Vegan Power Sandwich with Asparagus Pesto!! So delicious, you are going to love this! Enjoy the asparagus pesto in this sandwich, or with chips, toasted bread, crackers or raw veggies!
At this point, you may be thinking that I have asparagus running through my veins now. Well, that might be the case and I am just fine with that.
I might have a slight asparagus addiction right now. When the people at my local grocery store (who see me a few times a week) tell me I’m going overboard, that will be my sign.
Until then, here’s yet another way to enjoy asparagus my friends. An asparagus pesto spread that you can put on a sandwich, on a pizza, on crostini, eat with crackers, raw veggie sticks and more!
And play around with the recipe. . add more heat, or don’t. I kept it vegan, so there’s no cheese in this pesto but feel free to add some nutritional yeast, or parmesan or pecorino if you are looking for a more nutty, cheesy, or creamy pesto.
I’ve also been obsessed with carrot ribbons, y’all. Break out the vegetable peeler and just go to town. Aren’t they pretty?!
The other night we were at my friend’s house for dinner. I actually made this pasta for them and brought over some fruit for dessert. My friend, Rina, is recovering from surgery so friends had sent her ice cream from Santa Barbara (where she used to live) from a place called, McConnell’s, and others brought ice cream from a local place in Madison called The Chocolate Shoppe. So, needless to say, we had a little ice cream party.
This, of course, when I’m in the middle of training and eating healthy and trying to cut down on my sugar in-take. I did have some ice cream. I mean, come on, I couldn’t resist the best ice cream in Santa Barbara and this is the actual flavor name: “This $&@! Just Got Serious”, from The Chocolate Shoppe in Madison. It’s “smooth salted caramel ice cream brimming with rich sea salt fudge and salted cashews.” Damn, it was so good.
So, there will be some faltering in the healthy eating arena I’m sure. . which will be coupled with big veggie wins like this sandwich.
Lunch has never looked so good. I loved the asparagus pesto in here, along with all the crunchy veggies and soft, creamy avocado .. Also, I’m a condiment and dressing freak so I dipped my sandwich in balsamic dressing while I was eating it. . you can be more civilized and spread your dressing (or hummus on the toasted bread). Veggie lovers, you need to try this!
Vegan Power Sandwich with Asparagus Pesto
Equipment
- food processor or blender
Ingredients
For the asparagus pesto:
- 1 bunch asparagus spears hard ends removed, roasted and cut into 2 inch pieces*
- 3 to 4 sun dried tomatoes
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley or cilantro
- 1/4 cup whole almonds or almond slices or a mix of almonds and pecans or walnuts
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar to taste
- light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
For the sandwich:
- 4 whole wheat bread slices toasted
- 1/2 large cucumber sliced thin lengthwise
- raw shaved fennel white bulb only
- 1 large tomato sliced thin
- 1 large carrot peeled to create ribbons
- alfalfa sprouts
- 1 to 2 ripe avocados sliced
- Serve with: Your fave creamy balsamic dressing or just oil and vinegar or some hummus
Instructions
For the asparagus pesto:
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. place asparagus on lined baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Let the asparagus cool slightly, cut into 2 inch pieces and place into the food processor. Add in the sun dried tomatoes, garlic, parsley and almonds (or blend of almonds and pecans or walnuts) in a food processor and pulse/process a few times until just blended.
- Sprinkle in some salt (start with just a pinch) and crushed red pepper flakes, if using, and pulse a few more times to blend together again. Add a splash of red wine vinegar and olive oil and pulse again. If your pesto becomes too smooth and blended, you can always add more parsley and almonds and pulse a few times to get some texture. Taste and adjust any ingredients as needed. Remove from the food processor and set aside.
For the sandwich:
- Spread the asparagus pesto onto one slice of bread and top with the cucumbers, fennel, tomato slices, carrot ribbons, and sprouts. Top the other slice of toasted bread with the avocado slices and place on top of the other side.
- Slice and serve with your fave creamy balsamic dressing, or oil and vinegar or some hummus. Alternatively, you can spread the dressing or hummus on the second slice of toast before placing on top of the other side of the sandwich.
More fabulous asparagus pesto recipes to check out:
- Asparagus Pesto with Pasta from Simply Recipes
- Cheesy Asparagus Pesto Pasta from Just A Taste
- Creamy Salmon Asparagus Pesto Bowties from NeighborFood
- Spaghetti with Asparagus Pesto and Walnuts
