Nagi's Salad Sandwich

I treat it like making a dressed salad, stuffed in a bread roll. Every component is flavoured, and it all melds together so nicely. Now THIS is a veggie sandwich worth making!!

How I make 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, just quietly, I’m not complaining, though my jeans would disagree. So after a long weekend of indulgence, this girl needs a good veggie fix.

But virtuous should never mean bland! So that’s exactly what this is – a Salad Sandwich that is actually delicious, thanks to a light vinaigrette used to pickle the carrot slightly. Dress the greens so every bite is properly seasoned, juicy and delicious.

Honestly, it is so much nicer than stuffing a roll with a mound of plain raw vegetables!

Ingredients in my Salad Sandwich

Here’s what you need to make my Salad Sandwich. It’s a wholesome veggie-only sandwich, so no protein or (shockingly) cheese.

But it’s a blank canvas – add whatever other veg you want, sliced boiled egg, poached chicken, cold cuts (ham etc). And yes, I might’ve snuck in cheese once or twice. 😅.

UPDATE: A few readers have commented on the absence of onion. I have just never thought to include it, assuming the rawness would be too harsh here (I’d probably pickle it quickly like in this recipe), but don’t let me stop you!

- Bread roll – I’ve chosen wholemeal. As, virtuous! #WellnessQueen But any roll or sliced bread will work. You could even roll this up in a flatbread to make a big veggie wrap!

- Dressing – A simple vinaigrette made with apple cider vinegar (or really, any vinegar is fine), extra virgin olive oil, dijon mustard (for thickening, so it clings), garlic (as – garlic!), plus a little salt and pepper. This is used to lightly pickled the shredded carrot and dress the baby spinach, the two components that I feel need a little helping hand to be tasty in this big veggie sandwich.

- Carrot – One small carrot, about 18cm/7.” long and fairly thin. I feel so smug knowing I’ve got an entire carrot in my sandwich. But it’s ok, your sandwich will still work if you use half a large one.

- Baby spinach – I use baby spinach for convenience, but you can really use any leafy greens here. For larger or tougher leaves (kale, cos/romaine, iceberg, chard), slice them (the tougher the leaves, the finer the slice).

- Alfalfa – I feel like its main purpose in life is to be jammed into sandwiches, adding fluffy greenery that actually stays put rather than sliding everywhere (I’m glaring at you, tomato!). I don’t use it nearly enough, but when I’m making a salad sandwich, I’ll make a special trip just to get it. - Tomato – Glaring done, I’m back to being friends with tomato that add essential juiciness!

As fresh beetroot is a commitment I don’t make for salad sandwiches. 😅 Also, I like the extra juiciness you get with canned beetroot. - Avocado – This is what I use instead of butter, mayo, creamy cheese and all the other good things I like to slather on sandwiches and burgers. It as well plays the role of food glue here, so you don’t get stuff shooting out the other side of the sandwich when you bite into it.

Oh – in addition. this is how I smush it up. What, you didn’t know that the skin was a built in bowl?? 🙂

How to make my Salad Sandwich

As mentioned above, the carrot and baby spinach are the salad components that get dressed, to add savour and soften them just enough so they relax and meld into the sandwich better.

Most of the dressing is used for the carrot (grated = loads of surface area), then I just “wipe” the used dressing bowl with the baby spinach, which is more than enough to coat it lightly. - Whisk dressing ingredients in a small bowl.

- Pour 3/4 of the dressing into a separate small bowl (for the carrot), basically just leaving behind a layer of dressing on the base and walls of the bowl which is all we need for the baby spinach. Set the baby spinach bowl aside for now.

- Wilt carrot – Add the carrot and toss with your fingers to coat with dressing. Then set it aside while you get on with everything else.

Even 5 minutes in the dressing is enough to make the carrot flop a bit so it nestles into the sandwich better. Nobody wants pokey bits of carrot in their salad sandwich!

- Lazy smushed avo – Use a fork to mash the avocado in the skin with a generous pinch of salt. Pepper. (If you’re making more than one sandwich or just a normal person who isn’t always looking for a time-saving way to do something, just scoop the flesh out into a bowl and smush away!) - Toss baby spinach – Just prior to assembling, place the baby spinach in the barely-any-dressing-in-there bowl and wipe the sides and base with the baby spinach, tossing as you go to coat (it isn’t nearly as difficult to do as it takes in words to describe!!)

- Assemble – Split the roll in half. Smear the base and lid generously with avocado. This is the element that adds creaminess into our sandwich, replacing guiltier things like butter and mayonnaise, and acts like a glue to hold things in place.

- Pile everything on – Top the base (in this order) – tomato slices, pinch of salt and pepper, baby spinach, beetroot slices, carrot (leave the juice behind in bowl), alfalfa, sandwich lid. In all seriousness though, this really is a hefty sandwich that just makes you feel good without feeling like you’ve got a mouthful of bland raw vegetables.

I’ve eaten two already today – the one in the video was breakfast, and the photos was lunch! And I’m still feeling very smug, and full, and content – that’s a good combination, if you ask me. 😆

Bank those calorie credits because JB will be back on Friday with something you’ll want to spend them on! – Nagi x

Nagi’s Salad Sandwich

- 1 soft bread roll , wholemeal or white (or sliced bread, wraps)

- 1 small carrot , peeled, grated using a box grater (3/4 cup lightly packed per sandwich) - 1 lightly packed cup baby spinach leaves (or rocket, or sliced iceberg, kale, cos/romaine, or other perky leafy greens) - 1/4 cup alfafa , tightly packed

- 1/2 tomato , sliced into rounds (3 – 4 slices) - 3 – 4 beetroot slices (canned) - Few pinches salt and pepper

- 1/4 tsp dijon mustard (mainly for thickening, so it clings) - 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar , or red wine/white wine vinegar

- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil - 1/2 small garlic clove , finely grated or use garlic crusher - 1/8 tsp each salt and pepper

- Dress carrot first – Whisk the Dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Pour 3/4 of the dressing in a separate bowl, add the carrot, toss with fingers. (Leave remaining dressing in the other bowl for now, there shouldn't be much).

- Lazy smashed avocado – Use a fork to smush the avocado flesh in the skin with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. (If scaling up or you prefer being normal, scoop flesh into a bowl and smush). - Dress baby spinach – When you're reading to assemble the sandwich, toss baby spinach in the remaining dressing ("wipe" the side of the bowl clean). - Assemble – Cut bread roll in half.

Smear lid and base with smushed avocado (1/3 – 1/2 cup). Place tomato slices on base, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Top with baby spinach, beetroot, carrot then lastly the alfalfa.

Remembering Dozer

Easter was always a conflicting 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 wafting through the house, he’d park himself right by the oven, standing guard. Those times I’d make the 12 hour lamb and leave it in the oven overnight, he’d fall asleep in front of the oven until I called him away for my bedtime!!

And just quietly, even though *everybody* knows that bone-in is way juicier than boneless, sometimes I’d deliberately choose to make a boneless lamb just so I could cut out the bone and give it to Dozer. Easter really was a conflicting time for him!

Easter wasn’t the same without you babysitting the lamb. I hope the Easter bunny brought you a giant roast rather than little eggs this year.