I’ve always been curious about the tomato sandwich, a Southern speciality.
In theory it sounds delicious, especially in late summer when tomatoes are at their best. However, I always questioned whether it would be satisfying. So, I made some swaps…
I replaced white bread with a dense, whole-grain, seeded bread, swapped out the mayo for avocado basil aioli, and added in a layer of micro greens—all of which kick up the taste, texture and nutrition profiles a notch.
I hope you like it as much as I do!
Tomato Sandwich
(Gluten-free; Dairy-free; Plant-Based)
Avocado Basil Aioli
Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado, pitted
1/2 cup water
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp fresh basil, or more per your taste
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Instructions:
Use a spoon to remove the avocado from it’s skin and place into a high-powered blender. Add the water, olive oil, lemon juice, basil, garlic, salt and pepper, and blend until smooth and creamy. If too thick for the blender to work, add a little more water. There will be enough for many sandwiches.
Tomato Sandwich
Ingredients:
1 Beefsteak tomato
Salt
Pepper
2 slices gluten-free whole-grain, seeded bread, toasted if desired (non GF bread works, too!)
Avocado Basil Aioli (recipe above)
Watercress or other type of microgreens
Instructions:
Cut 2-4 slices of a Beefsteak tomato according to the thickness you like. I prefer layering thinner slices rather than having thicker slices. Lay the slices on a cutting board or plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper to your taste. While the tomatoes are soaking up the salt and pepper, toast the bread. Spread the Avocado Basil Aioli onto the inner side of both slices of bread. Layer the micro greens onto the bottom slice of bread and follow by layering the tomato slices on top. Add the top slice of bread. You can also serve as an open-faced sandwich.
