Anybody else crave sandwiches? Throughout grade school and into high school, I brought a turkey, cheddar and lettuce sandwich for lunch just about every day. In college, my tastes expanded slightly and I started piling on the veggies, cream cheese and sprouts, Dagwood-style.
Now, mainly because gluten-free bread is expensive, I rarely eat sandwiches. But every now and then, I get a craving. So, just in time for spring, I’m sharing this veggie sandwich with an umami-rich miso cream cheese spread in place of mayo.
The rich cream cheese spread (which doubles as a veggie dip) adds a flavorful kick and satisfies my protein cravings. I opted for the sandwich bread from New Cascadia Traditional, a gluten-free bakery here in Portland, but any bread will do. (Do you have a favorite gluten-free bread? Please share in the comments!)
Piling on the veggies is key for any garden sandwich. Any mix of veggies you love would work great, but I love clover sprouts for the texture, cucumbers for the clean crunch and radishes for a nice snap and a pop of color. I added half an avocado, because it’s basically nature’s mayonnaise. I also loaded up on lettuce and mizuna, a bitter green I found at the farmers market.
Here are some other good options for your veggie sandwich:
- Mushrooms
- Bell peppers
- Spinach
- Arugula
- Shredded carrots
- Shaved broccoli
- Red cabbage
- Celery
- Tender asparagus
- Steamed squash or sweet potato
- Tomatoes
- Jammy soft-boiled eggs
- Marinated tofu
- Pesto
- Herbs (cilantro, parsley, mint)
- Red onion
- Pepperoncini
Basically, this sando is a great way to use up leftover veggies languishing in your fridge.
Veggie Sandwich with Miso Cream Cheese
Ingredients
For the miso cream cheese
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened*
- ½ teaspoon white miso
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
For the sandwich
- 2 slices gluten-free bread
- ½ avocado, sliced
- ¼ cup cucumber, sliced into ⅛ inch pieces
- ¼ cup sprouts
- 2 leaves lettuce
- ¼ cup spicy greens, such as arugula or mizuna
- 1 radish, sliced thin
Instructions
- Place the cream cheese in a small bowl and heat in the microwave for 15 seconds, if necessary. It should be very soft and spreadable. Add miso and mustard and stir until any lumps are gone.
- Assemble your sandwich! I slathered both pieces of bread with the cream cheese mixture, and then used the avocados as a sort of glue in the middle, but you could do it avocado toast-style and mash your avocado on your bread with a fork.
Notes
Looking for more veggie-forward recipes? Try my kimchi noodle soup, sweet potato chipotle chili, or one of my all-time favorites, my butternut squash salad.