25 September 2007
Photos of half-eaten lunches: Gross or delightfully real? You decide:
One of the tricky things about being vegetarian in the UK (and there aren't that many, honestly), is finding a good sandwich in the shop. Unless you luck out and find something a bit exotic, you're pretty much stuck with cheddar and pickle (not pickles, which I actually do like, although I've come 'round to pickle as well) or egg mayo. So I had decided I didn't really like sandwiches. They're just so boring.
That's not true, of course, and the past summer was a summer of sandwiches, each one better than the last. But I think today's might have topped them all. A TLT (tempeh -- 'bacon' flavoured tempeh!, lettuce, and tomato) with vegan 'cheese' spread that I made last night.
I've bought a couple of vegan cookbooks recently, because the recipes are just so much more interesting than in even regular vegetarian books. S and I are tempeh-crazy at the moment, and my new cookbooks are filled with recipes that use exciting things like tempeh (of course), tahini, liquid aminos, etc etc.
Which is how I've become a lazy vegan. You know how some people say they're lazy vegetarians? Like they just don't happen to eat very much meat, but sometimes they stop by the burger joint on the way home, or chow down on a big plate of marshmallows (say). So, really, they're not veggie at all, but maybe they like the attention. That's me and veganism.
S can't do dairy, and we struck upon the idea of a vegan hotdish a while back. I tweaked a recipe in The Real Food Daily Cookbook to come up with the fake cheese/cream sauce I used in the hotdish, and the leftover makes an amazing spread for sandwiches. Like so:
7 oz extra firm tofu, drained
1/4 cup tahini
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup Sour Supreme
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2 cloves garlic
chopped fresh basil (about five leaves)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
*1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
If you have a good food processor, you can probably throw everything in with no prep; just whizz it together until smooth. If you're like me, and only have a blender, cut the tofu into large chunks and chop the garlic before tossing it all in. Do not add the almond milk. Start blending it together, stopping frequently to push the mixture back down to the blades (and curse your lack of a food processor). Add the almond milk bit by bit. It'll make it easier to blend, and you can make it as creamy or thick as you like. Mine's like thick hummus.
I'm a bit uncertain as to the issues regarding uncooked tofu. I mixed this into pasta, etc, to make the hotdish and then baked it -- so no worries there. And when I made the sandwich, I spread it on the bread before placing it on the griddle, so it was heated through. I'm sure you could boil the tofu beforehand if you're concerned, although the original recipe in RFD makes no mention of needing to do so. I'll let you know if I catch my death from it!
Uh oh, are there issues with uncooked tofu?? We eat cold tofu all the time.
posted by Dana at September 26, 2007 12:56 AM
Ohhh, they just had a recall of tofu from here in California, heard it on the news last night. Here's a link to the story http://cbs5.com/topstories/local_story_267210839.html
Its a brand that sold in the midwest as well.
posted by Pam at September 26, 2007 01:29 AM
That sandwich looks delicious, cold tofu and all. Perhaps I should invest in a panini press.
posted by jessie at September 28, 2007 05:57 AM
Jessie -- I actually didn't make that in my panini press! I got a new stove-top cast iron griddle the other day for about $16. Much cheaper than a press, and just as fun!
posted by Anna at September 28, 2007 02:10 PM
everything always looks so delicious... it's probably a horrible idea to look at your lunches at 3:30 in the afternoon (that bleak space inbetween lunch and dinner). But never mind that, keep cooking and posting about said cooking.
posted by kim at September 28, 2007 08:25 PM
Aha, that sounds even better!
Oh, and I got some really excellently lovely mail the other day from someone very creative. :)
posted by jessie at September 29, 2007 06:58 AM
Ohhh I need to get a griddle or a panini press! I really admire your pretty grill lines on that sandwhich!
posted by Alicia at October 11, 2007 12:42 AM