Food Network Monthly Cookalong Theme - August

The theme this month is The Sandwich King! I love to watch Next Food Network Star and thought from the beginning how much I loved the concept of this show. I'll be honest, Jeff Mauro is a bit much for me and sometimes I wonder if anyone at Food Network is editing him but I do love a good sandwich so I keep watching!

So this month, I am challenging you to make sandwiches, any kind of sandwich! You can take your pick from Jeff's creations and veganize it, you can pick from any other chef's from the Food Network as well. You could even pick any recipe from the Food Network site and turn it into a sandwich! Like Jeff Mauro always says "You can make any meal into a sandwich, and any sandwich into a meal". Just like always the rules are super loose, let your imagination run wild and share it with us!

I will be talking sandwiches all month to celebrate the (early) release of Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day by Tamasin Noyes and Celine Steen as well (shipping now, just saying)! I had the joy of being a tester for this wonderful book and can vouch for the fact that is jam-packed with delicious sandwiches as well as all the staples you need to build your own masterpieces (ie. seitans, breads and spreads). And great news, simply leave a comment on this post about how much you love sandwiches and be entered to win a copy of Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day. You can also earn an extra entry for each blog post you send me at the end of the month participating in this month's cookalong. Contest is open to Canada and the US and will be drawn on Sept. 2, 2012. So grab a loaf of bread and get stacking! Let's see what kind of sandwiches you love!

Links for Sandwich Inspiration

http://www.foodnetwork.com/jeff-mauro/index.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/jeff-mauro/recipes/index.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/search/delegate.do?fnSearchString=sandwiches&fnSearchType=site

More Tester Pictures from Sandwich Testing

Today I was going through the pictures I have from sandwich testing and even though they weren't that long ago, it feels like forever since I ate some of these. I think it has more to do with how many sandwiches we have had since than anything. Here's a few more of my favourites!

These bad boys are Hot Brown Sandwiches! I had only heard of these on Food Network, never actually had one but these are fricken delicious! Those tofu bits you see on there are just about the best thing I have ever eaten...no joke! It was hard to keep any for the sandwiches since Ryan and I were both munching on them while I was prepping the rest.

After falling in love with tempeh while testing the Country Sausage Sandwich (pictured in my earlier post) I decided I had to try the Mediterranean Tempeh Sandwich! It was full of sun dried tomatoes, olives and the like that you would expect in a Mediterranean sandwich and then the nuttiness of the tempeh with it and then grill it....SO GOOD! It is like your mouth is having a party! Just typing this makes me wanna go make another one...

Forgive my slightly dark photo and let me introduce you to the One World Reuben. This is a take on the classic Reuben with flavours from all over the world and they all worked so well together! I had never had a Reuben before but I was excited to try out this one, especially since it features the "beefy" seitan that I have fallen in love with from this book. It's also on dark rye and grilled as well so you get a nice crunch on the outside! It might have been my first Reuben but it certainly won't be my last!

This super gigantic sandwich deserves two pictures! You know sometimes when you get a club sandwich and they hold it together with a toothpick...this bad boy needed a shish kabob skewer! It was so big that I only attempted to eat half of it but Ryan went all in and polished off the whole thing. I joked that you should get a t-shirt for finishing one on the test boards! It's called a Dagwood by the way, just like the Blondie comic strips where he used to make those leaning towers of sandwich. It has vegan cold cuts, tempeh bacon, lots of veggies and a quick spread and it is so tasty! I think anything with that tempeh bacon would taste great but it really did all work together and was obviously super satisfying!

Now, it's hard to pick favourites because seriously all of the sandwiches have been so good but this one is special. This is the Marinated Eggplant Tofu Sandwich and its scrumptious! I had always been a little intimidated by eggplant. It's a little tough and I had heard rumours that it was a bit bitter but this sandwich proved that all wrong. The eggplant is brushed with a spicy mix then browned and then you let it chill out for a bit. The tofu is marinated and browned and then it somehow tastes alot like chicken. Then you mix the two on a soft roll with a bit of mayo and lettuce and it makes sweet magic together. It is seriously addictive too! I was wandering around Costco the next day and found myself buying a big ol' pack of eggplant to make it again and did that next day! This is one that even my mom (albeit minus the tofu) is in love with.

Okay enough teasing with photos of delicious sandwiches for now...I'm off to make another one for supper that I'm sure you will be seeing soon!

Supper Tonight: Something Blackened This Way Comes

Tonight I was testing sandwiches again for Celine and Tami. Tonight's test was Something Blackened This Way Comes which I was totally drawn to initally by it's name. It has a blackened "chicken" cutlet with a fresh tomato salad and spicy mayo all on a toasted bun! So delicious! And these "chicken" cutlets are like no other. When I made them the other day the house smelled like Thanksgiving. They are juicy and tender and tasty too! Something that I have never really found in a seitan cutlet before. This one was spicy for sure with that spice mix and the mayo but it was that good heat, the one that has flavour to back up the spice level. The salad totally helped take the heat down a little too. I served it with a fresh garden salad with ranch dressing (from American Vegan Kitchen) so that helped cool my mouth down too! Ryan had two so I think he loved it! Haha! Here's a picture so you can drool a little!

Mmm is for Muffaletta

Last night I made yet another sandwich for testing! This time it was the Muffaletta and it was impressive both in taste and stature. It has a quick made giardiniera, vegan cold cuts, arugula and other veggies and is all built inside a round loaf. I had never had giardiniera before so I have no comparison but I know it was tasty! It added a nice crunch to the sandwich and it's pickling liquid was also the dressing for the sandwich as well. It always amazes me as a mayo lover when a sandwich can come together without it and not feel like it's missing something. I had a little fun with this one as I was assembling it. I looked at it once I put the top piece of the bread on and thought it looked like it had a mouth and then I remembered these little cupcake picks I had bought on the weekend and had to do it. My husband bust out laughing when I showed him which caught the attention if my son who came running and also bust out laughing! Hope it gives someone else a chuckle too! It is as close to eating something with a face as we will come! I am also posting a shot of the slice of Muffaletta so you can check out all the layers of goodness and check out just how impressive this sandwich is!

Quick Peek at some of my testing for Tami and Celine

I know that Celine didn't know it when she asked me to help test a new project of hers that I love sandwiches but now she does! I absolutely adored sandwiches and would eat them often before I went vegan. Then I kinda didn't know what to do anymore. What does a vegan put in a sandwich anyways? Well, Celine Steen and Tamasin Noyes have teamed up to show you exactly how to make vegan sandwiches that will have anyone drooling! I have been lucky enough to be testing for this upcoming book and I have been taking major advantage of all of their great ideas and tasty recipes. I've made over 50 sandwiches so far and I only started testing in July. I actually had one day where I had one of their sandwiches for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They haven't just stopped at sandwich as a noun, they have also used it as a verb and I think it's wonderful! They have introduced me to tempeh which I had only had twice before and wasn't truly in love but now...oh wow, now...I'm smitten! I want tempeh all the time, especially the Tempeh Bacon from this book. I also learned that I love eggplant...who knew!? I think that's a great thing I have learned since becoming vegan, now I will try anything and have found so many foods that I snubbed before that I love now. It's been a real eye opener. Here's a few photos of the sandwiches I have been making, obviously not all of them or we would be here all day but these are some of my favourites so far.

Carnitas Sandwich made with jackfruit and avocado on the side....sooo delicious!

In a Pinch Subwich which has now become a staple in my house for quick sandwiches and is excellent when made with Field Roast Smoked Tomato Slices!

Country Sausage Sandwich which is the sandwich where my love for tempeh started. It's on homemade english muffins (recipe from Tami's blog) with arugula, an awesome sauce and hashbrowns!

Chow Mein Sandwich and I know you're thinking it's crazy and it is...crazy DELICIOUS!

Bananas Foster Cake Sandwich, just to show you it's not all savoury and this is the best kind of sweet! Just looking at this picture is bringing me back to tasting it and it was fricken amazing!

Tempeh Bacon frying up on the griddle...so perfectly smoky, sweet, crisp and delicious! There have definitely been more and I will be sharing those as well but here's the first taste. I'm telling you, I haven't tested one thing that has disappointed and Ryan has, on almost every sandwich occasion, taken two or three bites and started looking around if there was enough to make another. These are some serious sandwiches from two seriously amazing women!