Help keep One Green Planet free and independent! Together we can ensure our platform remains a hub for empowering ideas committed to fighting for a sustainable, healthy, and compassionate world. Please support us in keeping our mission strong.
Did you eat a sandwich today? How about yesterday? A study found that approximately 49 percent of Americans over 20 years old eat one sandwich per day. Another statistic says that Americans eat more than 300 million sandwiches per day! It makes sense – sandwiches are fast and easy to make, and they are portable and easy to eat. It’s a whole meal that easily fits between two slices of bread or rolled up in a wrap. There are so many combinations of breads and fillings that the number of possible sandwiches and wraps seems infinite. They can be hot or cold, cooked or raw, light or hearty, gluten-free, or grain-free, and always delicious. Peanut butter and jelly, the most popular sandwich ingredients, is great but why not try something new?
Check out my 5 Tips for Making Incredible Sandwiches and then try these ideas for quick fillings for your sandwiches and wraps.
1. Vegan “Chicken,” “Tuna,” and “Egg” Salad
Growing up, we all had chicken salad, egg salad, and tuna salad sandwiches. Well, just because you’re eating a plant-based diet, it doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy them. It’s easy to make vegan versions of all of them. Some recipes use tofu or tempeh while others use chickpeas. To make my Tofu “Chicken” Salad: cut a block of extra-firm tofu that has been pressed and drained into small cubes. Steam the cube for 3-4 minutes. Heat 1 Tbs. oil in a large skillet and cook the tofu for just a few minutes until they just begin to brown on all sides. Transfer the tofu to a plate to cool. In a large bowl, combine 2 finely chopped celery stalks, 2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley, 4 Tbs. vegan mayonnaise, 1 Tbs. Dijon mustard, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. mustard powder, 1 tsp. kosher salt, and ½ tsp. black pepper. Add the tofu to the bowl and mix everything together. Taste for any seasoning adjustments and refrigerate until the tofu salad is cold.
Other “chicken” salad recipes include these Potato Chip-Encrusted “Chicken” Salad Sandwiches and these Crunchy Cranberry Chik’n Sandwiches. If you miss tuna sandwiches, try this Chickpea “Tuna” Salad Sandwich, Tuna-Free Salad Sandwiches, and this Chickpea Tuna Melt. Egg salad sandwiches can be yours again with this Eggless Egg Salad Sandwich and these “Egg” Salad Sandwiches.
2. Roasted Veggies
I love the taste of roasted veggies. Their flavors get so intense, their natural sugars develop and they taste rich and decadent. To make Roasted Veggie Wraps: cut onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini into similar size shapes. Toss them with a bit of olive oil and then season them with salt, pepper, and for me, always garlic. Roast them in a 425-degree oven for about 15-20 minutes until they are tender and browned. Roll the roasted veggies in a tortilla with some vegan pepper jack cheese and a spoonful of quinoa. Add some fresh diced tomato and fresh basil leaves for added flavor.
Other roasted veggie sandwiches and wraps include this Roasted Eggplant Sandwich with Caramelized Onions, Sloppy Mexican-Spiced Vegan Sandwich, and Mediterranean Panini. Check out The Ultimate Guide to Roasting Vegetables for tips on how to roast every kind of veggie.
3. Tantalizing Tempeh
Tempeh makes wonderful sandwiches. If you haven’t tried Tempeh yet or aren’t quite sure how to use it, check out How to Use Tempeh and What It’s Best Paired With. Whether you eat it hot or cold, in sandwiches or wraps, tempeh makes a filling, satisfying meal. Make these Tempeh “Fish” Fillets and put them on a bun with tartar sauce to make an awesome “fish” sandwich. Indulge in the Maple Sriracha Tempeh Bacon BLT with Creamy Dill Mayo or these Kale Avocado Wraps with Spicy Miso-Dipped Tempeh. Cook up a Tempeh Reuben Sandwich or put together this Tempeh Tomato Herb Sandwich.
4. Go Raw (or Almost Raw)
You don’t have to cook anything to have a delicious sandwich or wrap. Enjoy a healthy raw or mostly raw meal like the Almost Raw Veggie Wrap I love to make: using a wide vegetable peeler, make long, thin matchsticks of carrots, celery and zucchini and then cut those long strips into smaller pieces. Heat up flour tortillas in a dry skillet until they brown on both sides. Spread a bit of vegan mayo onto the tortilla and top with some of the veggie strips. Sprinkle some hot sauce on top and roll up the tortilla. It has crunch, creaminess, and spiciness in one healthy wrap. You can use whatever veggies make you happy. It can be made totally raw by wrapping the filling in raw collard greens or lettuce.
More raw and mostly raw options include these Raw Zucchini Wraps, Unbelievably Raw Vegan Nori Wraps with Spicy Dipping Sauce, Raw Veggie Stuffed Collard Wraps, Hummus Collard Wraps, Raw Vegan Tomato Cucumber Sandwich on Onion Corn Bread, The Easy Fixx Veggie Sandwich, and The Cracked Sandwich with Hummus, Avocado and Sun-Dried Tomato. Learn How to Make Raw, Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread at home.
5. “Meaty” Sandwiches
If you prefer your sandwiches on the “meaty” side, we have some incredible recipes for you! My favorite sandwiches were always steak sandwiches topped with mayo and cheese. Now I enjoy those sandwiches in vegan versions like my Portobello Mushroom Philly Cheesesteak. Try this Jackfruit Philly Cheesesteak, Vegan Philly Cheezesteak Sandwich, and this Best Ever Vegan “Steak” Sandwich on the Planet. More meatless “meaty” sandwiches include this Meatless Meatball Sub, BBQ Lentil Meatball Sandwich with Sweet Miso Coleslaw, The Gutbuster with Homemade Italian Sausage on a Baguette, Vietnamese Tofu Banh Mi Sandwich, Grilled Buffalo Tofu Po’ Boy with Apple Slaw, and these Pineapple BBQ Jack Sandwiches.
6. Beans & Legumes
If you want easy satisfaction, look no further than beans and legumes. They are fast and easy to make and they’ll keep you going all day. One of my favorite combinations is black beans with sweet potatoes. To make Sweet Potato and Black Bean Wraps: peel and dice 2 or 3 sweet potatoes and toss them with 2 Tbs. olive oil and ½ tsp. each chile powder, cumin, coriander, and salt. Roast at 425 degrees for 30 – 40 minutes. Transfer the cubes to a skillet that has 2 tsp. oil heated in it. Add 2 cups cooked black beans, mix, and cook until the beans are warmed through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve wrapped in tortillas with vegan sour cream and vegan cheese shreds.
You can make a similar wrap with butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes. Try These Healthy and Delicious Black Bean Wraps, Lentil Taco Lettuce Wraps, White Bean Nicoise Sandwich or make Falafel and stuff them in a pita.
7. Grilled Cheese
After PB&J, the grilled cheese is probably most people’s favorite sandwich. It brings us back to childhood and is so comforting. Grilled cheese can also be very grown-up with specialty cheeses and other additions like tomato, spinach, and vegan bacon. If you think being vegan means no more grilled cheese, think again. With all the delicious, melty vegan cheeses out there, this favorite sandwich can be yours any time you crave it. Buy any of the great vegan brands or see 10 Homemade Vegan Cheeses to Add in Your Epic Grilled Cheese Sandwich if you want to make your own cheese.
To make a luxurious Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Spinach and Tomatoes: heat a skillet (non-stick or cast iron) over medium heat. Apply a light layer of vegan butter to one side of 2 slices of bread. Add some fresh baby spinach and 2 thin slices of tomato on the buttered side of one slice of bread. Lay 2 vegan cheese slices or ¼ cup shreds over the spinach and tomatoes and cover with the other slice of bread, buttered side down. Press the sandwiches together. Apply a layer of vegan butter to one outer bread slice of the sandwich. Gently lay the sandwich, buttered side down, in the hot pan. Keep pressing down with a spatula so that the ingredients melt together. When the bottom of the sandwich has browned, put butter on the top layer of bread and flip the sandwich over. Keep pressing down on the sandwich until the bottom side browns. Also, try this Southwestern Vegan Grilled Cheese Sandwich.
See? The possibilities are endless! Take any food you love and put it between two slices of bread or wrap it up in a tortilla, flatbread, or lettuce leaf. What’s your favorite sandwich or wrap? Give us your ideas in the comments.
Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home
Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental well-being, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, and prostate cancer, and has many side effects.
For those of you interested in eating more plant-based we highly recommend grabbing our favorite plant-based cookbooks and downloading the Food Monster App — with over 20,000 delicious recipes it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals, and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.
Here are some great resources to get you started:
For more Animal, Earth, Life, Vegan Food, Health, and Recipe content published daily, subscribe to the One Green Planet Newsletter! Lastly, being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
