Picnic sandwich with jalapeño cashew cheese

This vegan picnic sandwich is loaded with a slathering of jalapeño cashew cheese spread, red bell peppers, thinly sliced onion, and local spinach. A terrific packed lunch that’s fresh, filling, and flavorful.

Thank goodness the daylight hours are long in the spring and summer months, because there’s just so much to do. Hiking, biking, canoeing, potlucks, and picnics… It’s a lot to squeeze into a day.

After all of that sun and activity, I work up an appetite for something that’s filling but cool and crisp.

This picnic sandwich is covered in creamy jalapeño cashew cheese spread.

Although the spread includes liquid from a jar of pickled jalapeños, it’s not overly hot. It has an edge of spiciness and then a bit of sweetness too from the cashews.

Slather the spread on some farmhouse bread or sourdough. Then fill it with crisp, raw vegetables. Red bell pepper, thinly sliced onion, and spinach are my go-to choices.

Raw tomato would also go well here. Although, I leave it out if the sandwiches are going to sit for long since I don’t want them to get soggy.

This sandwich was inspired by the Cashew on a Hot Tin Roof sandwich that’s sold at the New Pioneer Co-op.

Whenever friends of mine are going on a day-long canoe trip, they always pick up a couple of their sandwiches to pack in the cooler. When you’re rowing out in the sun all day, you really work up an appetite.

The jalapeño spread has protein and fat to keep you going, while all of the raw vegetables feel delightfully light for a sticky spring day.

I wrapped up these sandwiches individually and brought them to a graduation party with family this weekend. It was so cute watching my mom bite into one.

Her eyes got wide and surprised by the deliciousness of the cashew cheese. “OH, my gosh!”

She told me that my dad later asked her if she knew where to find the recipe… Um, yeah, I think that can be arranged.

(If you have extra cashew cheese left over, it’s great with crackers as part of a vegan cheeseboard!)

Remember this picnic sandwich for your summer potlucks and soirées. You can cut them into fours so that they’ll go a little farther. Or wrap them up for your next hike to tuck into from a rocky overlook. 

Serve them with black bean corn avocado salad, tomato cucumber salad with non-dairy feta, or vegan potato salad.

Picnic sandwich with jalapeño cashew cheese & veg

Pack your picnic basket or cooler with this flavorful sandwich, topped with spicy sweet jalapeño cashew cheese spread and loaded with vegetables. You'll never resort to humble PB&J again.

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Sandwich

Cuisine: American, Vegan

Keyword: easy lunch, packed lunch, picnic lunch

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 5 people

Calories: 302kcal

Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

• 1 batch jalapeño cashew cheese spread
• 10 slices vegan farmhouse bread or sourdough
• 1 small red bell pepper thinly sliced
• 1/2 small yellow onion thinly sliced
• 1 heaping cup spinach

Instructions

• Slather jalapeño cashew cheese spread onto all 10 slices of bread.
• On 5 pieces of bread, top with thinly sliced red bell pepper, yellow onion, and some spinach.
• Top the sandwiches with the remaining pieces of bread.

Video

Notes

It's possible that you will have leftover cashew cheese & vegetables, depending on how generously you top your sandwiches. You can use any remaining cashew cheese as a spread for crackers. It will keep in the refrigerator in a covered container for several days. It also freezes well.

Nutrition

Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 12g | Sodium: 296mg | Potassium: 201mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1310IU | Vitamin C: 33.2mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 2.6mg

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