Hot Day -- Lunch Sandwich

It has been really hot out. I just wanted a not hot thing to eat. Whole wheat bread, cold tofu, spinach leaves, hummus, avocado, cheddar, cucumbers. Olives and carrots on the side.

Colicchio v. Fallon Sammich Smackdown

Kudos to Jimmy Fallon for hating the same stuff that I hate!

via EatMeDaily:

cukes

This post is about cucumbers, but also about sandwiches. I am temporarily living back at home for a few months. Drag, right? Wrong. I opened the fridge this morning to make myself a lunch sandwich. WHOA. There was so much great stuff in there, I didn't know where to start. (Of course, food is not the only reason that living at home is not a drag!)

Beginning with spelt bread, I layered on avocado, basil, olive tapenade, cheeses, carrots...the possibilities could go on. BUT. The crowning sandwich element was the cucumbers. My mom prepares a healthy flavored water that involves soaking various ingredients overnight in the fridge. The bonus byproduct of this process is the leftover cucumbers which were hanging out and mingling for hours with lemon, mint, and ginger.

The most refreshing thing you will ever eat EVER. I was advised as well that they are not only dynamite in a sandwich, but also make a really sweet salad.

STRAWBERRIES STRAWBERRIES

disclaimer: excuse the horrible photography, i took these pictures before mer's tutorial!!!
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what was that i heard about a sandwich-off? oh yeah. it's on:

STRAWBERRIES. god's gift. the one and only. wayyy better than james dean.


let me tell you what you're looking at. this is potato-bread toast, with strawberry preserves, with motherfucking BASIL topped with a fried egg. on the side? more strawberries. it was the most amazing combo ever - who would have thought basil and strawberries and eggs would be the new black?

and here's another bit for ya with a bad picture to boot:
really bad photo. oh man. no justice. this would be strawberries that i sliced and then smushed with a fork, put over crushed ice (you know, bag o ice meets hammer-time) with a shot of brandy and shredded smushed mint.

i said the same thing when i looked at this dinner as i did that one time i was really drunk and had great cleavage: YOU'RE GODDAMNED RIGHT!

So, I made a pretty ok sandwich.

I opened the fridge around lunch time. Opening the fridge reminds me most of the time of cooking plans that didn't materialize. Like that basil that was on its way out because I wasn't getting stoked on the pesto I was supposed to make this week. So I told myself to get off my ass and make good.

Whole wheat bread from the fridge had to do. No time to bake my own, though it's easy enough. I like the No Knead recipe because who has time to really do the whole bread baking thing? It's surprisingly good for how little effort is involved.

I made a pretty standard pesto: basil, pine nuts, salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic.

The day before, I tried a new seitan recipe that requires baking rather than boiling. I really love this concept. I altered the seasoning a little (it is reminiscent of pepperoni) and maybe in the future it would be fun to do a stuffed version. I think there is also potential there for a veggie dog that is not just a bunch of extruded soy paste. (Another shortcut confession: I used vital wheat gluten flour rather than forcing the gluten out of wheat dough which takes 8796984 hours.)

Ugh boiled seitan. Talk about disaster stories. I challenge anyone to tell me that their boiled seitan was anywhere near baked in quality. Or even approached store-bought.
Anyway. Sauteed the seitan with some spinach that was turning in the fridge as well.

Bang. Sandwich. Stacked on some carrot matchsticks and sliced avocado. Then I ate it. It was fine.

In conclusion: Sammich challenge? Stuff turning in the fridge challenge?

Tuna!

Beware, this tuna melt contains awesome. I diced up some celery in that bitch and used some brie. You heard me, brie. Heated that mofo up. Then I done ate it. Had some beer too, ain't no thang. So good I made another later in the week. Check that one out.

Had a pickle too. Damn good. Back up off my sammich 'cuz I'mma eat it right up. Underneath that sammich I got a plate with a penguin on it. Go ahead an' get mad ya jealous ass, you can't have this penguin plate 'cuz I'm makin' another sammich on it.