B00AG0VMTC EBOK (23 page)

By Brian Hart

This was a shocker. My mom does not like tofu, ketchup, sauerkraut, pickles, rye bread, or tempeh. So when Brian made her a reuben on rye with tamari-roasted tempeh, tofu, ketchup-based Thousand Island dressing, and sauerkraut, she was shocked to find she not only liked it but ate four halves!

8 ounces tempeh

½ cup low-sodium tamari sauce

8 ounces silken tofu

cup ketchup

cup pickle relish

1 loaf rye bread

1 jar sauerkraut, your favorite

1 cup fresh spinach leaves

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Slice the tempeh in half vertically and then horizontally, to make 4 thin, square patties. In a shallow dish, pour the tamari over the tempeh and marinate for 5 minutes, or more if time permits. Place the tempeh on a nonstick pan or on a pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes.

In a bowl, mix together the tofu, ketchup, and relish until it looks like a tofu-based Thousand Island dressing.

Toast the rye bread to the desired crispiness. Spread with tofu-based Thousand Island dressing. Add a layer of sauerkraut, then tempeh, then spinach. Cut the sandwich in half and serve.

By Ann Esselstyn

Summer means heirloom tomatoes, and heirloom tomatoes mean open-faced tomato sandwiches—day after day after day. If you make these right, you can’t have just one. You just can’t.

6 slices rye bread (Mestamacher or Brot)—toast the dickens out of it!

1 cup Plain Jane Hummus (
here
), or store-bought hummus made with no added oil or tahini

3 scallions, chopped

10 leaves fresh basil, chopped

3 large heirloom tomatoes, cut into ½-inch-thick slices

Balsamic glaze, preferably Isola Classic Cream of Balsamic or the Olive Tap Black Currant Balsamic Vinegar

Toast the rye bread so that it is sturdy—2 to 3 times over. Seriously, two or three toasting cycles is what it takes in our toaster, but be careful not to burn it!

Spread with a layer of Plain Jane Hummus (
here
) or the store-bought hummus. Scatter the scallions and fresh basil on top of the hummus. Place thick tomato slab(s) on top of all. Drizzle with the balsamic glaze and serve.

By Ann Esselstyn

Anyone is welcome to pitch in when our family makes more than one hundred of these sandwiches for our annual Christmas Carol party at my parents’ house on Pepper Ridge Road. And every year they are devoured. People always ask, “What is the dressing used on these sandwiches?” There is no dressing! The dressing-like effect comes from the essence of roasted red bell peppers and the barbecued portobellos mixed with the avocado, spinach, and hummus.

3 red bell peppers

20 slices portobello mushrooms

One 16-ounce jar barbecue sauce, your favorite (Bone Suckin’ Sauce is our favorite)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced

1 loaf Ezekiel 4:9 Sesame Sprouted Whole Grain Bread

1 cup Plain Jane Hummus (
here
), or store-bought hummus with no added oil or tahini

1 bunch scallions, chopped

One 6-ounce package baby spinach

1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Place the bell peppers in a pan and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan every 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the mushrooms. Place the mushroom slices on a parchment paper–lined sheet pan. Coat the mushrooms with barbecue sauce. Cook for 30 minutes in the oven, or until cooked through.

When the peppers are roasted, place them in a bowl and cover. As they steam and cool, the pepper skins will separate from the flesh. Peel the skins off the peppers and remove the stems and seeds. The peppers will weep their essence into the bowl—reserve this liquid in the bowl. Tear the peppers into strips.

Add the balsamic vinegar, oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil, and garlic to the pepper-filled bowl. If you prefer, toast the bread first.

To construct a sandwich, spread hummus on one piece of bread or toast. Sprinkle a thin layer of scallions over the hummus. Place a layer of barbecued portobellos on top of the scallions and hummus. Add a layer of roasted red peppers, a layer of spinach, and a layer of avocado. Place another piece of bread atop the stack. Slice the sandwich into halves or quarters and serve. Repeat the procedure to make the remaining sandwiches.

Tip:
Try roasting your peppers Texas firefighter–style over a gas flame, over the grill, or in a hot cast-iron skillet until the skins blacken and puff away from the peppers.

By Jane Esselstyn

This sandwich is loaded with vitamin A from the carrots, vitamin B from the nutritional yeast, and vitamin C from the romaine lettuce. Eat this outside and you’ll get your vitamin D, as well!

3 to 4 whole carrots, chopped

1 cup raw cashews

6 dates, pitted

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

2 tablespoons water

1 loaf whole wheat bread, sliced

½ bunch scallions, chopped

1 head romaine lettuce, cleaned and chopped

In a food processor or high-speed blender, blend the carrots, cashews, dates, and nutritional yeast. Add water, as needed, until you reach the desired consistency; it should be similar to hummus.

Toast the bread. Spread a thick layer of the carrot-cashew mixture onto both slices of the toasted bread. Sprinkle 1 slice with the chopped scallions and a heap of the chopped romaine lettuce. Top with the other slice of toasted bread. Cut the sandwich in half, head outside, and enjoy.

Tip:
If you prefer the sandwich less sweet, add fewer dates. If you like scallions, stir them into the spread as well as sprinkling them on top. Also, try red bell pepper and sprouts, or do what my nutritionally dense mother does and add steamed kale.

Inspired by Elvis

The initials stand for Peanut Butter and Jelly Banana. Roll one up and you are ready to rock and roll! This one is in honor of the King himself.

1 whole wheat burrito

1 to 2 tablespoons peanut butter or other nut butter

1 tablespoon jelly, preferably a no-sugar-added, fruit-only brand

1 ripe banana

Spread a thin layer of peanut butter on the whole wheat burrito. Then spread with a layer of jelly. Place the banana on one side of the burrito, roll it all up, and eat!

By Jane Esselstyn

My two brothers, sister, and I could never pronounce these sandwiches correctly, but we sure could eat them: Gyros! Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, Ted’s, Jane’s, Zeb’s, and my favorite place to go was the Mad Greek restaurant at Cedar Lee Roads for “Jy-ros,” “Ye-rohs,” or “He-rohs.” I have not tasted one made from meat in thirty years, but these plant-strong gyros remind me of the Mad Greek originals. Lip-smacking good!

Scary-Easy Seasoned Seitan (below), or use store-bought seitan

J.R.’s Flatbread (
here
) or any Engine 2–approved whole wheat bread or pita

Tzatziki Sauce (
here
)

1 tomato, sliced

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced

1 onion, sliced

Prepare the seitan (below) per instructions. Slice the seitan into thin strips.

Prepare the flatbread.

Prepare the Tzatziki Sauce.

To assemble the gyros, onto each flatbread layer place the seitan, tomato, cucumber, and onion, then cover with the Tzatziki Sauce. Fold the flatbread over and serve.

Tip:
When making the flatbread, keep it thin, and do not overcook—keep it soft.

By Jane Esselstyn

Do not be intimidated at the thought of preparing your own seitan. After you make this, your confidence will soar and nothing will get in your way. It is scary… scary easy! This seitan is perfect for the Mad Greek Gyro above.

1¼ cups vegetable broth

1 tablespoon low-sodium tamari sauce

1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

1 cup wheat gluten

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon dried sage

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a roasting pan with a layer of parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the broth, tamari, and garlic. In a separate bowl, mix together the wheat gluten, herbs and spices, and nutritional yeast. Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Hand mix and/or knead the ingredients until the dough has an elastic texture, about 3 minutes.

Flatten the dough in the lined roasting pan to a thickness of about ½ inch. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from the oven, baste with ¼ to ½ cup of the broth mixture, flip, return to the oven, and cook for 20 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let cool a bit before slicing.

By Jane Esselstyn

Kale is king, and as such the word deserves to be capitalized. From this moment on, Kale will be capitalized. It is that magnificent. This recipe is a huge hit at any party. Watch it vanish.

1 bunch Kale, leaves stripped of spines, spines discarded

1 loaf whole-grain bread, sliced into 12 to 15 pieces

½ cup OMG Walnut Sauce (
here
)

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

Balsamic glaze, preferably Isola Classic Cream of Balsamic

Place the leaves in a pot with an inch or so of water, cover, and boil over high heat for 4 to 5 minutes.

Toast as many pieces of bread as desired and place on a handsome platter. Spread the walnut sauce on the toasted bread. Layer the cooked Kale over the walnut sauce. Scatter the grape tomatoes over the Kale. Drizzle generously with the balsamic glaze and serve.

By Brian Hart

Jane’s husband, Brian, makes one bad-to-the-bone chili. And lucky for all of us, there is no muscle that used to be connected to any bone in this recipe.

One 12-ounce can lentils, drained and rinsed, or 1 cup dry lentils, cooked

1 large onion, julienned

2 red bell peppers, cut into long strips

4 celery stalks, chopped

2 medium yellow squash, cut into large cubes

2 medium zucchini, cut into large cubes

One 8-ounce package mushrooms, sliced

1 cup julienned carrots

One 28-ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes, with their juices

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

One 40-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 to 3 tablespoons barbecue sauce, your favorite

1 to 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

2 to 3 tablespoons salsa, your favorite

If using dried lentils, cook them using 2½ cups water to 1 cup lentils. Bring to a boil and simmer until the lentils are soft, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a pot over medium-high heat, simmer together the onion, peppers, celery, squash, zucchini, mushrooms, and carrots.

Once all of the veggies are soft, decrease the heat to low. Add the whole, peeled tomatoes and their juices. Once in the pot, cut the whole tomatoes into pieces, using the edge of a spoon, a knife, or kitchen scissors. Add the chili powder and cumin. Increase the heat to medium, add the drained lentils, kidney beans, barbecue sauce, maple syrup, and salsa, and cook together for 2 to 3 minutes.

Simmer on low for 30 minutes. Brian says, “Taste it toward the end—add extra salsa, maple syrup, or chili powder according to your taste.” Keep warm until ready to serve.