I’m looking for a vegan sandwich protein recipe that is more of a whole food than the highly processed food that is often found in stores. So far, I’m going to try out lentil patties. I figure I can freeze a batch and stick them in the air fryer as needed. Any other ideas?
Chickpea tuna. Mash a tin of chickpeas with nori flakes and a little olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste, optionally (but highly recommended) add corn and vegan mayo.
chickpea salad is my go-to for sandwiches! i usually go with chickpeas, mayo, and curry powder or buffalo sauce, but nori sounds phenomenal - gotta try that
What about BBQ tofu (which you can just as easily fry or bake)? You basically just slice up a brick or two of tofu, slather it in BBQ sauce, and cook. You can make big batches and freeze it until you’re ready to use it.
Granted, this obviously depends on what you consider highly processed, but I don’t think (?) tofu generally has much going on in that department, and you could make your own BBQ sauce if you’d prefer.
You could also do the same thing with seitan or maybe even tempeh.
Oh, yeah, that’s a fine level of processing. I guess I’m mostly worried about getting a decent balance of nutrients and not having too much sodium. I can see tempeh or tofu sliced to be very thin. I’ve not been much for a lot of the seitan products out there, but maybe I can give it another try.
It’s super easy to make your own seitan, but if you just don’t like it that’s a different issue entirely. (I on the other hand love seitan but can’t stand tempeh.)
I’ve only had limited exposure to seitan. Usually it’s had a chewiness to it that I found unpleasant. I found tempeh to be more satisfying. Thinking back, it’s mostly been in the form of the “kielbasa” type sausages.
I can definitely see what you mean. That’s something I enjoy about it, but I get it might not be for everyone.
Depends on your starch tolerance.
I make a black bean burger patty, but really you can use any type of main ingredient.
Basically it’s cooked beans, mash about 90%
dice and sautee onions & red pepper, season as you go w s&p
combine the two
add just enoug precooked yellow cornmeal (PAN Harina Arepa is the best), and a small amount of garbanzo flour to bind. Test a small amount to check for seasoning. if it turns out too wet add more flour, too dry? add some water.
Works with lentils, chickpeas, edamame, etc. you can spice it up with red chiles, add herbs.
Freezes amazingly and my vegan guests love it. This burger got me through some belt tightening times after culinary school when I was very, very broke.
My current belt tightening has to do with being overweight and diabetic. There’s a vegan burger joint nearby that has various types of patties. I enjoy the legume based ones the most. The quinoa ones are great too, but I think it would be easier to start with legumes. Fortunately, legumes have all sorts of great health benefits.
Look for Jackfruit, usually founs in Asian markets (canned) Young Green jackfruit is another great “meaty” substitute.
Brian and rinse them, smash them with the flat of your knife, and run your knife over them. Season with spices (I use a toasted spice blend, but try some bbq seasoning blends). and you have a Pulled pork substitute.
Avoid hidden sugars in food, esp. in the US where HFCS is in eeeevvvverything.
Oh yeah, I have some jackfruit sitting around. I hadn’t really thought of using it, though, because it’s meaty but low in protein. I should pull that out for a recipe, though!
You might would call this processed but its pretty minimal. You can make it as a roast or make it slightly different and slice it into deli slices. Both ways are good on sandwich’s IMO.
Its pretty similar to what you get in stores. Just cheaper and less additives/processed.
Also here is a Alternative recipe I haven’t tried yet.
I make a version of this all the time. A few tips that I’ve found help to really make this work well:
Ratio of VWG to tofu. The ingredients list always say 1 block. But if you can’t get the exact one they recommend (the super firm) your ratio is going to be off. I use regular extra firm blocks, and I press the water out of them. My final measurements are 370g tofu:120g vital wheat gluten.
Internal temp. Seitan is just really dense bread. And when you cook bread, the recipes always include a temp. You want crispy French bread: 200f. You want a moist sandwich loaf: 180f. The same logic applies to seitan. I always try to get mine to finish at 190f. Too low, and the texture is weirdly gummy. And if you let it go above 200 it forms bubbles and becomes more like a sponge (you’ll see the outside edges get this way anyway.)
Compress it. Yes, wrapping it tight is key to not letting it expand, but it will naturally inflate. What I do is rest a cast iron on top of it after it comes out of the oven. Let it come down to room temp under pressure. Then rest it in the fridge overnight.
Those are the big ones. Good luck!
Don’t forget about TVP (and seitan) - they can help make the texture and taste a little more interesting, as well as provide protein
I should try something with TVP. My husband has some around that he uses to make taco filling sometimes. I could do burrito bowls instead of sandwiches.
It’s pretty great - definitely recommend using it to extend plant meets like Beyond since it readily absorbs flavor.
Tempeh
Since all my suggestions were already mentioned here, I will ask a kind of off-topic question: Why are looking into “protein” ingredients specifically? So what are you looking for / trying to achieve with protein intake?
Like Greger says, if you are eating plants and you are getting enough calories you are automatically getting enough protein!
It is mostly a shorthand for the type of ingredient in a sandwich. So you have veggies, sauces, (vegan) cheese, and of course bread. The actual macronutrient profile is likely to be more varied than just protein, like with a legume patty.
My diet does tend to be fairly low in protein, from what my food logging has shown. I am going to start some strength training and regular exercise within the next few weeks, so I want to have a balanced diet there.
Have you ever noticed any symptoms of “low protein”? Because I don’t think that’s a thing.