Philly Cheesesteak REMIX Gluten Free Vegan Style

Philly Cheesesteak REMIX Gluten Free Vegan Style

I have been pondering making this dish for a while. I have tried a version of it at a restaurant with a friend, back when going to restaurants with friends was popular pre-COVID.

Finally,  I took the time to experiment. I am so glad I did! This is a dish I will make over-and-over again!

Ingredients: (to serve 2)

• 1/2 block of firm tofu (drained and pressed)
• 1 slice vegan cheese ( I used Violife)
• 1 TBSP nutritional yeast
• 1 TBSP gluten free soy sauce
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced bell peppers  
• 1/4 vegetable bouillon cube 
• olive oil (just enough so nothing sticks)
• Gluten free rolls/bread for serving ( I used Schar Cibatta)

 

Instructions:

• Drain and press the tofu to extract most of the liquid
• Cut the cube in 1/2, save the other 1/2 of the cube for another dish or double the recipe 
• Sautee the onion and peppers until the onion is translucent
• Add the tofu, nutritional yeast, and gluten free soy sauce
• Satuee until tofu is done
• Turn off the pan
  
• Add diced vegan cheese to the dish and stir to melt/combine
• Toast rolls with vegan cheese to melt cheese on the rolls as well as in the dish

 

NOTE: I did not have a heavy hand with the cheese. I used 1 slice total. There was a cheesy taste. You can use more based on your preference. 

Serve with a side salad or roasted potato wedges

 

 

Pad Thai Rice Noodle Rainbow

Gazing at my Forbidden Pad Thai Rice Noodles I KNEW I wanted to make a dish that was full of color. The purple noodles were calling for the rest of the rainbow to join them. with Lotus Foods Forbidden Pad Thai Rice Noodles as my blank canvas, and the rainbow as my muse, I began meal prep. From start to finish, the meal was ready in less than 30 minutes.

Preparation

I gathered veggies:

• Red bell pepper (1 diced)
  
• Rainbow carrots... Yellow and Orange (2 diced )
  
• Frozen peas - Green (1 cup)
• Onion (1/2 cup diced)
• 2 cloves of garlic (diced)
  

I decided on a protein ... Tofu

I decided on a sauce ... peanut 

Peanut Sauce

• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp brown sugar .. omit of using store bought nut butters as there are sugars added
  
• 2 tsp red curry paste
• 1 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp nut butter (seed butter works too)
• 1 tbsp olive oil/sesame oil so things do not stick to the pan 
• add a tbsp of water if the sauce is too thick for your taste (depends on nut/seed butter you use) 

 

Instructions:

• Prepare the peanut sauce in a small saute pan. 
  
• Saute the onions and garlic is just enough olive oil to coat the pan
• Once translucent, add the rest of the veggies and saute until el dente
• In a separate pan, fry the tofu (or use an air fryer) 
• In a pot, bring water to a boil and prepare the noodles as directed on the package. 
• Toss the noodles with the sauce and add the veggies
• Put in a bowl and top with the tofu
  

 

My rainbow is almost complete. 

To finish the rainbow, I should have some fresh blueberries for dessert!

 

 

Tofu Parmesan

I was at a workshop and found that many of the gluten free options were also vegan options. Combining gluten free with vegan reduced the number of extra meals the catering company had to prepare. This allowed me to try new recipes and learn a few tricks. Tofu is an inexpensive protein which makes this meal a money-saving meal.

Preparation

Tofu Parmesan is a great take on Chicken Parmesan. I used extra firm tofu which I drained and dried out some (wrapped in a kitchen towel between two plates). The extra step of drying created a firmer texture to the tofu and makes it a bit more chewy. I try to keep the tofu in the towel for 1-2 hours if I have the time...more time will create a firmer "meaty" texture. I cut the block of tofu lengthwise and width-wise to create 4 rectangles.

Cooking

I preheated the oven to 350 and  placed the tofu on non-stick aluminum foil topped with gluten free pasta sauce. After 20 minutes I added cheese (dairy free or dairy can be used depending on your dietary preferences/needs) and allowed the cheese to melt (about 10 minutes).

Serving

I served the Tofu Parmesan with gluten free pasta and a side salad. Each person was given two wedges of tofu; therefore one package of tofu serves 2 people.