Sandwich Ideas for my vegetarian husband

[alysee]

True story, my husband has basically been eating homemade falafel on a Pita with lettuce, cucumber, hummus and tomato every single day for lunch since last year when we went vegetarian. The only exception has been the very few times he has had a business lunch take out or times he's had dinner leftovers. 

Any vegetarian sandwich ideas for him? 

 

[Laura Corin]

Are vegetarian cheeses an option? Beans in a pita? Baked tofu?

[alysee]

Veg cheese is definitely an option. 

[Elizabeth86]

What about avocado? I eat avocado toast for lunch every day. I bit everything bagel seasoning and spinach on it.

[Bambam]

I have made these before for a vegan friend (we ate them too - not bad) https://cookieandkate.com/best-veggie-burger-recipe/
I made a large batch and baked them and froze the leftovers. 

Would a bean burrito work? 

Fried egg or egg salad? (I'm assuming this is okay. My vegetarian friends still eat eggs, but my vegan friends don't)

Edited February 6, 2022 by Bambam

[HomeAgain]

My youngest will eat avocado, tomato, onion, and peppers, but we have struggled to get a sandwich in him for years, so this is about as far as he goes if it's not grilled cheese. He hates bread, though.  No allergy or intolerance, just hates American bread.

I'd go for burritos (black bean, cilantro lime rice, avocado, salsa) or portabello on a bagel or sourdough with sandwich veggies.

[lmrich]

go with a classic - peanut butter and jelly  or my favorite peanut butter, honey, and banana

 

[J-rap]

I assume dairy cheese is out?  I've gotten pretty good vegan cream cheese before.  I particularly like it in a sandwich with either sliced avocados or chopped black or green olives.  But it's also good in a packed sandwich layer with sliced tomatoes, spinach, avocado, onions... the whole works.  I think good bread makes or breaks a sandwich!

Other options:  Instead of hummus, you can make a black bean spread for a change.  Or a family favorite:  peanut butter and sliced bananas.

[KungFuPanda]

Since he’s not vegan it’s a bit easier. One of my favorite summer sandwiches is a baguette with a thick layer of pesto, tomato slices, spinach, and a very thick slice of mozzarella cheese. We’re talking almost a 1/2 inch slice here. 
 

Veggie wraps or pitas with hummus, feta, cucumber, tomatoes, olives, etc are good. This might be less messy as a salad or a grain bowl in a packed lunch. 
 

He can do a vegetarian muffuletta with on olive tapanade and cheese and veggies. 
 

I take my lunch to work but I use a lunch crock. It’s a baby crockpot designed to heat leftovers. I plug in when I get there and my food is hot for lunch. It’s much more satisfying than a sandwich. I take things like enchilladas, soups, pasta dishes, curries, fried rice etc. I freeze leftovers I know I’ll enjoy in plastic sour cream tubs that just happen to be the right size. In the morning I pop that block of ice into the steel bowl of my lunch crock. My lunch is thawed and hot by lunchtime and It tastes better than microwaved food. 

Edited February 6, 2022 by KungFuPanda

[Selkie]

Some of our favorite vegan sandwiches are:

BBQ tofu or tempeh

Banh Mi

Portobello paninis

Chickpea salad (supposed to taste like tuna, but is much better imo)

For a quick sandwich, I usually just throw together all kinds of veggies, greens, hummus or guacamole, and Everything Bagel seasoning.

[Lady Marmalade]

This beet sandwich popped up in my feed first thing this morning and I can't stop thinking about it. 

https://www.seriouseats.com/beet-sandwich-goat-cheese-fennel-recipe

 

[73349]

I second the recommendation for chickpea salad. If you want to get fancy, in addition to some celery and vegan mayo, add some pecans or walnuts and red seedless grapes (chopped).

Would he like PB & J?

Grilled cheese and tomato?

A wrap with black beans, corn, tomato, lettuce, and salsa or guacamole?

[mmasc]

Full disclosure: I haven’t made this yet, but it’s in my list to try. (Wrap, not sandwich) 

https://upbeetkitchen.com/2020/03/04/mediterranean-lentil-veggie-wraps/

My other favorite is pretty much what he’s already eating, but rolled up in a flavored wrap (hummus, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers)I change up the hummus—sometimes I use black bean or lentil hummus since they’re seasoned differently. I also like to give a big dash of Za’atar seasoning on it if I’m using traditional hummus. 

Roasted veggies (diced sweet potatoes, rinsed and drained chickpeas, Brussels sprouts—tossed with olive oil and S&P) rolled up in a flavored wrap/tortilla. 

Obviously I have a love for wraps, lol, but to me they’re basically a sandwich since they’re a handheld thing. 😁

[Miss Tick]

We have one that combines roasted red peppers with cream cheese and a little onion and garlic. Officially that spread goes on a scooped out baguette with cucumber romaine and radicchio.

There is also "Picnic Loaf"which is a scooped out Italian loaf with pesto spread on one side and cream cheese on the other and then fillings. Wrap it over night and weigh it down, then slice into servings. I always use spinach and roasted peppers, and whatever else makes sense. My favorite was roasted butternut and onions.

[whitestavern]

We do a meatless sub with Italian dressing. Throw in whatever you happen to have: lettuce tomato onion artichokes roasted peppers pickles or pepperoncini etc

Thirding(?) “egg” salad with chickpeas. Or try with curried roasted cauliflower

If cheese is okay, cheddar with sliced apples and/or onion jam and a grainy Dijon. or tomato, mozz and pesto  

Sliced and roasted veg (eggplant, zucchini) with arugula and tomato and olive tapenade

Roasted butternut squash and pear  

 

Edited February 6, 2022 by whitestavern

[Dianthus]

Eggplant? We bread and fry eggplant like for eggplant parmigiana (breading is crumbs, pecorino romano cheese, parsley, garlic, pepper. First put in flour, then dredge in egg, then in crumbs, then fry in olive oil). Actually tried last week in new air fryer... not as good but ok and healthier I suppose.  Anyway, you can put some red sauce on a roll, and then add eggplant and more sauce and cheese. I love eggplant so this is a favorite for me, right up there with meatball sandwiches.

[Stacia]

Here's a graphic from the Esselstyn Engine 2 Seven-Day Rescue Diet...

 

Chickpea salad was already mentioned. I love this recipe:   https://minimalistbaker.com/chickpea-sunflower-sandwich/

Edited February 6, 2022 by Stacia

[saraha]

My vegetarian love sloppy joes made with lentils instead of meat

[Corraleno]

Roasted veg (some combo of red peppers, zucchini, eggplant, portobellos), sun dried tomatoes, thinly sliced red onions, arugula, and mashed cannellini beans on grilled focaccia or ciabatta with fresh basil and a little olive oil. 

Quesadilla or grilled burrito with refried black beans, brown rice, spinach, salsa, and vegan cheese.

Schwarma-spiced tofu in pita with garlicky Greek yogurt sauce

Spring rolls with shredded cabbage, carrots, red peppers, green onions, edamame or tofu, and pickled ginger, with a little container of peanut sauce or sweet chili sauce for dipping. (Trader Joe's sells baked teriyaki tofu that is ready to eat for faster prep if you don't want to press and cook the tofu.)

Leftover curried vegetables, rice, and chickpeas in a spinach wrap

 

[Amethyst]

Roasted eggplant slices with a slice of tomato and sprouts. We make faux aioli which is sooo good, but a storebought mayo might be a quicker substitute. 

Oh, and hearty slices of bread are important too!

Edited February 6, 2022 by Amethyst

[mathnerd]

I marinate a bunch of firm tofu in 3 different kinds of marinades. I either grill or bake them and store in the fridge. I also have vegetarian dairy cheeses of several kinds.
for my vegetarian DH and son, I make:

a panini with grilled peppers, mushrooms and pesto,

grilled cheese sandwich with roasted asparagus,

hummus, avocado, feta, micro greens wrap

black bean quesadillas with yellow corn 

breakfast style burritos with grilled tofu, baked sweet potatoes and peppers 

Flaky indian parathas stuffed with cauliflower-peas curry and paneer or curried tofu

taquitos with cabbage, potatoes and green lentil stuffing 

avocado, cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches 

Sometimes they take leftovers from dinner like fried rice or noodles or a fresh salad for lunch.

Edited February 6, 2022 by mathnerd

[Spy Car]

A suggestion for the wrap itself.

For my taste a healthy mix of beans, seeds, nuts, veggies (whatever) tastes very nice wrapped in a collard green as the wrapping. As one would do with a burrito.

If the central stem is tough--as is usually the case on larger leaves--one can either cut them out (making smaller wrappings) or (better) turning them on their backs and using a vegetable peeler to shave the spine down. Or use smaller more tender leaves.

I prefer using the leaves raw myself, but--if that is a stumbling block--then a flash dip into boiling water and then into an ice bath will take way some of the mineralliness and soften the texture. Don't over cook.

Bill

 

 

[DreamerGirl]

Here is a motherlode of veg sandwich recipes

https://www.tarladalal.com/recipes-for-sandwich-veg-sandwich-recipes-187

I use these chutneys a lot as a base and mix it with plain cream cheese

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/171991/cilantro-chutney/

https://www.veganricha.com/recipe-pages/mint-chutney-recipe/

This is another sauce I use regularly

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/241410/spicy-sushi-mayo/

I use Sushi ginger, pickled daikon radish and even kimchi to add flavor

I use a lot of arugula or the leaves in a spring mix salad in place of lettuce.

[Frances]

7 hours ago, Lady Marmalade said:

This beet sandwich popped up in my feed first thing this morning and I can't stop thinking about it. 

https://www.seriouseats.com/beet-sandwich-goat-cheese-fennel-recipe

 

When we visited Victoria, BC before the pandemic beets were everywhere in the food. So yummy.

[Spy Car]

8 hours ago, Lady Marmalade said:

This beet sandwich popped up in my feed first thing this morning and I can't stop thinking about it. 

https://www.seriouseats.com/beet-sandwich-goat-cheese-fennel-recipe

 

Making me hungry.

Bill

[Spy Car]

3 hours ago, Corraleno said:

Roasted veg (some combo of red peppers, zucchini, eggplant, portobellos), sun dried tomatoes, thinly sliced red onions, arugula, and mashed cannellini beans on grilled focaccia or ciabatta with fresh basil and a little olive oil.

Many moons ago, and shortly after I met my future wife (head over heels in love), I whisked the pair of us to Italy to take a road trip through the north, primarily revolving around good eating--broken up by taking in some culture.

One of the surprise hits of the trip was discovering the most curious emporium/cafe called the Autogrill, that would often be built crossing over their freeways (the autostrada) in a way that allowed drivers to pull over on either side to pull in and shop for gourmet food items, have a bite to eat, or an espresso--or one's favorite alcoholic beverage (before jumping back in one's car on a freeway with essentially no speed limit aside from "how fast will your car go?" Got to love the Italians. Or not.

Lets see if I can find a picture. Oh good.

Anyway, these Autogrills serve grilled veggie sandwiches much as you describe. They were so good. Theirs did include cheese. And fresh basil.

When we got back I found a panini maker and started replicating the "Autogrill sandwiches." And that's what we call them, "Autogrill sandwiches."

Bill   

Edited February 6, 2022 by Spy Car

[73349]

BTW if you want hot sandwiches (grilled cheese, panini, etc.), a waffle iron is great for heating them. And a pizza wheel is nice for cutting the finished sandwich.

Edited February 7, 2022 by 73349

[Pam in CT]

2nd or 3rd the suggestions for bean paste & hummos & avocado & grilled eggplant as backbone sandwich spreads; and also the encouragement to branch out from sandwiches to hearty salads, starting with chickpeas.  Also try tortilla roll-ups or pita instead of regular bread.

On 2/6/2022 at 9:31 AM, Lady Marmalade said:

This beet sandwich popped up in my feed first thing this morning and I can't stop thinking about it. 

https://www.seriouseats.com/beet-sandwich-goat-cheese-fennel-recipe

OMG that looks *amazing.*  We eat beets with feta all.year.long, cold in summer and warm in winter.

 

On 2/6/2022 at 11:41 AM, Spirea said:

Eggplant? We bread and fry eggplant like for eggplant parmigiana (breading is crumbs, pecorino romano cheese, parsley, garlic, pepper. First put in flour, then dredge in egg, then in crumbs, then fry in olive oil). Actually tried last week in new air fryer... not as good but ok and healthier I suppose.  Anyway, you can put some red sauce on a roll, and then add eggplant and more sauce and cheese. I love eggplant so this is a favorite for me, right up there with meatball sandwiches.

I do this too, in large quantities, with both eggplant and tofu; and just plonk on difference sauces for different tasts/ effects. The eggplant freezes reasonably well.  (Not so much the tofu.)

 

On 2/6/2022 at 2:18 PM, Corraleno said:

Schwarma-spiced tofu in pita with garlicky Greek yogurt sauce

OMG that looks amazing too. Never considered taking tofu in a schwarma direction, LOL.

[Dianthus]

44 minutes ago, Pam in CT said:

. The eggplant freezes reasonably well.  (Not so much the tofu.)

 

Yes! We generally fry a lot of eggplant at once and freeze extra on a cookie sheet, then bag up when frozen. When we want to bake just take out, layer up, and bake for quick dinner. 

I have no experience with frozen tofu.

[Clarita]

Our zoo makes a Portobello mushroom burger that is amazing. It's a balsamic marinated portobello mushroom grilled a little so it's hot with Provolone Cheese and Pesto just substitute the buns with a crusty rustic bread. I suppose you could substitute the portobello mushroom with smaller sliced mushrooms, but it would probably be messier.

Also shredded roasted beets with black beans smooshed together make a really good "burger" patty - just put whatever seasoning you want I do montreal steak seasoning. It's not really a burger taste per-se but it's yummy and holds together.