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!!! I LOVE birthdays (celebrating my own AND spoiling others on their day!) This past birthday, my 30th, was the best and most memorable yet! Everyone I love surprised me at my favorite local hangout. The next day, my parents and best friends surprised me by putting together a meal comprised of foods from each restaurant and company I’ve ever worked for (I’ve worked in the food industry since I was 16… Cooking is my love and passion!). Multiple celebrations, multiple birthday cakes and so much happiness and love. On top of all that, my birthday gift from my boyfriend was a trip to the Dominican Republic! I hope you have your best birthday yet!
GIMME THIS SANDY RN!! Holy YUMMMM.
Hi Stephanie! One of my favorite birthday memories was last year. I had a mad hatter tea party, except the “tea” was different types of mixed drinks. All of the drinks were served in miniature teapots and small bottles that said “drink me” like in Alice and Wonderland. We had all sorts of different finger foods and mini sandwiches. Though it was a lot of work to put it on, my friends and I had a blast. We played board games and wore silly hats. All in all, a great birthday.
This sandwich looks amazing by the way. Quite the balancing act to get it all to stay together. My sandwiches usually tend to fall right over when they’re that big. Hope to be entered in the contest. I just followed you on Twitter and Facebook also (not sure why I wasn’t before) :). Hope you had a great rest of your birthday yesterday!
Birthday at Wendy’s with pinatas. Probably the most fun part were the pinatas! Although getting the candy when the pinata breaks down can be a little precarious :) I don’t remember anyone getting hurt, but I’m pretty sure there were tons of kids on the floor, hoarding their candy, waiting for their mamas to come with plastic bags to pack the candy home.
For my husband’s birthday last year, I stopped into our local Chinese bakery frantically looking for a last-minute dessert to bring to dinner. By the time I got there, nearly everything had been sold out, and there was only one lonely cake left–a cookies and cream cake decorated to resemble an owl’s face (WTF, right!?). I was desperate, and bought it anyway, but it ended up being one of the best cakes I’ve ever purchased from them. The Shun Nakiri has been on our wish list since our wedding (nobody seems to know what it is or want to buy it for us) so I hope I can create a new memory this year by surprising him with it!
favorite birthday memory was hitchhiking by myself all day through Iceland to get back to the hostel I was working at. it was during the volcano eruption in 2010 and i got dropped off in the middle of an ashy cloud, in the middle of nowhere, then quickly got picked up by a nice french couple. loved exploring a gorgeous day on my own.
My favorite birthday memory would have to be my 10th or 11th birthday I think? It was one of the last times the entire family (cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents) were able to get together before life took us in all different directions. We didn’t do anything out of the ordinary but just having everyone there, enjoying food together was memorable enough.
Happy Birthdaaaay!
My favorite memory was eating cake with my hubby and two little boys last year. They had never had red velvet before and were enamored with it. It is the little things that you always remember.
I love your blog
i think my favorite birthday memory was my “sweet 16.”
it was really cliche, and included dressing up into fancy dresses, fancy dinner with my closes girlfriends, and a spa night in a hotel room. it was the typical girl’s night, and it was so much fun!
we ate cupcakes at midnight and didn’t sleep until 3am. i probably never do that again at my age now, but it was fun :)
oh, and not to be a superfan, i follow you on instagram, pinterest, twitter, and like your facebook page!