Dinner Sandwiches

I never thought of sandwiches as a dinner thing until visiting Los Angeles earlier this year. Why Los Angeles? I’ll get to that in a minute. But sandwiches for dinner—that feels so easy, almost too easy, sort of like a bowl of cereal. Sort of like not a real meal, at least if it’s after 2:00 in the afternoon.

Maybe this isn’t the case for meat eaters, as I imagine a turkey or roast beef or BLT sandwich would probably be plenty filling. But until my trip to Los Angeles, my experiences with vegan sandwiches consisted of a random assortment of sauteed vegetables slopped in between a white roll. Sort of soggy, sort of lifeless. Sort of like not a real meal.

Los Angeles, though, is vegan restaurant heaven—and they make good sandwiches there. Filling, tasty sandwiches with marinated tofu or tempeh, rich avocado, and flavorful spreads and sauces. After having my fair share of dinner sandwiches out there, I’ve made a habit out of re-creating them at home.

Dinner Sandwiches
8 slices whole grain bread, preferably with lots of seeds
8 slices marinated baked tofu (recipe below)
1 batch homemade hummus (recipe below)
1 avocado, sliced
A few handfuls alfalfa sprouts
1 batch sauteed onions

Start by toasting your bread. When it’s done, spread hummus on each slices. On four of the bread slices, add a few slices of avocado, followed by two pieces of tofu and a few spoonfuls of the sauteed onions. Pile on plenty of sprouts, then top with another slice of hummus’d bread. Cut in half on the diagonal, and serve. Makes 4 sandwiches.

Marinated Baked Tofu
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1-lb. block extra-firm tofu, cut into 8 slices

Combine all ingredients but the tofu in a bowl, and whisk well. Place tofu slices in a baking dish (I used a 9×9 brownie pan) and pour marinade over top. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 425. Place tofu slices on a sheet pan (save your marinade!)and bake for 25-30 minutes, until firm.

Homemade Hummus
2 cups cooked chickpeas, liquid reserved
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic
Salt, to taste

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend til combined. The mixture will look a little dry, so add some chickpea cooking liquid until hummus reaches desired consistency.

Sauteed Onions
2 small or 1 medium yellow onion
1 small red onion
Olive oil
Reserved tofu marinade

Warm olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, then add onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to brown slightly, about 10 minutes. Then, add half of the reserved tofu marinade. Cook another 5-10 minutes, until onions are soft and brown.

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