A soy-protein sandwich with onion, red pepper, pickles and vegan mayonnaise. Quick, filling and useful when you want a practical meal without much fuss.
Ingredients
- Soft whole-grain toast or whole-grain sandwich rolls
- 1 cup fine soy protein, soaked or boiled and squeezed dry
- For boiling the soy protein: water + bay leaf + 1 carrot + ginger + cloves + 1 onion
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 large sweet red pepper, sliced
- 3 tbsp organic soy sauce
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp seven-spice blend
- A pinch of ground bay leaf
- Salt to taste
- Sliced pickled cucumber
- Vegan mayonnaise
Method
- Boil the soy protein with water, bay leaf, carrot, onion, cloves and ginger for 15 minutes.
- Drain it very well. The original recipe notes that you can boil a whole bag of soy protein, dry it, divide it into meal-sized portions and refrigerate or freeze them for later.
- Slice the onion and red pepper after removing the seeds.
- Cook the soy protein in the oil in a non-stick pan. After a few minutes, add the soy sauce.
- Add the sliced onion and red pepper, then the spices and salt, remembering that soy sauce is already salty.
- Cook briefly, then turn off the heat while the vegetables still keep some color and texture.
Assemble the sandwich
- Spread vegan mayonnaise on the inside of both pieces of whole-grain toast.
- Add the filling and sliced pickles, close with the second piece of bread and press gently so the filling stays in place.
- Toast both sides in the same pan, or in a pan brushed with a little oil so the sandwich does not become too oily.
- Transfer to a plate and cut in half.
Serve with crispy roasted potatoes or salad. Enjoy 🙂
Why this soy-protein sandwich is more than “meatless”
Soy is a complete protein containing all nine essential amino acids. There is no evidence-based reason to add a vague “eat soy only in moderation” warning simply because it is soy.
On breast-cancer outcomes, the evidence is more reassuring than old fears about “plant estrogen”: a recent review of breast-cancer survivors found soy isoflavone intake associated with a lower risk of recurrence. That is observational evidence, not proof that soy is a treatment, but it certainly does not support avoiding soy because of phytoestrogens. Source.
Randomized trials of hormone markers likewise do not show a significant estrogenic effect of soy isoflavones in postmenopausal women. Source.
The red pepper adds vitamin C, carotenoids and fiber, while the onion adds more vegetables and plant compounds. So instead of a sandwich where meat is the whole story, here the protein comes packaged with vegetables in the same meal.
Try soy shawarma with garlic sauce, soy shawarma with tahini, or vegan mortadella sandwiches.
