation I spread some of the sauce along the bread and then drizzle some on the seitan. Time Management If you don’t have the sauce handy, you can roast the garlic for it while you sauté the seitan. Complementary Food and Drinks This goes very well with some salted watermelon. Where to Shop Trader Joe’s Beefless Strips are perfect for this recipe. They crisp well in the oil and then turn very tender and flaky once the water is added. You will have to make the sauce to go with this recipe, but if you don’t feel like it, you can substitute your favorite vinegary hot sauce. Approximate cost per serving is $3.50. How It Works The seitan crisps in the oil (best done at a medium high heat to get a good sear without burning it), developing its flavor and leaving a nicely browned, crunchy “skin” that holds even when the water is added. Water is added to make the interior of the seitan tender, so you have a nice pulled texture. The sauce pairs well with the crisped seitan, complementing it with the roasted garlic flavor and providing a bold shot of heat and acidity from the vinegar and hot chiles pequin. Chef’s Notes This sandwich was created because I had some of this sauce left over from a class I taught and I was The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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really in the mood for crispy seitan. Put it in some bread, add some avocado, and the magic happened. Nutrition Facts (per serving) Calories 459 Calories from Fat 135 Fat 15 g Total Carbohydrates 55 g Dietary Fiber 4 g Sugars 1 g Protein 27 g Salt 609 mg Interesting Facts Chiles pequin are tiny, usually about ½” long when dried, and are about 20 times hotter than a jalapeno.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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French Toast Breakfast Sandwich Serves: 4 Time to Prepare: 15 minutes Ingredients 8 slices of whole grain bread ½ cup peanut or almond butter 6 oz. of firm silken tofu ½ cup of vegan milk ½ teaspoon of turmeric 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon vanilla extract Pinch of black or regular salt 2 bananas ½ to 1 cup of cubed mango or strawberries 1 teaspoon oil or vegan butter 4 teaspoons of cinnamon sugar Instructions In a blender, blend the tofu and vegan milk with the turmeric, salt, cinnamon and vanilla. Place in a shallow dish, and set to the side. If it is too thick, thin out with a little additional almond milk. Take the eight slices of bread and spread each one with a tablespoon of peanut butter or almond butter. Slice the bananas. Add slices of banana to one half of the slices. Take the mango or strawberries and slice or mash as needed. Place on the half of the bread that does not have bananas. Put the slices together, and dip them in the tofu mixture. Heat a skillet over medium to medium high heat. Place the vegan butter or oil in the skillet and once it is sizzling, add the sandwich. Cook for about 3‐5 minutes on each side, until lightly brown. Cook the other side. Remove from heat and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon sugar. Serve with additional strawberries and fruit if so desired. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Madelyn Pryor
July 2013
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Low‐fat Version Eliminate the peanut butter. Kitchen Equipment Blender, knife, cutting board, measuring cups and spoons, skillet, spatula
Complementary Food and Drinks A cold glass of almond or soy milk is almost a necessity to pair with this, or a warm cup of tea or coffee. As stated in the recipe, I also like to serve this with additional fruit. If you are feeling very decadent, you can also serve this with warm maple syrup. Where to Shop These ingredients should be available at any supermarket. If possible, get fresh organic fruit to make this sandwich pop. How It Works The heat melts the nut butter and lightly cooks the fruit, giving this a perfect texture. Chef’s Notes Make sure the outside is browned, lightly. It will take a small amount of oil, but is totally worth it. I also like using a cast iron skillet because of the heat it conducts and the nonstick nature. Nutrition Facts (per serving) Calories 496 Calories from Fat 144 Fat 16 g Total Carbohydrates 72 g Dietary Fiber 7 g Sugars 24 g Protein 16 g Salt 506 mg Interesting Facts The earliest mention of French toast dates back to the 4th century and is by Apicius, a Roman cookbook author. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Madelyn Pryor
July 2013
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Chipotle Seitan Sandwich with Lime Aioli and Potato Chips Serves: 2 Time to Prepare: 15 minutes Ingredients The Seitan 1 ½ cups of seitan strips 2 tsp. of olive oil ½ tsp. of chipotle powder ½ tsp. of ancho powder ½ tsp. of dried oregano ¼ tsp. of salt The Aioli 4 cloves of garlic 1/3 cup of vegan mayonnaise ¼ tsp. of salt Zest of 2 limes Juice of 2 limes The Chips and Apple ½ cup of shredded green apple (toss this in lime or lemon juice if you do not serve it right away) 10‐12 potato chips (preferably salt and pepper potato chips) The Bread 2 ciabatta rolls, cut in half and toasted Instructions Over a medium heat, sauté the seitan strips in the oil until they are browned (about 6‐7 minutes). Dress them with the chipotle powder, ancho powder, oregano, and salt while they are in the pan, quickly tossing everything together, then immediately remove the pan from the heat. Zest and juice the limes. Puree all the ingredients for the aioli. Cut the ciabatta rolls and toast them for about 1 minute. Shred the green apple with a grater. Spread about 1 tbsp. of the aioli on the bottom slices of bread, then add the seitan, followed by the potato chips, and then the apple. Spread the rest of the aioli on the top portion of the roll, close the sandwich, and serve. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
Sandwiches |90
Low‐fat Version Spritz the seitan with water and then toss it with the herbs and spices. Wrap it in parchment paper and bake it at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. Instead of using vegan mayonnaise in the aioli, use light silken tofu instead. Kitchen Equipment Sauté Pan Stirring Spoon Measuring Cup Measuring Spoon Blender Spatula Zester Grater Oven to toast the bread Presentation Don’t press down on the sandwich. You may crush the potato chips! Also, if you don’t plan on serving this right away, dress the grated apple in some lime juice so it doesn’t brown. Time Management While you are sautéing the seitan, make the aioli and grate the apple. That way, everything can get plated as soon as you are done with the seitan. Also, make sure you zest the limes before you juice them. It’s a pain to do it the other way around. Complementary Food and Drinks This goes great with a berry tea and a creamy tomatillo soup. Where to Shop I usually just get the Beefless Strips from Trader Joe’s for my seitan, but you can use any of your favorite mock meat strips for this recipe. If I don’t make my own ciabatta rolls, I either get those at Wildflower Bakery, Whole Foods, or Trader Joe’s for convenience. Some conventional grocery stores also have them. For potato chips, I typically get the Kettle brand salt and pepper chips. They have a nice kick to them that augments the chipotle powder from the recipe and they are thick and crunchy. Approximate cost per serving is $4.00. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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How It Works This sandwich has several components that all provide something unique to the sandwich. First is the spicy seitan itself, which gives the sandwich heartiness and a smoky heat from the chipotle powder. Ancho powder is also used to add chile flavor without adding more heat and to lend a sort of caramel flavor to the sandwich. Next up is the aioli. Not only does it add creaminess to the sandwich, which binds together all the components, it adds a bright pop by using lime juice and lime zest. The shredded green apple adds a little crunch, but more importantly tartness and sweetness, both of which play well with the lime and chile flavors. Finally, potato chips are added for lots of delicious crunch. Chef’s Notes This is a fun sandwich to make and even more fun to eat! Not only are there several layers of flavor within the sandwich, there are also several layers of texture. Nutrition Facts (per serving) Calories 737 Calories from Fat 297 Fat 33 g Total Carbohydrates 82 g Dietary Fiber 3 g Sugars 5 g Protein 28 g Salt 850 mg Interesting Facts In the late 1800s, potato chips were the province of chefs and restaurants, but by 1916, they had become a mass market snack.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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Citrus Muffaletta on Focaccia Serves: 3 Time to Prepare: 10 minutes + 2 hours to sit Ingredients Zest of 2 oranges ¼ stalk of celery, sliced chopped ½ of a carrot, peeled and chopped 1 pepperoncini, chopped 1 yellow, red, or orange pepper, chopped ¼ cup of pickled cauliflower, drained 1 cup of green olives stuffed with garlic ¾ cup of pitted kalamata olives 1 cipollini onion 1 tsp. of capers, drained 1 tsp. of celery seeds 1 tbsp. of fresh oregano 1 tbsp. of sliced basil 1 tsp. of freshly ground pepper 3 5” x 5” squares of focaccia, sliced in half 2 tbsp. of olive oil and 2 tbsp. of red wine vinegar 12 slices of Tofurky smoked hickory deli slices Option: 6 slices of vegan provolone Instructions Chop the celery, carrot, pepperoncini, and pepper. Zest the orange. Chop the celery, carrot, pepperoncini, bell pepper, and cipollini onion. Combine all of the ingredients together except for the bread, oil, and deli slices. Pulse them in a food processor until they are all roughly diced and mixed together. Cut the focaccia in half. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over and red wine vinegar over each piece of bread. Spread the veggie olive mix on both sides of bread, then place 2 slices of the deli slices on each piece of bread, then the optional vegan provolone over one side, and close it up. (this should form a sandwich with olive veggie mix on top and below, with deli slices surrounding the vegan provolone) Wrap the sandwich in plastic and let it sit for about 2 hours in the refrigerator. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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Low‐fat Version This isn’t truly a low‐fat version since the olives contain a lot of fat, but you can lower the fat calories by omitting the olive oil from the recipe. Kitchen Equipment Measuring Cup Measuring Spoon Food Processor Serrated Knife Knife Cutting Board Presentation Serve it in a basket lined with paper and give the sandwich a press to impress the olive veggie mix into the bread, making it easier to eat. Time Management This is a sandwich that really improves while it sits, allowing the flavors to meld and work their way into the bread, so don’t skimp on the wait time. Complementary Food and Drinks Serve this with a roasted garlic dip and some fresh veggies or sourdough bread. Where to Shop I typically get the olives and Tofurky slices from Trader Joe’s, where I can get a good price on them. For the provolone, I shop at Whole Foods where I can find Daiya provolone. The pickled veggies come from a jar of giardiniera, which is that jar of pickled veggies usually found in the condiment aisle of most grocery stores. If you can’t find vegan focaccia, you can use large slices of Italian bread instead. Approximate cost per serving is $2.50. How It Works The salad is a very salty, tangy mix of olives intensified by the capers and vinegar soaked cauliflower. The carrot adds some sweetness to the olive salad while oregano, celery, and celery seeds give depth to it. The basil and zest brighten the sandwich and give it some sweetness. Focaccia is a spongy bread The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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that absorbs the flavors of the olive salad incredibly well and also has a nice, robust flavor. Wrapping the sandwich is important because it gives the flavors time to meld and seep into the bread without drying the exterior of the sandwich. Chef’s Notes A muffaletta looks intimidating because of the large amount of ingredients, but it’s really just a matter of chopping a bunch of stuff together in a food processor, placing it on bread, and waiting. Nutritional Facts (individual servings in parentheses, does not include any options) Calories 385 Calories from Fat 153 Fat 17 g Total Carbohydrates 47 g Dietary Fiber 5 g Sugars 4 g Protein 11 g Salt 858 mg Interesting Facts The olives in this sandwich clearly showcase the muffaletta’s Spanish influence, which is one of the other major influences for New Orleans cuisine.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
Sandwiches |95
El Cubano Two Ways Serves: 1 Time to Prepare: 15 minutes Ingredients for the Seitan Cubano 7” loaf of Cuban bread, cut in half to make a sandwich (see recipe on page 149) 4 slices of sweet pickle 3‐4 slices of vegan Swiss “cheese” 3‐4 tbsp. of yellow mustard Olive oil (or melted vegan margarine) to brush the bread Option 1 ½ cup of smoked pulled “pork” (see below) 4‐6 slices of vegan cured “ham” (see below) Option 2 1” thick slab of eggplant, brushed with olive oil ¼ cup of dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated and sliced 1/8 tsp. of salt The Simple Way: Use Gardein BBQ Pulled Shreds or the ones from Trader Joe’s and rinse off the BBQ sauce, then toss the shreds in about ¾ tsp. of smoked paprika, ¼ tsp. of garlic powder, and ½ tsp. of Liquid Smoke. Alternatively, you can rinse off the shreds and simmer them with ¼ cup of water, ½ tsp. of liquid smoke, ¼ tsp. of salt, and 1 tsp. of agave, simmering until the water evaporates. Use Tofurky ham slices. Use Daiya Swiss cheese slices. If you can’t find Cuban bread, substitute French bread. Instructions Slice the bread in half. Brush each half, both on outside of the crust and the inside with the soft middle, with olive oil or melted margarine. Option 1 (seitan) Place a layer of vegan “ham” slices, then a layer of pulled “pork,”, then the pickles, and then the “cheese.” Option 2 (eggplant) Cut the eggplant into a 1” slab. Brush it with oil and toss with salt. Grill the eggplant until it is soft on both sides, flipping it once it has developed nice grill lines and softened on one side. Rehydrate the mushrooms in warm water and slice them. Place the “ham” or shiitakes on the bread, then the pulled “pork” or grilled eggplant. Next, place the pickles followed by the Swiss “cheese.” Spread the mustard along the top slice of bread and close the sandwich. Heat up a sandwich press to just below a medium heat. Press the sandwich down until it is about half the size it was originally and keep it in the press until it develops nice black lines across the top from the sandwich press, but don’t leave it in so long that the entire top turns black! (it should be a crispy golden color with black lines) The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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Make Your Own Ingredients This is a lot of work for one sandwich, but the extra effort will create a far superior meal. Feel free to make any or all of the ingredients! If I were to make them this way, I would make large batches of them and store them in my refrigerator so that I had them to use in other recipes. Smoked Pulled “Pork” Take the BBQ shreds, wrap them in foil, and pierce the foil with a fork. If you have a smoker, smoke these with mesquite wood for a full day. You can also do this on the grill by lighting a small fire and adding mesquite chips soaked in water for at least an hour. Place the foil packet away from the fire, close the lid, and let the BBQ shreds smoke for at least one hour. Once the smoking is done, toss with ¾ tsp. of paprika and ¼ tsp. of garlic powder. Cured Vegan “Ham” Purchase your favorite vegan ham (you can use deli slices from Tofurky), make your own seitan, or head to an Asian market to get a mock ham. Slice it thin, toss it liberally in salt (don’t worry, you’ll brush it off when done) and about ½ tsp. of granulated turbinado sugar, and set it in your oven on the lowest setting possible and let it “cure” for about 2 hours. Brush the salt and sugar off when you are done.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
Sandwiches |97
Low‐fat Version Simply omit the Swiss cheese and don’t brush the bread with oil and you will have a tasty, no‐oil added sandwich! Kitchen Equipment Sandwich Press Knife Cutting Board Measuring Spoon Mixing Bowl A Brush to spread the oil on the bread Presentation Pressed, with nice black marks across the top is the way to go. Make sure you don’t overload the sandwich so that the fillings don’t spill out when you press it. Time Management Don’t let this sit around! Serve it hot off the sandwich press, made to order. Yum! If you want a quick sandwich, go with The Simple Way. Complementary Food and Drinks Serve this with a side of hot sauce and an ice cold beer. Where to Shop I typically get the pulled BBQ shreds from Trader Joe’s, but you can also get the Gardein ones from Whole Foods and even some conventional grocery stores. So far, the Daiya Swiss is most commonly found at Whole Foods. Don’t worry about seeking out Cuban bread. It’s usually made with lard, so you’ll have to make your own or substitute a hoagie roll or sandwich‐sized loaf of French bread. Approximate cost per sandwich is $5.00. How It Works The sandwich is basically a mix of hearty, succulent fillings with a nice smoky undertone that has some sourness from the pickles and the pop of the mustard. None of those flavors should overwhelm the sandwich and they are all mellowed by the Swiss cheese, which also serves to hold all those ingredients together (they will want to slip out of the sandwich!). That is also why the sandwich is pressed. Without pressing it, the ingredients tend to explode out the sides of the bread. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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Chef’s Notes I used to make a sandwich very similar to this one when I was a kid without knowing that I was making a Cuban sandwich. The hearty seitan and melty cheeses leaves me satisfied and reminds me of my childhood. Nutrition Facts (per serving, eggplant version) Calories 552 Calories from Fat 180 Fat 20 g Total Carbohydrates 80 g Dietary Fiber 3 g Sugars 3 g Protein 13 g Salt 730 mg Interesting Facts The Cuban sandwich is an old recipe, for a sandwich, having been around since at least the 1860s.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
Sandwiches |99
French Dip Sandwich with Wild Mushroom Rosemary Jus Serves: 2 Time to Prepare: 10‐15 minutes Ingredients The Jus 4 large shallots, sliced thin 2 tsp. of olive oil 1 cup of water 1 sprig of fresh rosemary ¼ cup of dried wild mushrooms ¼ tsp. of salt Option: 1 tsp. of “beef” bouillon The Sandwich 2 portabella mushrooms, sliced into ¼” thick pieces 2 tsp. of olive oil ¼ tsp. of salt ¾ tsp. of ground black pepper 2 French rolls, sliced open Option: Instead of portabellas, you can use sliced seitan for a meatier texture Instructions Slice the shallots thin. Over a medium heat in a small pot, sauté the shallots with the oil until the shallots are heavily browned. Add the water, rosemary, mushrooms, salt, and optional “beef” bouillon and bring it to a simmer. Reduce the heat until it is just simmering and let it sit on the heat while you finish the sandwich. Slice the portabellas into ¼” thick pieces. Over a medium‐high heat, sauté them with the oil and salt until the mushrooms show brown sear marks (about 5 minutes). Remove the pan from the heat and immediately stir in the black pepper. Slice the rolls open, creating a pocket, and stuff the rolls with the portabellas. Pour the wild mushroom broth over the sandwiches (remove the rosemary sprig!) or serve it on the side.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
Sandwiches |100
Low‐fat Version Omit the olive oil in both sections of the recipe and sauté in a dry pan. Kitchen Equipment Small Pot Sauté Pan Stirring Spoon Measuring Cup Measuring Spoon Knife Cutting Board Presentation The original way this sandwich was served is drowned in the sauce, which is how I prefer it. If you do it that way, it is definitely a knife and fork sandwich. The more modern version is served with the sauce on the side as a dipping sauce. Time Management The longer the dipping sauce (aka the jus) simmers, the better it gets, but you will need to replace some of the water if you let it simmer for more than ten minutes. Complementary Food and Drinks Fries are the traditional accompaniment to this dish. Try some thyme and garlic fries for an elevated side. The sandwich is also served with mustard at Phillipe The Original, one of the two restaurants that claims to have invented the sandwich. Where to Shop All of these ingredients are fairly common. If you can get the dried mushrooms from a bulk bin, you can save a decent amount of money. Approximate cost per serving is $3.00. How It Works It’s a fairly simple recipe. The portabellas serve as the “meat” of the sandwich, replacing the traditional roast beef. I like to sear them to give them a heavier, deeper flavor. The broth gets its flavor from shallots, which, like the mushrooms, are browned to deepen the flavor of the broth. The rosemary creates a heady herbal aroma which naturally complements the mushrooms and dried mushrooms are used to round out the broth. Plus, the rehydrated mushrooms are quite tasty when added to the sandwich. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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Chef’s Notes Want to try a version that is out of this world? Use dried porcini instead of the dried wild mushroom mix. You will never look back. Nutrition Facts (per serving) Calories 244 Calories from Fat 72 Fat 9 g Total Carbohydrates 35 g Dietary Fiber 3 g Sugars 3 g Protein 8 g Salt 781 mg Interesting Facts The French Dip sandwich was created in the early 1900s, most likely in 1908 at a Los Angeles restaurant named Cole’s. Phillipe the Original also claims to have created the sandwich, but at a later date in 1918.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
Sandwiches |102
Lavash Pesto Sandwich Type: Sandwich Serves: 2 Time to Prepare: 40 minutes Ingredients 1 whole wheat flatbread (lavash bread) ¼ cup of arugula pesto 7‐8 spears of lightly blanched asparagus ¼ cup of Daiya mozzarella or other vegan cheese 6 pitted kalamata olives, sliced in half lengthwise 4‐6 heirloom cherry tomatoes, sliced into quarters Instructions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Blanch the asparagus. Spread the arugula pesto over the entire flatbread. Place the asparagus with the spear tips sticking out over the bottom edge all in a row, so that every bite will have some asparagus. Quarter the heirloom cherry tomatoes and half the pitted kalamata olives and sprinkle them around the bottom half of the sandwich where the asparagus is. Sprinkle the bottom half of the sandwich with the vegan cheese. Fold in half. Place on a cookie sheet or baking stone and bake for 20 minutes. Remove and cut in half.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Madelyn Pryor
July 2013
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Low‐fat Version The fat in this comes from the pesto. To reduce the fat content in the pesto use water instead of oil to ease the blending.
Raw Version Use raw flatbread, and a raw vegan cheese. Do not bake, but instead dehydrate on 105 for 2‐3 hours until slightly firmer. Kitchen Equipment Knife, cutting board, cookie sheet, pan for blanching the asparagus Time Management While the oven is warming, blanch the asparagus and make the pesto. When the oven has come to temperature, assemble the sandwich. Complementary Food and Drinks A light side salad of arugula and a few more quartered heirloom tomatoes dressed in balsamic vinegar and spicy olive oil, with salt and pepper would be simple and wonderful. Where to Shop I found premade vegan whole wheat lavash bread at Trader Joes. Make sure the asparagus has a full body and looks crisp. Approximate cost per serving is $2.00. How It Works The mild flavor of the asparagus provides a wonderful contrast to the slight spiciness of the pesto and the saltiness of the olives. The Daiya has some depth to it and its texture helps loosely bind the ingredients in the sandwich. Thin lavash bread keeps the sandwich feeling light and fun. Chef’s Notes I made this sandwich after being inspired and furstated by an experience at a restaurant. My vegan meal was horrible, while my mother‐in‐laws flatbread pizza looked wonderful. I feel that many main stream restaurants really shortchange the vegan dishes. Instead of staying angry I just came up with an even better version of my mother‐in‐laws pizza and made it for the family. It was a big hit! The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Madelyn Pryor
July 2013
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Nutrition Facts (per serving) Calories 391 Calories from Fat 243 Fat 27 g Total Carbohydrates 27 g Dietary Fiber 5 g Sugars 3 g Protein 10 g Salt 405 mg Interesting Facts Asparagus shows the age of the plant. Thick stems of comes from older plants, while young tender stalks come from younger plants.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Madelyn Pryor
July 2013
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Pan Bagnat with Chopped Chickpeas Serves: 2 Time to Prepare: 10 minutes + 2 hours to sit Ingredients Salted Tomatoes 1 Roma tomato, deseeded and thinly sliced ½ tsp. of salt (this will get brushed off the tomatoes) Sliced Veggies 2 green onions, sliced ½ of a small red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips ¼ of a small bulb of fennel, sliced into thin strips ½ of a small cucumber, thinly sliced Chopped Chickpeas 1 ½ cups of cooked, rinsed chickpeas 1 tbsp. of nori seaweed, crushed into flakes ¼ tsp. of salt Tofu Scramble 4 oz. of firm tofu, scrambled 1/8 tsp. of salt, preferably Indian black salt ¼ tsp. of turmeric Dressing ¼ cup of olive oil 1 tbsp. of Dijon mustard Finishing Ingredients 8‐10 Nicoise black olives, pitted and cut in half (use whatever small black olives are on hand) 1 ½ tbsp. of capers ½ tsp. of freshly ground black pepper 2 tbsp. of red wine vinegar Bread 2 small rounds of country bread Instructions Cut the tomatoes in half, deseed them, and slice them into thin strips. Toss them in the salt and place them in a colander for 30 minutes. Brush the salt off of them and set them to the side. Slice the green onions, bell pepper, fennel, and cucumber and set aside. Chop the chickpeas and combine them with the seaweed and salt and set this aside. Crumble the tofu with either your hand, combine it with the salt and turmeric, and set it aside. Whisk together the olive oil and Dijon mustard. Cut the bread in half and scoop out a shallow indentation in each half. Place the tomatoes on the bread, then the fennel and cucumber, then the scramble, then the chopped chickpeas, then the bell pepper, green onions, olives, capers, and black pepper, and pour the dressing and vinegar on top. Wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap, refrigerate, and let them sit for 2 hours. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
Sandwiches |106
Low‐fat Version Omit the olive oil and add an extra tbsp. of mustard. Kitchen Equipment Knife Cutting Board 3 Small Mixing Bowls Measuring Spoon Measuring Cup Whisk Colander Plastic Wrap Presentation This looks particularly nice on a piece of slate or a dark plate. Also, give the sandwich a light smash so that the ingredients get pressed together. It makes it much easier to eat. Time Management Start with the tomato and while it is hanging out in the colander, prep all the other ingredients. The sandwich will come together quickly that way. I sometimes make these as picnic sandwiches because they can sit while I am traveling to the picnic site. Complementary Food and Drinks Serve this with a glass of sparkling water and finish it with a lemon sorbet. Where to Shop You can pretty much find any of these ingredients at most grocery stores, except for the bread and olives. Any sort of oil cured black olive will do for this recipe and if you can’t find any of those, go with some kalamatas. For the bread, you just need a rustic loaf of round bread. Usually, a bakery will have this and if they don’t, you can use any crusty, rustic bread you can get your hands on. Don’t worry if it is not round. If it’s a long loaf, just cut it into about a 7” long piece. Approximate cost per serving is $3.00. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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How It Works This is basically a Nicoise salad in a sandwich. It’s got fennel for brightness, cucumber to cool the salad, red pepper for sweetness and a full mouth feel, and salted tomatoes. Salting the tomatoes pulls out some of the water in them, condensing their flavor. The traditional sandwich has tuna, anchovies, and hardboiled eggs, so in our version, we use chopped chickpeas, seaweed, and salt for the tuna, a tofu scramble for the hardboiled eggs, and capers for the anchovies. The sandwich is finished off with a liberal amount of dressing, which will soak into the bread as it sits. Chef’s Notes This sandwich takes a bit of effort to make, but it’s all chopping and slicing, and it is totally worth it. It feels refreshing and satisfying at the same time, with shots of saltiness from the capers and olives, sweetness from the tomatoes and bell pepper, aromatic qualities from the fennel, acidity from the mustard and vinegar, and lushness from the scramble, olive oil, and soaked bread. Make an extra sandwich and have another the next day! Nutrition Facts (per serving) Calories 795 Calories from Fat 315 Fat 35 g Total Carbohydrates 94 g Dietary Fiber 17 g Sugars 13 g Protein 26 g Salt 675 mg Interesting Facts Pan bagnat is a Provencal term for bathed bread.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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Po’ Boy Serves: 2 Time to Prepare: 10 minutes Ingredients The Seitan 2 cups of seitan, sliced (if you don’t want to use seitan, you can use 2 large sliced portabellas) Optional Bake and Simmer Method Enough water to cover the seitan in a small baking dish ¼ of an onion, chopped 1 stalk of celery, sliced ½ of a green bell pepper, chopped 6 cloves of garlic ½ tsp. of salt ½ tsp. of black pepper ½ tsp. of cayenne ½ tsp. of dry mustard The Gravy ½ of a yellow onion, sliced 1 tsp. of vegan margarine or olive oil 1 tbsp. of flour Water (about 1 cup) or the leftover flavoring liquid from the Bake and Simmer Method ¼ tsp. of salt ½ tsp. of freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp. of fresh thyme leaves Option: 2 tbsp. of red wine with the water or 1 tbsp. of “beef” bouillon The Dressing and Fixings 1 cup of shredded lettuce 1 large tomato, sliced Creole mustard (see Creole Mustard recipe on page 145) Option: ¼ cup of vegan mayo The Bread 12” to 14” long loaf of French bread Instructions You can use the seitan as is or you can bake it to create a more authentic flavor using the following instructions. Combine all the ingredients from the Bake and Simmer Method in a small baking dish, along with the seitan and enough water to cover it. Give everything a stir, cover the dish, and bake it at 350 F for about 1 hour. Remove the seitan from the liquid and veggies (save these for use in another recipe). Slice a yellow onion as thin as you can get it. Over a medium high heat, sauté the onion in the margarine until it heavily caramelizes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the flour, stirring and cooking for about 2 minutes. Add the water and stir until the flour thickens the water. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
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Add the salt, pepper, thyme, and optional ingredients, reduce the heat to medium low, and cook this for about 5 minutes. Shred the lettuce and slice the tomato. Cut the French bread in half to make two sandwiches. Cut it open enough to fold the bread open without slicing all the way through it. Fill it with the seitan, vegan mayo, Creole mustard, and gravy, and top with the lettuce and tomato. French fries are a popular addition to this sandwich. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
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Kitchen Equipment Cutting Board Knife Serrated Knife Saute Pan Measuring Cup Measuring Spoon Presentation Serve this sandwich right away or else you will end up with sandwich mush. Time Management If you just use straight seitan without baking it, this sandwich will come together quickly. Watch the flour to make sure it doesn’t burn, but while the onions are cooking and the gravy is simmering, you can get together all the other components. If you don’t feel like making Creole mustard, feel free to substitute Dijon mustard. Complementary Food and Drinks Garlic and parsley French fries dressed with a touch of cayenne would be perfect for this sandwich. Sometimes, French fries are even served inside the sandwich in some po’boy shops. Where to Shop Trader Joe’s Beefless Strips are perfect for this if you want to use store‐bought seitan. If you don’t have access to that, any hearty seitan will do, especially if you can get it sliced thin. The crustier the French bread, the better it will work for this sandwich. Approximate cost per serving is $3.50. How It Works A traditional po’boy uses a roast beef that is baked with all the ingredients from the Bake and Simmer Method part of this recipe, so the seitan is almost a direct translation from the original. It infuses the seitan with pungency, sweetness, and heat, creating an explosion of flavor in the sandwich. The gravy is an easy onion gravy darkened by the heavy caramelization of the onion, which is where the gravy gets most of its flavor. Flour is added after the onion cooks in order to toast. This flour in turn thickens the liquid into a lightly viscous gravy. That lets it cling to the sandwich instead of just run all over and soak the bread. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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Chef’s Notes I always use the bake and simmer method for this sandwich. Even without it, the sandwich is good, but with it, it’s spectacular. Nutritional Facts (individual servings) Calories 560 Calories from Fat 108 Fat 12 g Total Carbohydrates 55 g Dietary Fiber 6 g Sugars 1 g Protein 58 g Salt 774 mg
Interesting Facts A variation on the po’boy is the Vietnamese po’boy, created by New Orleans’ Vietnamese population.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
Sandwiches |112
White Bean 5RDVWHG 5HG 3HSSHUSub Serves: 3 sandwiches Time to Prepare: 45 minutes if making the bean balls from scratch, or about 15 minutes if they are premade Ingredients White Bean Balls One 15 oz. can of white beans, drained and rinsed One 3 oz. package of sundried tomatoes 3‐4 green onions, finely minced 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika 1 ½ cup of old fashioned oatmeal, pulsed in a food processor One 3 to 4 inch piece of rosemary, stem removed 8‐10 basil leaves Salt and pepper to taste Red Pepper Sandwich Spread 2 large roasted red peppers 15 kalamata olives 10 green olives stuffed with garlic 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons cup white balsamic vinegar 3 tablespoons tomato paste ½ cup chopped fire roasted tomatoes 1 small jar of capers, drained 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 cloves of garlic ½ teaspoon pepper Other Ingredients and Final Assembly 1 large tomato, cut into slices 1 cup of lettuce, cut into ribbons, or 1 cup of arugula ¼ a small red onion, cut into slices One batch of the White Bean Balls, divided 3 ways One batch of the Red Pepper Sandwich Spread, divided 3 ways 1 baguette about 18” long, sliced open almost all the way through Instructions Making the White Bean Balls In a food processor, quickly pulse the old fashioned oatmeal. Add the drained rinsed white beans. If not already done, finely chop the sundried tomatoes. Remove the stem from the rosemary and mince the leaves. Cut the basil leaves into ribbons. Slice them all thinly, and add them to the bowl with a little salt and pepper. Use your hands to mash everything together, adding ½ cup of the oatmeal at a time until you get a tight patty that sticks to itself and not you. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Madelyn Pryor
July 2013
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Taking small handfuls, shape into balls that are the size of walnuts. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet and place the bean balls on the sheet, then bake for about 20‐30 minutes until set. Red Pepper Sandwich Spread Place all ingredients in a blender and blend. Final Assembly Cut the baguette into half, length wise. Hollow out a small amount of the bread. Slice the tomatoes, ribbon the lettuce, and slice the red onion. Prepare the white bean ball recipe and the red pepper spread recipe. Place a row of the bean balls in the sub, then the other ingredients. Pour at least 4 tablespoons of the red pepper spread over the sandwich. Cut into 3 pieces and serve.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Madelyn Pryor
July 2013
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Low‐fat Version Reduce the amount of olives by half and eliminate the olive oil. Kitchen Equipment Blender, cookie sheet, oven, knife, cutting board, measuring cups and spoons
Management While the bean balls are baking, prepare the other ingredients. Complementary Food and Drinks Drinks that pair well with this sandwich are a cool glass of lemonade with mint and basil, or a nice red wine. Where to Shop These ingredients should be available in any major supermarket. Chef’s Notes This is a nice, gourmet version of the classic vegan meatball sub that are often seen. This is quick and appeals to the whole family. Nutrition Facts (per serving) Calories Calories from Fat Fat 9 g Total Carbohydrates 101 g Dietary Fiber 19 g Sugars 17 g Protein 27 g Salt 733 mg Interesting Facts The bell pepper is a true member of the pepper family, and the only one to contain no trace of capsicum, the compound that makes other peppers hot. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Madelyn Pryor
July 2013
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Tartine d’Aubergine Serves: 4 Time to Prepare: 45 minutes plus time to marinade the eggplant Ingredients 1 medium sized eggplant, sliced and marinated (see marinade below) ¼ cup of olive oil ¼ cup of lemon juice ¼ tsp. of salt 1 tbsp. of lavender ¼ tsp. of freshly ground pepper 4 cloves of garlic, smashed 4 large slices of French bread ½ tsp. of saffron Olive oil for brushing the bread 4 thin slices of fennel 1 large heirloom tomato, sliced ¼ cup of pitted Nicoise olives or almond stuffed green olives Instructions Slice the eggplant into 1” slabs. Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, lavender, pepper, and garlic. Marinate the sliced eggplant in this mix for at least 6 hours, but preferably over night. Slice the fennel and tomato thinly. Grill the eggplant until it has black grill lines on both sides (this should only take a couple minutes per side as the eggplant will already be soft form the marinade). Option: Bake the eggplant on 425 degrees F for 30 minutes instead of grilling it. Slice the French bread into thick slices just a bit longer and wider than the eggplant slices. Brush it with the saffron and olive oil. Toast this bread in the oven while the eggplant is baking until it is golden brown. Top the bread with a slice of eggplant, slice of fennel, slice of tomato, and a few olives. Option: You can grill the eggplant and bread instead of baking them. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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Low‐fat Version Omit the olive oil from the marinade and use a high quality white wine vinegar instead. Kitchen Equipment Bowl for the marinade Measuring Cup Measuring Spoon Large Knife for the eggplant Serrated Knife for the bread Cutting Board Grill or Oven Metal Spatula or Baking Dish
Time Management Set up the eggplant and marinade the night before you do this sandwich so it has plenty of time to marinate. If you don’t plan ahead for it that much, but still want to do it, bake the eggplant for fifteen minutes in the marinade. Complementary Food and Drinks Serve this with a small salad dressed with the same type of olives you used for the sandwich, a few sundried tomatoes, and a light touch of olive oil. Where to Shop When purchasing the eggplant, make sure the skin is firm, not wrinkled. The fennel should have a bright color to it and no browning at the base. The lavender can be found at World Market, Sprouts, at your local spice store, and occasionally in the spice section of your local market. For the olives, go to a store with an olive bar for the best price. Price per serving is approximately $1.50. How It Works Marinating the eggplant softens it and infuses it with all of the marinade flavors. The olive oil makes it rich, the lemon juice adds tartness and the acidity of it helps the marinade flavors penetrate the eggplant, the lavender gives a bright floral aroma to the eggplant, and the salt brings out all the flavors. The eggplant is finished off on the grill for a subtle smoky effect. Fennel is added for a strong aromatic flavor and is sliced thinly so it does not texturally interfere with the eggplant. The tomato lends a slightly sweet, acidic flavor while the olives balance everything with a shot of saltiness. The bread is brushed with oil and saffron so it toasts properly and takes on a light saffron color. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
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Chef’s Notes I was incredibly surprised at how well the lavender worked with sandwich and how much the marinade softened the eggplant. It was so soft, I even considered not cooking it. Nutritional Facts (per serving) Calories 221 Calories from Fat 81 Fat 9 g Total Carbohydrates 30 g Dietary Fiber 6 g Sugars 5 g Protein 5 g Salt 373 mg Interesting Facts A tartine is an open faced sandwich.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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Tempeh Morel Meatball Sub in Sundried Tomato Sauce Serves: 2 big sandwiches Time to Prepare: 1 hour (includes time to bake the meatballs) Ingredients The Meatballs 12 oz. of tempeh, ground ¼ cup of dried morels, rehydrated (save the rehydrating liquid) 6 cloves of garlic, minced 1 tbsp. of minced fresh flat leaf parsley 1 cup of cubed bread ½ tsp. of salt 2 tsp. of olive oil The Sauce ½ of a yellow onion, diced 4 Roma tomatoes, chopped 2 Roma tomatoes and ¼ cup of sundried tomatoes, pureed 2 tsp. of olive oil ¼ tsp. of salt 1 tbsp. of capers The Bread and Toppings 2 long sandwich rolls, cut open to create a pocket 2 tbsp. of smashed pine nuts Option: 3 tbsp. of vegan pesto spread on the bread Instructions Rehydrate the morels in warm water. Pulse the tempeh in a food processor until it falls apart into small pieces. Add the morels and pulse a few more times. Transfer this to a mixing bowl. Mince the garlic and parsley and transfer these to the mixing bowl. Cube the bread and place it in a separate mixing bowl. Moisten it with the morel‐infused rehydrating water and smash the bread. Add the bread, salt, and olive oil to the tempeh bowl and mix everything by hand. Form into meatballs. Lightly oil a cupcake or muffin tin and place one meatball in each. Bake them at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Dice the onion and chop the tomatoes. Puree the 2 Romas with the sundried tomatoes. Over a medium heat, sauté the onion in the oil until it browns. Add the chopped tomatoes and salt and continue sautéing until the tomatoes are soft. Add the sundried tomato sauce and capers and stir. Immediately add the tempeh morel meatballs and cook one more minute. Open the sandwich rolls. Smash the pine nuts and fill each roll with the meatball tomato mix and top with smashed pine nuts. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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Low‐fat Version Omit the oil from the meatballs and sauté the onion in a dry pan instead of using the oil. Kitchen Equipment 2 Mixing Bowls Muffin or Cupcake Tin Food Processor Knife Cutting Board Sauté Pan Stirring Spoon Measuring Cup Measuring Spoon Presentation It may be fancy, elevated version of a meatball sub, but I serve this just like bar food in a basket! Time Management Start the meatballs, then make the sauce while they are baking. The meatballs freeze very well, so feel free to make a double or triple batch of them. Complementary Food and Drinks Serve this with a shaved fennel and olive salad. Where to Shop You may need to head to a gourmet store or a place like Whole Foods to get dried morels. If you can’t find them, try chopped shiitakes instead. All of the other ingredients are fairly common. Approximate cost per serving is $4.00. How It Works Tempeh, when pulsed, breaks up into crumbles that are the perfect size for meatballs. The morels give the meatballs a very earthy, hearty taste. The bread is moistened with the rehydrating water to impart even more of a morel taste and it is smashed and mixed with the crumbles to act as a binding agent. Oil is used to give them a smooth mouth feel and they are baked to tighten them up. I like the muffin tins because it keeps the meatballs separate and helps them retain their shape. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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The sauce is a standard tomato sauce, except that it has a sundried tomato puree added to it. I blend the sundried tomatoes with Romas because the Romas have enough natural moisture to allow the sundried tomatoes to turn into a puree. Otherwise, you would have to use water, which would dilute some of the flavor. Finally, the pine nuts are smashed so that they can serve as a tasty substitute for parmesan cheese. Chef’s Notes I’m a sucker for a meatball sub. I usually end up making a double batch of the meatballs for this recipe, so I can have a second sandwich later, but to be honest, I usually end up eating all the meatballs right away. Nutrition Facts (per serving) Calories 955 Calories from Fat 351 Fat 39 g Total Carbohydrates 106 g Dietary Fiber 21 g Sugars 10 g Protein 45 g Salt 983 mg Interesting Facts Because morels vary greatly in appearance, the type of morel can be hard to identify in the wild.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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Tofu Steak Sandwich Serves: 2 Time to Prepare: 10 minutes + 6 hours to marinate the tofu Ingredients 8 oz. of super firm tofu, sliced into ½” slabs 2 parts soy sauce 1 part rice vinegar ½ of a yellow onion, sliced into thin strips 4 Roma tomatoes, chopped 2 tsp. of olive oil Water 1/8 tsp. of salt 2 panini rolls Sriracha to taste Instructions Slice the tofu into ½” slabs. Marinate them in 2 parts soy sauce and 1 part rice vinegar, using just enough liquid to cover the tofu slabs (this will vary based on the shape of the bowl in which you marinate them, which is why no precise measurements are given for the marinade) for at least 2 hours, but preferably 6. When they are done marinating, pat them dry, but don’t press them. Slice the onion and chop the tomatoes. Over a medium high heat, sauté the onion in the oil until they are heavily browned. Add a splash of water to the pan, stir quickly, and let the water evaporate. Add the tomatoes and salt to the pan and sauté everything for about 3 minutes. Remove all this from the pan and set it aside, then return the pan to the burner. Over a medium high heat, in the same pan in which you just sautéed the veggies, add the tofu slabs. Sauté each side of the tofu slab for about 2 minutes, gently flipping it over with a spatula. Remove them and set them aside. Cut the panini rolls in half and toast the cut sides in the same sauté pan for about 30 seconds. Spread sriracha on the bottom halves of the rolls, then add the tofu, and then the tomato and onion mixture, top it with the other half of the roll, and serve. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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Low‐fat Version Omit the oil when sautéing the onions, sautéing in a dry pan instead. Everything else works the same, though I would reduce the heat to medium when cooking the tofu. Kitchen Equipment Bowl for marinating the tofu Knife Cutting Board Sauté Pan Spatula Stirring Spoon Plate to hold ingredients when you set them aside Presentation You can finish the sandwich off in a panini press if you want to create a denser bread and nice black lines on it, but I usually just want to dig into the sandwich. Time Management Be vigilant once you get the tofu into the pan. There will be some residual tomato bits on the pan and they may burn if you let them sit too long, which in turn will burn them onto your tofu. If you see them start to blacken, add a splash of water to the pan. If you are not in the mood to wait to marinate the tofu, you can easily make this sandwich without the marinating process. Add in 2 tbsp. of soy sauce when you add in your splash of water on the onions. It won’t be quite as good, but you also don’t have to wait six hours for the marinade to work. Complementary Food and Drinks This goes incredibly well with an avocado mango salad. Where to Shop Super firm tofu is an incredibly dense tofu, much more so than extra firm. That’s why it makes such a good sandwich ingredient. I typically get mine at Trader Joe’s, along with the panini rolls (which are really just a fluffy torpedo‐shaped bread), but you can get the tofu at places like Sprouts and Whole Foods, as well. If you can’t find a panini roll, don’t worry. You can substitute just about any long sandwich roll for it. Approximate cost per serving is $3.25. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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How It Works The marinade uses soy sauce for a salty dark flavor, giving the tofu a meatier taste while the rice vinegar not only gives a pop to the flavor of the tofu, but uses its acidity to help the marinade works its way into the dense patty. The onions are sautéed over a medium high heat so that they quickly caramelize and then a splash of water is added to pick up all the caramelization from the pan, turn it into a sauce, which then recoats the onions before the water evaporates. The tofu is sautéed in the same pan so that it can pick up the residual flavor from the onion and tomatoes. Chef’s Notes This sandwich is based on one of the first vegan sandwiches I ever had at a place in Tempe, AZ called Plaid Eatery. It’s simple, filling, and all the flavors work together to make it an extremely satisfying meal. Nutrition Facts (per serving) Calories 413 Calories from Fat 117 Fat 13 g Total Carbohydrates 54 g Dietary Fiber 6 g Sugars 6 g Protein 20 g Salt 505 mg Interesting Facts The most widely accepted origin story of tofu was that it was first created in 146 BCE by Liu An of the Han Dynasty.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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Apple Pie Panini Serves: 4 Time to Prepare: About 30 minutes for all elements Ingredients Ginger Pecan Butter 4 oz. of pecans, unsalted and roasted 1 ½ tbsp. of oil 2 tbsp. of minced fresh ginger ½ tsp. of salt 3 tbsp. of candied ginger Apple Pie Filling 2 large granny smith sliced and cored 1/3 cup of granulated sugar 2 tablespoons of cornstarch ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg ¼ teaspoon allspice ¼ teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 ¼ cups water The Final Sandwich 4 panini wheat rolls 1 recipe of Ginger Pecan Butter ¼ cup of Apple Pie Filling 1 medium apple, cored and sliced thin Instructions Making the Ginger Pecan Butter Method 1: Place all ingredients in a food processor and process on a low setting for 5‐10 minutes, until the mixture comes together in a ball. Method 2: If you have a powerful blender, process slowly using your tamper if available for 5‐ 10 minutes until the mixture is smooth. Making the Apple Pie Filling Add all ingredients to a pot and stir so thoroughly combined. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for an additional 10 minutes, until the apples are slightly tender. Remove from heat, and use for the sandwiches. Any excess allow to cool, and place in an airtight container. Finishing the Sandwich Cut the roll in half. Spread both sides with the ginger pecan butter. Add ¼ cup of the apple pie filling. Top with the fresh apple. Heat a skillet over medium heat. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Madelyn Pryor
July 2013
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Using a sandwich press, press your sandwich and cook it approximately 5‐8 minutes on each side until the bread is toasted. Remove from heat and allow it to cool slightly before cutting. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Madelyn Pryor
July 2013
Sandwiches |126
Low‐fat Version Add just a little bit of water instead of the oil to the pecan butter. You will need to use this nut butter immediately.
Kitchen Equipment Blender or food processor, knife, cutting board, measuring cups and spoons, Panini press, pot, and spatula
Time Management Start the apples cooking, then make your nut butter. By the time they are both done, start the Panini press heating while you split the sandwich bread. Complementary Food and Drinks I think my favorite drink with this is a cool almond milk latte, because the slight bitterness of the coffee and nuttiness of the almond milk pair well. Where to Shop These ingredients should be at most major grocery stores and the panini rolls are at Trader Joes. How It Works By slowly grinding the nuts you release their natural oils which creates the creaminess of the nut butter. The hot Panini press melts everything together, and toasts the bread for extra depth of flavor. Chef’s Notes For the ginger pecan butter what you need for this recipe is patience. If you don’t have it, you can burn out your appliance. It has happened to friends. Also, understand this will not produce the smooth, creamy, processed nut butter from the store, but that is a good thing! Nutrition Facts (per serving) Calories 468 Calories from Fat 144 Fat 16 g Total Carbohydrates 74 g Dietary Fiber 7 g Sugars 36 g Protein 7 g Salt 607 mg The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Madelyn Pryor
July 2013
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Interesting Facts We think apple pie is American, but the recipe dates back to the 14th century!
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Madelyn Pryor
July 2013
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Chocolate Marzipan Mini-cookie Sandwiches Serves: about 50 mini‐cookie sandwiches Time to Prepare: 30 minutes + time for the cookie sandwiches to cool Ingredients Cookies 1 cup semisweet vegan chocolate chips ¾ cup non‐hydrogenated vegan butter 2/3 cup sugar 2 tablespoons nondairy milk 2 cups all purpose flour ¾ teaspoon baking soda Filling ¼ cup almond paste ¼ cup non‐hydrogenated vegan butter ¼ cup powdered sugar Instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and oil cookie sheets, using insulated sheets if possible or lining standard sheets with parchment before oiling Melt the chocolate and butter together. Stir in the sugar and milk. Combine the flour, sugar and baking soda in a large bowl. Add the chocolate mixture to the flour mixture. Use a teaspoon measuring spoon as a scoop. Scoop out teaspoons of the mixture and place flat side down on the baking sheet. Bake for 7‐8 minutes (cookies will not be firm, but will puff up while baking and settle after cooling). Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets. To make the filling, beat together all the ingredients. Keep the filling refrigerated until ready to use. Fill the cookies, using the tops as the outsides of the sandwiches. Filled cookies are best kept in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe Sharon Valencik * www.sweetutopia.com
July 2013
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Chef’s Notes These simple cookies are chewy and chocolaty, and the filling gives them a sophisticated almond flair. Nutrition Facts (per cookie) Calories 93 Calories from Fat 45 Fat 5 g Total Carbohydrates 11 g Dietary Fiber 1 g Sugars 6 g Protein 1 g Salt 37 mg
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe Sharon Valencik * www.sweetutopia.com
July 2013
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Arugula Pesto Type: Sauce Serves: Makes 2 cups Time to Prepare: 5‐10 minutes Ingredients 3‐4 cloves of garlic 1 bag of arugula, about 6‐8 oz or 6‐8 loose cups of arugula 4 oz. or 3‐4 loosely packed cups of basil 1 cup of walnuts 2‐4 tablespoons of olive oil ½ cup fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper More water as needed to blend Instructions Place all ingredients in blender, process until smooth, adding more water as needed.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Madelyn Pryor
July 2013
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Low‐fat Version The fat in this comes from the olive oil and walnuts. To reduce the fat content replace the olive oil with water. Kitchen Equipment Measuring Cup Measuring Spoon Blender Presentation Not applicable. Complementary Food and Drinks This is lovely on spaghetti squash, in sandwiches, or on other pasta. I love to pair it with fresh tomatoes and olives. Where to Shop You should be able to find these ingredients at any major grocery store, but I often get these ingredients at Trader Joes since they have the best prices on these items in my area. How It Works The oil and water emulsify creating a lovely creaminess to the pesto. This also helps smooth out some of the bitterness from the arugula. Baby arugula works best because it is light on the bitterness. Chef’s Notes This was a happy accident recipe. I wanted something special about the pesto for my latest sandwich and then I spotted the arugula. Pairing it with the basil gives the sandwich a wonderful flavor! Nutrition Facts (per half‐cup) Calories 455 Calories from Fat 387 Fat 43 g Total Carbohydrates 10 g Dietary Fiber 4 g Sugars 2 g Protein 7 g Salt 581 mg The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Madelyn Pryor
July 2013
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Interesting Facts Arugula cultivation dates back to Rome, and people of this area believed it was an aphrodisiac.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Madelyn Pryor
July 2013
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Coconut Bacon Serves: 4 Time to Prepare: 8 hours Ingredients 2 cups coconut meat (from 3 to 4 Thai baby coconuts) 3 tablespoons nama shoyu or Bragg Liquid Aminos 2 tablespoons olive oil A few drops of liquid smoke flavoring (optional) Instructions When scraping the meat out of your coconuts, try to keep pieces as large as possible. Clean the meat by running your fingers over its surface, picking off any pieces of hard husk. Rinse with filtered water as a last step, and drain well. Place the coconut meat in a mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Toss to mix well. Lay the meat in a single layer on two 14‐inch square Excalibur Dehydrator trays. Dehydrate for 6 to 8 hours at 104°F. The length of time will depend on how thick your coconut meat is. Check it and dry it to your liking. Don’t overdehydrate, because the more you dry it, the more it will shrink, and you’ll be left with only a small amount of bacon. Options: Replace the smoke flavor with herbs and spices to make different flavors. Try chipotle powder, garlic, dill, or oregano. Chef’s Notes Thai baby coconut is a favorite raw food for its electrolyte‐rich living water. Plus, the inside of each coconut is lined with the coconut meat used to make this recipe. The thickness of each coconut’s meat varies from thinner, more translucent in color, and gelatinous in consistency to harder, whiter, and thicker—sometimes up to ¼‐inch thick. The thicker meats make for better bacon, only because it shrinks a lot during dehydration. Adding a few drops of liquid smoke will give your bacon a barbecue flavor. Nutrition Facts (per serving) Calories 307 Calories from Fat 279 Fat 31 g Total Carbohydrates 6 g Dietary Fiber 4 g Sugars 3 g Protein 1 g Salt 433 mg The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Ani Phyo * www.aniphyo.com
July 2013
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Roasted Garlic Sauce Serves: Makes ½ cup Time to Prepare: 15 minute Ingredients 20 cloves of garlic, pan roasted ½ tsp. of salt ½ cup of white vinegar 1 tsp. of olive oil To make this into a hot sauce, add 10‐12 chiles tepin or 15 chiles de arbol. To make this into a creamy garlic sauce, add ¼ cup of vegan mayo or silken tofu. Instructions Bring a dry pan (preferably a cast iron skillet) to a medium heat. Add 20 whole garlic cloves (ideally with the paper still on them). Keep them on the heat, flipping them every couple of minutes, until the paper on the outer curve blackens. If you are using already peeled garlic, let it go a dark brown, but not completely black. Let them garlic cool and peel it. Puree all the ingredients.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
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Low‐fat Version Omit the oil.
Raw Version You can make a raw version using raw apple cider vinegar. Let this sit for at least a day for the vinegar to meld with the garlic. Kitchen Equipment Cast Iron Skillet Tongs Measuring Cup Measuring Spoon Blender Time Management Pay particular attention to the garlic after about 5 minutes to make sure that the garlic doesn’t burn. It is ok for the paper to blacken, but if the garlic starts to harden, get it out of the pan immediately. Complementary Food and Drinks This is meant to be used with Mexican sandwiches. Where to Shop All of these ingredients are fairly common, but keep in mind that the vinegar is a huge part of the recipe and the quality of it will directly impact the sauce’s flavor. How It Works The garlic is pan roasted because that creates a flavor profile with elements of both oven‐roasted garlic and sautéed garlic. White vinegar is used for its pure taste and because the sauce is meant to lend acidity to a sandwich. A touch of oil helps smooth out the flavor.s Chef’s Notes I originally created the hot sauce version of this for a taco, but it was so good, I realized I could turn this into a straight garlic sauce to use on sandwiches. Nutrition Facts (per serving) Calories 132 The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
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Calories from Fat 36 Fat 4 g Total Carbohydrates 20 g Dietary Fiber 1 g Sugars 1 g Protein 4 g Salt 1165 mg Interesting Facts Many white vinegars are produced from a base ingredient other than grapes, even though the word vinegar is derived from the word for wine (“vin”).
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Ketchup There are several ketchups you can make at some variations you can play with to use for home. Considering that many commercial your sandwiches and burgers. The basic one is ketchups use corn syrup or a host of an upscale, healthier version of Heinz while preservatives, making your own ketchup is a the other ones each have a taste of ketchup as great way to make a clean product. Plus, you the base, but with a bunch of other flavors that transform them into their own unique can do some interesting things with it and it tastes great! Below is a basic ketchup and version. Basic Ketchup 2 pounds of sweet tomatoes, like cherry tomatoes, chopped ¼ cup of white vinegar 1 onion, minced 4 cloves of garlic, minced ¼ cup of brown sugar 1 tsp. of salt Pinch of allspice (about 1/8 tsp.) Chop the tomatoes and mince the onion and garlic. Over a medium heat, sauté the onion in a dry pan until it softens, but not to the point where it browns. Add the garlic and sauté 2 more minutes. Add the remainder of the ingredients and turn the heat to medium‐low. Cook this for about 4 hours, letting it reduce until you have about 1 ½ to 2 cups of condensed tomatoes. Let this cool and puree it. Quick Ketchup 1 cup of tomato paste ¼ cup of water 3 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar 1 ½ tbsp. of agave ½ tsp. of salt ½ tsp. of onion powder ¼ tsp. of garlic powder Combine all the ingredients until smooth. Roasted Tomato Ketchup 8‐10 large tomatoes, roasted 3 lemons, roasted 1 whole onion, roasted 8 whole cloves of garlic, roasted 2 tbsp. of olive oil ¼ cup of tomato paste 2 tbsp. of molasses The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipes by Chef Jason Wyrick
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1 tsp. of salt Toss the tomatoes, lemons, onion, and garlic in the oil. Make sure to keep all of these ingredients whole. Place them in a baking dish and cover it with foil. Roast the veggies on 450 F for 25 minutes, removing the garlic after about 20 minutes. Juice the roasted lemons. Puree the roasted lemon juice with all the other ingredients.
Curry Ketchup 1 cup of the Quick Ketchup 2 tbsp. of yellow curry powder Option: 2 tsp. of cumin seeds, toasted Combine the ketchup with the curry powder and let it sit for about 20 minutes before serving it to let all the flavors meld. If you want a deeper flavor, toast the cumin seeds and then grind them, adding the toasted cumin powder when you add the curry powder.
Sundried Tomato Ketchup 3 Roma tomatoes, chopped 1 ½ cups of sundried tomatoes 2 cloves of garlic ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar ½ tsp. of salt ¾ tsp. of black pepper Chop the tomatoes. Cook them down in a pot over a medium heat, until they are completely soft. Puree all the ingredients. Salty and Spicy Ketchup ½ cup of tomato paste 2 tbsp. of maple syrup 3 tbsp. of soy sauce 2 tbsp. of Louisiana hot sauce Combine all the ingredients. This is ready to serve right away.
Green Tomato Ketchup 2 pounds of green tomatoes, chopped 1 onion, minced 3 tbsp. of agave syrup ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar 1 tsp. of salt 2 tbsp. of coriander seeds, toasted 1 tsp. of brown mustard seeds, toasted The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipes by Chef Jason Wyrick
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Chop the tomatoes and mince the onion. Over a medium heat, cook the tomatoes and onion together in a pot until they are completely soft, then keep cooking them until the tomatoes reduced to about half their original volume. Toast the coriander seeds in a dry pan over a medium heat until they pop. Repeat this with the mustard seeds (this will happen very quickly). Grind the coriander and mustard into a powder. Puree all the ingredients for the ketchup until you have a smooth sauce.
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Mayo, Aioli, and More Making your own mayo is easy, even coming close to duplicating the best commercial brands. If you want convenience, by all means use a commercial vegan brand of mayo, but if you want more control of the ingredients for
health reasons, or you simply want to have an interesting homemade may, the following recipes are perfect for you. Refrigerated and jarred, most of these mayos should last about a month.
Basic Mayo 1 cup of plain unsweetened soymilk 2 ¼ cups of canola or peanut oil (use olive oil for an Italian version of Mayo) Juice of 1 lemon ½ tsp. of apple cider vinegar ½ tsp. of agave 1 tsp. of salt ¼ tsp. of mustard powder Blend this at a high speed until everything emulsifies. Jar it and store in your refrigerator for up to a month.
Basic Healthier Mayo 8 oz. package of firm silken tofu 1 tsp. of apple cider vinegar 1 tsp. of agave ¼ tsp. of salt ¼ tsp. of mustard powder Puree until smooth. Aioli Juice of 2 lemons 3 cloves of garlic ¾ cup of vegan mayo ¾ tsp. of salt Juice the lemons. Puree all the ingredients, making sure that you put the garlic in the blender first. Option: Instead of pureeing everything, bash the garlic with a mortar and pestle and mix by hand for a more complex layer of flavor. Raw Nut‐based Aioli – recipe by Ani Phyo This creamy, rich, smooth mayonnaise with a garlic kick can be used in sandwiches, burgers, and wraps—you won’t even miss the version full of animal products! The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipes by Chef Jason Wyrick
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1 cup macadamia, cashew, and/or pine nuts ¾ cup filtered water, or as needed 1 teaspoon minced garlic, or to taste ½ teaspoon sea salt Blend all the ingredients into a smooth mayonnaise, adding more water as needed to produce your desired consistency.Store for 4 to 5 days in a tightly lidded glass jar in the fridge.
Chipotle Mayo ¾ cup of mayo 1 chipotle in adobo 1 tsp. of the adobo sauce ¼ tsp. of salt Option: ½ tsp. of agave for a hot and sweet effect Puree all the ingredients.
Salted Lime Mayo Zest of 2 limes Juice of 1 lime ¾ cup of mayo ½ tsp. of large grain flakey sea salt Zest the limes and juice one of them. By hand, thoroughly combine all the ingredients. This should be done by hand and not in the blender to keep the sea salt grains intact.
Lemon Tarragon Mayo Zest of 1 large lemon Juice of 1 large lemon 1 tbsp. of minced fresh tarragon 1 ½ tsp. of poppy seeds Combine all the ingredients by hand.
Roasted Garlic Mayo 8 cloves of roasted garlic ¾ cup of mayo ¼ tsp. of salt Either toss the cloves in olive oil and a pinch of salt and roast them in a covered dish at 400 F for 20 minutes or roast the cloves in a dry pan over a medium heat until they paper blackens, then peel them. Puree the garlic, mayo, and salt. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipes by Chef Jason Wyrick
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Mustards In England, which was famous for its mustard during the Medieval period, mustard seed would be ground and mixed with flour, salt, and cinnamon. It would then be slightly moistened, formed into balls, and stored for later use. Mix the mustard ball with water and you had mustard sauce. Fortunately, mustard making has come a long way! Mustards get better as they sit. It lets the acidity in the mustard pull all the flavors together and creates more complexity in the
sauce. Because all of these are very acidic, they will keep for at least six months if you jar them and refrigerate them. Also, mustard seeds are bitter when first ground, but will mellow out over the course of several days. You can easily buy some of these mustards in a store, but I think they are fun and easy to make and you can create some interesting flavors by playing around with the ingredients in your homemade version.
Classic Yellow Mustard ½ cup of yellow mustard seeds 1 tsp. of flour ½ tsp. of salt ¼ cup of water 3 tbsp. of white vinegar Grind the mustard seeds in a blender or spice grinder until you have ¼ cup of mustard powder. Combine the mustard powder, flour, and salt together. Whisk in the water and vinegar until the mixture is smooth. Over a medium heat in a small pot, bring the mustard to a simmer. Once it is simmering, simmer it for 5 minutes. Remove it from the heat, let it stop simmering, then cover the pot with a lid until the mustard completely cools. Option: If you want this to turn a very yellow color, add in about 1/8 tsp. of turmeric.
Brown Mustard ½ cup + 2 tbsp. of brown mustard seeds ¼ tsp. of ground cinnamon ¼ tsp. of ground nutmeg ½ tsp. of salt Just under ½ cup of apple cider vinegar 2 tbsp. of agave Over a medium heat, toast the seeds until they start to pop. Remove them from the heat and reserve 2 tbsp. of seeds. Grind the remaining seeds into mustard powder. Combine this with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Combine this with the vinegar and agave. Jar this and let it sit in the refrigerator at least one day, but preferably two before using. This is because the brown mustard seeds are a bit bitter and this gives them time to mellow out. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipes by Chef Jason Wyrick
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Dijon Mustard ½ of a white onion, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, sliced (not minced) 1 cup of dry white wine 1 cup of yellow mustard seeds 1 ½ tbsp. of agave 2 tsp. of olive oil ¾ tsp. of salt Chop the onion and slice the garlic. Bring the wine to a simmer and add the onion and garlic. Simmer these for 5‐7 minutes until they are soft. Place a fine mesh colander over a cup to catch the liquid and pour this through the colander into the cup. Discard the onion and garlic. Grind the seeds into powder. Combine the onion and garlic flavored wine, agave, oil, and salt with the mustard powder. Jar this and refrigerate it. It needs to age for about four weeks before it is ready to use.
Chinese Hot Mustard ½ cup of yellow mustard seeds 1 tsp. of wasabi or horseradish powder ½ tsp. of salt ¼ cup of boiling water 1 tbsp. of peanut oil Grind the mustard seeds until you have a powder and place it in a small mixing bowl along with the wasabi or horseradish powder and salt. Bring the water to a boil and pour it over the mustard powder. Quickly add the oil and whisk until smooth.
Spicy Beer Mustard 1 cup of stout beer ¼ cup of brown sugar ¼ cup of yellow mustard seeds ¼ cup +1 tbsp. of brown mustard seeds ½ cup of apple cider vinegar 1 tsp. of salt Pinch of allspice Bring the beer and sugar to a low simmer and stir until the sugar is melted. Combine all the ingredients in a jar and refrigerate them for at least 12 hours. Once this is done, puree all the ingredients into a smooth sauce.
Agave Mustard 2 tbsp. of brown mustard 2 tbsp. of Dijon mustard 2 tbsp. of agave syrup ¼ tsp. of salt Option: 1 tbsp. of vegan mayo if you want sweet creamy mustard The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipes by Chef Jason Wyrick
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Combine all the ingredients.
Whiskey Mustard ¼ cup of brown mustard 2 tsp. of whiskey ¼ tsp. of salt Whisk all the ingredients together and save some whiskey on the side for yourself.
Smokey Pub Mustard 1 clove of garlic, minced ¼ cup of Classic Yellow Mustard 2 tbsp. of nutbrown ale ½ tsp. of hickory smoked salt Mince the garlic. Combine all the ingredients and let them sit for about 5 minutes before serving. Creole Mustard 1 cup of dry white wine 1 clove of garlic, minced 1 tsp. of celery seeds 1 tsp. of allspice or allspice berries ½ tsp. of salt ¼ tsp. of cloves or 3 whole cloves 1/8 tsp. of freshly grated nutmeg 1 cup of yellow mustard seeds 4 tbsp. of vinegar (malt vinegar preferred) Grind the celery seeds and any whole cloves and allspice. In the wine, simmer the garlic, celery seeds, allspice, salt, and cloves for about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow it to sit for at least 30 minutes, but preferably 2 hours. While it is sitting, toast the mustard seeds over a medium heat until they pop. Grind these. Add this mix to the wine reduction along with the vinegar.
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Bean Spreads Bean spreads are perfect for sandwiches, especially ones that need a protein boost. My go to spread is hummus, but if I’m making an Italian sandwich, I usually use the White Bean
Spread and the Mexican Black Bean sauce will go with just about any torta you feel like making.
Hummus 2 cloves of garlic, peeled 1 ½ cups of cooked rinsed chickpeas Juice of 1 lemon 2 tbsp. of tahini ½ tsp. of salt Water as needed Puree all the ingredients. Once you have them pureed, slowly add water 1 tbsp. at a time and blend until you get the texture you desire. You may need to do this when you first start pureeing the ingredients if you don’t have a powerful blender.
White Bean Spread 3 cloves of garlic, peeled 1 ½ cups of cooked rinsed cannellini beans Juice of 1 lemon 3‐4 tbsp. of olive oil ½ tsp. of salt 1 tsp. of fresh thyme ½ tsp. of black pepper Puree all the ingredients.
Mexican Black Bean Sauce 3 cloves of garlic, minced 1 chipotle in adobo, diced 1 tbsp. of adobo sauce 1 ½ cups of black beans with liquid ½ tsp. of salt 1 tsp. of ground cumin 1 tsp. of Mexican oregano Mince the garlic and dice the chipotle. Add all the ingredients to a pan and simmer for about 6‐7 minutes. Using a potato masher, smash the beans until you have a rough textured sauce. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipe by Chef Jason Wyrick
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Breads What’s a sandwich without bread? Gluten‐ free, probably! A sandwich bread should be soft enough that the sandwich is easy to bite down upon without pressing out the ingredients. It should have a light crust and big enough to hold all the ingredients in the sandwich without turning the sandwich into a big ball of bread. Each bread has its own purpose, though if I don’t have the perfect bread, I don’t let that stop me. Sourdoughs are good when you have strong, bold ingredients. Torpedo‐shaped rolls are good when you need to close in big saucy ingredients, like “meatballs.” Ciabatta bread is great when you want a bit of chew to the sandwich to make it hearty and French and Italian rolls are great for subs and travel sandwiches. To be fair, I purchase my bread most of the time, although I do try to get the freshest bread possible and avoid breads with a bunch of ingredients and conditioners. I would rather eat something else than a heavily doctored bread designed to last on a store shelf more than being designed to taste good. Sometimes, however, I get the urge to make my own bread, whether that’s in my indoor oven or my outdoor woodfire oven, and when I do, I almost always save some to the side to make a sandwich with it. The depth it gives to the sandwich is indescribable. Instead of writing a host of different recipes, I have combined all of our bread recipes into one section. Partly, this is for easy reference. The other part is that it would be redundant to give each one its own recipe since they work
so similarly to each other. Most of these recipes make two loaves. It is usually a little easier to work with the ingredients if there are enough of them to make two loaves as opposed to one. It simply creates an easier‐to‐ handle volume. Note that when baking these, they work best on a pizza stone. Tips: Make sure to lightly flour your working surface when you knead dough. If you want to use an electric mixer to knead the dough, you will generally want to let it run at the lower end of the kneading time, so if a recipe says 8‐ 10 minutes, set your mixer to knead for 8 minutes. If you want to develop a crispy crust, place a bowl of water in the bottom of your oven. The steam will make a thin, glossy, crispy crust on the outside of the bread. If you want to make whole wheat versions of the bread (I usually do), try to find the finest grain of whole wheat flour. When letting your bread rise, you may want to lightly oil it and make sure the covering towel is damp. This will keep the exterior of the dough from drying out. Before kneading dough, let it rest for a couple minutes so the flour and water can meld better. This will make the dough easier to work with. Finally, I suggest not adjusting the salt in the recipe. Salt does more than flavor the bread. Chlorine ions from salt bond with gluten molecules and make the gluten firmer, stronger, and more compact. If you use less salt, the knead time and rise times will need to be lowered and the bread won’t be as strong when you are done baking it.
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Ciabatta Bread Ciabatta bread is a chewy, spongy Italian bread. This recipe is underbaked compared to a traditional ciabatta loaf so that it is relatively soft, perfect for a sandwich. I shape these into long rolls for my “meatball” subs and rounds for other types of sandwiches. The Starter 1/8 tsp. of yeast 7 tbsp. of warm water 1 cup of bread flour Additional Ingredients ½ tsp. of yeast 2/3 cup of water 1 tbsp. of 1 tsp. of olive oil 2 cups of bread flour 1 ½ tsp. of salt For the starter, combine the yeast with the water and wait a few minutes for it to foam. Once it does, stir in the bread flour. Cover the bowl and let it sit for about 1 day in a slightly warm place to turn sour. Once it has sat for a day, you can make the bread. Combine the yeast, water, and oil together. Combine the flour and salt. Combine all the ingredients together, including the starter, and mix them until evenly combined. Knead this for about 7‐8 minutes. The dough will still be a bit sticky. Cut it in half and then form it into the shapes you desire. You will want to make these about half the size of what you expect the bread to end up since the dough will expand quite a bit in the oven. Use your fingers to make little dimples in the top of the dough. Lightly flour both sides of the dough and cover it with a towel. Let this rise for about 1 ½ hours. Heat your oven to 425 F. Transfer your dough to the oven and bake for 15 minutes (20 minutes for a non‐sandwich loaf).
French Bread French bread is great for those sandwiches were you want a crispy, thin crust and a nice soft bread. I like using it for muffalettas and melts. 1 1/8 tsp. of yeast ¾ cup of warm water 1 ¾ cup of bread flour 1 1/8 tsp. of salt Combine the yeast with the water and wait a few minutes for it to foam. Combine the flour with the salt. Combine this with the water and mix until thoroughly combined. This works best if you add about 1 cup of flour to the water and stir it until evenly combined, then add the remaining flour. It tends to make a more even dough. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Place it in a bowl, cover it, and let it rise in a warm place for about 3 hours. Punch the dough down, give it a couple of kneads, then cover it and let it rise 1 ½ more hours. Form the dough into 6” long rolls. Cover them one more time and let them rise 1 ½ more hours. Slice the dough about ¼” deep diagonally a couple of times across each loaf. Heat your oven to 450 F and bake the loaves for about 20 minutes. Let them cool for about an hour before using. The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipes by Chef Jason Wyrick
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Cuban Bread Cuban bread is a slightly sweet, thick, sourdough bread and is the traditional bread for a Cuban sandwich. It holds its shape well in a sandwich press and has a robust enough flavor that it doesn’t get overwhelmed by the boldness of the Cuban sandwich. The Starter ¼ tsp. of dry yeast 2 tbsp. of flour 2 tbsp. of water The Dough 2/3 cups of flour 1 tsp. of dry yeast ¾ tsp. of sugar 2/3 tsp. of salt The starter (from above) ¼ cup of water 2 tbsp. of vegan shortening, softened 1 tbsp. of water to brush on the bread before baking Combine the ingredients for the starter in a small bowl, cover it, and let it sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Combine all the dry ingredients. Soften the shortening over a medium low heat, then combine the starter, shortening, and water with the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Knead the dough until it is no longer sticky. Place it in a bowl, cover it with a towel, and let it rise one hour. Using your hands, roll the dough out into a 7” long tube. Cover it with a damp cloth and let it rise one more hour. Bake the bread at 350 F for 30 minutes, until the bread looks golden on top and sounds hollow when you tap it. Option: Lay a damp string on top of the loaf before it goes into the oven to create the traditional seam in the bread.
Hoagie Rolls Hoagie rolls are great for long, messy sandwiches. The bread is firm without being chewy and perfect for holding in lots of otherwise messy ingredients. While quintessential for a Philly “cheesesteak,” they can also be used for French dip sandwiches and other drowned bites. Note: This makes four rolls 1 tsp. of yeast 2/3 cup of warm water 1 ½ tsp. of sugar 1 tbsp. of oil Just under 2 cups of bread flour 2/3 tsp. of salt Combine the yeast, water, and sugar and wait a few minutes for the yeast to foam. Add in the oil. Combine the flour and salt. Add one cup of flour to the wet mix and stir until evenly combined. Add the other cup of flour and stir that it in until evenly combined. Knead the dough for about 7‐8 The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipes by Chef Jason Wyrick
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minutes. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll them into ovals about 4‐5” long. Cut a ¼” deep groove across the top of each dough. Cover the dough and let it rise for about 20 minutes. Heat your oven to 400 F. Bake the bread for 16 minutes. Let it cool for about an hour before using. Calories 236.9 Calories from Fat 32 Total Fat 3.6 g Saturated Fat 0.4 g Cholesterol 0.0 mg Sodium 390.2 mg Total Carbohydrate 44.1 g Dietary Fiber 1.7 g Sugars 1.5 g Protein 6.0 g
Bolillo Roll Bolillos are soft and slightly airy with a light crust. They’re great for biting into a sandwich with a bread that melts away. Excellent for tortas or other sandwiches with soft ingredients. The bread also absorbs sauces very well, so you can dress them with a bean sauce or a dash of vinegar and the dressing will go a long way. The key to this recipe is steam. Note: This makes four rolls 1 1/8 tsp. of yeast Just under ¾ cup of warm water 2 tsp. of agave 2 tsp. of vegetable shortening 1 ¾ cups of all purpose flour ¾ tsp. of salt Combine the yeast, water, and agave and wait a few minutes for it to foam. Work the shortening into the water as best you can. Combine the flour and salt. Add half the flour into the wet mix and stir until it is evenly combined. Add the other half of the flour and evenly combine it. Knead the dough for about 12 minutes until it is very elastic. Place the dough in a bowl, cover it, and let it rise for about an hour. Give the dough a couple of kneads. Divide it into four pieces and shape it into 5 ½” long oval‐shaped rolls. Cover them and let them rise one more hour. After they rise, slash a ¼” deep groove in each roll from end to end. Heat your oven to 375 F. Place a bowl of water on the bottom rack of your oven to create steam. This will give the rolls a crispy crust. Bake for 30 minutes. The rolls should sound hollow when tapped. Calories 169.1 Calories from Fat 15 Total Fat 1.7 g Saturated Fat 0.5 g Cholesterol 1.2 mg The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipes by Chef Jason Wyrick
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Sodium 351.2 mg Total Carbohydrate 33.2 g Dietary Fiber 1.3 g Sugars 1.8 g Protein 4.4 g
Tuscan Loaf This is a saltless bread, making it very tender and allowing the sandwich ingredients to shine. That makes it ideal as a traditional sandwich loaf with square pieces sliced thin. It does have a slight sourdough aspect to it, making up for the fact that it is completely salt free. The Starter 1/8 tsp. of yeast 1/3 cup of warm water ½ cup plus 2 tbsp. of all purpose flour Additional Ingredients 1 1/8 tsp. of yeast Just under ¾ cup of warm water 1 ¾ cups + 2 tbsp. of all purpose flour Combine the starter ingredients. Cover this, set it in a warm place, and let it sit for about 12 hours. Combine the remaining ingredients and mix the starter into this, making sure everything is evenly combined. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until you have an elastic dough. Place it in a bowl, cover it, and let it rise for 1 hour. Punch it down, give it a couple of kneads, cover it, and let it rise one more hour. Divide it into 2 oval shaped loaves or spread it into 2 loaf pans (you will need the loaf pans if you want rectangular bread). Slash the top in a checker pattern. Heat your oven to 450 F. Spritz the dough with water and bake it for 15 minutes, opening the oven to spritz it again at 5 minutes and 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 400 F and bake for 20 more minutes. Let it sit for at least 1 hour before slicing.
SF‐style Sourdough Bread I call this San Francisco style because starters made in different regions have different flavors, so unless you live in SF, yours will taste slightly different. This style is also made with an egg wash, which makes the bread very glossy, but that is just as easy to do with a slurry of cornstarch. The Starter ½ tsp. of yeast ½ cup of water ½ cup of bread flour Additional Ingredients 1 ¼ tsp. of yeast 1 ½ tbsp. of sugar ½ cup of soymilk 1 tbsp. of olive oil 2 ¼ cups plus 2 tbsp. of bread flour 1 ¼ tsp. of salt The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipes by Chef Jason Wyrick
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The Wash 1 tsp. of cornstarch ¼ cup of cold water To make the starter, combine all the starter ingredients together. Cover this and leave it out for 4‐7 days. This works best if you put it in a tall glass because the starter will bubble and rise and may flow over the glass. Once the sour smell is pleasant, it is ready to use. If it has any discoloration at all, throw it out and start over. Combine the yeast, sugar, and soy milk together and wait a few minutes for it to froth. Stir the oil into it. Combine the flour and salt. Mix this into the wet mix, along with your sourdough starter (save a couple tablespoons to the side and combine it with a new starter to keep your starter going). Make sure everything is evenly combined. Knead the dough for about 8‐10 minutes. Place it in a bowl, cover it, and let it rise for 1 hour. Punch it down and knead it a couple more times. Let it rest for about 15 minutes. Form it into the shape that you want (about a 9” long oval or a 5” diameter round). Cover this and let it rise one more hour. Heat your oven to 375 F. Put the cornstarch in a small bowl and then slowly stir the water into it until you have a thin slurry (the water needs to be cold so the cornstarch does not congeal). Brush this onto the bread. Bake the bread at 375 F for 30 minutes. Let it sit for about 15 minutes before slicing it. Focaccia with Sage This bread is wonderful if you are looking for a hearty sandwich with a bread that is soft and lush with a crispy top and bottom. Make sure you don’t flatten it too much because once you are done with it, you are going to cut it into squares and cut those squares in half horizontally. You need to make sure there is enough bread on the top and bottom to hold the sandwich together. 1 tsp. of minced sage leaves ½ tsp. of yeast ½ tsp. of sugar 1 tbsp. of warm water ¼ cup of olive oil 1 cup of bread flour ½ tsp. of salt ½ cup of water 1 tbsp. of water Mince the sage leaves. Combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast together. Combine the flour and salt together. Add the water and olive oil to the water, sugar, and yeast mixture. Stir the wet mix into the dry mix (you should end up with a very soft dough.) Add the sage leaves to the dough mix, but don’t worry about having it thoroughly mixed into the dough. Knead the dough with the sage leaves until it no longer sticks to your hands. Roll the dough into a ball. Lightly oil the dough and place it in a bowl. Cover the bowl. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for 1 ½ hours. Fold the dough in on itself and form it into the shape you wish (usually a rectangle.) Spread the dough onto a baking stone or into a baking dish until it is about ¾” thick. Lightly oil the dough again. Cover the dough. Allow the dough to rise for another 30 minutes. Take a small amount of water and sprinkle it on the top and sides of the dough, gently smearing the dough with the water (it’s ok if depressions in the dough form and collect excess water.) Bake the bread for 25 minutes on 400 F. Remove the bread from the oven The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipes by Chef Jason Wyrick
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and allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes. Calories 676 Calories from Fat 216 Fat 24 g Total Carbohydrates 102 g Dietary Fiber 3 g Sugars 3 g Protein 13 g Salt 570 mg
Round Country Bread This bread is ideal for making sandwiches that are filling with a very deeply‐flavored bread designed to hold together lots of ingredients. It has a thick chew and an almost caramel taste to the crust. Cut these in half horizontally and scoop out a little of the interior of the bread to make a nice pocket for your sandwich ingredients. The Starter ¼ tsp. of yeast ½ cup of warm water ¾ cup of flour (half all purpose and half whole wheat) Additional Ingredients ½ tsp. of yeast 1 ½ tbsp. of sugar ½ cup of warm water 2 cups of flour (half all purpose and half whole wheat) ¾ tsp. of salt A little extra flour Combine all the ingredients for the starter and let it sit for about 8 hours. Combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water under Additional Ingredients and wait a few minutes for it to froth. Combine the flour and salt. Stir half the flour into the wet mix and evenly combine this with the starter. Evenly combine this with the remainder of the flour. Knead this for about 10‐12 minutes. Place the dough in a bowl, cover it, and let it rise for about 2 hours. Gently press the dough down (don’t punch it, you don’t want to knock out all the air). Form it into two to three rounds about 4” in diameter. Cover these and let them rise one more hour. Heat your oven to 475 F. Slash a ¼” deep X in the top of each round and spritz them with water. Once the bread goes in, reduce the heat to 425 F and bake this for 25 minutes. Spritz it with water at the 5 minute and 10 minute marks. Let them rest for about 30 minutes. Slice them in half horizontally to make your sandwich rolls.
Sunflower Bread ‐ recipe by Ani Phyo Makes 9 servings This hearty yet soft bread is made with sunflower seeds, flax meal, and celery. 1½ cups chopped celery The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipes by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
Sandwiches |153
3 tablespoons sunflower seeds 1½ cups flax meal 1 to 1¼ cups water, as needed Place the celery in a food processor and process into small pieces. Add the sunflower seeds and process into small pieces. Add the flax meal and water, and mix well, using only enough water to make a spreadable batter. Spread the batter evenly on one 14‐inch‐square lined Excalibur Dehydrator tray. Dehydrate for 4 hours at 104°F degrees. Flip and peel off the Paraflexx, then place back on the liner and score into nine slices with a butter knife. Be careful not to cut through the mesh. Dehydrate for another 2 to 4 hours, or to desired consistency.
The Vegan Culinary Experience – Education, Inspiration, Quality * www.veganculinaryexperience.com Recipes by Chef Jason Wyrick
July 2013
Sandwiches |154