Mediterranean Vegan Sandwich

This vegan sandwich recipe feeds your craving for a protein-rich meatless sandwich. You won't even miss the real thing once you try this meatless tasty vegetarian sandwich idea with fantastic Mediterranean flavors.

Why You Will Love this Vegan Sandwich

• It's a really tasty veggie sandwich.
• Filled with warm Mediterranean spices.
• Loosely inspired by the famous Philly cheesesteak.
• Even meat-eater will love this Mediterranean vegan sandwich.
• Filling and satisfying.
• 18 grams of plant-based protein per sandwich.

Ingredients for a Vegan Mediterranean Sandwich

• Seitan: is an imitation meat product made out of wheat protein, basically vital wheat gluten. We chose to use seitan to get a steak-like texture.
• Shawarma spices: we seasoned the seitan with our popular Homemade Shawarma Spice Mix  
• Veggies: we used onions, peppers, and mushrooms for extra flavor
• Tahini Sauce: we used tahini sauce for a touch of creaminess and tanginess.  Now that's one delicious vegan sandwich!
• Garlic and Salt. For additional spice and flavor, we added one garlic clove and salt to taste.
• Aleppo Pepper. Red pepper flakes will work. Adjust to taste depending on how much heat you want.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Turns out this is the perfect marinade. You'll also need a little for cooking.
• Red Wine Vinegar. Also used for the marinade to provide acidity and extra falvro
• Bread. Pick your favorite bread, such as pocketless pita bread, small hoagie rolls, pita bread, hamburger rolls, baguette, etc.

What is Seitan?

If you are looking for a great vegan meat alternative for your vegetarian sandwiches, you should try seitan. It is made by washing a wheat flour-based dough with water until all that remains is an elastic mass of pure gluten. Don't worry we are not asking you to make it at home from scratch. Simply buy ready-made seitan from your local supermarket. Seitan is a specialty item that can be found in Whole Foods, Mom's Organic, any market that carries meat alternatives, and at Asian Food markets.

The texture is surprisingly similar to meat and very satisfying. Depending on where you shop, you may also find it under one of these names: miànjīn, fu, milgogi, wheat meat, gluten meat, vital wheat gluten, or simply gluten. If you've ever had "mock duck" it is made with seitan!

Variations and Substitutions

Not a big fan of seitan or can't have gluten? Try using high protein extra firm tofu instead. Just make sure you squeeze as much water out of it as possible to ensure the proper texture for your vegan sandwich. You can also freeze the tofu, let it thaw, squeeze as much water as possible and it's ready to use. This method gives the tofu a different texture. Whichever meat substitute you select, you will love this recipe.

You could make variations of this sandwich using different sauces or vegan mayo. Change it up with different flavor profiles as well! The basic idea would work well to create a variety of sandwiches your family loves.

How to Make our Mediterranean Sandwich Recipe

Vegan sandwich-making does not have to be complicated at all. First, marinate the seitan and veggies with spices, olive oil, and vinegar. The easiest way to do this is to put it all down into a plastic zipper baggy. I like to use freezer-quality bags so that they can handle the weight of the ingredients without leaking.

Once the sandwich ingredients have marinaded, sauté it all in a hot skillet until the veggies are ready and the seitan is browning. Mix up the homemade tahini sauce while the sandwich ingredients are cooking and serve your veggie sandwich on a hoagie bun or similar small sandwich roll.

Tips for a Perfect Vegan Sandwich

• Marinate the seitan and veggies for at least one hour. For best results, marinate overnight. Marinating the protein allows it to absorb all the flavors.

• Cut your seitan into strips, slices, or whatever will work best for the size and shape of your rolls. Smaller pieces will heat more evenly and quickly.

What to Serve With This Vegan Sandwich

Make it a complete meal when you pair our veggie sandwich with a tomato cucumber salad, raw beet salad, roasted sweet potato fries, zucchini fries, Hummus, Harira soup, or shawarma chickpeas

Other Vegan Sandwiches to Make for Lunch or Dinner

• Bahn Mi Sandwich
• Chickpea Salad Sandwich
• Falafel with Tahini Sauce
• Tempeh & Black Bean Burger
• Asian Inspired Sesame Crusted Tofu Veggie Sandwich
• Gluten Free BBQ Tempeh Sandwich
• Quinoa Mushroom Sliders
• Quinoa, Chickpea & Beet Burger

The Story Behind This Recipe

Since we live so close to Philadelphia, we are very familiar with the concept of the Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich, so we decided to create the ultimate Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich Recipe inspired by the famous Philly cheesesteak. And because we like to play with our food we added a middle eastern twist to this meatless dinner idea.

Did you like our Vegan Sandwich?

Vegan Sandwich

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5 from 4 reviews

• Author: Vicky Cohen and Ruth Fox
• Total Time: 1 hour 35 mins
• Yield: 6 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

This vegan sandwich recipe feeds your craving for a protein-rich meatless sandwich.  This is a tasty veggie sandwich filled with comforting Mediterranean flavors.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 8-10 oz seitan, cut into strips
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 pack baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbsp plus 2 teaspoon shawarma spice mix
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes ( use more or less to taste).
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil (for marinating)
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 6 mini hoagie rolls, hamburger rolls, pita, or pocketless pita
• 6 large pickles, sliced (optional)
• Tahini Sauce
• Homemade Hummus
• Fresh Parsley or cilantro (optional)

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Instructions

1. Combine seitan, red pepper, onion, and mushrooms in a bowl or a zip storage bag. Add garlic, shawarma spice mix, and salt.  Mix well so the spices coat the seitan, then add  2 teaspoon of olive oil and vinegar. Cover and place in the fridge for one hour or overnight. 
2. While the seitan is marinating In the meantime, prepare the tahini sauce and the Homemade hummus
3. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add marinated seitan and vegetables (including liquid) and cook over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes, or until the veggies are cooked stirring occasionally.
4. Spread hummus on each pita, add about ⅓ cup of cooked seitan,  add pickles, top with 1-2 tablespoons of tahini sauce and add parsley and cilantro if using. Roll into a sandwich. See notes 1,2 &3

Notes

1. If using a pocketless pita roll into a sandwich.  
2. If using a pocket pita carefully open the pocket and stuff the ingredients inside the pocket.
3. If using a roll, slice the roll in half and fill it with the ingredients. 
4. Want to make it low-carb? Use a lettuce wrap instead of bread or serve over cauliflower rice.

This recipe was originally published on August 8, 2014

Calories are calculated with the sandwich made with pita bread

• Prep Time: 1 hour 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Category: Sandwich
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Mediterranean

Nutrition

• Serving Size:
• Calories: 358
• Sugar: 3.9 g
• Sodium: 541.3 mg
• Fat: 12.6 g
• Saturated Fat: 1.7 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 45.8 g
• Fiber: 6.5 g
• Protein: 20.9 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg