No Eggs, No Guilt

This is a sandwich for people who love egg salad sandwiches but feel a twinge of guilt whenever they devour one.

First, there’s no egg in the egg salad. Light tofu is drained, then mashed and combined with celery, onion, seasonings and nonfat mayonnaise. Turmeric and everyday yellow mustard give the mix its characteristic egg salad yellow color. The flavor comes out best when chilled.

Layers of shredded carrots and alfalfa sprouts add a wonderful sweetness to the sandwich, and romaine adds crunch.

Buy a really good tasting low-fat whole-grain bread to finish off this light summer sandwich.

SUMMER “EGG” SALAD AND FRESH VEGETABLE SANDWICHES

“EGG” SALAD

1 (10 1/2-ounce) box extra-firm light tofu

1/4 cup nonfat mayonnaise

1/3 cup minced celery

1 teaspoon prepared mustard

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon minced dill

2 tablespoons minced green onion tops

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

3/4 teaspoon sea salt or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

Drain tofu well. Mash with fork. Stir in mayonnaise, celery, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, dill, green onion, turmeric, sea salt and pepper to taste. Chill about 2 hours.

ASSEMBLY

12 slices low-fat whole-grain bread

Nonfat mayonnaise

3 cups shredded carrots

1 (4-ounce) carton alfalfa sprouts

Romaine leaves

Lightly spread bread slices with nonfat mayonnaise. Layer about 1/2 cup shredded carrots on 6 slices bread. Top each with alfalfa sprouts, then spoon about 1/4 cup “egg” salad on top of each sandwich and spread to edges. Top each with several romaine leaves, then cover each sandwich with remaining bread slices. Cut into quarters and serve.

Makes 1 1/2 cups egg salad for 6 sandwiches.

Each sandwich contains about:

225 calories; 737 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams protein; 4.67 grams fiber.

Each 1/4-cup serving egg salad alone contains about:

29 calories; 368 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.11 gram fiber.