Love Between Bread

When I fly, I’m always psyched up about the cool and unusual (although expensive!) foods I may find in airports. Airport food, I get it, but it’s come a long way! I love the adventure of being in different cities and exploring new on-the-go offerings. I get as excited about the foods I find in airports as I get about flying somewhere fun and finding a bar close to the gate! It’s like living in a parallel universe and I always feel wildly unencumbered!

I still remember Jerry Seinfeld talking about how he paid for a new terminal of the airport because he bought a tuna salad sandwich, referring to how much profit was obtained from airport food sales. Today I’d scout for a “chickpea” salad sandwich, which are easy to find, most recently in the Farmer’s Fridge, a healthy, fresh food vending machine (genius!) found in many airports with an easy-to-use app, as well.

Score!

Minneapolis-St. Paul airport has some awesome food choices! They have a little section on Concourse E with mini food trucks! That’s incredibly cool and the Holy Land truck has some delicious and garlic food, like falafels and hummus. Who doesn’t want that on a flight, right? I love it because it’s SO tasty, not to mention garlic’s anti-cancer and anti-viral benefits! The Stone Arch at MSP also has a delicious Portobello Bahn Mi, too!

So let me tell you about another favorite, my Tofu Bahn Mi sandwich at Sea-Tac airport! AMAZING! A Bahn Mi is a Vietnamese sandwich on a French baguette traditionally filled with an umami sauce, cucumber, pickled vegetables, cilantro and sometimes fresh jalapenos and is an orchestra of textures and flavors! I try to get one every time I pass though, admittedly twice within a couple of days recently, at Bambuza at the North Satellite, for those that are wondering (and wandering). Yes, I know, what’s not to love, this delectable sandwich torpedo slips so easily into my carryon, and I can eat it on the plane, in my hotel room or in the Lyft…well maybe not in the Lyft.

If I had succumbed to a bowl of noodles (which are basically, LIFE…more on noodles to come!) I would not have been able to fit that into my bag snuggly, like my bread torpedo, and would have to carry it in hand, down the jetway, in a recyclable bowl with a lid, but I like to be a bit more discreet with my onboard fare or potential midnight munchies. As I tuck my airplane-bottle gin into my coat pocket for a hotel room nightcap, I hope that my Bahn Mi makes it there, because if it does, there is a likelihood that I’ll have some left for breakfast. I don’t discriminate…any food is fair game for any meal in my book, and my breakfasts tend to be the previous day's lunch or dinner leftovers. I think all foods are fair game at any time of the day! Equal opportunity eating at its finest!

Wild Meatless Monday Adventure challenge of the week: Make or purchase a meatless sandwich or wrap!

Get some awesome bread, like rustic Italian, sourdough, whole grain or marble rye and spread on hummus or try some plant-based deli slices add pickled or fermented veggies like pickled onions, sauerkraut or kimchi, and fresh veggies. Delish! Tofu Bahn Mi, Falafel sandwiches and the good old veggie sandwich are all great! Don't forget to swap the standard high-fat mayo for something even more yummy, like a layer of horseradish mustard, homemade hummus (many varieties to discuss, coming soon!) avocado, guacamole or one of the many amazing sauces and spreads I'll share in future posts.

In restaurants, I’ll often order an “LTA”!  When a BLT is offered on the menu, I ask for just the tomato and lettuce with added avocado, hold the bacon. I also ask to replace the chicken in wrap with a veggie burger patty, mushrooms or hummus. SO good! All of the sandwich shops also have meatless options, where you can combine fresh and sautéed veggies, hummus, guacamole, try a meat substitute, like seitan or veggie patties, and pile on the vegetables! Try this simple delicious and tantalizing Italian-style Balsamic Zucchini Sandwich! You can thank me later! Buon Appetito!

Love + Lentils,