Recently, one of my friends made me a meal to remember – something she’s dubbed Focaccia night; homemade Focaccia and a table full of delicious homemade dips & toppings. She made a roasted red bell pepper dip that was fantastic and she raved about how easy it was to make, which left me interested in trying to recreate it on my own. When I was thinking through the vessel in which I wanted to eat the red pepper dip, it made me think of some type of delicious pita-based sandwich which is how this recipe was born. 

The other key part of this recipe is the protein, the impossible meat. However, in order to make the sandwich a bit lighter and add better flavor the impossible meat is combined with marinated mushrooms. The end result is surprisingly similar to how just impossible meat would taste, but with additional umami flavor, and of course more vegetables. The last key component of this recipe is a tahini red cabbage slaw that adds a delicious crunch and creaminess. 

This recipe relies heavily on a food processor for nearly all the chopping. The one ingredient to quickly touch on is harissa paste. It is a spicy red pepper paste from Northern Africa, delicious! It can be found in most specialty grocery stores. Last note before getting into the recipe, for this recipe I suggest buying pitas which you stuff instead of the thinner pitas which you typically roll. Hopefully this tasty sandwich can brighten your day soon! 

Active time: 45 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Impossible Mushroom Filling

• 1lb crimini mushrooms
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp harissa paste
• 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp ground coriander
• 12 oz package ground impossible burger

Roasted red pepper spread

• 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 250g jarred roasted red peppers, drained
• 40g goat’s milk feta
• 60g walnuts
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp harissa paste

The Rest

• 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
•  ¼ head medium sized red cabbage, stem cut out & cut into a few smaller chunks
• 3-4 medium sized carries
• 3 tbsp tahini
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tsp sugar
• Pitas
• Pickled banana peppers

Directions:

1. Wipe the mushrooms of any dirt using a damp paper towel. Place about half the mushrooms in a food processor with the blade attachment. Pulse until are in uniform small bits, with no big chunks, but being careful not to over-process into a paste. Repeat with the other half. 
2. Whisk the harissa paste, cumin, coriander and lots of freshly cracked black pepper into the olive oil and toss the mushrooms in it. Let sit until ready to cook. 
3. Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet on medium-low heat. Add in a splash of neutral oil and then the yellow onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, while you make the slaw. We are looking to caramelize the onions, so as long as they don’t burn it will be hard to over-cook them.
4. Remove the blade attachment from the food processor and put in the slicing blade (round disc that thinly slices that sits at top of machine) and slice the cabbage. Then, replace it for the grating blade and grate the carrots. 
5. Make the slaw sauce. Whisk together the Tahini, pressed garlic, mayonnaise, sugar and a ¼ tsp salt. Add in the cabbage and carrots and stir to combine. 
6. Remove the onions from the heat. They should be deeply browned and very soft. Return the blade attachment to the food processor and add the roasted red peppers, feta, walnuts, balsamic vinegar, harissa paste, ¼ tsp salt and 120g of caramelized onions (the rest are extra) and process until smooth. 
7. Return the skillet to the heat, add a splash of neutral oil and add in the mushrooms. Sauté for 3-4 minutes stirring frequently. Add in the impossible meat and a few generous pinches of salt. Sauté until most of the liquid is going and the impossible burger has browned, about 4-6 minutes. 
8. Construct your sandwiches: add a generous layer of red pepper spread, a large scoop of impossible meat, the slaw and topping off with pickled banana peppers. Enjoy!