Most salad sandwiches are so bland. This one is not! I treat it like I’m making a dressed salad, stuffed into a bun. Every component is flavored and everything blends together so well. Now, THIS is a vegetarian sandwich worth making!!
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How I prepare my salad sandwich
I don’t know how this keeps happening, but the Easter Bunny still seems to find me every year, even though I’m a full-fledged adult now. I mean, softly, I’m not complaining, although my jeans wouldn’t agree.
So after a long weekend of indulgence, this girl needs a healthy dose of veggies. But virtuous should never mean bland! So that’s exactly what it is: a salad sandwich that’s actually delicious, thanks to a light vinaigrette used to lightly marinate the carrot and dress the greens so every bite is well-seasoned, juicy, and delicious. Honestly, it’s so much nicer than stuffing a bun with a pile of plain vegetables!
Ingredients in my salad sandwich
Here’s what you need to make my salad sandwich. It’s a healthy, vegetarian-only sandwich, so no protein or (shocking) cheese. But it’s a blank canvas – add other vegetables of your choice, slices of boiled egg, poached chicken, cold cuts (ham, etc.). And yes, I might have slipped some cheese once or twice. 😅.
UPDATE: A few readers have commented on the lack of onion. I just never thought to include it, assuming the raw nature would be too harsh here (I’d probably just marinate it quickly like in this recipe), but don’t let me stop you!
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Roll – I chose the suit. Because virtuous! #WellnessQueen But any roll or sandwich bread will do. You can even wrap it in flatbread to make a big vegetarian wrap!
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Dressing – A simple vinaigrette made with apple cider vinegar (or really, any vinegar is good), extra virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard (to thicken, so it sticks), garlic (because – garlic!), plus a little salt and pepper. This is used to lightly marinate the grated carrot and season the baby spinach, both components that I think need a little help to be flavorful in this big vegetarian sandwich.
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Carrot – A small carrot, about 18 cm/7.” long and quite thin. I feel so happy knowing that I have a whole carrot in my sandwich. But that’s okay, your sandwich will still work if you use a half-large one. Promise! 😇
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Baby spinach – I use baby spinach for convenience, but you can really use any leafy greens here. For larger or harder leaves (kale, cos/romaine, iceberg, chard), cut them into slices (the harder the leaves, the thinner the slice).
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Alfalfa – I feel like its main purpose in life is to be stuck in sandwiches, adding chewy greens that stay in place rather than sliding everywhere (I stare Youtomato!). I don’t use it enough, but when I make a salad sandwich, I make a special trip just to get it.
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Tomato – It’s done, I’ve become friends again with tomatoes which add essential juiciness!
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Beet – Canned. Because fresh beets are a commitment I don’t make for salad sandwiches. 😅 Plus, I love the extra juiciness you get with canned beets.
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Lawyer – This is what I use in place of butter, mayonnaise, creamy cheese and all the other good things I like to slather on sandwiches and burgers. It also acts as food glue here, so you don’t splatter things to the other side of the sandwich when you bite into it.
Oh – also. that’s how I crush it. What, you didn’t know the skin was a built-in bowl?? 🙂
How to make my salad sandwich
As mentioned above, the carrot and baby spinach are the dressing components of the salad, to add flavor and soften them just enough so that they loosen up and blend better into the sandwich. Most of the dressing is used for the carrot (shredded = lots of surface area), then I simply “wipe” the used dressing bowl with the baby spinach, which is more than enough to lightly coat it.
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Whip dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
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Pour 3/4 of the dressing in a separate small bowl (for the carrot), just leaving a layer of dressing on the base and sides of the bowl, which is all we need for the baby spinach. Set the bowl of baby spinach aside for now.
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Wither the carrot – Add the carrot and mix with your fingers to coat with the vinaigrette. Then put it aside while you take care of everything else. Even 5 minutes in the dressing is enough to loosen the carrot a bit so it nestles better in the sandwich. No one wants little pieces of carrot in their salad sandwich!
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Squashed sloth to avoid – Use a fork to mash the avocado in the skin with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. (If you’re making more than one sandwich or are just a normal person who isn’t always looking for a way to save time doing something, just pour the flesh into a bowl and mash it up!)
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Mix the baby spinach – Just before assembling, place the baby spinach in the bowl that has almost no dressing in it and wipe down the sides and base with the baby spinach, tossing as you go to coat (it’s not as hard to do as it takes words to describe!!)
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Assemble – Divide the roll in half. Generously coat the base and lid with avocado. It’s the element that adds creaminess to our sandwich, replacing more sinful things like butter and mayonnaise, and acts like a glue to hold things in place. So don’t hold back!
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Stack it all on top – Garnish the bottom (in this order) – tomato slices, pinch of salt and pepper, baby spinach, beetroot slices, carrot (leave the juice in the bowl), alfalfa, sandwich lid.
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So eat! Appreciate! Feel virtuous! Your skin is glowing!
Seriously, this really is a hearty sandwich that just makes you feel good without feeling like you’re getting a mouthful of bland raw vegetables. I already ate two today – the one in the video was breakfast and the one in the photos was lunch! And I still feel very sufficient, full and content – it’s a good combination, in my opinion. 😆
ALL RIGHT. Healthiness done. Bank those calorie credits because JB will be back Friday with something you’ll want to spend them on! – Nagix
Watch how to do it
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Nagi Salad Sandwich
Sandwich
Western
Servings1
Tap or hover to scale
Recipe video above. Salad sandwiches can be so boring. This one is not! I basically treat it as a dressed salad stuffed into a roll with a little vinaigrette used to lightly marinate the carrot and dress the greens. Honestly, it’s so much nicer than eating a bunch of plain raw vegetables!
Ingredients
- 1 soft bun wholemeal or white (or sandwich bread, wraps)
- 1 small carrot peeled, grated using a grater (3/4 cup lightly packed per sandwich)
- 1/2 ripe avocado
- 1 lightly filled cup young spinach leaves (or arugula, or iceberg slices, kale, cos/romaine or other cheerful leafy greens)
- 1/4 cup alfa well packaged
- 1/2 tomato cut into rounds (3 to 4 slices)
- 3 – 4 beet slices (canned)
- Little pinches salt and pepper
Prevent screen from sleeping
Instructions
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Dress the carrot first – Whisk the vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl. Pour 3/4 of the vinaigrette into a separate bowl, add the carrot, mix with your fingers. (Leave the rest of the dressing in the other bowl for now, there shouldn’t be much).
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Lazy Smashed Avocado – Using a fork, mash the avocado flesh into the skin with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. (If you increase or prefer to be normal, pour the flesh into a bowl and mash it).
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Dress the baby spinach – When you’re ready to assemble the sandwich, toss the baby spinach in the remaining dressing (“wipe” the side of the bowl).
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Assemble – Cut the bun in half. Coat the lid and base with mashed avocado (1/3 to 1/2 cup). Arrange the tomato slices on the bottom, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Garnish with baby spinach, beetroot, carrot and finally alfalfa. Put the lid on, devour!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition per sandwich, assuming 1/3 cup avocado is used.
Nutritional information:
Calories: 388cal (19%)Carbohydrates: 41g (14%)Protein: 11g (22%)Fat: 24g (37%)Saturated fat: 3g (19%)Polyunsaturated fats: 4gMonounsaturated fat: 15gTrans fat: 0.02gSodium: 1490mg (65%)Potassium: 906mg (26%)Fiber: 10g (42%)Sugar: 10g (11%)Vitamin A: 14104UI (282%)Vitamin C: 27mg (33%)Calcium: 157mg (16%)Iron: 4mg (22%)
In memory of the bulldozer
Easter has always been a conflicted time for Dozer. Not a fan of bunny ears….
…but boy did he love it when I made Easter roast lamb! As soon as the smell started to fill the house, he would park right next to the oven, standing guard. Those times when I prepared the 12 hour lamb and left it in the oven overnight, he would fall asleep in front of the oven until I called him to My bedtime!!
And slowly, even though *everyone* knows that bone-in lamb is much juicier than boneless, sometimes I would deliberately choose to make a boneless lamb just so I could cut off the bone and give it to Dozer.
Yes. Easter was truly a conflicting time for him!
I miss you, Dozer. Easter wasn’t the same without you looking after the lamb. I hope the Easter Bunny brought you a giant roast instead of little eggs this year. My love, your mom xx
