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 :)
My favorite birthday memory is of the He-Man Birthday Cake my mom made for me. She got a special mold in the shape of his bust with a plastic face plate. I actually still have all of the pieces and plan on making it for my nephew.
Oh and I follow you on all the social media, my username is Westelmach
One of my favorite birthday memories is from 5th grade. My family corralled all of my friends and threw me a surprise party – good friends, tasty food, and SMORES! It was awesome.
(I also follow you on instagram. I’m @krydib)
While I don’t quite remember the day (I was only 4!), I have a feeling it was the best birthday ever. The reason I assume it was the best birthday ever, is a specific picture someone took of me that day. I was a chubby 4 year old, wearing overalls & carrying a brand new PURPLE bean bag…heading out of Chuck-E-Cheese with the biggest grin on my face. It just had to be the best birthday ever.
My mom managed to throw a successful surprise party for all 4 of us kids. I’ve never been good at planning my own birthday celebrations (I could take some tips from you!), and my mom is an awesome party planner. My surprise party was when I was in 5th grade, and it was a sleepover with my best friends. It was fantastic :-)
PS- I follow you on instagram, pinterest, and facebook :-)
That sandwich looks amazing! I don’t know how you open your mouth wide enough to take a bite.
My birthdays are solitary. I do and eat all the things I can’t convince anyone to do/eat with me.
Oooh, there are SO many birthday memories to choose from. One of my best birthdays was my 25th. I was living in the Bay Area at the time and my grad school friends surprised me with a day trip to Napa. They recruited my roommate’s younger sister to serve as DD, picked out great vineyards and tasting rooms (lots of VINO!), and we enjoyed the perfect lunch right along the river. It was such a beautiful fun-filled day! I just started following on instagram, pinterest, and twitter! Woo hoo!
Hi Stephanie,
My favorite birthday memory… was when I was 15 years old spending a vacationt with my family in Canada. I lived alone with my Mom (my dad had passed at 10) She raised me working in New York City kitchens as a Garde Manger Chef. We were visiting didn’t expect anything.. All my cousins and family threw a big pot luck dinner so much great food. Mostly Vietnamese with extend edEuro. They brought there own (including French, Dutch, German) It established my way of cooking now.
I love your Blog reminds me of my family get togethers. Hopefully, I will do that for my girls one day!
Warm Regards,
Sue
My favorite birthday was my 19th! It was my first year in college and my friends and I crashed a party and got 100 strangers to sing Happy Birthday to me. The days when such shenanigans were acceptable are long gone, but I’ll always have the memories!
I’m also a insta and pinterest follower!
my birthday is in april, so when i was a kid i always had a party in the park or something outside. one year it snowed SO unexpectedly, so those of us who could get out of our driveways had a sledding party instead. :) it hasn’t snowed on my birthday since, and i’m kind of disappointed about that. :)