Shiitake and Smoked Tofu Bahn Mi

James made me a simple Bahn Mi sandwich on Saturday and it reminded me how much I used to LOVE Vietnamese subs.  When he made me the sandwich, he marinated some firm tofu in soy sauce and fried it.  When I made us sandwiches today, I decided that I would use smoked tofu instead of marinating and cooking tofu, in order to save a little time by eliminating a couple of steps.  This sandwich makes for a great lunch, balancing indulgence from the bread and smoked tofu, with some hearty nutrition from the cucumber, kale and basil, and by getting in some gut-healthy probiotics from the kimchi.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp neutral cooking oil
• Approx 15 Shiitake mushrooms sliced (about 1 cup)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 package smoked tofu cut into thin slices
• 1/4 Field Cucumber thinly sliced
• 3 – 4 kale leaves shredded
• 4 fresh basil leaves finely chopped
• 2 tbsp of Kimchi
• 4 buns (we used Slider buns, however you could you use a baguette instead)
• Veganaise

Directions

1.  Heat frying pan with a little bit of oil and add the mushrooms to the pan once it is hot.
2. Add salt to the mushrooms, cover the pan, and let the mushrooms cook over medium heat for 2 – 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. While the mushrooms are cooking you can prepare the sandwich toppings.
4. Cut the smoked tofu, and cucumber into the thin slices.
5. Wash and roughly shred or chop the kale.
6. Finely chop the basil

Sandwich Assembly:

1. Spread veganaise onto both sides of the buns
2. Add a small handful of kale onto the bottom bun
3. Add 3 – 4 slices of cucumber on top of the kale
4. Stack 2 – 3 slices of smoked tofu on top of the cucumber
5. Add some cooked shiitake mushrooms
6. Top with basil and a fork full of kimchi
7. Enjoy!