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 boyfriend and I learned a lot from your blog! Thanks!
The year before last year, my boyfriend arranged a blowing & pizza party for me. A lot of friends and coworkers came. We had a great time!
My favorite birthday memory is probably when I graduated from college on my 22nd birthday. Joss Whedon gave an amazing commencement speech (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn866ryQ5RY) , I got to shake hands with him, and when I got up to receive my diploma I held up my graduation hat to the crowd which had “IT’S MY BIRTHDAY” written on it, and my whole class cheered for me.
My favorite birthday memory is seeing Bon Jovi in concert on my 16th birthday! Thanks for the giveaway!
My favorite birthday memory is from last year. Three of my close friends and I decided to go on a winery tour during our Spring Break. It was a great escape from grad school and happened to land the week before my birthday. We celebrated with lots of great wine and food.
Every year for my birthday when I was a kid, my dad would fly out to Wisconsin (where I lived with my mom and half-brothers) and we would get a hotel in downtown Madison and have a “fancy” weekend. To celebrate, we would go to the famous downtown Madison farmers market on the square for snacks, swim all day in the hotel pool with my best friend and then go out for a “fancy” dinner that night at our favorite pizzeria. It remains one of my favorites birthday memories now that I’m an adult.
Eating at the best place in town when I was 13! It started a trend where we would all dress up and stuff our faces with the fanciest food for every one of my families birthdays.
For my 7th birthday I had a big joint pool party with a friend. As we were getting reading to blow out the candles, my co-birthday celebrant did a full face + torso plant into the cake, then jumped into the pool covered in chocolate frosting. Not surprisingly, it very quickly turned into a huge cake fight!
my favorite birthday memory was last year when my boyfriend blindfolded me and surprised me with oysters and champagne (my favorite!!!) on the beach. it was truly perfect. i also follow you on pinterest, instagram and facebook. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!
Happy birthday! My birthday is on Christmas, so I always spend it with my family.
Let’s see, my favorite birthday. I had a lot of birthday parties when I was younger, so now I enjoy simple birthday parties. My birthday is also in the dead of winter so that works out. My favorite party was when my friends and I gathered around for a big hot pot party and watched a movie afterwards. Simple and full of love.
I love veggie sandwiches too and thanks for the giveaway!