Ribbon Sandwiches (Rainbow Sandwiches)

These Ribbon Sandwiches (or Rainbow Sandwiches) are just as delicious as they are colorful with three flavorful vegetable spreads. Also known as tea sandwiches or club sandwiches, these vegetarian sandwiches are a fantastic party appetizer!INTERMEDIATE - This recipe is easy, but the process is a bit involved because you have to make three different fillings / spreads. This does take time, but you can break up the process into different steps over two days for convenience if you wish. Weight measurements are provided as a guide. Some variations are OK, and can be adapted to your taste.

📝 Ingredients

• 570 g baby spinach (or half spinach and half romaine lettuce)
• 20 g parsley (top stems and mostly leaves)
• 2 green chili peppers (or 1 serrano pepper)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• Generous pinch of pepper (or to taste)
• 150 g margarine (or butter)
• 350 g baby carrots (or whole carrots )
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• Generous pinch of black pepper
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander or cumin
• 1/4 tsp honey (or sugar (optional))
• 170 g margarine (or butter)
• 350 g beetroot
• 1/2 tsp crushed chili flakes (adjust to your taste, I like to add 1 1/2 tsp because I prefer it spicy)
• 1/2 green chili or red chili pepper (optional)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• Generous pinch of black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander or cumin
• 1/4 tsp honey (or sugar (optional))
• 170 g margarine (or butter)
• 40 slices soft white sandwich bread (see recipe notes)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- Spinach filling ---
2. 2To steam the vegetables, you will need a large pot with a capacity to hold a steamer basket with the lid on.
3. 3Pour about 1 - 2 inches of water to the bottom of the pot and bring it to a simmer, with the lid on.
4. 4Add the baby spinach and let it steam for a few minutes until the spinach has just wilted and softened.
5. 5Remove the steamer basket from the pot and place the steamed spinach in a bowl, and let it cool completely.
6. 6Once cooled, squeeze the spinach to remove as much water as possible. You can squeeze a little at a time in your hands OR place the spinach in a cheesecloth and squeeze the water out.
7. 7The remaining spinach should weigh about 220 - 230 g.
8. 8If you’re using lettuce, cut the lettuce into smaller pieces and steam it the same way as the spinach.
9. 9Let it cool and then squeeze out the water in the same manner.
10. 10Place the spinach and the spices in the ingredients list (except for the margarine) in a small food processor and process until you have a rough-looking paste. The weight of the paste will vary, but you want to have about 250 g of the green paste.
11. 11In a large bowl, place the margarine and 250 g of the green vegetable paste and whisk together until you have a smooth green buttery spread. Taste and season with salt to taste.
12. 12Scrape this into a bowl and set aside until needed.
13. 13--- Carrot filling ---
14. 14The baby carrots can be steamed as they are, but if you're using larger carrots, you can cut them into smaller pieces.
15. 15Steam the carrots in a steamer basket for 15 - 20 minutes, OR until the carrots are fork-tender (the fork should go through very easily). Top up the pot with water as needed while steaming.
16. 16Remove the carrots from the basket and let them cool down on a paper towel or kitchen napkin. Do not cover the carrots, since you want as much of the water to evaporate as it cools down.
17. 17You should have about 250 g of steamed carrots.
18. 18Place the steamed and cooled carrots in a food processor, along with all the spices in the ingredients list (excluding the margarine).
19. 19Process until you have a rough-looking paste that still has small pieces of carrots in it (i.e. not a smooth, fine paste).
20. 20The weight of this paste should be around 260 g (at least 250 g).
21. 21In a large bowl, place the margarine and 250 g of the carrot paste and whisk together until you have a smooth orange and yellow buttery spread. Taste and season with salt to taste.
22. 22Scrape this into a bowl and set aside until needed.
23. 23--- Beetroot filling ---
24. 24Slice off the tops of the beetroots and then steam them the same way as the carrots.
25. 25Remove the beetroots from the steamer basket and let them cool down on a paper towel or kitchen napkin until cooled to room temperature. PLEASE NOTE that beetroots do stain, so use a napkin or towel that you do not mind being stained.
26. 26Once cooled down, you can peel off the beetroot skin with your fingers as it should just come off easily. The steamed beetroot should weigh about 250 g as well.
27. 27Place the steamed, cooled, and peeled beets in a food processor, along with all the spices in the ingredients list (excluding the margarine).
28. 28Process until you have a rough-looking paste that still has small pieces of beetroot in it (i.e. not a smooth, fine paste).
29. 29The weight of this paste should be around 260 g (or at least 250 g).
30. 30In a large bowl, place the margarine and 250 g of the beet mixture and whisk together until you have a smooth deep pink / purple colored buttery spread. Taste and season with salt to taste.
31. 31Scrape this into a bowl and set aside until needed.
32. 32--- Making the ribbon sandwiches (rainbow sandwiches) ---
33. 33Take four slices of bread and lay them out on your work surface.
34. 34Spread a thin layer of the carrot butter filling on one slice.
35. 35Spread a thin layer of the spinach butter filling on another slice.
36. 36Finally, spread a thin layer of the beet butter filling on the third slice.
37. 37Stack these three slices of bread on top of each other, along with the fourth slice on top. (You should have a sandwich that alternates with bread - filling - bread - filling - bread - filling - bread.)
38. 38You can stack them in any order you like in terms of the fillings. The filling shouldn’t be too thick, just an even layer that is visible when the sandwich is cut (as you can see in the pictures in the post).
39. 39With a sharp knife, slice off the crusts to make a square sandwich. Cut this sandwich into four smaller sandwiches. This can be either 4 square sandwiches, 4 triangles, OR you can cut the sandwich lengthwise to make 4 finger sandwiches.
40. 40Repeat with all the slices of bread.
41. 41The sandwiches can now be served right away.
42. 42To store them for later (or leftovers), place the sandwiches in an air-tight container. Make sure the lid is not squishing the sandwiches.
43. 43Store the sandwiches for up to 4 days in the fridge. If you used butter instead of margarine, the butter will first need to soften at room temperature before you can serve them.