A Tale of Two Sammies

Once upon a time there were two crazy vegans who happened to be mother and daughter.  After 21 years of never living more than an hour and a half away from eachother, the littler of the two packed up her things and drove 700 miles to a new adventure.  Although they were very far away, nothing could stop them from swapping recipes with eachother:  2 delicious sandwiches...one from each of us!

First, from KT: this sandwich was inspired by the BBQ Chicken Panini at the Oneota Community Food Co-op in Decorah, Iowa.  The awesome Co-op employees are happy to make any of their Paninis completely vegan!  This sandwich comes complete with BBQ tofu, vegan cheese, red onion, and cilantro mayo.  This is by far the best sandwich I've ever eaten.

BBQ Tofu Panini
1 container Firm Tofu, drained, cut into 1/2" slices, and pressed for 20 minutes
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 Red Onion, sliced thin
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 cup Veganaise
Generous handful of Cilantro, stems removed
Slices of Vegan Pepperjack and Cheddar style slices
Sourdough Bread

1. Marinate tofu in about 3/4 cup of BBQ sauce for at least 2 hours.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Remove tofu from sauce and place on an oiled baking sheet. Bake until tofu is browned and very firm, turning once about halfway through (about 1 hour total).

2. While the tofu is baking, combine the veganaise with the cilantro in a food processor and pulse to blend well.
3. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the sliced red onion and saute until it begins to caramelize.

4. Assemble the sandwiches by spreading the Cilantro Mayo on one slice of bread, and BBQ sauce on the other.  Layer on the vegan cheeses, 2 - 3 slices of tofu, and a smattering of red onion. Put the sides together and grill on a panini press or a grill pan. 

Second, from Pam: This sandwich is a Chicken-less Salad Sandwich!  After hearing dozens of people raving about a certain store-bought brand of Chicken Salad, I decided that I could make something that was not only better, but completely cruelty free!

Chickenless Salad Sammie
1 can of Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup Celery, finely chopped
1-2 Scallions, finely sliced
1 Tbsp Parsely, minced
1/2 cup Dried Cranberries, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp Slivered Almonds, roughly chopped
1/2 cup Veganaise
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce or Tamari
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Paprika
Freshly ground Black Pepper, to taste
Slices of Vegan Provolone style Cheese
Whole Wheat Bread

1. Put chickpeas in a bowl and mash about half of them with a fork or potato masher. Add celery, scallions, parsley, dried cranberries, and almonds. 
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the veganaise, soy sauce, lemon juice, paprika, and pepper. Pour over chickpea mixture and stir to combine.  Refrigerate for 1 hour or longer for flavors to marinate. 

3. Assemble sandwiches by toasting whole wheat bread, spread a generous amount of the chickenless salad on one slice, top with the vegan cheese, and second slice of toasted bread. 

No matter where you are or what you pair with it, nothing satisfies quite like a delicious sandwich. We hope you try one or both of these delicious sandwiches and continue to live happily ever after. 

Peace, Love, and Diagonally cut please!
Pam and KT