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SASQUATCH BOOKS with colophon is a registered trademark of Penguin Random House LLC
Names: Freeman, Jackie, author.
Title: A hearty book of veggie sandwiches : vegan and vegetarian paninis, wraps, rolls, and more / Jackie Freeman.
Description: Seattle : Sasquatch Books, [2022] | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021025125 | ISBN 9781632173720 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781632173737 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Vegetarian cooking. | Vegan cooking. | Sandwiches. | LCGFT: Cookbooks.
The recipes contained in this book have been created for the ingredients and techniques indicated. Neither publisher nor author is responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require supervision. Nor are publisher and author responsible for any adverse reactions you may have to the recipes contained in the book, whether you follow them as written or modify them to suit your personal dietary needs or tastes.
INTRODUCTION
My Life in Sandwiches
Clean, healthy living. Delicious food. Foolproof recipes. Sandwiches.
I grew up eating a lot of sandwiches. Mostly the ubiquitous PB&J, and usually as an alternative to dinner. Not necessarily by choice, but after my mom would create a weeknight dinner that was often more inspired than edible. Once we unanimously voted that dinner was a no-go, we would be left to fend for ourselves for sustenance. The result? A lot of sandwiches.
Sandwiches followed me from that dinner table through the rest of my life. Of course, in elementary, middle, and high school, sandwiches were the norm. Ham and cheese, cream cheese and jam, peanut butter and pickles (yep, you read that right). They were quick for my mom (or me) to make, and they were easy to pack and easy to eat. As I grew older, my meals became more self-led, but I still leaned toward sandwiches; perhaps out of habit, perhaps out of budget, perhaps out of taste. When I was a college student, money was tight, time was tighter, and inspiration was nonexistent. Every day for lunch I would make the same thing: a hummus sandwich on toasted sourdough bread with slices of cucumber and greens. Maybe a few bell pepper slices if I was feeling fancy. Maybe some cheese, if it was on sale. I ate that sandwich almost every day for two years, and you know what? It always tasted great, always survived the trip around campus, and was so easy to make.
And now, as a stay-at-home-but-also-working-from-home mom, even with over twenty years of professional cooking under my belt, I still make a sandwich almost every day for lunch. Sometimes they are rolled-up tortillas, sometimes they are open-faced on leftover fancy bread, and sometimes they are simply the remains of my toddlers neglected lunch. But almost always, a sandwich.
There is a good reason why most of us reach for a sandwich for a quick breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They are easy to prepare, versatile, and damn delicious. Sandwiches are part of our daily ritualwhether making an assembly line of PB&Js for school lunch, throwing together a quick meal for work, or indulging in a midnight snack with the fridge door wide open.
Even if you, like me, eat sandwiches several times a week, have you given much thought to what makes a good wich? Putting together the perfect sandwich is more than slapping ingredients between two slices of bread. You must consider all the layers, separately and together. This book is here to help you learn how to make the perfect sandwich, with tasty recipes for any time of the day (or night) and any type of mood.
When we contemplate vegetarian and vegan sandwiches, many of us might nod off. But weve come a long way from tasteless hummus, a few pieces of wilted romaine, and a sad slice of tomato stuffed into pita bread. Once you know the basic steps and ingredients, plant-based sandwiches are fresh, tasty, filling, and easy to prepare. This book offers delicious recipes with easy-to-find ingredients that wont break the bank. Whether your diet is entirely plant-based or you just need a break from the normal heavy fare of a meat-laden wich, youll find something to tickle your palate and satisfy your stomach.
PLANTING AN IDEA
Why Eat Plant-Based Food?
In the great words of Michael Pollan: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. Why mostly? I dont believe in extremism. Life is about balance, and everything should be done in moderation. I like to run, but not too much; I love bubble tea, but only once a week (OK, sometimes twice a week); I like to eat meat, but I would also like to eat less of it. Having a great vegetarian or vegan option for breakfast, lunch, or dinner is healthy in many ways: its better for my personal health, better for the planets health, and better for my wallets health.
TO VEGAN OR NOT TO VEGAN, THAT IS THE QUESTION
There is a large movement toward eating plant-based meals. Some choose this lifestyle for ethical or moral reasons, some for health reasons, some for environmental or political reasons, and some just to try something new and different. Whether youre a full-fledged vegan, a dabbling vegetarian, or a voracious omnivore looking to change things up, plant-based food offers tasty, healthy, and easy meal options.
Eating a plant-based diet does not mean you have to be a vegetarian or vegan. It does mean incorporating more (or mostly) fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds into your everyday meals. For some, this way of eating excludes all animal products (vegan); for some it means incorporating a reasonable amount of dairy and eggs (lacto- and ovo-vegetarian); and for others, it means having carnivorous moments now and again (with a bit of ethically raised meat or fish). Which is the best option? All of them. None of them. Its totally up to you, your taste preferences, and your personal beliefs. In my home we try to reach a happy harmony: we eat vegan twice a week, vegetarian twice a week, omnivorous twice a week, and that final day is a delightful wild card.