An Exceptional Vegan Snacking Toast
When you get into the snacks-for-dinner way of life — of having all the components of snacky meals on hand — one of the most exciting developments is that a modular style of eating starts to come very naturally. It took me a while to realize that this sensibility, of thinking about meals and recipes as the combination of components rather than their many individual ingredients, is what my cookbooks Bowl, Start Simple, and Snacks for Dinner all have in common. The aim is to get the reader out of the granular, nitty-gritty of a recipe and to understand how interchangeable all its moving parts can be.
At least, that’s how this toast came about. Having leftover focaccia, a little tub of my Mixed Mushroom Pate, and Carrot, Lentil, and Date Salad with Dill — all Snacks for Dinner recipes that I love and make often — one thing led to another. Focaccia gets quickly revived by griddling, and then the rich, creamy pâté pairs so well with the juicy, well textured salad that’s got unexpected bursts of sweetness. It’s a snack of snacks, a meal until itself.
For this, I was lucky to get a sneak peek of a recipe for an exceptional focaccia, from Andrew Janjigian’s excellent substack Wordloaf. If you’re a bread person, or “bread curious,” I just can’t recommend Wordloaf enough. His recipes unlock a world of information — there’s science, there’s historical context, there’s art, there’s so much hard-earned wisdom. His High-Hydration Sourdough Focaccia (which includes an instant yeast variation) is only available for paid subscribers but it’s an incredibly valuable $6/month.
Good bread, to me, is the deal breaker of a good sandwich (or in this case, a good toast) — but use whatever bread you’ve got on hand and toast it well to make it sturdy. And while I haven’t tried them all, my guess is that most creamy, vegetable or bean based spreads can be subbed for the pâté. Below the toast recipe, you’ll find instructions for making the Carrot, Lentil and Date with Dill salad.
An Exceptional Vegan Snacking Toast
This toast came about from having the components on hand — the focaccia, the salad, and the mushroom pate, three dishes I love to include in my snacks-for-dinner meals. Sub whatever bread you’ve got, and if there’s another rich, plant-based pate you like, I’m sure it would taste equally good here as well.
For 1 toast, but easily multiplied
Olive oil
1 square leftover focaccia, split in half lengthwise
2 heaping spoonfuls Mixed Mushroom Pate (a slightly updated recipe appears in Snacks for Dinner)
2 substantial scoops of Carrot, Lentils, + Dates with Dill salad (recipe below)
Dill fronds, for garnish
Flaky salt, for garnish
Warm a skillet over medium heat until fully preheated, then add a splash of oil. Lay in the bread, cut-side down, and griddle, pressing with a spatula periodically to encourage even browning and crisping. Then transfer to a cutting board, griddled-side up.
Smear the pate thickly over the warm toasts, then top with generous scoops of the salad. Cut into triangles if you like, and garnish with dill, flaky salt, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Lentils, Carrots, + Dates with Dill
A carrot that’s ripe, sweet, and juicy will really shine in this salad—supporting the sticky caramel notes of the dates and providing contrast, both texture- and flavor-wise, to the earthiness of the lentils. The dill is a bit of a wild card, and if you’re dill averse, you can substitute tender parsley leaves, or skip the herbs altogether, but I find that the synergy of the carrots and dates, plus that of the lemon (in the vinaigrette) and dill, work in a brilliant way. For salads like this, small, firm lentils, such as French du Puy or black Beluga, work best because they hold their shape so well. If flat green or brown lentils are what you’ve got, just make sure to be attentive as you cook them, removing them from the heat right when they’re tender, because they can be easier to overcook.
This recipe appears in my book Snacks for Dinner: Small Bites, Full Plates, Can’t Lose.
Serves 4
⅔ cup small, dark green or black lentils, such as du Puy or Beluga
Kosher salt
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
Big pinch dried chili flakes
3 tablespoons olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large carrot (about 8 ounces), or 2 to 4 smaller ones
5 large dates, pitted and diced
1/4 cup dill fronds
Rinse the lentils and comb through them for stones. Place in a saucepan and add enough water to cover by about an inch. Bring to a simmer, add 1/2 teaspoon salt, then reduce the heat to maintain a very gentle simmer and partially cover the pan. Cook until the lentils are pleasingly tender—start tasting after 15 minutes, though they may take up to 25 minutes. If the lentils rise above the water surface, simply add a bit of hot tap water to keep them submerged. Once tender, strain off any excess liquid.
Meanwhile, to prepare the vinaigrette, mince the garlic, sprinkle it with a pinch of salt, then continue mincing and flatting it out on your cutting board using the flat side of your chef’s knife until you have garlic paste. Combine this with the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, chili flakes, oil, and a few grinds of black pepper in a small jar and shake until emulsified. (Alternatively, whisk to- gether the garlic paste with the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, chili flakes, and pepper, then whisk in the oil in a steady stream.) Pour the vinaigrette over the warm lentils and allow to marinate and cool for at least 10 to 15 minutes.
Using the large-hole side of a box grater (or a julienne peeler, which I discovered via the fun cookbook Salad Freak), grate your carrot, angling it on a bias in order to get longer, feathery shreds. You should have about 2 cups.
Combine the carrots and dates with the lentils in a mixing bowl. Fold in the dill just before serving. Taste, adding additional salt and/or lemon as needed.