The 30-Minute Vegan - Mark Reinfeld [101]
Vegenaise or Vegan Mayonnaise (page 288),
or substitute favorite salad dressing
4-8 pieces romaine lettuce (optional)
8 slices tomato (optional)
8 slices whole-grain bread or
bread of choice
1. Assemble all of the sandwiches according to the time-honored method. Remove the crusts if necessary.
2. Cut into cute shapes, such as four simple triangles or squares. Or get even fancier and use different shaped cookie cutters. Stars and hearts are two kids’ favorites.
Variation
• You can also use flour tortilla wraps to make roll-ups rather than sandwiches. You may have to use toothpicks to hold the pieces together. (If you use something like peanut butter, you have the stickiness factor helping to keep it together, otherwise they may unroll when you cut them.) Lay all of the ingredients across the whole wrap, avoiding the edge by a half inch. Roll it up and insert four frilly toothpicks, evenly spaced. Cut and arrange on a plate. Let the age of your guests determine whether they are ready to deal with the toothpicks.
Tips and Tricks
Admittedly, thinner sandwiches take better to the cookie-cutter method. Also good to know is that the small cookie cutters don’t work so well because the details get lost when cutting into such a bulky medium. So go for larger cutters (although you may only get one to two cuts per sandwich, you can still be creative with the trimmed pieces) with less detail (i.e., avoid snowmen, witches). Display them on colorful plates with some small toy figurines on them. Most important, have fun!
CANDY APPLES
You can serve these the old-fashioned way, like a huge lollipop, or as sliced apples covered in caramel sauce. The latter method ensures a greater caramel-to-apple ratio. Traditionally caramel is made by heating white sugar, butter, and heavy cream to high temperatures. We like to think we’ve taken it a couple steps toward healthy with this version.
MAKES 4 CANDIED APPLES
4 Pink Lady, Gala, or other apples
1 cup Silk creamer or soy milk
½ cup organic brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon arrowroot
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons vegan butter
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of sea salt
1 cup chopped toasted almonds or walnuts (see page 26)
1. It is best that the apples be at room temperature so that condensation doesn’t prevent the caramel from sticking. Either slice the apples or insert your desired handle (Popsicle sticks, bamboo skewers, or even forks do the trick) into the bottoms.
2. Whisk the creamer, brown sugar, and vanilla in a medium-size pot over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Whisk the arrowroot and water together and then whisk it into the sauce. Simmer for another 3 minutes, whisking occasionally. Add the vegan butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt. Simmer for 2 more minutes and remove from the heat.
3. Wait a few minutes for the mixture to start thickening and then pour the sauce over either the sliced or whole apples. Sprinkle with the toasted nuts, if using, or roll the whole coated apple in them. Let the whole apples cool in the fridge; the sliced apples can be eaten immediately.
Summertime Fun BB2 Picnic
A tall glass of limeade, corn on the cob, the smell of the grill, and chocolate chip cookies come together to make your day. Whether it’s a family reunion, company picnic, beach party, block party, or just a nice little Saturday, this menu wins big smiles. Put a little extra effort in and make Jamaican Skewers (page 214) instead of the Tempeh Sandwich. Try switching out the cookies for Peanut Butter Balls (page 269), Coleslaw (page 140) for the Grilled Vegetable Salad, Chips and Guacamole (page 88) for the Bruschetta.
Bruschetta (page 182)
Grilled Vegetable Salad (recipe follows)
BBQ Tempeh Sandwich (page 123)
Corn on the Cob (page 87)
Lovely Limeade (page 38)
Macadamia Nut-Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe follows)
GRILLED VEGETABLE SALAD
Whether you enjoy this as a salad or leave the vegetables whole as a side dish, it is light, colorful,