Game Day Philly Cheese "Steak" Hoagies

The big game is coming and that means...

Who am I kidding? I don't watch sports that don't involve costumes or choreography...or ice skates. The last time I tuned in to the Super Bowl or any sports event was to watch Prince perform the halftime show. But I do eat (a lot) and one of the things I loved when I was still a meat-eater was a big juicy cheese steak dripping with onions. 

So in seasonal spirit we'll call these "game day" hoagies, but they're really just any day hoagies.

Ingredients:

-1 8 oz package of Seitan strips, cut into finer strips

- 4 hoagie/sub rolls

-1 1/2 medium onion, cut into very fine rings

-1 package portabella/baby bella mushrooms, sliced

-Provolone cheese, as much as you want

-2 tbsp veggie Worcestershire sauce, or to taste 

-3 or 4 tbsp olive oil, divided

-1 tbsp oregano

-3 cloves garlic chopped

-salt and black pepper to taste (I snuck in a bit of Adobo while cooking the seating, just because it's full of deliciousness and I use it for almost everything I cook.)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Heat half of the oil in skillet and sauté onions until translucent (or they begin to brown) then add mushrooms. Add Worcestershire sauce and cook for about 5-7 minutes then set aside in a bowl.

3. Add the remaining oil to the heated skillet and saute the garlic, quickly adding the seitan. Add spices. Here is where I snuck in the Adobo and a bit more Worcestershire sauce. 

4. After 5-7 minutes of cooking (stir often), add the onions and mushrooms and mix. Cook just 2-3 minutes longer and set aside. 

5. I'm not going to tell you how to slice the rolls, because if you can read this, you have surely sliced one at some point in your life and me telling you would be both unnecessary and insulting. But I will tell you to take the filled rolls and partly wrap them in aluminum foil. Insert cheese and shove the whole thing (on a cookie tray) into the oven for about 5 minutes or until they look as toasty as you want them to. 

This made 4 hoagies, all of which my partner and I ingested. Do not judge us. A lot of folk would have just one but with a side of fries or potato salad. We had no sides...so there!

Enjoy.

SUPER EASY Tomato "Pizza" Bites

There is really no need for me to give any specific measurements or even ingredients here since you can make these up as you go along. The suggestion to enjoy some just-picked  fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes is enough. The rest is up to you.

Tomato Pizza Bites

Ingredients:

-Fresh picked (if you have the option) organic tomatoes

-Fresh basil leaves

-Shredded mozzarella (or vegan alternative)

-salt, pepper & garlic powder to taste

-1 dollop of pesto spread per tomato bite

1. Wash and slice each tomato widthwise. Don't cut the slices too thin. You want them to be sturdy.

2. Sprinkle garlic powder, salt and pepper on the tomatoes.

3. Place a dollop of pesto on each, followed by a sprinkle of cheese, a whole basil leaf and topped with more cheese.

4. Broil on low for approximately 5 minutes, until cheese begins to brown. 

EAT UP!

These tomato bites make delicious and visually appealing appetizers. They are also great as a sandwich. Just spread some pesto on a bun and enjoy.

Jackfruit Adventures: Mu Shu Rolls

I recently learned about jackfruit as a meat substitute. I think I once purchased a ripe one at the international market, just to taste it, and was not all that wild about it once I got it home. It never occurred to me that canned green jackfruit might have other culinary uses.

Last night I had my first adventure with a jackfruit (that probably doesn't sound the way I meant it). I cooked it Mu Shu style and it was dee-li-shussss. I loosely followed a recipe I saw online as a jumping off point and tweaked the measurements and ingredients to suit my tastes.

Believe it or not, I searched high and low at the international market for Mu Shu pancakes (even asking employees who continually directed me toward large sacs of flour) to no avail. I settled for rice paper wraps. Last night's wrapping was a fiasco! While tasty, they did not turn out the prettiest of rolls. Today I had leftovers for lunch and the wrapping went considerably better.

Mu Shu Jackfruit Rolls

Ingredients:

2 20 oz cans green jackfruit in brine or water (NOT syrup), well drained

1 19 oz can bamboo shoots strips in water, well drained

1 small onion, diced

1 tsp minced ginger root

4-5 green onions, chopped

6 mushrooms, sliced

1 1/2 cup slivered carrots or prepared shredded carrots

2 1/2 cups shredded cabbage

1 cup vegetable broth

4 tbsp soy sauce

2-3 tbsp hoisin sauce (or to taste)

1 tbsp sesame oil

rice paper sheets

1. In a sauce pan or fryer, sauté onion, garlic and ginger root. 

2. Add well-drained jackfruit, soy and hoisin sauces and veggie broth. Simmer covered for 15-20 minutes until fruit softens and begins to shred when you press and stir it. Continue to stir, further shredding the jackfruit. 

3. Add remaining ingredients and cook on medium heat for another 10-15 minutes, checking it throughout. You want the carrots and bamboo shoots to retain some crispness. 

4. Follow instructions on rice paper wrapper package and serve.

Tastes yum-yum warm or at room temperature, straight out of the fridge.
Serves 4-5. This was a dinner for three and the four rolls pictured below was my lunch today. 

Polenta & Spinach with Creamy Onion Gravy

I thought I would be safe to simply switch from brown or turkey store-bought gravies to mushroom varieties. I was wrong. I was a bit surprised to find beef-stock or some other animal ingredient listed on the label. Maybe this is a common mistake made by vegetarian newbies...maybe I'm just a Dodo bird. 

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In any case, I have started playing around with alternatives. 

If you love garlic and onions this should be a good one for you. 

Ingredients:

1 package Trader Joe's pre-cooked organic polenta (or your choice)

1. Coat frying pan with Trader Joe's olive oil spray (or your choice)

2. Slice to approximately 1/2" slices. Heat according to package directions (I like them slightly browned). Set aside in oven set to warm.

Creamy Onion Gravy

Ingredients:

2 cups rice milk (or preferred milk substitute)

3 tbsp flour

2 tbsp margarine or butter

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1. Melt margarine in saucepan on med-high heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent.

2. Lower to medium heat and add remaining ingredients, whisking continuously.

3.Whisk for 5 minutes until gravy thickens. For thicker gravy add more flour after 5 minutes. If too thick for your taste, add milk substitute until desired thickness is achieved.

Creamy Spinach with Garlic & Onions

Ingredients:

1 lb bag baby spinach

2 tbsp margarine or butter

1/2 medium onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup rice or soy milk (or preferred substitute)

1 tbsp flour

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt margarine over medium heat and sauté garlic and onions until fragrant.

2. Raise heat to high and add flour, whisk well then lower heat back to medium.

3. Add spinach and mix. 

4. Cook until spinach is wilted.

Pesto Caprese Sandwich with Balsamic Asparagus

This easy-breezy sandwich is both refreshing and full of flavor. Perfect for summer dinners (or lunch) after a long day of gardening (hopefully growing your own veggies!) and yard work under the sun.

Pesto Caprese Sandwich

Ingredients:

Fresh Mozarella Cheese (or vegan substitute)

Roma Tomatoes

Pesto Spread of your choice (I use Trader Joe's Genova Pesto)

Fresh green or purple Italian Basil leaves (Mine came straight from my garden!)

Rolls (Ciabatta are ideal, but I happened to have some fresh Keiser ones in my kitchen so I used those. Save money, use what you have!)

I won't provide directions on how to put these ingredients together because if you can read my blogposts without assistance, you have the skills necessary to put a sandwich together on your own. 

I believe in you!

Steamed Balsamic Asparagus

Ingredients:

1 bunch fresh Asparagus

Olive oil (to taste)

Balsamic Vinegar (to taste)

1 tsp dried Italian Seasoning

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Kosher salt (to taste)

Also super-simple! 

1. Wash and cut Asparagus stalks into two or tree pieces.

2. Steam until tender, but not soggy (about 5 minutes, checking frequently).

3. Drain. Combine and toss all ingredients in a bowl.

4. Let cool and serve at room temperature.

YUM!

PS. Confession: While 1 serving is perfectly satisfying, I ate two sandwiches all on my own. 

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Red Pepper Eggplant & Arugula Salad

Red Pepper Eggplant

Ingredients:

1 eggplant

2 eggs (or egg substitute)

Italian bread crumbs

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp rosemary

Trader Joe's Red Pepper Eggplant & Garlic spread

Shredded Mozzarella cheese

1. Bread and fry eggplant slices as you would when preparing eggplant parm.

2. Set aside on paper towels to drain excess oil. 

3. Arrange slices in baking dish in a single layer. 

4. Top each slice with a dollop of TJ's Red Pepper Spread and sprinkle with cheese.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Arugula Cucumber & White Bean Salad

Ingredients:

1 bag arugula

1 can Trader Joe's (or your favorite) Organic Great Northern Beans

1/2 cucumber sliced

1 sweet red pepper sliced

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

1 tsp Kosher salt

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

1. Combine, toss well and chow down!

Vegan Arroz con Habichuelas y Chorizo

No Puerto Rican diet is complete without rice and beans. We eat it with just about anything. Arroz Junto (together rice) is what we call it when we cook the rice together with the beans and just about any other ingredients you might wish to add into the mix (usually beans and shrimp or chorizo). 

Puerto Ricans are masters of "pauper" meals. We may find ourselves out of a job from time to time and we might have to scrape our pennies together to make the bills when things get tough, but we will seldom go without delicious food in our tummies. Arroz Junto is a great example of that. It is satisfying AND cheap...and most importantly delicioso!

Vegan Arroz con Habichuelas & Chorizo

Ingredients:

2 cups long grain rice

2 cups water

2 Soy Chorizo (I use Trader Joe's Soy Chorizo)

1 can red beans (drained)

4 oz. tomato sauce

1/2 cup Goya Recaito

1 tbsp oregano

1 tsp dried epizote

2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil

1-2 packets Goya Sazon (to taste)

1 handfull manzanilla olives (or go crazy if you love them!)

1. Remove chorizo "meat" from casing and set aside.

2. Heat oil in caldero.

3. Add chorizo to caldero and brown for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

4. Add all other ingredients (except for rice and water) and stir.

5. When mixture begins to boil add rice and water and stir.

6. Bring to boil, cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 15-20 minutes covered.

7. Uncover and stir. If rice is not yet tender, continue to cook until desired tenderness.

Great served with a side salad! Another idea is to serve as a burrito filling with vegan or cheddar cheese and sour cream (or alternative) and shredded lettuce, tomatoes and raw diced onions.

Serves about 6 (normal servings). Less if you go for seconds (or thirds) like I do.