avocado, dulse, & chickpea sandwich

i’ve been on pinterest a lot lately, mostly to find inspiration for decorating/remodeling the new house, but i’ve also been collecting great food ideas that i’m dying to veganize. this sandwich came from a sort of BLT with avocado, and though i wouldn’t consider it a replacement, this is still realllllly delicious. (and super simple to make!)

first, mash an avocado with a pinch of salt and a pinch of brown sugar until everything is creamy and consistent. mix in 1/2-3/4 cups cooked & cooled chickpeas. (when you mix them together, it’s harder for the chickpeas to fall out of the sandwich!)

then, crisp up some bread. we had a loaf of sliced french bread, but regular sliced bread would be fine too. just place them on a hot pan until they’re browned on the edges.

finally, crisp up some dulse. if you’ve never used or eaten it before, it’s a type of seaweed that’s a little salty, a little sweet, and has a deep earthy savory flavor. (it’s also great nutritionally.) on medium-low heat, lay out a handful or two of the dulse. heat until each piece is slightly crispy and hot. it shouldn’t take more than a minute.

put the avocado/chickpea mixture on the bread and stick some dulse on top. the combination of the creamy mushy avocado and the crispy, salty dulse and bread is just fantastic. one avocado should make about 8 small sandwiches, enough for two or three people, depending on how hungry you are. enjoy!

edit: dulse can be found sometimes in the international aisle, an asian grocery store/market, or in health food stores. if you live in a coastal area, it’ll be easier to find, but if you can’t, online is always an option if you’re really interested! (here’s the website of the company we bought from.)

a lunch salad, in two parts. the first is white beans mashed with vegenaise, chopped carrot, and a little sea salt. the second is some romaine with shredded dulse, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a splash of liquid smoke.

every month, we make one or two purchases of a “vegan” food, something that we wouldn’t have ever tried if we hadn’t gone vegan. usually it’s something like ricemellow or coconut ice cream, but this week i chose this pretty purple seaweed, dulse.

i initially chose it because i’ve heard that seaweeds are nutrient powerhouses, they’re apparently even good vegan sources of b12. i thought it would taste gross, but i was totally wrong. dulse has a deep, earthy feel and taste, slightly salty and sweet. as of right now, i’m picking it out of the salad i couldn’t finish and eating it by itself, it’s so good! you can find edible seaweeds in the health food section/store, or sometimes in the international aisle.

sushi party*~*~

similar to taco party, this is an easy, fun way to make a meal, especially with omnivorous friends. get yourself some vegetables, soy sauce, and rice (which you should have already!), tofu, nori sheets, wasabi, and rice vinegar.

first, cook two cups of rice. while it’s simmering, fry up some tofu. we made two types: 1) with sriracha, garlic, soy sauce, and olive oil, and 2) with ginger powder, garlic, soy sauce, and olive oil. simply brown them in a pan.

when the rice is fully cooked, you can stir in some rice vinegar. chop up some vegetables (we used carrots, cucumber, avocado, and bean sprouts) and get out your seaweed sheets. spread a thin layer of rice on the sheet, keeping an inch free at the bottom.

layer the vegetables and tofu in the center, then begin to roll it all together. a bamboo mat is helpful with this - keep everything tightly packed or it will all fall out! that free inch you left at the bottom will be used to completely close the roll. when you’ve rolled the whole thing, cut it carefully with a sharp knife, sort of like cutting a soft loaf of bread. rinse the knife every few cuts, so that it doesn’t get too sticky from the rice.

we made a bunch of different variations with only a few ingredients! the main picture of this post is a roll of avocado, bean sprout, and ginger tofu.

cucumber, carrot, and bean sprout

avocado, cucumber, and sriracha tofu

serve with wasabi and soy sauce, and have fun!