One of my favorite pastimes is afternoon tea. The china! The scones! The itty bitty adorable sandwiches! Which got me thinking one particularly busy evening—why not transport those itty bitty adorable sandwiches to a proper lunch or dinner when feeling especially harried?
Reasons To Love Tea Sammies
They’re easy. They’re quick. You most likely have all ingredients on hand. You can eat them sitting down. You can pack them up to go. They’re more nourishing and easier on the wallet than ordering pizza. Plus—they’re tasty and a crowd pleaser for both the young and old alike!
After having this A-HA! moment, I’m pleased to say that making tea sammies has become a regular part of our meal rotation, specifically on those busy occasions. And the great thing? The kids actually like them, so they get eaten with zero waste!
A Few Things To Note When Making Your Tea Sammies
Use high quality bread (meaning look at the ingredients and make sure there’s nothing in there you can’t pronounce or that you would’t find in your own kitchen.) I’m a huge fan of the Bread Alone Whole Wheat Sourdough. Not only does it taste great, but it’s made without preservatives (just store in the fridge for freshness) and I feel good about the ingredients, which include only: water, organic whole wheat flour, organic wheat flour, organic rye flour, organic whole wheat sourdough, and salt. This particular bread may not be available where you live, but again, I emphasize the importance of researching what goes into the bread you buy.
Use a mandoline for slicing veggies super duper thin. This makes a HUGE difference when enjoying tea sammies. I like to use the thinnest setting possible to get the cucumbers practically translucent.
Cut the crust off—or not. I totally get the waste not/want not approach, so if this isn’t your jam, leave them on! For the full experience, I think having the crust cut off is kind of nice. We store the crusts in a baggie in the fridge, and then feed the ducks at the Central Park pond when the bag is full. Much to my kids’ delight, the ducks then get to enjoy the sammies, too;-)
A Few Ideas For Tea Sammie Combinations
—Cream cheese and cucumbers, with a sprinkle of dill and pepper
—Hummus and microgreens, with a sprinkle of black seeds
—Nut butter and honey, with a sprinkle of hemp seeds
—Mashed avocado and radish, with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and sea salt and squeeze of lemon
—Jam and cream cheese, with a sprinkle of chia seeds
—Soft sheep cheese and baby kale, with a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds
—Mozzarella and tomato, with a hefty smear of pesto
Any other veggie tea sammie combinations you’ve loved? Leave them in the comments!
Sending light and love,
Jess (Your Ayurvedic Health Counselor, Making Holistic Health Cozy, Not Clinical)
p.s. in case you missed it, here’s the recipe for a healthy chocolate pudding I love!
I do hope you are not actually feeding the crusts to ducks, it is terribly bad for them. Expands in their stomachs and is harmful. Oats are a good substitute. Sammie recipes sound good.