Ribbon Sandwiches (Rainbow Sandwiches)

Spinach filling

1. To steam the vegetables, you will need a large pot with a capacity to hold a steamer basket with the lid on.
2. Pour about 1 - 2 inches of water to the bottom of the pot and bring it to a simmer, with the lid on.
3. Add the baby spinach and let it steam for a few minutes until the spinach has just wilted and softened.
4. Remove the steamer basket from the pot and place the steamed spinach in a bowl, and let it cool completely.
5. Once 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.
6. The remaining spinach should weigh about 220 - 230 g.
7. If you’re using lettuce, cut the lettuce into smaller pieces and steam it the same way as the spinach.
8. Let it cool and then squeeze out the water in the same manner.
9. Place 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.
10. In 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.
11. Scrape this into a bowl and set aside until needed.

Carrot filling

1. The baby carrots can be steamed as they are, but if you're using larger carrots, you can cut them into smaller pieces.
2. Steam 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.
3. Remove 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.
4. You should have about 250 g of steamed carrots.
5. Place the steamed and cooled carrots in a food processor, along with all the spices in the ingredients list (excluding the margarine).
6. Process until you have a rough-looking paste that still has small pieces of carrots in it (i.e. not a smooth, fine paste).
7. The weight of this paste should be around 260 g (at least 250 g).
8. In 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.
9. Scrape this into a bowl and set aside until needed.

Beetroot filling

1. Slice off the tops of the beetroots and then steam them the same way as the carrots.
2. Remove 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.
3. Once 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.
4. Place the steamed, cooled, and peeled beets in a food processor, along with all the spices in the ingredients list (excluding the margarine).
5. Process until you have a rough-looking paste that still has small pieces of beetroot in it (i.e. not a smooth, fine paste).
6. The weight of this paste should be around 260 g (or at least 250 g).
7. In 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.
8. Scrape this into a bowl and set aside until needed.

Making the ribbon sandwiches (rainbow sandwiches)

1. Take four slices of bread and lay them out on your work surface.
2. Spread a thin layer of the carrot butter filling on one slice.
3. Spread a thin layer of the spinach butter filling on another slice.
4. Finally, spread a thin layer of the beet butter filling on the third slice.
5. Stack 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.)
6. You 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).
7. With 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.
8. Repeat with all the slices of bread.
9. The sandwiches can now be served right away.
10. To store them for later (or leftovers), place the sandwiches in an air-tight container. Make sure the lid is not squishing the sandwiches.
11. Store 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.