Pressed Avocado, Hummus, and Cucumber Sandwich

I used to work down the street from a little cafe that had only two vegan items on the menu – both of which were pressed sandwiches. They used a professional sandwich pressing machine, and I’ve seen fancy pans with heavy lids at fancy stores that do the same thing. I have neither of these things, but man, if I didn’t want a pressed sandwich today.

I decided to DIY it, and here’s what I came up with:

Yes. Four cans of beans, a small cutting board, and a piece of aluminum foil. Why are you looking at me like that? It totally worked! If you have a grill pan at home, I’d recommended using that one instead, but I don’t own one. A regular skillet worked just fine for me.

Pressed Avocado, Cucumber, and Hummus Sandwich
Makes one tasty, tasty sandwich

2 Slices of nice bread (really, it’s worth it)
1/2 Avocado
Hummus (recipe below)
Cucumber, thinly sliced
Salt
Cilantro (optional)
Olive Oil

Heat a skillet, dry, over medium heat for a few minutes. Spread hummus on both pieces of bread – this will help keep your sandwich from falling apart. Top one side with avocado, cucumber slices, salt, cilantro, and some extra lime juice if desired.

When sandwich is assembled, lightly sprinkle one side of the bread with olive oil, and place that side down in the pan. You should hear a polite sizzle. Place a sheet of aluminum foil on top of the sandwich, then place something heavy on top of that. Canned goods, another pan holding your gallon of soymilk – whatever’s clever. You could even press it down with your hand if you’re a patient (and careful) person.

My sandwich took 2-3 minutes to brown on the the first side. You don’t want the heat so high that the sandwich doesn’t have a chance to heat up on the inside before it’s browned. This is one of the reasons I decreed thinly sliced cucumbers – slice them too thick and your sandwich will be cold in the middle. Anyway! When it’s brown, remove the weight, flip the sandwich, and repeat. Smile at your fancy sandwich.

There are about a billion hummus recipes on the internet, but in case you don’t feel like finding one, here is one I made up all by myself:

Unadorned Hummus

1 Can of Chickpeas, drained, rinsed, brown ones removed
1 1/2 Tbs Tahini
1 Tbs Lime (or lemon) Juice
2 Tbs Water (or olive oil)
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Cumin

Place everything in your food processor. Pulse until chick peas are no longer whole, then blend for a few minutes until ultra smooth.

PS – I was playing around with the movie feature on my camera, so if you want to see a short, sideways video that shows you how to slice an avocado without smooshing it, click below!

How to slice a ripe avocado without smooshing it. Sorry about the sideways thing.