If you live in a major metropolitan area, you may have been tempted by the latest trend in dining, the home delivery service. Here in Silicon Valley, start-up companies offer all kinds of ways for you to get dinner on the table without ever having to leave the comfort of your home — they’ll deliver meal kits, meals cooked by local chefs, and even take-out from just about any restaurant in your neighborhood. A few clicks and a few minutes are all it takes to be greeted at your front door by a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed college kid holding an insulated box full of whatever you desire.
Can you tell that I think this trend is totally ridiculous? Are we, as a society, so intent on convenience and effort-free consumption that we can’t bring ourselves to cook our own meals or even get our butts out to a restaurant? Just a few years ago, meal delivery services were marketed exclusively to provide nutrition for the elderly and infirm. I find it hard to believe that we all need our own, bespoke dinners provided by luxe-warped versions of Meals on Wheels.
Here’s an option for nights when you can’t bring yourself to turn on the stove, and you want dinner in 15 minutes or less. Come on, let’s get out those chef’s knives together and resist the urge to be as lazy as humanly possible, mmkay? Making a sandwich with store-bought bread, cold cuts, and a generous stack of vegetables is absolutely within your powers, any night of the week.
This sandwich is a variation on one of my favorite childhood ‘wiches, the Natural High from Erik’s DeliCafé. We added peppered turkey, taking it out of vegetarian territory, but it’s great with no meat, too — I may have made myself a no-turkey version for sandwich seconds. The combination of sliced mushrooms, avocado, tomato, red onion, sunflower seeds, and a big pile of sprouts is so fresh and delicious, a total slice of 1980s California cuisine.
Turkey Sandwiches, California Style
Ingredients
- 8 slices whole wheat sandwich bread
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- honey mustard
- thousand island dressing
- 8 ounces turkey cold cuts
- 4 large button mushrooms thinly sliced
- 1/2 medium red onion thinly sliced
- 1 medium avocado thinly sliced
- 1 large tomato thinly sliced
- 2 cups sprouts or microgreens
- 1/4 cup roasted unsalted sunflower seeds
- ground black pepper optional
Instructions
- Sprinkle an even layer of mozzarella cheese onto half of the slices of bread. Toast all of the bread lightly, just until cheese is melty but the bread is still soft in the middle.
- Spread honey mustard on the cheesy slices of bread, and spread thousand island dressing on the naked slices of bread. Layer on the sandwich ingredients in the order you prefer — I like to put the turkey on one slice of bread, and stack all of the vegetables on the other slice, sprinkling sunflower seeds over the top of the vegetables. Top with a grind or two of black pepper if desired.
- Assemble the sandwiches, slice in half on the diagonal, and serve.
There is nothing better than a good old turkey sandwich. Mine has to have mayonnaise .
This sounds like my kind of sandwich. A little bit of peppered turkey and a lot of good veggies. And I agree with you…there are plenty of meals you can make at home for minimal effort. No delivery service required!