This vegan veggie sandwich is made with basil pesto, creamy hummus and colourful fresh veggies. It’s the perfect lunch for those of you who need a big bite of something crunchy to get you through the day.
I’m not gonna lie; I’m not really a sandwich person. For me the perfect meal is something warm, creamy and comforting that you can eat with a spoon, or sometimes a fork (think oatmeal, creamy soup, pasta, curry). But every once in a while I do crave a sandwich.
So when I do go with a sandwich, I need it to be really impressive. And I mean, I want it to make me feel like I’ve found a portal to a whole new dimension and I’m never coming back. So far, I haven’t been turned into a sandwich person yet, but this veggie sandwich does come as close as any ever did. And how could it not, when it’s made with all that’s good in the world:
- Crunchy sourdough bread
- Homemade pesto
- Creamy hummus
- Loads of fresh veggies
The Secret Is in Good Hummus
If you’ve ever had hummus but weren’t all that impressed, I’m willing to bet you haven’t tried good hummus yet. A thick, chunky, bland mess is not real hummus.
Real hummus should be light and fluffy, yet still creamy and silky smooth. It’s always best to make your own, but I get how sometimes that just isn’t an option. And I really don’t expect you to whip up a batch of homemade hummus from scratch just to make a sandwich. When picking store-bought hummus, keep these three things in mind:
- Limited ingredients. The label should include chickpeas, olive oil, lemon, garlic, tahini, and not much more. Stick to real food.
- Avoid additives, such as potassium sorbate, artificial flavours, colourings, or benzoates. A short shelf life is usually a good sign.
- Avoid cheaper oils, such as canola, vegetable, or soybean oil. Olive oil and tahini are two of the ingredients that gives hummus its anti-inflammatory properties!
Which Bread to Use
It’s really up to you, but I love using sourdough bread. On most days, I get my bread from a small Italian sourdough bakery down the street from where I live. Walking my dog in the morning, I can smell them baking a fresh batch for the day before they even open. For some reason the smell of freshly baked bread always takes me back to my earliest childhood years, and walking past that bakery definitely makes my mornings.
But not all bread has to come with a backstory. For this recipe, I strongly recommend using sourdough bread, but any kind of whole wheat bread, or your regular sandwich bread will work fine as well.
How to Assemble the Ultimate Veggie Sandwich
The perfect way to make the most of all these amazing ingredients is to spread pesto onto one slice of bread, and hummus onto the other. You can stack any kind of fresh veggies on top, but I like to keep things minimal, so I only used:
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Cucumber
Other great options include: onion, sprouts, and avocado.
Vegan Veggie Sandwich
ingredients
- 4 slices sourdough bread
- 4 tablespoons hummus
- ⅓ cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1 medium tomato, thinly sliced
- 4 leaves lettuce
Basil Pesto
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
instructions
To Make Basil Pesto
- To a food processor or small blender, add the basil, garlic, lemon juice, walnuts and salt, and blend on high until a loose paste forms.
- Add olive oil a little at a time and scrape down sides as needed, until the desired consistency is reached.
Assemble the Sandwich
- Spread hummus onto one slice of the bread, and basil pesto onto the other.
- Top with as much fresh veggies as you want, and cover with the other slice. Repeat with the other two slices of bread.
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