Bahn Mi

The hubs and I went to Newark, DE to Home Grown Cafe for our anniversary. We are big lovers of finding new restaurants, and have a tricky time sometimes being veg. We are often disenchanted with the lack of options at vegetarian or vegan restaurants. Our mantra is basically if we could make it just as good/better at home, why go there? This tends to rule out italian, lots of tofu options, and some other types. We also look for menus with a couple options as we want to leave room for our mood once we get to the restaurant. Many veg friendly places have 1-2 options, which is not all that exciting.

Home Grown peaked my interest because it had cheaper and pricier options, varied cuisines, and about 75% of their menu could be made veg or vegan! Now, not only could it be made veg or vegan, but you had options for your protein. When I read that I nearly fell out of my chair. And boy did they deliver, as often does not happen, we had a hard time choosing not because of lack of appealing options, but because of an abundance of appealing options! I ended up with a Bahn Mi on flatbread (which i failed at trying to recreate the great punchy flavor here), and the hubs got some sort of grilled tofu with a grilled pineapple topping and purple mashed potatoes. This place was beyond fantastic! Wish we would have stayed for dessert instead of going to the overrated cupcake place. Next time. Anyone wanna go? We need an excuse...

Anywho, that evening made me want to try to make my own Bahn Mi. This recipe was nowhere near as flavorful, starting with the slaw. Now, in my defense, I do not have an appropriate slicer and dicer to julienne veggies, this changes the texture a lot. But it was pretty tasty, nice and cool, and a great way to use up some veggies.

Bahn Mi

Slaw: (based on recipe from foodnetwork)

1/2 c water

1/4 c sugar

1/4 rice wine vinegar

1/2 julienned carrot

1/2 c julienned daikon radish (or double the carrots)

salt

Tofu:

1/4 c soy sauce

1 T chili garlic sauce

1 pkg firm tofu

Sandwich:

1 baguette, sliced

1 cucmber, thinly sliced

1 jalapeno. thinly sliced

bunch of cilantro

mayonnaise mixed with a touch of siracha (optional)

Preheat oven to 400.

Drain tofu and wrap with a towel, topping with a heavy item to get moisture out, at least 10 minutes.

Once tofu is done, place in a baking dish and top evenly with the soy sauce and chili garlic sauce. Bake for 40 minutes or until firm.

While tofu is baking, marinate carrots and radish. To do so, in a small saucepan heat up water, sugar, and vinegar to a boil. Transfer mix to a bowl and cool. Add veggies, mix, add salt, and set aside for at least 30 minutes.

To assemble the sandwich, spread the bread with the mayonnaise mix. Add tofu, top with cuke, jalapeno, and cilantro, finally with the slaw. Enjoy!