Green Peanut Butter Sandwich + Smoothie

Hey! First of all, thanks for all your cheering words on the news of our marriage. That was fun! Secondly, I promised a lot of persons on instagram that we would share a chocolate recipe which currently goes by the working name Taco Brownies. But all the interest in them made me a little anxious so I’m heading back into the kitchen today to test another round before we’re ready to post them. Here is something to snack on while you wait. A peanut butter sandwich and a green smoothie.

Technically, a sandwich hardly qualifies as a recipe. But what we want to say with this point is really just that you should try peanut butter on a savory sandwich. I love all kind of nut butter sandwiches and even if I usually top it with sliced bananas, apples, strawberries or a sweet compote, this savory version is my most recent addiction. Crispy lettuce and cucumber add a nice textural contrast to the sandwich without competing with the peanut butter flavor. The cottage cheese makes it moist and yummy and the chickpeas … well I don’t know why the chickpeas are there actually. I guess I just like chickpeas inside my sandwiches. This sandwich is yummy, sticky, crunchy, rich and yet fresh somehow. We usually make it with a good quality rye bread but anything goes.

I just realized that this is a green sandwich without avocado so we should perhaps call it “the-death-of-avocado-sandwich-sandwich” or something catchy like that. Anyway, it’s good. And it’s not impossible that you already have the ingredients at home. So, try it!

For the other recipe, I’ll let Luise do the talking. It was her idea to pair the sandwich with a smoothie and since she is queen Latifah of green smoothies I am sure she has something clever to say. /David

Here’s something clever for you. Make this smoothie. It’s that good. It has lots of green vegetables and a mild and fresh taste with tones of lemon and ginger. Just the way I like it. Also, using frozen vegetables makes the smoothie creamy and more nutritious and you can skip the ice. It also works really well paired with a sandwich as well because (most of) you have two hands and now you can have a good snack in each hand. We actually wrote a “In The Other Hand” chapter for our smoothie book with lots of great snacks, but we couldn’t fit it in the book. Lots of love! /Luise

Green Peanut Butter Sandwich
Makes 2 

4 slices rye bread
4 tbsp peanut butter
a few leaves crispy lettuce
5 cm / 2 inches cucumber
4 tbsp cottage cheese
4 tbsp chickpeas / garbanzo beans
2 tsp olive oil 
pea shoots
thyme

Spread peanut butter on each bread slice. Rinse the lettuce and cucumber. Tear the lettuce into smaller pieces, slice the cucumber thinly and place both on top of each peanut butter sandwich. Top with cottage cheese, chickpeas, a drizzle of olive oil, pea shoots and thyme. Put the sandwich together, wrap with sandwich paper and dig in.

Broccoli & Ginger Smoothie
2 normal glasses or 1 very large

If you don’t have a super powerful blender, start by mixing all ingredients except broccoli and banana (because they are thicker and will slow down the blender blades). When mixed until smooth, add the last ingredients and mix again. If you like it a little sweeter, you can add a fresh date or more banana.

4-5 florets frozen broccoli (or frozen cauliflower)
1 large banana
1 large handful fresh spinach
1 large handful fresh kale
1 large knob fresh ginger
1 slice lemon, peeled
1-2 cups plant milk, (oat milk / rice milk / almond milk)

Add all ingredients to a high speed blender and mix until smooth. Taste and adjust the flavor and consistency if needed. Pour into two glasses or bottles.