When I was growing up I was fortunate to live in a school district that allowed us to walk home for lunch and since in that day most mothers didn't work outside the home, almost all the kids went home. It was a sweet time to relax and connect with home and my loving mother for a few minutes in the middle of the day.
Since we only had half an hour to eat, my mother always had ready soup and a sandwich. The sandwich filling might be ham, peanut butter and jelly, tuna fish, or my favorite - egg salad. I can still see those delightful lunches at the dining room table in my childhood home. Hence for me, soup and sandwiches will always be comfort food.
But what does a whole food, plant-based eater who doesn't eat eggs, ham or tuna put on a sandwich aside from peanut butter and jelly? My favorite is some type of mashed beans and tofu. Try my mashed chickpea filling or no-egg salad, but here is an even easier version of the "no-egg" filling that you can make in a jiffy with few ingredients. Pile it on some hearty whole grain bread with lettuce and tomato and you have one great sandwich! I like to think my dear mother (who passed from this world in 2021) would be proud.
Easy No-Egg Salad
Makes enough for 4 sandwiches
1/2 of a 14-oz package extra firm tofu, drained and patted dry
1-2 Tbs Tamari
1 15-oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
chopped celery and onion, to taste (I use about 1/2 a stalk of celery and 1 slice of onion)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 Tbs yellow mustard
pepper to taste, optional
Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch cubes*. Toss with Tamari and pepper to taste. Spread cubes out on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and broil 10-13 minutes. You want the cubes to be brown but not dry. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl crush the chickpeas until almost no whole pieces remain. When tofu is cool, mash the cubes and add to the bowl with the chickpeas. Stir in the celery and onion. Sprinkle with pepper if desired.
In a small bowl, combine the apple sauce and mustard and add to the chickpea/tofu mixture. Combine well.
When making sandwiches, I like to spread a little apple sauce on the bread slices and then add a generous heap of the filling on each slice. Top with lettuce and tomato and enjoy!
*You can cube and broil the entire package of tofu but only use half of them in this recipe. The extra cubes can be refrigerated and are great to snack on!
Comments