Vegan Power Sandwich with Asparagus Pesto
I used sun dried tomatoes from a jar, packed in olive oil. *I've had this with both, parsley and cilantro. Both are delicious!Leftover asparagus pesto can be enjoyed with cooked pasta, as a dip with crackers, bread or with raw veggies.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- food processor or blender
Ingredients
For the asparagus pesto:
- 1 bunch asparagus spears hard ends removed, and cut into 2 inch pieces
- olive oil extra virgin
- salt and pepper
- lemon zest optional
- 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
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar to taste + more if desired
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin + more if needed
For the sandwich:
- 4 slices whole wheat or sourdough bread toasted
- 1/2 large cucumber sliced thin lengthwise
- raw shaved fennel white bulb only
- 1 tomato sliced thin
- 1 large carrot peeled to create ribbons
- alfalfa sprouts optional
- 1 large ripe avocado 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 chopped asparagus on lined baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add some lemon zest if desired. Roast in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Let the asparagus cool slightly, place into the food processor. Add in the sun dried tomatoes, garlic, fresh 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 some hummus on the other slice of bread. Top with the veggies: 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.
Notes
If wanting to add tuna, I just used albacore tuna, mixed with mayo and Dijon mustard. Enjoy!