When I wrote a book all about Murder, She Wrote including recipes from the kitchen of Angela Lansbury and many of her co-stars, I had ten of Angela’s recipes in my collection.
Imagine how thrilled I was recently to hear from blog reader Linda DeWeese-Brown that she had an Angela Lansbury recipe that wasn’t in the book!
“Where’s my salad sandwich recipe?”
I am always on the lookout for recipes I don’t have and this was SO EXCITING. Here’s the pic that Linda sent me,
Angela mentions enjoying salad sandwiches in her book Positive Moves but it’s such a thrill to know exactly how she liked to make them (I’ve transcribed the recipe, scroll right down to the bottom of the post).
At first, I thought that the recipe had been cut out from a leaflet that came with Angela’s Positive Moves exercise VHS, but a little detective work by another blog reader Sam (creator of the wonderful Murder, We Coloured colouring in book)
and a new vegan Murder, She Wrote cookbook
revealed that you had to send off for it…
Linda also had the recipe for Angela’s bread, but this is in the Positive Moves book, so that did make it into Murder, She Cooked. I wonder what other recipes were on that leaflet?????
If you have one, I beg of you, let me know! I would be overjoyed to find out.
I don’t think I’ve ever made a salad sandwich before I received this recipe, but now I have, I will definitely make more. It’s a good way of getting some of your 5 a day in, plus using up tiny bits of courgettes and carrots and whatever else you have knocking around. I made a little timelapse, just for fun.
What I love about Angela’s sandwich recipe is the slightly unusual ingredient – imitation bacon bits.
For me, this is what makes this recipe slightly out of the ordinary. Alas, I couldn’t get the imitation bacon bits I remember from my 12 years as a vegetarian. They were full of all kinds of crap, no doubt (most of my vegetarian years were in the 1980s), but they were utterly delicious. Instead, I could only get healthier (and consequently not as delicious) coconut bacon.
When I opened the packet, I took a big sniff and immediately thought, “Smells like fireworks.” Then I had a few as a taster and thought, “Tastes like fireworks.” Not that I have ever eaten fireworks, but I am one of those people whose tastebuds go a bit mental when they encounter coconut. It often tastes like soap to me, and I recently read the following on the internet, “Coconuts are rich in lauric acid, and some people are more sensitive to its ‘soapy’ taste than others.” So soapy fireworks it is.
The first time I made Angela’s sandwich, I used mayonnaise…
and red onions…
A couple of days later, I made another, slightly different version with cottage cheese rather than mayonnaise and spring onions.
It was messy to eat but absolutely delicious.
I also made a video demo of me making one for members of the Cabot Cove Club over on my Murder, She Cooked Substack. That was loads of fun! Now I am wondering what on earth to do will all the soapy fireworks coconut bacon I have left. Making two of Angela’s sandwiches, I have probably used about 10g of a 125g bag. I have enough for 23 more Angela Lansbury sandwiches!
Will I actually eat all this coconut bacon, or will it live in a Kilner jar for 3 or 4 years until I decide to chuck it out? It was £5 so I shall FORCE myself to eat it. Especially as I now see this… A few days after I bought it – REDUCED! Gad!
Angela Lansbury’s Salad Sandwich
Safflower mayonnaise or 2 tablespoons cottage cheese or Feta cheese
2 slices wholewheat bread or 1 large pita bread
½ small avocado, peeled, pitted and mashed
Romaine lettuce leaves
Very thinly sliced vegetables such as zucchini, crookneck squash, cucumber, onion, carrot, tomato
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Imitation bacon bits
Spread mayonnaise or cheese on 1 slice of bread, spread avocado on second slice. Layer lettuce and vegetables on first slice of bread. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and bacon bits. Top with second slice and serve.
1 serving
LINKS TO MY STAR-SPANGLED COOKBOOKS
Switch to your own country for the correct postal costs.
NEW! Cooking With Joan Crawford
