Veggie sandwich fillings

[AveragePotato]

I'm vegetarian and I'm hotdesking with someone at work with severe allergies to nuts, sesame and egg. So all of these have been banned from my lunchbox by our H&S team.

I also try to avoid UPF so I haven't gone down the route of quorn ham, vegan mayo etc but getting quite desperate now!

Can anyone help with sandwich ideas? I am stuck in a loop of Cheddar and lime pickle, cheddar and Branston pickle, and Brie and mango chutney, and cream cheese with sun-dried tomatoes.

Tried AI and got some very vile suggestions which surely no human ever eats (e.g. mashed avocado and miso . . . I tried it but yuck!) Plus some things that would take ages - I will not be grilling aubergine in my office kitchen!)

Appreciate suggestions- I have quite broad tastes, my only major dislike is aniseed flavours e.g. fennel. It needs to already be ready in the morning to go in my sandwich and sit there till 12ish.

Coronation chickpea

Slices of smoked tofu, lettuce and tomato with vegan mayo (hellmans is the best one!)
If you have a health food shop near you they may have the taifun flavoured tofus which can be eaten straight from the pack. The tofu rosso (tomatoey) one is heaven in a sandwich with feta and fresh spinach

Falafel with roasted veg and tzatziki.
Stilton and apple.

Italian style:

You can get jars of grilled aubergines and roasted peppers: Waitrose

Combine with Italian cheese, fresh basil leaves if you have some growing, rocket, sun dried tomatoes etc.

Cheese combos: cheddar cheese and tomato, cream cheese and cucumber, blue cheese, pear & bitter leaves, cheese and coleslaw made with egg-free mayo (many options available) or yoghurt.

Or bring in your lovely homemade roll with or without cheese and have it with a flask of soup.

Oh that’s really tricky!

I like chilli cheddar in sandwiches, makes a cheese and tomato a bit more exciting.

DO NOT FOLLOW THE SUGGESTIONS FOR HUMMUS! HUMMUS HAS TAHINI IN IT AND TAHINI IS MADE WITH SESAME SEEDS.

At the moment I am making wraps with hummus, gochujang barbecue sauce but harissa would be fine, and sliced black grapes. As tahini is out, instead of hummus I’d make a white bean purée

I really like Bonsan beetroot spread but check the ingredients

To mix it up I would invest in a food flask. I have the Chilly brand. You could then take leftovers, home made soups etc. I batch cook soups and put them in freezer, defrost overnight and blast in microwave. I also fill the flask with boiling water so that it is hot when the food goes in.

You can whizz up a sesame-free houmous equivalent in about a minute.

Tin of black beans or other pulse of your choice, handfull of pumpkin seeds, garlic (I buy the freezer pouches of chopped garlic) lemon juice (bottled makes it easy) and olive oil. Whizz with a mixer stick and it will keep for a week. Add salt/pepper/spices to taste if you wish.

You can buy jars of vegan mayo - egg is just there as an emulsifier to make oil and vinegar get that creamy consistency but non-egg emulsifiers work too.

Look at jars of interesting things in the pickles and olives aisle at the supermarket - jars of grilled peppers and grilled aubergines make the suggestions you have rejected suddenly easy to achieve.

Avocado, comte cheese, Rocket, balsamic vinegar and lime juice on a malted wholemeal bread is a glorious sarnie though.

Your company needs to manage this better. They should be giving a colleague with allergies his/ her own desk and equipment , and providing suitable dining facilities for all.

https://www.thewholesomedish.com/simple-hummus-without-tahini/

Glamorgan sausages in a bap with mustard
Avocado, tomato, basil, mozzarella
Feta, olives, lemon, yoghurt
Kimchi
Grated carrot and tahini free hummus
Hummus falafel and chili sauce
Brie and grape
Curried vegetables and raita

I would be tempted to go old school and have a crisp butty 😋

Eta: not the healthiest, but it's tasty! Or do you have access to a microwave for a jacket spud and some cheese and beans?
@AveragePotato

I presume it’s because they’re hotdesking and there’s a risk of contamination. Really, everyone should be eating in a canteen instead of their desks, allergies sufferer included.

I’m surprised workplaces are so strict, DD has a bunch of allergies and her workplace implemented similar measures (anonymously, to her much relief) but high school never even banned these items from food class.

I have worked in an office with someone with an airborne nut allergy. There were various rules about what people could eat, where, cleaning etc. The day he reacted and was blue lighted to hospital, those rules changed to “no nuts or seeds anywhere in the office ever”.

It would be fairer to everyone if the whole office were nut & egg free.

My favourite veggie sandwhich filling is spinach, avocado, Stilton and tomato, with a grind of black pepper.

And stink the office out, unfortunately!

Cucumber, cheese coleslaw and tomato or a pita bread split with hummus, falafel, peppers, red onions

I’m not sure your HR can specify this. What happens if you have peanut butter for breakfast? Your colleague needs his own designated desk.

Goat's cheese, roasted peppers and a pesto mayonnaise in a wrap is IMO delicious.

Yes. It's not really acceptable to be dictating your lunches to this extent. They need to be providing separate eating areas. One for the allergic person and another for anyone that needs to eat allergens. I have some restrictions I have to abide by although I'm not impacted at all by what other people eat. But pretty much the only sandwiches I eat that have a decent amount of protein are cheese or egg and I'm not eating cheese five days a week no matter how differently it's dressed up.

Onion bhaji and mango chutney

I can see how that would be safer/easier for the allergy sufferers but certainly not “”fairer for everyone”. I’m vegetarian and eggs are a major protein source in pretty much all my lunches, it would seriously impinge on my diet if someone tried to ban them from the office.

I get it’s tough for the allergy sufferers ( we have an egg allergy in my family) but they need to learn to manage it themselves- current advice is that even schools shouldn’t be declared “ nut free” anymore.

I always make my hummus without putting tahini in so that would be fine to eat. It's really quick to whizz up and keeps for a few days in a tub in the fridge.

Vegan mayo could be an option? The Heinz one is quite nice. As far as I’m aware, it doesn’t contain any of the allergens you’ve listed.

Raw red cabbage, diced carrot and sweet (red) pepper. Add avocado or Brie to taste.

Id be telling your work that you’re not hot desking with that person. They need to get their own little desk or work from home.