Vegetarian sandwich and side recipe

[Dcfoodblog]

So we are throwing a rehearsal luncheon for some friends who are getting married in September (plan ahead). To make our lives easier we will be getting sandwich platters from Costco for the meat sandwiches but we wanted some ideas for vegetarian sandwiches. Our fallback is a vegetarian muffaleta with olive spread, roasted veggies and provolone. But we'd like to see if the chowhounders could help us think out of the box. The luncheon will be outside so not panini style sandwiches.

Also, any good ideas for a vegetarian side? We've got ideas for panzanella, Greek salad (sans lettuce), and any number of pasta salads but definitely would love to hear any chowhounder ideas. Thanks in advance.

[Emme]

Chickpea Salad
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Vegetari...

Deviled Egg Salad or Deviled Tofu

Eggplant with a Tahini/Miso spread or Hummus and Tomatoes and Parsley

Tomatoes, Basil, Mozzarella, Oil and Vinegar, allowed to soak so the bread absorbs the oil and vinegar

Avocado with Tomato, Onion, and Curry

[Phurstluv]

For a veggie sandwich , I love making portobello mushroom 'burgers". These can be cooked (broiled or grilled) ahead, and assembled at the site, since they are fine at room temp.

[onceadaylily]

Those are lovely with goat cheese and red peppers.

[pikawicca]

I wouldn't serve panzanella as a side for sandwiches - too much bread. The Greek salad would be a much better choice, IMO.

[todao]

A bulgur salad made with beans (I like garbanzo or baby limas) some diced tomato and (if not objectionable) grated cheese (Feta or Pecorina) and perhaps some finely chopped onion might be nice.

[amyzan]

Personally, I would include something vegan on both the sandwich and side, unless you know for certain that all the vegetarians are lacto friendly. (Muffaletas are a great choice, but they do include cheese, so you might consider two offerings if you stick with the muffaleta.) I've seen sandwiches for vegans made with miso and bean spreads or avocado in place of what would usually be dairy, for added richness and flavor. You can also use tree nut spreads, but they're trickier for people with allergies. (I don't know how big your event is, but it seems there's at least one in a crowd.) You could consider a Vietnamese style banh mi sandwich with marinated tofu. Of course, there'd be no pork pate, but it'd be pretty easy to sub a miso/bean paste for the pate, though untraditional. On a fresh baguette sliced halfway through to make a sort of hot dog style bun, it'd be easier to eat. With the marinated carrots and daikon and the fresh jalapeno chile, it'd be out of the box for many people.

[todao]

Would it work to use mild diced green chiles in your mix of marinated carrots and daikon? I like the idea you offered but we don't do jalapenos - too strong for our taste.

[amyzan]

Are you talking about fresh pale to medium green (what are often called) anaheim chiles? Yes, I suppose they would work fine. You want something with more heat than a bell pepper, but any chile with some fruitiness but some heat will work. I've not tried anything but jalapeno and serrano in this style sandwich, but I think it's open to interpretation since we are already futzing with the traditional anyway! I should add that I remove the seeds and membranes, and cut them in very thin strips.

[Dcfoodblog]

That makes sense Amyzan. Taking out the provolone is easy. I love the idea of doing a vegetarian banh mi. What would you use for the protein of a vegetarian banh mi? Tofu sheets? Wheat gluten?

[relizabeth]

We made delicious veg bahn mi using smoked tofu, homemade mayo and many of the fixings described in the CHOW recipe.

[amyzan]

Marinated and fried tofu would be tastier than seitan or other wheat gluten products I've tried. But, that's my personal opinion. There are also probably a greater variety of ready to eat tofu based products from which to choose, if you don't want to marinate yourself. I know that my rec if you were here would be a locally produced tofu that's hickory smoked and can be bought fresh from the (small) factory. You can likely find something similar in many metro areas. If you buy fresh, plain product, though, definitely go with a firm variety, be sure to press to remove excess water before frying. There are good marinade recipes in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, but you'll want to stick with a soy sauce rather than fish sauce to make it vegan. It's a fudge on Vietnamese flavors, but forgiveable.