Avocado

avocado + harissa + cucumber + sprouts sandwich

September 27, 2010
0
0 Ratings
  • Serves 1
Author Notes

This sandwich is one of my favorites, as it's creamy from the avocado, tangy from the yogurt, salty and spicy from the harissa and crunchy from the vegetables. While I always use avocado and harissa, I sometimes sub butter for Greek yogurt and I often replace or supplement the sprouts or cucumber with other crunchy vegetables. Matchsticks of carrot are nice, as are sliced radishes. Finally, as someone who doesn't always have time to make sandiwches in the morning, I recommend packing the ingredients separately the night before and assembling your sandwich just before eating. It makes the lunch hour more fun (for me, anyway!) and helps avoid the dreaded soggy sandwich. —halfasiangirl

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 slices of whole grain bread
  • Greek yogurt
  • harissa, homemade or storebought
  • English cucumber, thinly sliced
  • handful of sprouts, such as alfalfa or radish
  • 1 small, ripe avocado (or 1/3 to 1/2 of a large avocado)
  • sea salt
Directions
  1. Thinly slice your cucumber and wash and dry your sprouts.
  2. Slather one side of each slice of bread with a generous amount of Greek yogurt and then a swipe of harissa. The amount is variable and really depends on the harissa you are using, but I Like at least half a teaspoon on each slice.
  3. Place the avocado on a cutting board and hold it so that it is standing up. With a sharp knife, slice the avocado from top to bottom. You will, of course, hit the pit inside but simply cut around the pit. Twist apart the two halves to expose the pit and set aside the half containing the pit. Place the empty half on a cutting board. With your knife, make a few lengthwise slices in the avocado, being careful not to slice through the avocado skin. Then, use a spoon to scoop out the avocado flesh from the skin -- you should now have several thin wedges of avocado. If you wish to have more avocado in your sandwich, repeat with the other half. To remove the pit, I carefully tap the sharp edge of a knife into the pit until it embeds in the pit. Then, twist the knife and lift -- the pit should dislodge from the flesh. Getting the pit off the knife can be tricky. Safest way is to use a spoon to scoop it out, but I usually thwack it on the cutting board.
  4. Finally, assemble the ingredients in layers, as so: bread (slathered with yogurt and harissa), a thin layer of sprouts, then cucumber slices, then avocado wedges, then a sprinkling of sea salt, then your final layer of harissa-and-butter slathered bread.
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3 Reviews

halfasiangirl September 30, 2010
thanks guys. I pretty much like harissa on any and every sandwich, from blt's to tuna salad! I recommend Amy Scattergood/LA Times recipe as a good base for harissa -- I use a combo of guajillo and arbol chiles, plus toasted/ground cumin and coriander.
 
jstew52 September 28, 2010
Now THAT is what I am talking about! Yum!!
 
Midge September 28, 2010
sounds like a great combo