Winning Sandwich and A Winner!

When I visited Sacramento last year, one of the highlights of my trip was dining at Sugar Plum Vegan Cafe, where I enjoyed one of the most delicious sandwiches that I have ever tasted, a Sweet Po and Avo Panini. (They now call it a "Garnet Yam and Avocado Panini," which is more accurate, but I like the old name better!) Either way, I'm sure it's just as incredible as it ever was, but since I didn't return to Sacramento as soon as I'd hoped to, I decided to venture into creating this sammie at home. Coming up with a tasty Lemon Poppyseed Aioli was a bit challenging, until I figured out that I like it better without garlic. (Typically, aioli is made with olive, oil, garlic, and eggs.) The most challenging part was figuring out how to assemble this sandwich so that it doesn't fall apart when you pick it up. But no matter how I layered the avocado, yam, grilled onions, tomatoes, and creamy dressing, it still was one sloppy sandwich. Some breads work better than others, (ciabatta and hard rolls were no less messy), but the combination of flavors is so delicious, it's totally worth getting your hands dirty. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes or yams, cooked and sliced
1 tomato, sliced
1 large red onion, sauteed in water
1 avocado, mashed
Lemon-Poppyseed Aioli (recipe below)
Ciabatta bread, grilled (or use your favorite hearty bread)
Earth Balance for grilling
Daiya cheddar (optional)

Lemon-Poppyseed Aioli:

1 10.5-oz pkg Mori-Nu silken tofu
3 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp agave
½ tsp salt
½ tsp dry mustard
⅛ tsp white pepper
2 Tbsp poppy seeds

For the Aioli:

Place all ingredients except the poppy seeds in a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Add poppy seeds and pulse a few times to thoroughly combine.

To assemble the Sandwiches:

Lightly brush one side of ciabatta with Earth Balance and place face down on grill. Lay some Daiya (if using) on other side of bread and place face down, and grill for a 1-2 minutes.

Spread mashed avocado over daiya side of bread, layer with yams, onions, and tomatoes, and spread aioli on other slice of bread. Repeat with other sandwich.

I'd like to extend my most heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated in my So Delicious Dairy Free Ice Cream and Sorella Luna giveaway. It was the most successful Hungry Vegan giveaway to date, and I had so much fun sharing all the tasty new ice cream flavors and gorgeous Italian pottery with you. Congratulations to Cara, who won five free So Delicious product coupons and two lovely Deruta ceramic bowls. You can thank the handy-dandy random number generator for choosing your name! Check your email inbox, and as soon as you send me your snail mail address, your goodies will be on their way!