I've never been very religious. I remember my parents dragging me and my sister to Sunday School every morning for a few years until we got older and it became somewhat of a lost cause. But I find solace and sacredness in Sunday regardless. I feel as if the day is a portal in time that allows you to escape from the everyday routine. It's a day that induces reflection, creativity, and appreciation. I typically designate this day to exploring new places, whether it be a daytrip to a nearby city or simply checking out a new cafe.
Two weeks ago, Trey and I headed out Sunday morning for an hour drive West to Yellow Springs, Ohio. I was itching to get out of Columbus and see something new, but with a tight budget and lack of vacation days, it had to be a relatively local destination. The town center seems to have been built in the 80's and just stayed put. "Funky" is the most accurate description. Every store front or coffeehouse was painted in nontraditional hues, even their trash cans were transformed into abstract art.
The area was walkable all within about 30 minutes, while we waited for 1 1/2 hours for a table at a dimly lit hole-in-the-wall organic Sunrise Cafe. Their pancakes and huevos rancheros were worth the wait. We fueled up for a quick exploration along hiking trails that paralleled a quiet river and led to beautifully serene bridge opening. We sat for a minute by the water's edge, just taking in the crisp air and sunlight, listening to the subtle trickle of water flowing by.
As the "hike" came to an end, we hit the road for one last stop along our return journey: Young's Dairy Farm. I don't think I've ever seen a line for a ice cream comparable to the one here. I'm an ice cream connoisseur and I didn't even get any! But we did make out with a giant jar of raw local honey which I have since used to make giant batches of granola, so it was a win all in all.
Now let's get down to business. Sandwhiches. Its own food category? I think so. I know my sister sure does. She said that's the one "food" she would never be able to give up. I've had plenty of mediocre sandwiches in my day, as many delis consider a good vegetarian option to consist of cheese, lettuce, tomato, and some condiment (granted this was a go-to of mine in my first years of vegetarianism during middle school and maybe a little bit of high school, too...). But I find it insulting and utterly lame for a sandwich to be so boring after I've encountered so many more incredible options.
So earlier this week I set out to create a sandwich masterpiece. I took a trip to Lucky's Market, a natural food store that bakes bread in-house and has an awesome selection of foods. I left with a growling stomach and the anticipation of 7-year-old me headed to Disney World. Magic ensued.
Ingredients
- 2 Full Leaves Red Leaf Lettuce
- Big Handful of Sunflower Sprouts
- 3 Slices Tomato
- 5 Thin Slices of Cucumber
- 1/4 Avocado mashed or sliced
- 1 1/2 Raw Mushroom, sliced
- 1 Tbsp Hummus
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 tsp Mayonnaise
- 2 Large Slices Toasted Whole Grain Bread, Sourdough, whatever your taste may be
- ADD AS MANY VEGGIES AS YOU CAN FIT. I've also added radishes & cheese
Directions - so simple
- Prep all of your veggies, slice & dice
- Toast bread, add hummus to one slice & dijon and mayo to the other
- Layer all together and get messy
It seems silly to lay out ingredients and directions for a sandwich but I've survived off of this simple masterpiece all week long and I don't think I can ever get sick of it. Dive in!
