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Bring your appetite. Taking advantage of the lightness of vegetables on a sandwich can be thoroughly tasty, but this many-layered gem is seriously satisfying, fit for any deli menu. Fun for lunch or dinner. And don't rule it out for breakfast, either. If your coconut is prepared in advance, this beautiful and flavor-packed sandwich comes together in minutes.
There's a thin slab of simple grilled tempeh to add substance, but satiety here is really loaded in from three other sources: mashed avocado, smoky coconut strips, and a quick spread made from store-bought almond meal (with a little kelp added to bring an undertone of funk). The coconut strips here were made from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's new edition of The 30-Day Vegan Challenge, a copy of which you can still enter to win right over here. Add to all that layers of refreshing tomatoes, romaine, and chives, and heaven comes on sourdough.
Grilled Vegan Cobb Salad Sandwich
serves 2 generously
4 oz tempeh (from an 8-oz block, halved crosswise)
1-2 tsp olive oil
4 slices sourdough from a roughly six-inch boule
Almond-Kelp Spread, recipe follows
flesh of 1 small avocado
generous 1 TBSP minced chives
pinch fine sea, kosher, or flaked salt
freshly cracked black pepper
4 romaine leaves, washed and dried
about 1/2 cup coconut bacon, or to taste
1 medium roma tomato, sliced crosswise into 8 rounds
Heat a countertop electric grill. Turn tempeh on its side and carefully slice in half to make two thin slabs. Brush each top with a little oil and grill five minutes, grill closed, until golden. (Leave grill plugged in.)
Meanwhile, spread about 2 tsp of almond-kelp spread on two slices of bread. Set aside. Roughly mash avocado in a small bowl and spread on the remaining slices of bread. Sprinkle chives over avocado and top with a pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste.
Chop romaine into shreds and place atop avocado and chives. When the tempeh is ready, place it on top, followed by coconut bacon, then tomato slices. Sandwich, grill—pressing gently on the lid to compress—and serve.
Almond-Kelp Spread
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup plain soy milk
3/4 tsp fine sea or kosher salt
1 TBSP rice vinegar
1/4 tsp kelp granules
Whisk together all ingredients until creamy and thoroughly combined.