Nothing says summer more than street food and beer – but it’s even better when you can make it at home! I was looking for a reason to use the fresh basil, mint and cucumbers picked from our neighbors Dory and Andy’s garden who thankfully have quite the green thumb and are so generous with the neighborhood kids tramping through their carefully tended vegetables and raspberry bushes.

This tofu and veggie Banh Mi with pickled daikon and carrots is fresh, bright and crunchy with a hint of spice and is totally crave-able. Sadly, it doesn’t compare to the outstanding lemongrass tofu Banh Mi we used to buy at Nhu Lan Bakery in Chicago but hey it definitely hit the spot. I also experimented with adding the same ingredients to lower calorie Vietnamese rice paper wraps which was also a big hit.

Ingredients

• 2 jalapeños, seeded and sliced
• 1 English cucumber, julienned
• 1 tofu block of your choice (I would recommend Trader Joe’s baked sriracha tofu)
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• 1 bunch free Thai basil
• 1 bunch fresh mint
• French bread roll or Vietnamese bread roll, both toasted slightly in oven or toaster oven until crunchy
• 2 TB mayonnaise (vegan or regular)
• 1 TB sriracha
• Juice of 1/2 lime

Pickled Daikon and Carrots

• 2 carrots, peeled and julienned
• 1 medium daikon, peeled and julienned
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt

Bring the pickle mixture to a boil in medium sauce pot, then sit and let cool. Pour over carrots and daikon in a mason jar or glass Tupperware container, then seal and let marinate at least 1 hour in fridge but up to 12 hours overnight is ideal. To make sriracha mayo just combine mayo, sriracha and lime juice in small bowl. If you want it thicker to smear on bread base just leave out lime juice and squeeze on top of sandwich once assembled instead. Assemble sandwich with all ingredients and gulp down with beer!