Monday, October 22, 2012

MoFo 22: Sandwiches GALORE + a giveaway!

If you haven't heard the hype about "Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day" yet - you've had your head under a rock! It's definitely the hot new book of MoFo Season, and with good reason. VSSTD is the glorious creation by Tami (of Vegan Appetite) and Celine (of Have Cake Will Travel). I am a great fan of sandwiches, so I knew I had to have this book. As soon as it showed up at our local bookstore, I bought a copy and instantly I couldn't put it down. It's full of classics, new ideas, healthy sandwiches, super indulgent sandwiches, international recipes and down-home favorites.

When Tami & Celine asked me if I would be a part of their Blog Book Tour, I was totally delighted! This is a book I can really get excited about!

Here's what I've made so far:
(really each of these excellent creations deserves their very own blog post!)


The first thing I wanted to try was the Pav Bhaji sandwiches. I see these everywhere in India, but there they are always dripping with butter, so I've abstained. The last time I came home from India, I brought a little box of Pav Bhaji Masala (spice mix) with me ... and it finally came in handy making these delicious sandwiches. The filling is a lightly spiced mash of veggies cooked up with Indian seasonings, and served on a soft absorbent bread. It's a winning textural combination for sure. I did lighten the vegan butter a little (which I know is very unauthentic indeed!), but we're counting calories these days. I will definitely make them again!



Next up, I decided to try out the French Tofu Salad Sandwiches. I picked this because Mr. VE&T is a real francophile, in love with All Things French. Then, when he learned that there were going to be grapes and almonds on his sandwich, he became worried. Worry not! We both really loved this sandwich. The filling is light and delightful, with unexpected flavors and spices that meld perfectly. I will definitely make it again - either on its own or as a sandwich filling. Plus, it came together really quickly - you can get everything else ready while the tofus are sauteeing. Perfect for work nights!


So far our real favorites were the Tempeh Caesar Wraps. Holy Smokes! These babies were gooooood. I absolutely cannot wait to make these again, and luckily I've got a whole pack of tortillas in the fridge waiting to be filled with Caesary glory. Again, this was an uncomplicated recipe that came together quickly - but together the sum of its parts added up to something truly magnificent. Full of flavor without being overbearing. The bite of the tortillas and tempeh, with the fresh crunch of the greens, and the creamy tang of the dressing - all perfectly balanced together. We are both so in love with Tempeh Caesar Wraps that now we are considering an open relationship.


I wanted to try some of the many wonderful breakfast and sweetie sandwiches in the book too - and somehow I just couldn't stop thinking about these Plumtillas with Vanilla Dipping Sauce. Growing up in California, we had Mexican food all the time and quesadillas were always my #1++ comfort food. Still to this day, a tortilla can touch my heart in a special way. So the idea of cooked plums in a toasty tortilla is absolutely appealing to me. I loved this treat so much. The crispy tortilla with the soft fruit is just great. I made the vanilla sauce, which I really liked - but I think (out of sheer laziness) I'd probably just get a little cup of vanilla yogurt next time.

I know these aren't pictures of sandwiches, but I had to share them. I actually had a pluot (plum-apricot hybrid) and not a plum. On the left is before I cooked it, and on the right is after being cooked. So beautiful! I have a bunch more pluots and tortillas, so I foresee more of these Plumtillas/Plutotillas in my immediate future.


Last but not least - I made the Berry-Stuffed French Toast Pockets with Brioche Bread. HELLO. I love French Toast so much, and this is a gloriously decadent rendition of this weekend favorite. First, I had to make the Brioche bread a few days ahead of time (some to enjoy then, and some to get stale in time for our Sunday morning french toast treat!).

Celine and Tami say in the book that you need a stand mixer or a food processor with a dough hook to make this bread. I don't have either - but I was determined. Nothing could come between me and the idea of berry-stuffed french toast. In the end, I didn't get a great rise, but everything else about the bread was just perfect. I just used my hand like it was a stand mixer! Ha!

We really loved this french toast. We had it for a special Sunday breakfast together. I loved the fresh berries (I used strawberries) stuffed in the bread, and I loved cooking them on my panino press (genius idea, ladies!) for even browning on both sides. As you can see - lurking in the background - we had pears and oranges too. That makes it healthy, right? :)


 Also, a few more details about this book that I really love:
~ the recipes call for ingredients both by volume and weight (eg. 1/2 cup, or 50 grams). I really appreciated this.
~ recipes are beautifully laid out, one per page. Great clean layout with nice fonts, easy to read. Attractive and appealing.
~ loads of beautiful photos! Not every single recipe gets a picture, but a LOT of them do.
Wanna get your little paws on a copy of your own? Lucky you! Tami & Celine's publisher has offered to do a giveaway (for anyone in the U.S. or Canada. Sorry everyone else!). Just leave a comment here and tell me your favorite sandwich memory. Or what kind of sandwich you would eat right now. Or something sandwich related.

I'll pick a winner on Friday October 25


98 comments:

  1. my all time favorite sandwich has always been peanut butter and jelly. heavy on the pb, light on the jelly. i seriously ate one for breakfast AND lunch everyday when i first went vegan because i knew all of the ingredients. so easy, and healthy!

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  2. I love love love a BLT -- I now use tempeh bacon or just forgo it altogether and get a large, fresh yummy tomato and slather on the veganaise, garlic salt and smack back!!! ummmm

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  3. I remember in high school all I would eat was peanut butter and jelly... or actually homemade almond butter with blueberry jam on whole wheat bread... I always thought I was so sophisticated.. :) now- I love lentil sandwiches :)

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    1. almond butter + blueberry jam sounds like a really great combo!

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  4. Laura C.8:11 AM

    Right now my favorite thing to eat on bread is almond butter and marmite. Another great bread topping-tahini and ajvar!

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    1. I never thought of tahini + ajvar! great idea!

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  5. Grilled cheese has always been a favorite but last night we tried the vegan grilled eggplant, onion, tomato with celeriac sauce sandwich that you highlighted a few posts ago. Tasty and messy! Delicious and fun to eat. My hubby is not a fan of eggplant so for his sandwich he grilled zucchini.

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    1. ha ha, yes! I forgot to mention how messy it is! :)

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  6. I love a simple sandwich of avocado, tomato, and lettuce.

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  7. I really, really like pb and dill pickle sandwiches. The bread has to be toasted.

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    1. whahhhhaaaa? I've never heard of such a thing!
      and yes. the bread must be toasted.

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  8. What a thorough review, Amey! I have to be boring and say I love a good grilled cheese with tomato soup. I never eat this but when I think back on sammies, that's what comes to mind.

    xo
    kittee

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    1. yes, I love grilled cheese too. All these comments are really making me want a grilled cheese sandwich. time to make some vegan diner cheddar!

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  9. We used to have a tiny neighborhood all-vegan deli nearby that made the most superdelicious carrot hummus bagel sandwiches with lots of veggies piled inside. I still dream about those little bites of heaven. :)

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  10. Fall isn't fall without crispy grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. (Plus a pickle or two on the side!) Yum!

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  11. wow all these look sooooo good! i really love sandwiches, like a lot! I remember when I was young my dad would always make me the best grilled cheese. I would eat them so fast that while i ate one, my dad would cook me a second so I could have it right away! I can been doing some thinking about becoming a vegan, this book looks awesome!

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    1. i love your story! i also have really fond grilled cheese memories from childhood. :)

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  12. Wow - amazing pictures! I love sandwiches in general, but my favorite memory would be eating pocket sandwiches in the back of a van with my boyfriend on a long road trip with 6 other people.

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  13. What a great review! As if I wasn't eager enough to get my hands on a copy, this has only intensified the desire! My favorite sandwich is the reuben. If I visit a new restaurant and there's a vegan reuben on the menu, I know what I'm ordering.

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    1. yes. I had never had a reuben until about 2 years ago. now i am definitely a fan.

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  14. Grilled cheese please! I like to add veggies into it - usually onion and tomato, sometimes greens.

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  15. I have very fond memories of the peanut butter and banana sandwiches my grandmother used to make for me when I was younger. For that reason, they will always be my favourite :)

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    1. I've never had a PB & banana sandwich, but I've been thinking about it! I think I might try it in french toast form!

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  16. Danica9:37 AM

    Curried veg-patty melt! Wish I was eating one right now.

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  17. Oh my gosh, can I tell you my least favorite sandwich memory? One of my grandmothers has a magic way of ruining any food. The tofu she cooked when I was a kid was so bad (mushy, flavorless) that I didn't try eating tofu again until I was in my 20s.

    But the thing I really remember vividly were her horrible sandwich combos. She quite regularly ate peanut butter and mayonnaise. Also peanut butter and cream cheese. Peanut butter and butter. Bologna and ketchup. Bologna and chocolate sauce, like the kind you mix into milk. Yuuuuuuucky.

    (I love sandwiches though. Just not gross ones.)

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    1. ha ha. My dad used to put PB and mayo on his bananas. I will never forget the horror of it.

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  18. I love a good vegan grilled cheese. But my favorite sandwich memory was making this massive sandwich of homemade seitan, sweet potato fries, avocado, and pesto, with a special sauce on sourdough bread. It was heaven.

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  19. Anonymous10:31 AM

    I miss the Great Garden sub from Stuffy's.

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  20. Thanks for the great review!
    I could really go for my old college standby sandwich right now: a hummus and alfalfa sprouts toasted sandwich. And whatever add-ins were available in the lunchroom: cucumbers, tomatoes, etc. Yum!

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  21. Anonymous10:59 AM

    I'd go for a big, gooey PB&J dripping with trader joe's creamy peanut butter and lots of strawberry jam... yummy!

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  22. My favorite sandwich is the Sweet Burger at Sweet Art in St. Louis (Go Cardinals!). It's amazing. If burgers don't count, I'd go with a sandwich I got in San Francisco when I was a teen. Not sure what was in it or what it was called, but it was vegan and also amazing.

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  23. My favorite sandwich is the Sweet Burger at Sweet Art in St. Louis (Go Cardinals!). It's amazing. If burgers don't count, I'd go with a sandwich I got in San Francisco when I was a teen. Not sure what was in it or what it was called, but it was vegan and also amazing.

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  24. Anonymous11:38 AM

    Great review! I'm loving this blog tour and seeing what everyone else has been making.

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    1. yeah! and I LOVED your review too AVR! I loved that we both made totally different sandwiches!

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  25. Great review! Everything looks fantastic, and I especially like the look of the tofu salad with the adorable little grapes. One of my favorite sandwiches is a vegan version of the Reuben, or what I call "freuben" (fake reuben) - rye bread, Tofurky slices, vegan cheese, sauerkraut, and a Russian/Thousand Island-ey dressing, usually just mayo, ketchup, and relish mixed together. So messy, and so good!

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    1. yes. freubens are excellent (nice name!). Also, aren't those tiny grapes excellent?? I got them at the farmers market!

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  26. The best sandwich I've ever eaten was the seitan "smoked meat" sandwich at Aux Vivres in Montreal. At home I like to eat a tempeh bacon BLT with tomato, lettuce, and Veganaise on rye bread.

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  27. The most memorable sandwich I ever ate was the BLT made with coconut bacon at Aux Vivres in Montreal. My partner Dan and I were visiting Montreal in the middle of the winter and it was freezing out! I couldn't finish the sandwich (it was HUGE), so I took the leftovers back to our hotel and kept them cold overnight by hanging them out the window! Then I had the partially frozen deliciousness for breakfast the next morning. Nomnomnom...

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    1. two Aux Vivres comments in A ROW. Perhaps it's time to plan a trip to Montreal?? I love your story of hanging the sandwich out the window!!! ha ha. very smart!

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    2. I actually did the same thing with vegan herbed cream cheese spread in Paris! That way we had amazing baguettes with vegan spread every morning for breakfast. Apparently I only travel to cold places in the winter... But I've figured out how to survive them without a refrigerator!

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  29. Mmmmmm....I'm so boring, but my favorite sandwich is truly just almond butter, sliced banana, raisins, and cinnamon. I always take these when I go on hikes and they taste so delish!

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    1. that's not boring! it sounds really good! I am taking notes on all these excellent ideas.

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  30. One of my all-time favorites (literally, since I was a teenager) is as follows:

    Toasted Ezekiel bread (I like the sesame one best)
    Ripe avocado mashed with curry powder and a generous quantity of nooch
    Sliced tomato
    Lettuce and/or alfalfa sprouts

    Sometimes I jazz things up with a few slices of tempeh bacon and/or spicy mustard; I could still eat this every day, given the chance!

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    1. I am totally intrigued by your sandwich recipe. I must try it. Shamefully, it never occurred to me to mix spices into my mooshed up avocado. I am a rookie!

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  31. I love how creative and diverse the sandwich recipes in that book are! I don't know why I still haven't bought it. Poorness? :) Ha ha. And that's pretty awesome that this contest is open to Canadians too. My favorite sandwich memory is really quite simple - grilled cheese, made by my mom. She doesn't make them for me anymore, but they're still pretty much my ultimate comfort food. :)

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    1. yup. nothing like a grilled cheese made by mom (or dad!). It's sort of touching how many people have said that in these comments.

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  32. I really like crusty bread, smothered in Italian dressing, loaded with lots of lettuce, tomato, onion,and peppers. It reminds me of the tuna hoagies I ate as a kid.

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  33. What a great review! I love that you actually made and ate a bunch of the sandwiches. This one has been on my wish list since the moment I heard about it!

    I love sandwiches. One of my faves is from a co-op that I frequent. They make these Cajun tofu sandwiches in the deli - cajun tofu slabs(I've got to figure out the spice mix there...), sprouts, avocado, vegenaise, spicy mustard on sourdough. Mmmmm!!!

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    1. wow! cajun tofu slabs sound amazing! And yes - I've been thinking about your earlier comment on my blog. I really appreciate a review where someone has made multiple recipes from the book. Because that's really the test. And is it a book you'll go back to again and again... or is it one of those books that will just gather dust? I really think this one is a winner!

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  34. Grilled sandwiches are my favourite by far. For a savory choice I'd go with grilled avocado and tomato with vegenaise, and for a sweet choice it would have to be grilled peanut butter and banana. The banana melts and gets all gooey, it's glorious.

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    1. GRILLED PB & BANANA. This must happen.

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  35. You make me want to eat more sandwiches. Love Reubens but have yet to make my own. :(

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  36. Fun giveaway! My favorite sandwich in recent history is a veggie burger, topped with chocolate chili (recipe from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan), avocados, sprouts, hummus, and tomatoes on a toasted bun. It was ridiculous how good it was. We made them for my omnivore Mom for Mother's Day and she was shocked. "But it's so good!" she kept saying. Well, of course it is.

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  37. My paws are reaching for this book. Yep, I see why it's been the most touted through this MoFo season. one of my fave memories is of when my dad (who is elderly and bedridden now)and I would stop at this Italian Restaurant on the way back from one of my tennis tournaments.He was my coach. We would each get a pepper and egg with melted mozz hero. This hero was one of the first sanddwiches I veganized with tofu and nooch, roasted peppers. The first bite is always bittersweet and reminds me of when my dad.

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    1. meant to finish...reminds me of my dad when he was an athletic young man.

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    2. GiGi, you are the best. Your comment is so touching. I love when our food memories are wrapped in the memories of times gone by. It's so evocative. Are you still a tennis fan? My husband is crazy into playing and watching tennis. Love to you and your dad.

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    3. Awww, thank you for your kind words, Amey. Food is so evocative, i so agree. I stoped playing for about 17 years, and then started playing 5 years ago and stopped and then started very sporadically playing again (one of the reasons I started my Training Tuesdays feature). It was my life for so long. Where did I read that about Mr. V? Is that under "the gang" tab?
      Hugs.

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  38. My favorite sandwich is a grilled Portabella mushroom with pesto and avocado.

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  39. That tofu salad sandwich looks delicious - I'm intrigued by the idea of grapes and nuts in a sandwich.

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  40. Right now I would love a Bahn Mi from my favorite food truck. Luckily, they will be in my neck of the woods for the first time in years on Saturday, so I will get to indulge. I can't wait!

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  41. My favorite sandwich is one loaded with veggies: shredded carrots, cucumbers, sunflower sprouts, tomatoes, butter lettuce, saurkraut. Sometimes I'll add some grilled or broiled tofu if I'm feeling fancy. Those Caesar wraps are making me swoon!

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  42. Your sandwiches reminded me of the electric grill I have sitting around - I would love to do something fun with that! I'm thinking something hearty right now... maybe a tempeh bacon BLT on wheat bread all crisped up on the grill!

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  43. <3 sandwiches! <3 tempeh reuben 4-ever <3

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  44. Wow, that French Toast looks amazing!

    Favorite sandwich memory? That's easy! My first vegan toasted cheese sammie! (Daiya, of course.)

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  45. I am eating up those photos, especially the phav baji sandwich. I have such love for sandwiches and my most recent favorite was a decadent cashew ricotta, caramelized onion, & pepper wafflewich.

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  46. mmm...the vegan paul reubens at ike's in SF is the best. dirty sauce forever!!!

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  47. gretchen m11:11 PM

    i love love love sandwiches! favorite sandwich memory are tempeh bacon, lettuce and tomoato sandwiches i used to eat at a little corner store in boston. the used amazing huge pieces of artisan bread...yum....

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  48. I remember best a faux egg salad sandwich made with tofu. I couldn't believe it wasn't real egg!

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  49. Anonymous6:36 AM

    Great review - I actually bought this after reading (being in the UK I couldn't win, hehe!). I can't wait to try some :)

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    1. you won't regret it! I can't wait to see what you make!

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  50. I love sandwiches. My favorite sandwich has always been a pesto/grilled cheese sandwich. Or a tempeh BLT. Yum! Bread on my sandwiches always has to be toasted.

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  51. i would love a grilled cheese sandwich right now. with daiya and tomato or tofurkey, or caramelised onions... mmm ! it was one of my favorite things to eat when i was a kid, and my god was i delighted to discover that a vegan grilled cheese can actually taste better than a non-vegan one.

    thanks for the review, and the doodles !

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  52. I used to love egg salad sandwiches, so now I make tofu salad sandwiches!

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  53. I love picnic sandwiches, where you take a baguette sliced lengthwise, pull out all the crumb, and stuff that sucker with every kind of roasted, marinated vegetable in your fridge before wrapping the whole thing up and pressing it down with a brick.

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  54. Erica Rose10:00 PM

    My little beach town is lucky enough to (finally!!) have a dedicated vegan restaurant. They have the best club sandwich, it is kinda life changing it's so good. Her tempeh bacon is delicious, and I splurge about once a month. Fingers crossed!

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  55. Alas, I'm not in the US or Canada, but if I was, I would be totally scrapping to get me a copy of that book!

    I used to eat tomato ketchup sandwiches not stop as a kid - that can't be right, can it?!

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  56. Sadly, I've yet to find a vegan cheese I enjoy and I would LOVE a grilled cheese. That aside, I always fall for a faux bacon, lettuce and roasted pepper/cucumber sandwich.

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  57. I don't eat sandwiches too much but I have always loved a hummus/sprout/tomato combo. With a little pesto, even better.

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  58. Tempeh ceaser wraps look amazing. I can't wait to try them! Hope I win

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  59. You had me at Pav Bhaji! Before I knew I was a vegetarian I was a vegetarian! When I was nine years old when we would come home from school I my siblings and I would have an after school snack... I would make myself something I called a tomato surprise... what was it? It was a single piece of bread (flattened out) with a three tomato slices and a pic piece of lettuce - I rolled this up the best I could... and somehow I deemed this a tomato surprise. My younger siblings wanted them whenever they saw me make one... meanwhile my older siblings thought I was weird! Today... guess what... still eating like that - and they a still think I am weird. My younger siblings also are vegetarians. Ha ha ha!

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  60. Favorite sandwich memories from childhood were peanut butter with homemade apple butter on wheat bread. When I got a bread machine and vitamix, where I could have fresh homemade 100% whole wheat bread, warm from the machine, with homemade chunky peanut or almond butter, and my own fruit preserves, the sandwich memories could be re-lived at will. Looking forward to trying the sandwiches in this book. Know they will be excellent, as are recipes in other books these talented ladies have worked on.

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  61. ah right now I would go for the stuffed french brioche!!!! I want to know how to make vegan brioche, the thing I miss the most from France and can no longer eat!

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  62. susan5:22 PM

    I love any of the sandwiches from Cinnamon Snail in NYC. Last week was a miso marinated seitan on a crispy baguette. Genius.

    Susan a

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  63. Right now I'd love to bite into this sandwich -- toasted sourdough bread spread with eggplant hummus, slices of savory baked tofu, smashed marinated artichoke hearts, and lots and lots of mache. Yum!

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  64. Okay it all looks great but that french toast looks extra amazing.

    I LOVE SANDWICHES. I'm so ticked I'm gluten intolerant. My fav sandwich was a wrap. The Veganomicon curried tofu on an ezekiel wrap with shredded carrots and vegenaise and avocado and sriracha. I'd eat it every day until the end of time if I could.

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  65. Every recipe in this book looks delicious

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  66. Yay sandwiches!! I love the oldie but goodie: chickpea salad :) Homemade thinly sliced seitan (a la Vegan Dad) with veganaise and homemade mustard is in the rotation too.

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  67. One of my favorite sandwiches is the seasonal squash and snap pea pesto with corn and caramelized onions from Homegrown in Seattle. Here in DC I'll get the delicious tempeh panini at Busboys and Poets! Of course, hummus on anything is good...

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  68. I'm lovin' simple marinated tofu + mustard + lettuce + avocado sandwiches lately. So good, especially with a bit of sauerkraut on marbled rye bread!

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  69. I hope I'm not too late to enter! I would eat a seitan reuben from my local veg restaurant, followed by their mushroom french dip, and then follow that with their buffalo tofu sandwich. I'm so hungry now, and it's only 9:00 in the morning :) Cee
    ceevegnashville -at- gmail -dot- com

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  70. a vegan grilled cheese would be what i would eat
    gkuroda(at)gmail(d0t)com

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  71. Your post says Friday the 25th, but Friday is the 26th. Hopefully, I'm not too late. The book looks great and I'd love to win it. My fave sandwich is one we call a picnic sandwich which contains grilled veggies, brazil nut cheese, and tomato pine nut pesto.

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  72. my fave sandwich is a hummus wrap, I loooove hummus and vegetables.
    Oh, and I need this book!

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