Vegan Sandwiches
The Ultimate Vegan Submarine Sandwich

This vegan submarine sandwich feeds four hungry eaters or eight eaters if you are serving side salads and chips. It travels well and has a extraordinary medley of flavors that will have diners sighing with each bite.

Preheat a gas barbeque to a HIGH HEAT.

Ingredients
1 large loaf of rosemary sourdough bread, Costco
1 eggplant, smooth skinned and dark purple
2 zucchini squash, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 cucumber, thinly sliced lengthwise
2 tomatoes, vine ripe
1 sweet Maui onion, finely sliced
1 purple onion, finely slice
1 bag arugula, pre-washed
1/2 cup Italian parsley, coarse chop
1/2 cup Vegenaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 box fresh organic tofu, firm
non-stick olive oil spray
olive oil
salt
pepper
crushed red pepper flakes
ice cubes & water

Tools
gas or charcoal barbeque
barbeque spatula and tongs
pastry brush for olive oil
sharp knives
cutting board
measuring cup
cookie sheet or tray
large bowl
plastic wrap
small whisk
mandoline slicer
long toothpicks or wooden skewers

Preparation
The Eggplant
Cut the stem and bottom end of the eggplant off.
Cut a thin slice of the purple skin from both sides of the eggplant to allow it to lay flat against the cutting board.
Cut lengthwise slices about 1/4 inch thick.
Spray both sides of each slice with olive oil spray or brush each slice with extra virgin olive oil and a small amount of sea salt.
Place on a large cookie sheet for transferring to the barbeque area.

The Zucchini
Cut stem and bottom end of the zucchini off.
Cut lengthwise slices about 1/4 inch thick
Spray both sides of each slice with olive oil spray or brush each slice with extra virgin olive oil and a small amount of sea salt.
Place on a large cookie sheet for transferring to the barbeque area.

The Tofu
Drain the tofu and rinse under running water.
Pat the tofu dry with a tea towel.
Cut the rectangle of tofu into 1/4 inch slices.
Pat each one dry spray both sides of each slice with olive oil spray or brush each slice with extra virgin olive oil and a small amount of sea salt.
Place on a large cookie sheet for transferring to the barbeque area.

Barbeque the Eggplant, Zucchini and Tofu
Make sure you have grill tongs and a spatula on hand for turning the slices.
I have a large gas barbeque, so I can arrange all the cut items on the grill and sear them evenly.
The grill must be HOT and this process will take less than 10 minutes to complete. Do NOT overcook.
The object is to get the grill marks and smoky flavors, not to really COOK the veggies.
Once cooked, put back on the cookie sheet and return to the kitchen.

The Onions
Use a mandoline on the finest setting and slice both onions into a bowl filled with water and 2 cups of ice.
Swish the onion slices in the water to release any oils and odors.
After 5 minutes, drain the onions and place on a towel and pat them dry.
Put in a dry bowl and set aside.

The Italian Parsley
Rough cut about 1/2 cup of Italian parsley and set aside.

           
The Cucumber
Peel the cucumber.
Cut the ends off and then cut it lengthwise as thin as possible.
Set aside.

The Tomatoes
Thinly slice 4 Roma tomatoes.
Set aside.

The Arugula
Open a bag of pre-washed arugula.
Set aside.

The Mayo
Combine 1/2 cup Vegenasie and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard in a cup and whisk together.
Set aside.

The Bread
Slice the ends of the bread loaf off.
Cut the loaf in half, lengthwise.
Set aside.

Assemble The Ultimate Submarine Sandwich
Apply a thin layer of the Mayo onto the inner sides of the bread and set them beside each other.
           
Add a layer of the grilled zucchini.
              
Add a layer of the sliced onions.
                 
Add a layer of the grilled eggplant sprinkled with the Italian parsley.
Add sea salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.
                  
Add a layer of the grilled tofu slices.
                 
Add a layer of the sliced tomatoes and sliced cucumber.
                  
Add a layer of the fresh arugula.
               
Apply the top portion of the bread.
Wrap the entire sandwich in plastic wrap as tight as possible and refrigerate.

          
Presentation
The Ultimate Vegan Submarine Sandwich travels well to any picnic or travel destination. I suggest using a serrated knife to cut the submarine into 4 or 8 slices with long toothpicks to hold the sections together.

Served with chips, potato salad and coleslaw, this makes for a terrific summertime meal.