Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day: A Review & Giveaway!!!

In case you didn’t already know, Celine Steen and Tamasin Noyes, authors of the almighty Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day, have been doing a blog tour for the last 5 weeks to promote their book. This is the final week and I feel honored to be taking part in such a fun and tasty adventure. ***GIVEAWAY INFO AT END OF POST***

I have been following the talents of these two ladies for quite some time and am always impressed to the max with their recipe creativity skills. I was especially excited about Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day because like most folks, I love a good sammie – any time of day. They are portable, versatile, filling, and just plain fun to eat.

This book is gorgeous (GORGEOUS!!!)! Celine’s photography skills grace the pages and the recipes are clever twists on classics, plus new creations you won’t want to refuse. There is even a nifty chapter on how to make your sandwich building experience a breeze (we aren’t all born sandwich-making artists, myself included). Other chapters include breakfast sandwiches, topless sandwiches, cold sandwiches, classic sandwiches, bold new sandwiches, sweet sandwiches, and sandwich building blocks. Your bases are definitely covered.

When I first opened my copy, I tabbed so many recipes to make that I got overwhelmed. Decision making is not my strong suit. With the help of Tim, we narrowed the recipes down to a more manageable handful for review purposes. The first recipe we made was the Green Monster Bread (there is a bagel variation), which would be used later for The Incredible Green Sandwich.

These green hued bagels are packed with spinach and dotted with garlicky goodness. While the dough was a bit finicky to work with, these came out of the oven golden on top, chewy on the inside, and damn delicious.

And there was the sammie:

The Incredible Green Sandwich is a combination of garlicky avocado spread, greens, and sprouts (which we had to do without since Portland seems to have a sprout shortage right now) on Green Monster Bread (which can be made into bagels or rolls too). If you love avocados, this is the perfect choice for you! Plus, on a dreary gray day, green foods always brighten my mood.

Next up, we made the Almo-Cado Sandwich. This clever creation uses almond butter as a spread and seasoned shredded beets, micro greens, sprouts, and avocado as the filling. I had this sandwich for my lunch and it kept me full until dinner. It is a well balanced and pretty sandwich!

We have plans to make quite a few more sandwiches from this book over the next week or two. On the list: Pesto Pitzas, Maple-Nut Pie Wafflewich, Hot Brown Sandwiches, Razz-elnut Spinach Sandwiches, One World Reuben, Meat(less)ball Subs, and Peanut Butter Banana Bacon Sandwiches. See what I mean? You will want to make everything!!!

For now, I am going to share the Green Monster Bread recipe with you, courtesy of Celine, Tami, and their fine publisher, Fair Winds Press. Thanks!

Green Monster Bread

1 packed cup (40 g) baby arugula or spinach
1 tablespoon (8 g) minced garlic
1 1/4 cups (295 ml) water, lukewarm
2 tablespoons (30 ml) light olive oil
3 1/2 cups (438 g) all-purpose flour*, plus more
if needed
2 tablespoons (18 g) vital wheat gluten
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons (25 g) sugar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon canola oil
Nonstick cooking spray

Place the arugula, garlic, water, and oil in a blender; blend
until smooth. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, gluten,
yeast, sugar, and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry.
Using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix for about
6 minutes, until a dough forms. Add more flour, 1 tablespoon
(8 g) at a time while mixing, if needed.

Alternatively, if you don’t have a stand mixer, transfer
the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10
minutes, adding 1 tablespoon (8 g) flour at a time if needed,
until the dough is smooth and pliable.

Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough in it. Turn to
coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise for 60 to 90
minutes, until doubled.

Lightly coat an 8 x 4-inch (20 x 10-cm) loaf pan with
spray. Gently punch down the dough and press it down into
the pan. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise until
the dough reaches 1 inch (2.5 cm) over the top of the pan,
between 30 and 60 minutes

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C, or gas mark 5).
Carefully remove the plastic wrap and bake for 30 minutes,
or until golden brown and the bottom of the bread sounds
hollow when tapped. Remove from the pan, transfer to a wire
rack, and let cool before slicing.

Yield: 1 loaf

*Feel free to replace up to half of the flour with white whole wheat flour, but keep in mind that the green color might become a bit more subdued if you do.

****And now… a giveaway!!! Fair Winds Press has generously offered to give one reader their very own copy of Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day!!!! Hooray!!! To enter, leave a comment telling me about your most favorite sandwich. This giveaway is open to folks in the US and Canada. You have until midnight (Pacific Standard Time) Friday, December 7th! Good Luck!!!****

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