Tofu, Pesto & Tomato Sandwich

This tofu, pesto & tomato sandwich is the new sandwich of the summer and might be the best sandwich I’ve ever made. The tofu is crisped in the oven with lemon juice, olive oil, cornstarch and pepper. The homemade pesto is made in a few minutes with lots of fresh basil and kale, and makes the perfect sauce for this sandwich. And finally, it wouldn’t be a summer sandwich without some fresh heirloom tomatoes. Get the recipe below, and enjoy!

Prep time: 5-10 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 150-200g extra-firm tofu
• 2 heaping tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 lemon (or 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice)
• Salt & pepper
• 1 tomato (heirloom if you have!)
• Sliced Kalamata olives
• Handful of fresh arugula
• Spreadable plant-based cheese (or mayo)
• Fresh bread

Homemade Pesto

• Large handful of fresh basil leaves
• 2 kale leaves
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 lemon (or 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice)
• Pinch of salt
• Olive oil

Equipment

• Lined baking sheet
• Blender
• Frying pan (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Thinly slice tofu into about 6 strips (3 per sandwich), then squeeze the lemon juice over them. To a shallow bowl, add cornstarch, salt and pepper. Dip each tofu slice into the cornstarch mixture (both sides), then add to a lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, flipping to get both sides. Roast for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway.
3. Prepare the pesto by adding basil, kale, garlic cloves, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt and olive oil. Add oil in small amounts until you get the desired consistency for the pesto.
4. Slice the tomato and Kalamata olives.
5. To your bread slices, add pesto on one side and spreadable plant-based cheese or mayo to the other. Load the sandwich with the crispy tofu, tomato, olives, arugula and more pesto.
6. For a crispy sandwich, fry both sides on medium heat with some plant-based butter or olive oil until crispy. Enjoy!