Fakey Eggy Byte Baby Sandwich Appetizer with Homemade Mayo

For these fakey eggy appetizer sandwiches I combined two recipes and some touches (of evil) of my own.  This looks SO like real egg salad thanks to the coloring of the turmeric and the secret ingredient of Hell fire.

For the dressing I used the extra homemade garlic mayo from Vegan Diner by Julie Hasson  I had made for the potato salad we had at the weenie roast the previous weekend.


Homemade Garlic Mayo
Makes about 2 cups)

• 1 (12.3-ounce) package extra-firm silken tofu, preferably the Mori-Nu brand
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 large cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

In a food processor or blender, combine the tofu, olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Puree tofu mixture until ultra smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl or blender as necessary. Make sure that there aren't any little bits of unblended tofu.
   Taste the mayonnaise, and adjust seasonings to taste. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate for an hour, if possible, to let the flavors meld before using.

The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitution by Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman is and UH-MAH-ZING resource I recommend to every vegan cook. It is chock-a-block with resources, information and recipes, including this one...


Traditional "Egg" Salad

For Eggs:

• 20 ounces (567 g) extra-or super-firm tofu, drained and pressed
• 1 tsp turmeric
• Salt and pepper to taste

Optional Add-Ins: chopped celery, pickle relish, chopped fresh parsley, chopped fresh green onions

To Make The Eggs: Mash half of the tofu in a mixing bowl with the turmeric until it resembles crumbled egg yolks and the turmeric is well incorporated. This is the "egg yolks." Cut the remaining tofu into tiny cubes. This will be the "egg whites." Combine the whites and the yolks and mix in the dressing. Add optional 
add-ins, with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes: Egg salad needs that sulfurous Hells Bells smell, right? The secret ingredient is... black salt - which is actually a depressing pinkish/grey and it is PUNGENT. Add small amount, mix, then taste adding more if needed.
I added some very finely chopped celery for crunch and put green onions on top as a garnish.
To serve this as an appetizer I got some baby bread slices (wheat and rye), added a small amount of extra mayo - you could use Veganaise too - to aid in the sticking to the bread, put on a dollop of eggy mix and topped with some sprouts and thin slices of green onion.
For the gluten-free crowd I put the mix on a nice leaf of lettuce.

Sandwiches Are Magical!

Sandwiches are just about the perfect cooling hot-ass  Summer day lunch, aren't they? They work at the beach, at the pool, at the shooting range, in a cage, in a cave. (I don't know your struggles. No judgement). Vegan sandwiches are fast, easy and require no heating up of the house with the stove. Here are some products (which I personally use and in no way getting compensated for promoting) and foods I like on my sand witches:

• Vegenaise - How much do you l-o-v-e this product? You omnis might want to give this one a try too! We switched to this mayo alternative years ago simply because it was a healthier choice and haven't looked back at Hellmann's (Best Foods to you non-Mid westerners) since! Follow Your Heart brand has also joined the NON-GMO Project which gets big points with this little lady. http://www.followyourheart.com/
• Smart Deli Roast Turkey Style veggie protein slices - Okay, they sound and look gross. I try not to use super-processed convenience food too often, however I do enjoy these deli slices on occasion - mostly for a quick, easy, protein source. No, they don't taste or look like deli meat, but they have a similar texture.  http://www.lightlife.com/
• Udi's Millet-Chia Bread - I recently became obsessed with this bread. It is both delicious and healthful! I like mine toasted, then cooled for a crunchersons sandwich. It is also gluten-free. Could it get any better? Also very good as toast points with a tofu scramble. http://udisglutenfree.com/
• LOTS of vegetables - avocado slices, kale, baby lettuce, spinach, sprouted anything, bell pepper slices, cucumber slices, tomato slices! YUM! I try and add the rainbow to my sandwich - no, not make it gay! Add a vegetable of every color of the rainbow for maximum vitamin (pronounced viiit-ah-min in the English style) power punch!
• Hummus - preferably homemade or if not, Oasis hummus from our local falafel joint here in Iowa City. Since I am trying to eat a low fat diet too, I have been making my own hummus which has less olive oil, for a taste treat I get a container of the Oasis deliciousness. Hummus is also good on a sandwich as it is a little sticky and keeps the veggies from sliding around as much. 
• Pickles - Current favorite = Brooklyn Brine Co. NYC Deli Pickle. This is a pickle spear on a whole other level! Chickie J got a deal (Groupon, maybe?) where we got three jars in the mail and NYC was gone almost upon delivery. I love a good pickle finger spear with my sandwich! http://brooklynbrineco.com/
• Mustard - Check the ingredient list carefully as some mustard's are not vegan Big D's homemade is my very favorite - we even went to the mustard museum where he got some supplies! Annie's has some good choices as does Organicville.

What do you like on your sandwich? Any wack-a-doo combination you enjoy? Any product recommendations? If you were to have a sandwich named after you - what would it be called and what would it consist of?