Pesto mozzarella sauerkraut veggie sandwich

Nothing brings veggies together quite like a sandwich on toasted bread.

You know when you tell yourself, "Hey, let's try something fun!" and it ends up being a ridiculously delicious sandwich full of everything you need to eat in your fridge? Yeah, me too! This here sandwich: exactly that situation.

I don’t make sandwiches all that often. Most of my sandwichmaking experience comes from many many summers at camp — we’d all go through the long sandwichmaking line during breakfast, shove our sandwiches into our backpacks, and head off to our activities (usually mountain biking for me). For years, I’d just make a PB&J. I wasn’t a huge sandwich person, and it seemed easiest/best. It’d inevitably be squished into a totally flat pancake by the time lunch rolled around, but I’d still eat it. Then, as I moved into management, I got fancy. I knew my sandwiches could be more protected — not shoved to the bottom of my camelback — so I started hogging bacon from breakfast, finding creative veggies to put on, maybe even use French toast as bread … am I admitting too much here? Maybe.

Back to this particular sandwich: I was tempted to throw the term “reuben” in here — helloooo sauerkraut! — but honestly am not sure what the definition of a reuben is. So. I skipped it. But there so much good stuff in this sandwich! I had some leftover pesto, so clearly that went on one side. Then, I had sriracha-tahini mixed together, so that went on the other side. I had fresh cucumbers and carrots from my mom’s garden, plus fresh mozzarella, and crunchy sauerkraut! I recently made my sauerkraut with ginger and beets, in addition to cabbage, so that’s what I actually put on here. I might post a recipe for that soon, but any sauerkraut will do. I also had a jalapeño on hand. I sliced that baby up and put it in for a little extra kick. You can, clearly, omit that if you want.

I made this one day between a long bike ride and a hike in the gorge — and then had to re-create it for multiple days afterwards. There is so much going on in here! So many veggies!

Pesto mozzarella sauerkraut veggie sandwich

2 slices of whole grain bread
2 tablespoons pesto
1 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon sriracha
1 carrot, sliced thin
1/2 cucumber, sliced thin
4 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced
1 jalapeño, julienned
1/2 cup sauerkraut

1. Lightly toast the bread (optional). Spread one piece with the pesto, and the other with the tahini mixed together with the sriracha.

2. Layer the carrot, cucumber, cheese, jalapeño, and sauerkraut on one piece of bread, then top with the other.

3. Enjoy!

Related post on The Kitchen Paper: Vegan Bowl with Sauerkraut, Pistachios, and Jalapeño Garlic Tahini Sauce