It’s my birthday today! Are you guys big on celebrating your birthday? For as long as I remember, my birthday has been an obsession of mine. It’s probably just a bit (okay, a lot) egotistical, but I just love the idea of a day celebrating me. I like planning elaborate themed parties with tons of friends (DIY grilled cheese party anyone?), but I also love the flip side of that – spending a day celebrating, just me and my boo.
No matter what I end up doing, there is one absolute must: eat ALL the things. It’s the one day you shouldn’t hold back. I know, I know, veggie sandwiches aren’t what one usually thinks of when they’re thinking about birthday eats, but when I saw this glorious picture of the ultimate veggie sandwich on Instagram, it had to be mine. I’m all about veggie sandwiches (and pizzas too, to be honest). I love the the different textures, the crunch, and the freshness.
This sandwich was truly epic – perfect for a pre-birthday treat!
The Ultimate Veggie Sandwich Recipe
makes 1 sandwich
- 2 slices bread of choice (I used multigrain)
- mayo and mustard, to taste
- 6 leaves romaine lettuce
- 1 small carrot
- 1/2 small cucumber
- salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1/8 head red cabbage
- 1 avocado
- handful of sprouts
- 3 slices tomato
- thin slices red onion
Start off by prepping your vegetables. Trip the lettuce leaves to the size of your bread. Julienne or shred the carrot, thinly slice the cucumber and cabbage. Pit and peel the avocado and thickly slice. Toast the bread and let cool (so it doesn’t get soggy). Spread on mayo and mustard to taste and build your sandwich: 1/2 of the lettuce leaves, carrots, cucumber, salt and pepper, cabbage, avocado, sprouts, tomato, onion, then the remaining lettuce and top slice of bread. Wrap tightly in parchment paper or wax paper and slice in half. Enjoy immediately!
i put a candle in it, because birthday :)
Giveaway: I hope you guys like chopping vegetables (and everything else) because for my annual birthday giveaway, I’m giving away a shiny sharp Shun Nakiri knife and a Walnut Boos Block Cutting Board from cuttingboard.com. I absolutely LOVE my nakiri and there’s nothing better than chopping and slicing on a beautiful wood cutting board.
To Enter: Leave a comment below with your favorite birthday memory. I want to hear ALL the details! I’ll randomly choose a winner and notify them through email. Open to US residents only. (Sorry international friends!) Also, if you’d like some extra entries (one per follow), follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest (and let me know in your comment). Contest ends September 17th at 12pm PST. Good luck!
Update: Congrats Willow! Get ready to get your knife skills on! Keep an eye out for an email :)
Happy Birthday! My favorite birthday memory was a weekend in Vegas before I had kids….life has been a blur since then!
happy birthday to you! I had mine just a few days ago and spent it in Yosemite Park surrounded by monumental rocks and giant trees… I couldn’t have dreamt of a better place to celebrate. I hugged a sequoia and saw the most beautiful sunset of my life, pink setting over crazy mountains. EVEN HAD A VEGGIE SANDWICH FOR LUNCH THAT DAY ! :)
My favorite birthday thus far was when I turned five. The theme was the Little Mermaid, which I was obsessed with at the time and I remember having so much fun, complete with the Little Mermaid cake.
On my 25th birthday I was surprised beyond delight when my mother brought out dessert with a Pineapple Upside Down Cake front and center! What a treat, a dessert that I hadn’t had since childhood, my mother’s Pineapple Upside Down Cake has such rich cherry presence and butter pecan cream to it – each flavor has a life of its own. Quite literally, it was perfect icing on the cake.
+Facebook Follow +Instagram Follow +Twitter Follow !!! Thank you!
wow, this sandwich looks sooooo pretty and amazing!!
best birthday I can remember was actually last year. it was raining (which is weird for LA) but my friends made the best of it and went out anyways.
My favorite birthday memory was when I tried to make Christina Tosi’s birthday cake (for myself) and EPICALLY failed. I didn’t have any of the special materials and just sort of winged it to see if I could make it work…well it ended up totally flat and not beautiful looking at all. BUT, we all sat around with champagne and basically ate the crumbled mess out of a bowl…with ice cream. And it was amazing!!
I also follow you on Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram (handle is jennirose12 on all three) :):)
I graduated from college on my birthday. my best friend surprised me, as did my little sister. my parents and grandparents drove up. it was so special, especially because I was moving to Australia a few days later.
I remember one of my twenties birthdays was at a place called The Pink Door in Seattle that has a beautiful terrace that overlooks Elliott Bay. All my friends came and we partied and I had oysters on the half shell for the first time and there were great pictures :)
My favorite birthday memory is when my friends surprised me with a picnic at Dolores Park in SF and a new bicycle! They rolled up with a new bike and I asked, “Whose bike is that?!” They all smiled and said, “It’s your new bike!”
McDonald’s birthday parties are the best when you’re young. Who knew dropping straws into a cup could be so much fun??