Healthy Eating: Alternative Sprouts Sandwich

Earlier today we alerted you to an alfalfa sprout recall on the West Coast. Sad news, especially since one of our favorite vegetarian lunches is a sandwich made of good bread, a thick layer of cream cheese, and a fistful of sprouts. So what’s our alfalfa substitute?

Our local grocery store sells several types of baby shoots, from broccoli sprouts to something called “Super Sprouts,” which is a mix of a few varieties. In this sandwich, we used snow pea shoots. Their stems were a bit woody (we trimmed them), but a big bunch almost takes the form of a meaty middle to this sandwich.

The cream cheese gives good flavor and a soft contrast to the crunch of the sprouts. Plus, it provides some helpful glue to corral all of those wayward shoots.

In last week’s email, Sara Kate told us about her visit to a yoga retreat, where she ate only two vegetarian meals a day, and she encouraged us to consider eating one-third less food during the week. We thought this mid-day meal was a good start. It’s surprisingly filling, nutritious, and open to many adaptations. If you want a heartier sandwich, you can add turkey, sliced chicken, or other vegetables.

Another thought on safe alfalfa sprouts: We used to grow our own in a jar covered in cheese cloth. It’s something to think about in the wake of the recall. We may tackle that as an early spring project.

Here are some more recent recipes that would make great vegetarian lunches:
• Breakfast for Lunch: Steelcut Oats with Dates, Coconut, Cinnamon, and Pecans
• Rich No-Cream Wild Mushroom Pasta Sauce
• Cous Cous Salad With Winter Squash and Cranberries
• Green Salad With Walnut Oil, Celery, and Radishes

Anyone else out there eat sprouts this way? What’s your favorite healthy sandwich?

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(Image credit: Elizabeth Passarella for The Kitchn.)