Spring Sandwiches with Sunflower Cream ‘Cheese’

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Spring Sandwiches with Sunflower Cream ‘Cheese’- sprouted sunflower seeds pack this dairy-free cream ‘cheese’ full of vital nutrients like magnesium, selenium, vitamin E, and copper. Topped with avocado, radishes, shredded carrot, shaved asparagus and watercress; these sandwiches are bursting with flavor and nutrition!

Spring Sandwiches with Sunflower Cream 'Cheese'

I hope your weather was as beautiful as ours was this weekend. It’s finally starting to feel like spring around these parts. Hallelujah!

Besides the weather, what’s most exciting about this time of year is the return of our local farmers market. It’s so popular that we have to wake up at the crack of dawn to get there before all of the good stuff is gone. But it’s totally worth it, in my opinion.

That’s saying a lot coming from someone who is the opposite of a morning person. I guess I’d do just about anything for good food, including waking up when it’s dark outside on a Saturday morning.

Speaking of good food, we need to chat about sprouted sunflower seeds. These little gems came from Nuts.com, an online store that makes buying healthy ingredients in bulk both easy and accessible to everyone.

What’s great about their sprouted sunflower seeds is that they’ve been dried at low temperatures to reduce the amount of phytic acid which can improve mineral absorption and make the seeds easier to digest. That’s super important considering sunflower seeds are little nutritional powerhouses packed full of minerals that many Americans are deficient like magnesium, selenium and copper.

Turning sunflower seeds into a creamy, cheesy spread is as simple as blending them with water, lemon juice, garlic powder and salt. The texture won’t be quite as firm as store-bought cream cheese, but you could achieve that by allowing it to sit in a cheesecloth over a bowl for several hours so that the excess liquid drains out. I’m too lazy for all that nonsense though.

To round out a perfect spring sandwich, I like spread it on whole grain bread topped with shredded carrot, pickled radishes, shaved asparagus, creamy avocado and fresh watercress. It makes for such a delicious and healthy combo.

If you’re not up for the pickling step, you can also use raw radishes or onion instead. That makes the sandwiches come together quick and easy. Cheers to spring!

Spring Sandwiches with Sunflower Cream 'Cheese'

Yield: 4 sandwiches

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

For the Sunflower Cream ‘Cheese’

For the Sandwiches

  • watercress
  • pickled radishes/onion (see notes)
  • shredded carrot
  • shaved asparagus
  • mashed avocado
  • whole grain artisan bread

Directions:

In a high speed blender or NutriBullet, combine the sunflower seeds, lemon juice, water, salt & garlic powder. Blend until smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Add a tablespoon of water at a time to help thin, if needed. Careful not to add too much water. Taste test and more salt, garlic powder, or lemon juice, as desired. Scoop out into a bowl and set aside.

Spread a thick layer of sunflower cream ‘cheese’ on one side of bread. Top with carrot, asparagus and radishes. Spread the avocado on one side of the other piece of bread and top with watercress. Press the two pieces together, slice in half, serve and enjoy!

 

 

For the pickled radishes/onion you’ll need:

  • 4 medium to large radishes, thinly sliced (or 1 small onion, thinly sliced)
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Combine red wine vinegar, water, salt and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Allow to cook for 5 mins then remove from heat and set aside to cool. Place radishes (or onion) in a jar then pour liquid over top. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.

This post is sponsored by Nuts.com but all text and opinions are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting this site and the brands that help me to bring you quality content!

Did you try this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out by leaving a comment below or sharing a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #makingthymeforhealth. I love hearing your feedback! 

by Sarah on March 19, 2018  //  Lunch, Recipes, Recipes by Season, Spring
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