Daiya Vegan Shredded Cheese!

Okay, Okay. I took all of your advice and decided to give Tofurkey Deli Style Slices a try. This grilled sammy features the "Hickory Smoked" flavor (pretty good!), some Vegenaise, and...

...DAIYA Shredded Cheese!

Maybe you've heard of the stuff? Southern California Whole Foods Markets have rolled this out as an ingredient on their vegan pizzas. The product was so successful that the Specialty department (cheese and wine) decided to start selling it by the pound. My little Whole Foods in Laguna Beach doesn't have a pizza kitchen, so I was excited to get to buy it to try out on my own. It retails for $9.99 per pound around here, and I got a pretty decent amount for about $5. I bought both the white (Italian Style) and the yellow (Cheddar Style) and honestly, I couldn't really tell the difference between the two taste wise, but, guess what? IT MELTS AND STRETCHES!!! And it tastes pretty good to boot.

If you are wondering, on the side there, is a pasta salad, thrown together with some Vegenaise, Sri Racha hot sauce, green onions, pimiento, some of the white Daiya, garlic, onion, salt and pepper.

These fake meats might just be okay

Admittedly, I have never bought a package of Yves, Tofurkey (or any other brand for that matter) deli style fake meat slices. After my trip to Portland, having seen them on many menus, and still never giving them a try, I thought to myself, "Why not?" Afterall, it's been in the triple digits here, and cooking just didn't seem like a chore I wanted to deal with. So, I bought a package of Yves "Salami" style slices, as well as a package of Yves "Roasted Turkey" style slices. With a trusty jar of Vegenaise, a few leaves of cold, crispy iceberg lettuce, some Bubbies garlic pickles, an avocado, and some molasses sweetened wheat bread, I created a sammy that was quite delicious. I can't say that these fakies tasted like the real thing, and that's certainly okay with me, but the fact that there was something other than veggies on my sandwich made me a happy girl!

Are you ready for some Football?

Make the seitan today...make the sandwiches for the big game tomorrow!



Steeler "Cheezesteak" Sammies
For the Seitan
2 cups vital wheat gluten flour
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or whole wheat flour)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 tbsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups water
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/3 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Ad wet to dry and incorporate well. Use your hands and knead together the dough. Let sit for about 10 minutes. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Maneuver the wet mushy mass into a log shape in the center of a large piece of aluminum foil. Roll it tightly into a log, about 2" in diameter, twisting the ends nice and tight. Repeat with the other piece. Place both logs in the oven, directly on the racks and bake for 90 minutes. Slice into thin pieces, about the size of a stick of gum.

For the Cheezy Sauce
(makes about 2 1/2 cups)
2 cups soy creamer (any kind of faux milk will work, just won't be as thick, just don't use vanilla!)1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup raw cashews
1 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp white miso
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp ground mustard

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Place in a saucepan and on LOW heat, heat until it thickens, constantly stirring so it doesn't get clumpy or scorch.

For the Sandwiches
2 large white onions, sliced or diced (whichever you prefer)
2 red or green or yellow bell peppers, sliced into thin strips or diced (whichever you prefer)
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for frying
French Rolls

In a large frying pan, preheat about 3 tbsp of oil, you may need to add more later as you cook more, start by sauteeing some of the onions, some of the peppers and some of the seitan...at ratios you like for your sammies. Pile it high on the french rolls and drizzle with cheezy sauce!

GO STEELERS! (they are playing, right?)

Deli Style No-Tuna Melt

Though technically not a burger, these puppies fit very nicely on a bun, or between two pieces of bread. It really tastes like tuna salad. Really!

Serving Suggestion:
Grilled between two slices of sourdough, with dijon mustard, 2 slices of roma tomato and a nice slice of vegan cheese. (Note: I never buy fake cheese. I don't like it. I'd rather make my own. There are lot's of good recipes out there for nooch based cheezes, or if you have Cozy Inside, try using the Nutty Cheeze.)

Pattied up. You don't have to form these into patties, I just did it since it is a burger book:


Ready for grillin' on sourdough with a slather of dijon, some nutty cheeze, two slices of roma tomato and, of course, some extra Vegenaise:


After cooking:


Inside Shot:


Ingredients (makes enough for 4 sandwiches)
8 oz soy tempeh, crumbled into teeeny tiny pieces
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise (I use Vegenaise)
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/4 tsp dill
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use. You can use this on a sandwich, or on a bed of greens for a no-tuna salad

If making a melt, preheat your cast iron skillet or pan. To get the best browning without added fat and calories, spray the pan with nonstick spray, then cook until browned, applyin pressure from the top with a spatula, spray the top with cooking spray, then flip, and apply pressure until browned.

A MonteChristo Reuben?

I was getting the two confused, thinking a reuben was served on French Toast. Apparently I was incorrect, and I was thinking of a MonteChristo, which is served on French toast. Nonetheless, I made this sandwich for dinner tomight. I guess you couls call it a MonteChristo Reuben? I used thw VWAV recipe for Fronch Toast and in between those two golden delicious slices was a pile of thinly sliced and pan fried seitan form Cozy Inside, topped with Sauer Kraut. Super yum!