Easy Recipe: Vegetarian Philadelphia “Cheesesteak” (rennetless, eggless, no garlic, no onions)

An Easy Recipe which Reinvents a Philly Favorite

Philly CheeseSteak in a vegetarian form (rennetless, eggless, no garlic, no onions)

Cheesesteaks are a popular, though not very healthy favorite of many. Create this vegetarian/vegan version that is sure to become a favorite.

This recipe is a quick and easy way to recreate a Philly CheeseSteak in a vegetarian form. The recipe provided gives the guidelines, but is widely open to interpretation, just like the original product. Once the basics are mastered, it is easy to add a personal flair.

The CheeseSteak can be prepared as vegan or vegetarian, depending on the items used, but the basics are vegan.

Servings: 2 very generous sandwiches or 3 smaller sandwiches
Core ingredients:

* 8 ounces of seitan without garlic (see end of article for details about seitan)
* 1/2 teaspoon asafoetida, fenugreek
* slice green peppers or other veggies (optional)
* olive oil or cooking spray sufficient to sautee
* rennetless cheese (vegan or dairy)
* roll (a crusty French/Italian bread or sub/hoagie roll)

Preparation:

* Slice the seitan into strips, or chop finer, depending on your preference.
* Season the seitan if it is an unseasoned variety (suggested seasonings include soy sauce, green Tabasco sauce, pepper.)

Cooking:

* Heat a medium-sized skillet under medium to medium-high heat
* Sautee diced peppers until translucent
* Add seitan
* Cook until seitan and peppers are browned. Since seitan is not meat-based, there is no need to worry about undercooking
* Just before removing from heat, lay several slices of rennetless cheese (vegan or dairy) across the filling and cover. Remove from heat while cheese melts.

Presentation:

* Scoop a generous amount of the filling into a roll.
* Traditional condiments include a hearty serving of ketchup and even egg-less mayonnaise.

Making a larger quantity of sandwiches:

This recipe is suited for making smaller quantities of sandwiches for a family dinner, or having friends over. However, it is easy to scale the recipe up and prepare larger quantities by following a few tips.

The entire filling can be cooked in the oven. Fill a baking dish with the peppers, seitan and olive oil and place into an preheated 375 degree oven. Depending on the quantity, cooking time will take approximately 15-20 minutes. (source: vegetarian-recipes.suite101.com)

Seitan:

Wikipedia: Wheat gluten, also called seitan (pronounced /ˈseɪtæn/), wheat meat, Mock Duck, gluten meat, or simply gluten, is a food made from the gluten of wheat. It is made by washing wheat flour dough with water until all the starch dissolves, leaving insoluble gluten as an elastic mass which is then cooked before being eaten.

Wheat gluten, although not as well known, is an alternative to soybean-based meat substitutes such as tofu. Some types of wheat gluten have a chewy and/or stringy texture more like that of meat than most other substitutes. Wheat gluten is often used instead of meat in Asian, vegetarian, Buddhist, and macrobiotic cuisines. Simulated duck is a common use for wheat gluten.

Wheat gluten is most popular in Japan and China, where it was first developed, as well as in the cuisines of other East and Southeast Asian nations. In Asia, it is commonly found on the menus of restaurants catering primarily to Buddhist customers who do not eat meat.