Vegan Cheesesteaks

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Today I'll be showing you how I veganize an American Philly classic, the cheesesteak!

This cashew cheese sauce is absolutely incredible.  I'm telling you right now that you're not going to believe how good it is, and guess what? It only has 5 ingredients and it's made from whole plant-based foods, 100% vegan.  I have to give credit to my friend and fellow plant-based chef Josh @chef.sol for inspiring this recipe, he's a genius!

For the "steak" I season up Gardein Beefless Crumbles which is primarily made from soy protein.  You can make this with seitan as well, but the crumbles have great texture and add a nice subtle flavor to it.

Yes this recipe is one of indulgence but keep in mind that this is dairy-free, cholesterol free, and about 85% lower in fat than a traditional cheesesteak sandwich.  It's much easier to maintain your health gains with a treat like this without having to sacrifice flavor.

Ingredients

"Steak"

  • 1/2 Tbsp oil

  • 1/2 medium yellow onion, sliced

  • 1 Italian long hot pepper or 1/2 green sweet pepper, rough chopped

  • 1-2 cup sliced mushrooms

  • 1/2 package Gardein Beefless Crumbles (~7 oz)

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste

  • 1 tsp salt-free all-purpose seasoning

  • 1 tsp oregano

  • 1/2 tsp salt (do not add salt if all-purpose seasoning is salted)

  • 1 cup water

Cashew Peppercorn Cheese

  • 1 cup raw cashews (must be raw cashews) - See notes

  • 1 tsp whole peppercorns (must be whole peppercorns)

  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

  • 1 1/2 tsp onion powder

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 1 cup water

For Serving

  • Hoagie rolls

  • Ketchup

Notes:  If you do not have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, you must soak the cashews overnight.

I recommend trying the nutritional yeast by Sari Foods, it's the best! click here

Directions

"Steak"

  1. Preheat your skillet to medium heat.

  2. Preheat your oven to 350F.

  3. Chop your onion in half and then into slices. Chop pepper into strips and then chop into inch long pieces, peel garlic and mince, slice mushrooms.

  4. Add the oil and let it come up to temperature. Add the onions and green peppers and cook for a 1-2 min. Then, add mushrooms and cook for 1-2 min. Then, add garlic and cook for 1-2 min. Then, add gardein crumbles and cook for 1-2 min.

  5. Next, add the water, tomato paste, and the dry seasonings.

  6. Simmer on low heat until only a small portion of water remains in the pan, do not cook out all of the water or the crumbles will be too dry.

  7. After the crumbles have finished cooking, remove the pot from the heat and cover to keep it warm while you prepare the cheese.

Peppercorn Cashew "Cheese"

  1. While your crumbles are simmering from the previous stop prepare your cheese.

  2. Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy. I blend for about a minute in my Vitamix.

If you do not have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, add the water and peppercorns to the blender first to break up the peppercorns, then add the rest of the ingredients.  Also, you will need to soak the cashews overnight to soften them.

Serve

To serve, put your rolls in the oven at 350F for a minute or two to toast.  Toasting happens fast in the oven so watch them like a hawk!  Remove the rolls from the oven once lightly toasted.

Put the crumbles in a container where you plan to store them, then drizzle  the cheese on generously and mix.

Add the crumble/cheese mixture to the roll, then sprinkle with oregano and drizzle with ketchup.  Feast!

Images above from my leftovers at work the next day.  This is what the cheese/crumble mixture should look like!  Very good when drizzled with ketchup.

barrrington goldson