Oh my goodness, I am so excited about this sandwich!
One look at this monstrosity of vegetable goodness and you can see how it got its name. This one goes out to all you vegans out there with the appetites of a hungry, carnivorous T-Rex. Just because you can’t eat meat doesn’t mean your sandwich game has to suffer!
I have always and will forever more be sandwich’s #1 fan. There’s just nothing better in this world than an excellent sandwich.
I have believed this to be true my entire life. However, my definition of an “excellent sandwich” has changed slightly.
When I was young and impressionable, My personal favorite was a twist on a childhood classic: chilled grilled cheese sandwiches. Some might have seen these as plain old white bread slathered in butter (or margarine) with a slice or two of Kraft Singles American Cheese in the middle. But I thought of it as the stuff of high-class societies like cucumber sandwiches. I swear that despite being too young to cook it even if I wanted to, I preferred my grilled cheese raw.
Not to worry, I didn’t survive on butter and cheese sandwiches alone. I also had the occasional bologna sandwich. You know, for the protein.
So it might be safe to say that for better or worse, I’ve changed a lot since then. Now my dream sandwich includes things like avocado, chickpeas, and squash. Back then, I literally had no idea what any of those things even were. The most exotic vegetable I knew of was the red bell pepper. I would take them for lunch sometimes and my peers would look at them with amazement.
Or they thought I was weird. But that could be for entirely different reasons.
So packing red bell peppers in my lunch may no longer cause my peers to gaze in wonder, but this sandwich certainly will. I used high-quality sourdough bread (High quality = ridiculously expensive. I’m not sure Jackson will ever forgive me for spending so much on a loaf of bread. But who needs forgiveness when I have delicious bread??). Feel free to use whatever bread you’d like, but make sure it’s sturdy. This isn’t your every day PB&J! This sandwich has heft! Also, the higher quality bread, the more impressed everyone you eat this sandwich around will be.
Except for the avocado mash, all the prep work for this sandwich can be done ahead of time. Make a ton of chickpea and black bean patties to freeze and fry up whenever you’re in the mood for a monster of a sandwich.
And feel free to get creative with your veggies! I can vouch for tomato, spinach, red bell pepper, avocado, and yellow squash (holy cow this sandwich has a lot of vegetables). But let the vegetables guide you. Let them speak to your soul.
Anyway, eat your vegetables (in sandwich form, of course).
Monster vegan sandwich
Ingredients
For the chickpea patties
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp salt and pepper
- 1/2 sweet potato
- 1 flax egg (1 tbsp flax, 3 tbsp water)
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
For the black bean patties
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp salt and pepper
- 1/2 sweet potato
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
For the construction
- 1/2 yellow squash, cut in 1/4 inch slices
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 avocado, pit and skin removed
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 4 slices sturdy sourdough
- 1 tomato, sliced
- 1/2 cup spinach leaves
- 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
Instructions
For the patties
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Heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. In a food processor, combine chickpeas, garlic, salt and pepper, and sweet potato. Pules until combined. Add flax egg and pulse until combined, but not entirely smooth. Divide mixture into four balls and flatten to form patties. Cook about 5 minutes on each side until golden and crisp. Repeat with black beans (minus the flax egg)
For the construction
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heat the 1 tsp of olive oil a large skillet over medium heat. Add yellow squash and saute lightly, only a few minutes on each side. Remove from heat once the slices begin to look translucent. set aside on a paper towel.
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In a small bowl, mash up avocado. Add lemon juice and mash until combined
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Toast bread. Spread 1/4 of the avocado on each slice. On the bottom slices, layer 1/2 spinach, 1/2 red pepper, two chickpea patties, 1/2 squash, two black bean patties, and tomato. Top with the other slice of bread, slice each sandwich in half, and serve.
