National sandwich month...who knew! I must say, I'm usually up to date on all of the latest food trends, hiccups, and fades, but this one has eluded me. Who doesn't love a good sandwich? Once the bee was put into my bonnet over the whole sandwich hoopla, I sat down in front of HAL [the family computer], and did a little searching. To my surprise I was over joyed to see so many selection of vegan sandwiches to choose from. What I didn't enjoy, was the abundance of meat analogs. "Chicken" tacos, "pastrami" on rye, oh and my favorite so far, "lobster roll". Are you kidding me? At last count, there are 12,000 edible plants available for human consumption. 12,000!! Before you get your girdle in a twist, not all 12,000 are available at your local green grocer, but if you think outside the box, you can really take it to the next level.
A good example of this is fellow blogger Vegan Soul Power; she has a pretty good list of basic vegan sandwiches. I'm not here to promote others but promote the idea of opening up the pantry and opening up your palate.
In my search, I came across this wonderful Indian recipe for flat bread. It's quick simple and is absolutely amazing grilled. 4 simple ingredients that take no more than 15 minutes to put together and less time to cook. Much like an artist needs to prepare there canvas to display their masterpiece, this is a wonderful starting point to take sandwich making to the next level.
Indian Flatbread
2 cups unbleached flour [not self rising]
1/2 cup chapatti flour [*fine ground wholewheat flour available in Indian or ethnic grocery stores]
2 2/3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil [neutral flavored oil]
1 cup warm [not hot] water
Directions:
In a medium sized bowl sift together dry ingredients. Mix in vegetable oil, until completely combined with the flour. Slowly add water, stirring the entire time until the dough begins to come together. [add more water if the dough seems dry] Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic [in other words, if you push on it, it bounces back]. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes or up to 4 hours. When you're ready to use, roll the dough into a log and cut into 8 uniform piece. One by one, roll each piece into a 6 inch round as thin as possible. Brush lightly with oil and set each aside. Using a cast iron or non stick skillet placed over medium high heat, place dough in skillet and cook until the bread puffs. Turn and cool 2 minutes longer until bread develops golden brown dimple. Remove from the pan and place in a clean towel to keep warm. Continue to cool the remaining flat breads and enjoy!
{psst...you can grill this bread was well, but be sure to keep close watch, it cooks very quickly}
You've got your canvas, now what can you do with it? Here are a few ideas.
Quick and easy:
Garden of Good and Evil
3 c Romaine lettuce shredded
3 ripe Roma tomatoes chopped
1 large shredded carrot
1 medium sliced cucumber
1/3 c thinly sliced red onion
2 large avocado sliced
1/2 Vegan mayo + 1 serrano chili finely chopped,
1/4 c finely chopped cilantro leaves
Toss the lettuce tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, onions together and set aside. In a small bowl whisk mayo, serrano chili and cilantro together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss dressing with lettuce and tomato mixture and divide among 4 flat breads, top with sliced avocado and enjoy!
Slow ya roll:
Kofta Balls with Creamy Curry sauce
8 oz tempeh, steamed and shredded [you can also substitute finely chopped mushrooms as well]
1 potato diced, boiled cooled
1 cup finely chopped cabbage
1 carrot grated
1 small red pepper finely chopped
1 1/2 cup chickpea flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 clove garlic chopped
1/4 cup green onion chopped
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander [powdered]
1 tsp tumeric
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper [more if you like]
Oil for frying
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Be sure to incorporate potatoes, this gives the kofta its binding power along with flour. Adjust flour as needed, add enough to bind the balls. Roll into 1 inch balls and fry over a medium heat for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let kofta drain on wire rack.
Curry Sauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1 jalapeno pepper minced
1 cup tomato puree
2 tbsp cashew cream [vegan cream substitute]
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/2 cup unsweetened vegan yogurt [coconut, soy, almond]
1 tsp tumeric
1/4 cup chopped cilantro for garnish
In a medium sized sauce pan, heat vegetable oil. Add onion and garlic, cook until the onions become translucent, about 3 minutes. Add ginger and jalapeno pepper, cooking and additional 2 minutes. Stir in tomato puree and cashew cream. Bring to a simmer and add coriander, garam masala and tumeric. Finish with yogurt and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked kofta balls and served immediately with flat bread. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
