That sinking feeling when – desperate for food – you walk into a deli, knowing that all you’ll be able to get is a sandwich with the veggie fixings… What does a vegan sandwich look like at your standard deli? Shredded iceberg lettuce, sun-starved tomatoes, a few desultory slices of onion, and maybe a pickle chip or two. On white bread of course, or its simpering cousin – the one that masquerades as “healthy” whole wheat. Probably sweetened with honey. Be still my beating heart.
The deck is stacked against us because the deli case is filled with slices of salami, ham, turkey, capicola, mortadella, pepperoni, Swiss, American, Muenster, Havarti, and provolone. Simply no room for roasted veggies, blackened tofu, chickpea salad or tempeh bacon. Not even room enough for a mere schmear of peanut butter.
Here’s what a deli sandwich looks like in my house:

The Fixings Sandwich
- Prep Time: 15
- Total Time: 15
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
Let me introduce you to my fixings sandwich. Because I understand that sinking feeling you get when you walk into a deli, knowing that all you’ll be able to get is a sandwich made with stale bread and lettuce.
Ingredients
- 4 slices really good bread (recipe for my olive tapenade swirl bread coming soon)
- 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
- couple of slices red onion
- a handful of pepperoncini
- a handful of romaine lettuce, chopped
- squirt lemon juice
- ground black pepper
- Vegenaise or Nayonaise
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the romaine with the lemon juice and black pepper. Set aside.
- Coat two slices of bread with vegan mayo and top with tomatoes, onions, pepperoncini and lettuce. Top with remaining two slices of bread. Press down and cut sandwiches in two and eat.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2
- Calories: 239
- Sugar: 11
- Sodium: 309
- Fat: 3
- Saturated Fat: 1
- Unsaturated Fat: 2
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 46
- Protein: 11
- Cholesterol: 0
Pingback: The Fixings Sandwich: That Lunch You Have to Get At The Deli (only better) Cuz They Don’t Have Any Vegan Stuff | Vegan Today
Oh MAN that looks incredible….. THAT BREAD! Can’t wait for the recipe for THAT.
I’d love to see your sandwich ingredients in a deli and that bread looks superb!
Don’t forget the avocado… I like to add some hummus as well 🙂
That’s part of the problem – most delis (that aren’t fancy sandwich shops) don’t even have avocado!
We can get a reasonable salad sandwich here in Australia, I guess that’s one thing about not having as many deli meats etc. as you guys have. It’s a bit sad not having avocado! That’s a staple food here! 😉
This is the sort of filled sanwich, I eat often! I also like to add smashed avocado with a bit of red dried chili pepper flakes & lime juice in it too,…Extra yum!
Sound like great additions, Sophie! Sadly, most delis don’t typically offer avocados!
desultory slices of onion… nice one
Had a nice ring to it!
It certainly looks divine 🙂
Thank you! Went down pretty easily ;-)!
Ooooh I can’t wait for the tapenade bread recipe! This looks delicious! 🙂
Thank you, lady! Bread recipe coming soon :-)!
I look forward to it! I love tapenade 🙂
Me, too – by the spoonful works ;-)!
Ha ha! 🙂
There is something SO magical about a classic sandwich like this! Especially on a warm summer day. This looks delicious my friend!!
I love the title of this post b/c I’m sure every vegan has been in that scenario…”I’ll have the turkey sandwich but hold the turkey, hold the cheese, hold the mayo and add extra veggies…” But your sandwich of course looks a million times better! I love the bread too!
Haha! Exactly! I think it’s the iceberg lettuce that really insults me.
I definitely know that feeling! Thank goodness I don’t find myself in a deli too often these days. Your version looks so. much. BETTER!
Delis really are kind of a nightmare for vegans. Which is why I usually travel with a PB&J just in case…
So, when are you opening a deli? More specifically, one in my neighborhood? 😉
I just found out that wordpress dropped ALL of the wordpress blogs I was subscribed to! I just thought you were busy and not blogging, come to find out that I’ve missed all of Annie’s post for the last month! 🙁 I’ve missed you in my inbox!
On a side note- I hope you, Kel, and Ike are all okay after all of this tornado business. I’ve been thinking about you. 🙂
Thanks, Kristy – thankfully we were far from the destruction, but saw it first hand today. Hard to take it all in.
The same thing happened to me recently with WP. I didn’t realize it until a week or so in – I wondered why nobody seemed to be blogging. D’oh! WP had turned off all of my email notifications. It’s still not all right, but for the most part I’m back on track.
NYC bagel shops almost always have hummus 🙂 or at least that weird vegan cream cheese!
Well, NYC is the deli capitol! Oklahoma…not so much. Hummus is a foreign word ;-).
Yum!! This sounds like my daily lunch except that I add hummus, avocado and a generous squirt of Sriracha. That bread looks fancy, can’t wait for the recipe.
Ooh, I like the sriracha touch!
This is my favorite kind of sandwich. And I totally agree with you about the need for really good bread!
Totally – what is with that wimpy white stuff??
Oooh yes! I’ll have what she’s having!
Hehe, nice one! My all-time favorite movie.
I can’t believe I missed this one. Um, you’ve been holding out on me with that bread. Yes please to the pepperoncini for me… 🙂
Trying to spare your battered tummy, girl…
Pepperoncini are the BEST!
I heart them 🙂
Hehe this post made me giggle. I think every vegan feels your pain. It would be such a treat though to be able to get this sandwich- that bread, WOW!
Love the pepperoncini!
I am seriously addicted to pepperoncini!