Vegan Philly Cheesesteaks: Recipe Review

I went to college in Philly for a bit, and I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty dang excited about these Vegan Cheesesteaks even though I'm not the biggest fan of vegan cheese. This was a Pinterest find that lead me to Lunch Box Brunch and the recipe here. We've never used/cooked with seitan strips, so that was new and we had never heard of Teese Vegan Cheese - but Oh.My.Yum.

The original recipe says that it serves two, but we followed it and made six sandwiches. If you need more than that, just double the red pepper and onion and you should be good to go. We did NOT use any of the hot chilies because of the littles, but we didn't seem to miss them. We added jarred, sliced jalapenos to our completed subs. We also added vegan mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato to ours.

Here's right from the recipe:

What you need:

2 vegan hoagie rolls, split down the center (optional: "scoop" the center of the roll)

spicy saute:
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced into strips (use red an/or green peppers)
1 medium sweet onion, sliced
1/4 tsp black pepper
a few dashes chipotle or cayenne powder for heat
salt to taste (I used Penzey's seasoned chili salt 4/s)
1-2 tsp oil (EVOO, safflower or other to saute)
optional: 1 small Anaheim chili, sliced (or any spicy chili - jalapeno works too)
2 Tbsp hatch chilies, diced (canned)

cheese: 2-5 Tbsp Teese vegan cheddar cheese

seitan: 3/4-1 cup seitan strips (WestSoy brand was used)

garnish: fresh cilantro, chopped, fresh tomato, sliced fresh chilies or jalapeno

What you do:

1. Prep your rolls and warm in the oven to toast. Tip: brush inside and/or outside of bread with olive oil if you'd like.
2. Prep your veggies.
3. Add oil to skillet and heat over high heat.
4. Add peppers, onions and optional chilies. Cook until the edges begin to blacken and the onions begin to caramelize. Add in the spices, pepper and salt during cooking process.
5. When veggies are just about done, add in the cheese and watch it melt over top the veggies. Transfer this veggie / cheese mixture carefully to a sheet of foil or plate.
6. While pan is still hot, add another small splash of oil and add the seitan strips. Saute until the edges blacken. If your seitan is already seasoned (As mine was) you can just add in some extra spices to taste if desired. Pepper, spicy cayenne, nutritional yeast - whatever you'd like.
7. Add the veggies + cheese back to the hot skillet and toss with the cooked seitan. Remove from heat.

8. Add the filling to the rolls. Garnish with the fresh cilantro, tomato and green chilies. Pepper too. Serve hot!



What we thought: 
They were good, but what made them good was the sauteed vegetables. We could have gone with out the seitan strips. They didn't seem to add much flavor, especially not a 'meat' flavor (and are super high in sodium anyway). The Teese was a lot like Velveeta. Be careful when you add it to the pan, because it will melt and burn quickly. Like I said, I'm not a fan of vegan cheese - but this worked (melted... don't eat it solid... that is NOT good). We'll probably keep in mind some sort of sub-sandwich for future meal plans, but not necessarily a 'Cheeesesteak'. Onions, Peppers, and Teese would have been just as yummy.

Weekly Meal Plan

This week we pulled out a plan from way back in our arsinel. It's from week 8 of when we first started meal planning. I deleted a few meals, and added some different ones, but because we were using our old system for the shopping list (and a system that many people use that doesn't really work for us), it was hard for us to easily switch up the list. Now we list our ingredients out by meal instead of by type (Produce, Packaged Goods, Frozen Food, Etc.). You can read more about the way we plan here. 

It was a lot of crossing things off by hand and we still bought things we didn't need, so I just omitted the shopping list from this weeks plan - our bad. 

Some edits, we make our Sloppy Janes with one block of Firm Tofu instead of the turkey that it calls for. We also use can black beans for our bean soup, so cooking time doesn't take as long. Our plan happens to be all Vegan this week. 

Day	Dinner
M	Stir Fried Tofu (FF veg P.104) w/ rice
T	Kale - Avocado Salad
W	Sloppy Janes
R	Med. Veg Stew (V Slow Cook P. 64) w/ pita & hummus
F	Portobello tacos (F/K P. 137) w/ salsa verde
S	Black Bean Soup
S	New Night!

Weekly Meal Plan

Lots of new stuff on the plan this week - I'm pretty excited about these Philly Subs. We've got two Quinoa recipes on the plan this week because they are fairly simple and once you buy Quinoa, it tends to hand around for a while until we use it all up. 

Day	Dinner
M	Cheesy Quinoa Casserole Bake with black beans
T	Vegan Philly Subs
W	Vegetarian Taco Salad
R	Kale Avocado Salad
F	Stuffed Peppers
S	Cheese and Broccoli Quinoa Casserole
S	*New Recipe Night*

Produce Dairy Packaged Goods Spices/Sauces Bread

M

3 cups cooked quinoa

⅓ cup tomato/pasta sauce

⅓ cup milk (1% or full fat works fine)

¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 medium tomatoes, diced

Shredded basil or parsley or other herb for the top

Black Beans

T

2 vegan hoagie rolls

spicy saute:

1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced into strips (use red an/or green peppers)

1 medium sweet onion, sliced

1/4 tsp black pepper

a few dashes chipotle or cayenne powder for heat

salt to taste (I used Penzey's seasoned chili salt 4/s)

1-2 tsp oil (EVOO, safflower or other to saute)

optional: 1 small Anaheim chili, sliced (or any spicy chili - jalapeno works too)

2 Tbsp hatch chilies, diced (canned)

cheese: 2-5 Tbsp Teese vegan cheddar cheese

seitan: 3/4-1 cup seitan strips (WestSoy brand was used)

garnish: fresh cilantro, chopped, fresh tomato, sliced fresh chilies or jalapeno

W

Tortilla Chips

Tomato

Onion

Black Beans

Shredded Lettuce
Shredded Taco Cheese
Sliced Jalapeno Peppers

Salsa
Sour Cream

R

1 bunch kale, stemmed and finely chopped
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 teaspoon reduced sodium soy sauce
Bread

F

Green Peppers (3)

Soy Chorizo

Aduzki Beans

Quinoa

Provolone Cheese

Tomato

Can Tomato Sauce

S

One 10 oz can condensed Cream of Broccoli soup (or mushroom), low-sodium if you prefer (*see note for gluten free)

1/3 cup reduced fat mayonnaise

2 tablespoons milk

1 1/4 cups reduced fat shredded cheese (cheddar, colby-jack, etc)

1/2 teaspoon Splenda/sugar

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Dash freshly grated nutmeg

.2 cups cooked broccoli

1 1/2 cups  COOKED quinoa (see note)

Feshly grated Parmesan cheese

Ale and Cheddar Soup: Recipe Review

I wanted needed cheese last week. I just did. I also wanted everything spicy so this Ale and Cheddar Soup recipe seemed to fit the bill.

It was really simple to make, but it didn't make a whole lot. The recipe says it serves 4, but the little guys barely had any and Mr and I housed all the rest. The boys had grilled cheese sandwiches along with their soups, but Mr and I just dunked in some bread. It was delicious.

Some of our Non-Vegetarian friends joke that all our meals look great, especially if you add bacon. Well, for this one, it's part of the original recipe that we obviously omitted. No bacon needed. This soup is fantastic.

We omitted the jalapeno peppers when cooking the vegetables since the boys were going to eat it too (and I tend to get some wicked heart burn these days). Instead, we sliced some up and tossed a few into our own bowls when we went to eat - and it still had quite a kick! We Mr. made our soup stove-stop, but I can't wait to see if it works just as well in the Crock Pot. 

What you need:

• 1/2 pound bacon (preferably smoked or double smoked), cut into 1 inch slices (omit and replace with 2 tablespoons of oil or butter for vegetarian)
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2+ jalapeno peppers, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup flour (rice flour for gluten free)
• 1 (~12 ounce) bottle/can ale (gluten free for gluten free)
• 2 cups chicken broth or chicken stock or vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• cayenne, salt and pepper to taste

What you do:

1. Cook the bacon in a pan over medium heat and set aside on paper towels to drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of the grease in the pan.
2. Add the onion, celery and jalapeno and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the butter and let it melt and get all bubbly then sprinkle on the flour and let it cook until it starts to turn golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the ale and broth and deglaze the pan before adding the bacon and then let cook for 10 minutes.
6. Add the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cream, and cheese and cook until the cheese has melted without bringing it back to a boil.
7. Season with cayenne, salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.

Slow Cooker: Implement step 1, optionally implement steps 2 & 3, implement step 4, place everything except the cream and cheese in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-10 hours or high for 2-4 hours before adding the cream and cheese and letting the cheese melt.

• 
  

Weekly Meal Plan

Nothing too special about this week - except for that fact that I WANT ALL THE CHEESE!

Sorry, vegan friends...

Day	Dinner
M	Pasta and Sauce w Salad
T	Stir Fried Tofu (FF veg P.104) w/ rice
W	Ale and Cheddar Soup w grilled cheese
R	Penne Greek Pasta
F	Spinach Feta Tomato Strudel
S	Guacamole Grilled Cheese
S	*New Recipe Night*

Produce Dairy Packaged Goods Spices/Sauces

M

Bag of Salad
Cucumber
Tomato
Croutons
Dressing
Bag of Pasta
Sauce

T

• 1 block tofu
• ¼ Orange Juice
• 2TBS soy sauce or Tamari
  2 TBS Japanese rice vinegar
  1 TBS Honey/Maple Syrup/Agave
• 1 TSP toasted sesame oil
  1 ½ TBS cornstarch
• ½ tsp coarse salt
• Pinch crushed red pepper
• 3tbs peanut oil
• 8 ounces mini bell peppers or 1 large red bell pepper
• 8 ounces oyster mushrooms
• 1 tbs fresh ginger
• 2 tsp orange zest
• 1 garlic clove
  1 bag baby spinach
• Rice

W

• 2 tablespoons of oil or butter for vegetarian
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2+ jalapeno peppers, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup flour (rice flour for gluten free)
• 1 (~12 ounce) bottle/can ale (gluten free for gluten free)
• 2 cups chicken broth or chicken stock or vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• cayenne, salt and pepper to taste

Grilled Cheese: Bread, Butter, Cheese

R

• 12 ounce(s) penne rigate
• 1 can(s) (15 oz) chickpeas, drained
• 1 jar(s) (7 oz) roasted peppers, drained and sliced
• 1 jar(s) (6 oz) quartered marinated artichoke hearts, undrained
• 1/2 cup(s) sliced scallions
• pitted Kalamata olives
• 2 cup(s) crumbled feta cheese
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

F

250g frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed of all liquid
1 cup feta
1/2 cup sundried tomato
1 egg
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
Milk or melted butter to brush over, and grated parmesan to sprinkle

S

2 slices of french bread

⅓ Cup Best Damn Guacamole Ever!:
(2 Avocados, 2 tomatoes, diced, 1 lime, zested and juiced, ½ Cup cilantro, chopped, ⅔ Cup red onion, finely chopped, 1 green onion, sliced, 1 serrano pepper, minced, 1 clove of garlic, minced, ½ Teaspoon Sea Salt)
5 fresh sprigs of cilantro
2 slices of tomato
⅓ Cup Cheddar, shredded
½ Tablespoon Butter