Eggless Salad

Vegetarian Times, May, 1999 by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley

From heroes and triple-decker clubs to PB&Js and grilled cheese, sandwiches are a favorite all-American food. But, like so many other things we consume, sandwiches aren't always healthy.

Take the egg salad sandwich. This humble mix of mashed hard-boiled eggs and mayonnaise between two slices of bread contains a whopping 24 grams of fat--that's 216 fat calories. But by substituting drained and crumbled tofu for the eggs and combining it with soy mayonnaise, some fresh herbs and crunchy vegetables, the sandwich becomes a delicious and healthful lunch. The whole-grain bread is a source of complex carbohydrates and B vitamins, the tofu provides essential protein and calcium, and the vegetables offer up a host of vitamins.

One thing to keep in mind when preparing sandwiches is that they're only as good as the bread that holds them together. Fortunately, good wholesome bread is getting easier to find. Supermarket shelves now stock many whole-grain varieties, and neighborhood bakeries offer fresh baked loaves and rolls daily. Our versatile tofu salad is best when served on hearty grain breads, dark ryes or crusty baguette rolls. You can toast the bread--or not--keep the sandwich open face or close it up, or skip the bread all together and spread our eggless salad over crackers, lettuce leaves or celery stalks.

VT recipe          333 calories     10 grams fat
Typical recipe     390 calories     24 grams fat

Tofu Salad Sandwich

4 SERVINGS DAIRY-FREE 30

Enjoy this tofu spread as is, or add a personal touch--capers, chopped onion, fresh herbs (beyond those listed here), bell pepper or olives.

1 lb. firm low-fat tofu, well drained
1/2 cup soy mayonnaise
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. chopped garlic
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon
or 1/4 tsp. dried
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup diced celery
2 Tbs. finely chopped scallions
8 slices whole-wheat bread
2 large carrots, grated (1 cups)
1 cup sprouts, such as clover or alfalfa

PUT TOFU into medium bowl. Using your hands, crumble until texture resembles mashed eggs. Add mayonnaise and stir to blend. Stir in mustard, garlic, turmeric, parsley, tarragon, salt and pepper. Then stir in celery and scallions until blended.

On work surface, place 4 slices of bread. On each slice, layer tofu salad, carrots and sprouts. Top with remaining bread, cut sandwiches in half and serve.

PER SANDWICH: 333 CAL.; 16G PROT.; 10G TOTAL FAT (2G SAT. FAT); 48G CARB.; 0 CHOL.; 788MG SOD.; 8G FIBER

Kathy FarrelI-Kingsley is food editor of Vegetarian Times.