vietnamese roasted cauliflower sammy salad

       Cruciferous vegetables on sandwiches are heaven. And these types of vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, kale) are super duper foods and may actually help delay your getting into heaven because they lower your risk of cancer. 
      Growing up all I ate were broccoli rabe sandwiches. And recently I discovered my favorite sandwich: the Vietnamese Cauliflower Sandwich from Num Pang. Haven't had it yet. Try it! Mosey on down to 12th ad University. Its so worth it.
I tried to recreate this sandwich in salad form during our Beer Tasting Super Bowl Fiesta. It turned out great. 

      After a few tweaks and turns I wanted to give this amazing salad center stage, because its so special. I even brought the sandwich home from Num Pang to compare. The combination of ingredients are just spectacular together. Roasted Cauliflower, Cilantro, Carrots and Cucumber, smothered in onion relish and roasted garlic chipotle mayo! Perfection. On this particular episode, I attempted my own mayo. It was a sheer failure. But the next day I tried it again. (Stay tuned for my curried deviled eggs with homemade mayo.)

     Its still not as amazing as the Num Pang version, but when I can't get to the big city, its a great alternative. I have everything down but the onion relish they put on it, and I need to still work on the chipotle mayo. Its a work in progress; one that I enjoy more each time I make it!


Vietnamese Roasted Cauliflower Sandwich Salad
1 Cauliflower, cut into small florets 
2 carrots, julienned
1/2 cucumber, julienned
Roasted Garlic Chipotle Mayo (recipe to follow)
1 onion, chopped  
Balsamic vinegar 
A bunch of whole leaves of cilantro
Salt and pepper


Roast cauliflower with olive oil, salt and pepper at 450 degrees until tender. Set aside to cool.
Sautee onion in olive oil and 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar until caramelized. Set aside to cool. 
Once everything is cool, combine the cauliflower, carrots, cucumber, and caramelized onions in a bowl. Smother in roasted garlic chipotle mayo. Add plenty of whole cilantro leave. Serve on its own or on a sandwich. 


Roasted Garlic Chipotle Mayo
5-6 cloves of garlic or roasted in a 450 degree oven in their skins until they are mushy inside.
1 can chipotle peppers
1 C. mayo (Hellman's or homemade)
Cayenne Pepper


Combine all ingredients in a chopper or with a hand mixer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

CAULIFLOWER SANDWICH - MY DREAM HAS COME TRUE

I used to "eat" public school lunch. Anything that had a bun like a hot dog, hamburger, bologna sandwich,  would have its contents removed and be replaced with catsup. I would scoop out the chopped meat from the jamaica beef patties but eat the crispy yellow shells. Looking back I was a young vegetarian since the school mystery meat was questionable, except for the meat ravioli which was always divine. 

Once in a while my dad packed me a plastic bag lunch and my favorite was broccoli rabe sandwiches. I love broccoli. Every kind of broccoli. Nonna calls me a "Broccolina." 

When Miguel and I were working on University Place we noticed a small hole in the wall sandwich shop called, Num Pang, which only opened up five weeks ago.

From the looks of the shop I was not impressed, until I checked out the menu and saw the Roasted Cauliflower Sanwhich. What?!?! Was I dreaming?

From the taste of it, I was. The roasted cauliflower was sweet and peppery. The soy mayo had the perfect amount of spicy heat. The generous garnish of crunchy fragrant cilantro (I was getting mouthfuls) was refreshing. And the fresh bun, chewy on the outside and soft in the middle was a perfectly size container for this amazing but sloppy in a good way Cauliflower Sandwich. 

There were a lot of other very interesting meat options on the menu. 

Miguel got the sirloin.

Their policy of no exemptions or substitutions was strictly enforced. I asked for the corn on the cob with mayo and coconut flakes to be cut in half. The server said, "I can't do that." I respect that. With the long line that formed after we ordered, home girl doesn't have time to be chopping up corn. She was projecting that they had great sandwiches, "and what?" And she served up a seriously delicious sandwich, which left me feeling satisfied, not salt bloated or too full, and the flavor left me craving another one.

I held off and good thing I did because after our photo job Van Leeuwen's Ice Cream Truck, serving "artisan" ice cream was waiting outside for us! (University & 12th St, NYC) It was one of those 90 degree April nights and perfect for ice cream. My gut said go for the ginger ice cream, but my brain thought it would be too sweet. The lovely server gave me a sample. AMAZING! So creamy and ginger flavored and not too sweet. She also told us about "taster and runners," people who try all the flavors then don't buy anything. Times are tough I guess. But the price and flavors at Van Leeuwen's were just right. And by eating delicious ice cream you are helping gorillas because they donate 1% of their profit to help protect endangered species. 

Miguel got a hazelnut and chocolate double scoop. 

Hand and Ice Cream Model: Miguel Rodriguez