Don’t call it a comeback. I had to share. Mat and I went to Buffalo recently and picked up some Sub Sandwich Rolls from a company called Schar.
They offer a lot of different gluten free bread. At first I really didn’t have high hopes. I mean, sure they look fantastic, but what will they taste like? Naturally, I had to test them out by making a Banh Mi. What is this you ask? Here’s the Wiki explanation: the term bánh mì only means bread without any fillings, the term is used to refer to a type of meat-filled sandwich found in Vietnamese bakeries abroad, especially in US, Canadian, Australian, and French communities with substantial Vietnamese immigrant communities.
Before I became vegan I must admit I did eat a few of these when in Chinatown. They were incredibly cheap and being a student that was appealing enough. Now that my viewpoint has changed, considerably, I knew this is what I wanted to make.
How to veganize this sandwich?
Ingredients:
1 tbsp Vegenaise (or enough to cover the top/bottom of the sandwich) I added 1/4 tsp of minced garlic to the mayo for a kick
1/4 cucumber then sliced horizontally (I used a mandolin)
1 medium carrot spiralized or thinly sliced
2″ of a daikon radish spiralized or thinly sliced
1/4 cup cilantro
2 strips of tempeh
2 tbsp mushroom pate
1/2 tbsp lime juice
I followed the recipe for pickling the carrots/daikon and mushroom pate from The Chubby Vegetarian. The carrots/daikon have to be made in advance, but IT IS WORTH IT. Seriously. I cannot express the joy, the dancing around the kitchen joy that I felt when biting into this sandwich. The bread baked up so nicely and we assembled everything so quickly it was still warm and DELICIOUS! Yes, this requires caps. If you have been waiting for a gluten free bread that will not disappoint I highly suggest you try this one. I wish I worked for these people because I’m going to be buying a lot of this product. Even if you’re not gluten free, this bread is incredibly tasty and you don’t miss a thing, it’s the same consistency and delivers an amazing crunch.
As this wouldn’t be a true Air Eater post without nutritional information here you are:
Bread Ingredients:
Water, corn starch, sourdough (rice flour), rice flour, psyllium seed husks (vegetable fiber), rice syrup, rice starch, sunflower oil, yeast, soy protein, sugar, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, saltBread Nutrition Facts:
Serv. Size: 1 roll (75g), Servings per container: 2.
Calories: 160, Calories from Fat: 20, Protein: 2g, Total Carbs: 34g (12% DV), Dietary Fiber: 5g (20% DV), Sugars: 2g, Total Fat: 2g (4% DV), Saturated Fat: 0g (0% DV), Trans Fat: 0g, Sodium: 380mg (16% DV), Cholesterol: 0g (0% DV), Calcium 4% DV, Iron 4% DV, Vitamin A : 0% DV, Vitamin C: 0% DV, Riboflavin: 0% DV, Thiamin: 0% DV, Niacin: 0% DV.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
The company has assured me, “All of our pasta, all of our breads, our breadsticks, table crackers, and crispbread are vegan. We hope this helps.”
There you have it – the sandwich that made me come out of hiatus.
PS, the planning for the Vegan Bloggers Unite! Conference is going very well with a few changes. We’ve had to change the date and remove the vendors. It’s a long story. I’ll explain it to you when you’re at the show.
Happy eating!
