Portobella Mushroom Cheesesteak Sandwiches

Portobella Mushroom Cheesesteak Sandwiches
Vegan; 30 minutes or fewer; Serves 2

I made these for brunch one late morning for Bruce and me. These are also great as a lunch, very light and filling.... You may even be able to sneak them past the hard core carnivores! Happy Eating!

Ingredients
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 extra-large portabella mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 tbsp. red wine (about 2-3 cubes)
salt and pepper to taste
1 small green pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 large onion, thinly sliced
4 slices vegan pepperjack or mozzarella cheese
2 sub rolls, sliced lengthwise (don't completely cut the top from the bottom, though!)

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook 3-4 minutes, or until softened and browned. Add wine and increase heat to high. Cook until liquid has evaporated, about 2-3 minutes. Heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add green pepper and onions; cook until softened, about 5-8 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Top vegetable mixture with cheese slices. Once cheese has melted, remove from heat.

2. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

4. Divide veggie mixture into sub rolls. Wrap each cheesesteak tightly with foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and unwrap carefully....

Tomato Tofu Feta Open-Faced Sandwich

Tomato Tofu Feta Open-Faced Sandwich
vegan, makes four slices

Last week, when Bruce was leaving for out of town, I made these for a light brunch. Since we had tomatoes that needed to be used, this was the perfect recipe! Bruce LOVED it and I know that I'm going to have repeat this recipe!

4 slices rosemary sourdough bread, toasted
1 large heirloom tomato, sliced into half moons (or a few small)
1/2 cup tofu feta (recipe in blog)
2 handfuls of mixed greens or herb salad
white wine vinegar
white pepper over top - to taste


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place bread on a cookie sheet, and place 2 tomato slices on each slice. Top with tofu feta and drizzle with white wine vinegar. Add white pepper and toast till heated through, about 10 minutes.

3. Serve over greens on plate and enjoy!

Basic Tofu Scramble

Basic Tofu Scramble

Well the below are the measurements that I use for this (typical) Sunday morning. I jazz it up with tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, asparagus and spinach. Pretty much whatever I have on hand. Bruce has come to love this as either a sandwich on rosemary sourdough or on an everything bagel. I serve this with a tempeh bacon, and the combinations are pretty endless.

Ingredients:

1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 block organic tofu, drained and pressed
2 tbsp oil or earth balance
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp turmeric (optional)

Preparation:

1. Slice the tofu into approximately one inch cubes. Then, using either your hands or a fork, crumble it slightly.

2. Sautee onion, pepper and crumbled tofu in oil for 3-5 minutes, stirring often. Add remaining ingredients, reduce heat to medium and allow to cook 5-7 more minutes, stirring frequently and adding more oil if needed.

3. Wrap in a warmed flour tortilla with a bit of salsa for a breakfast burrito or top with soy or non-dairy cheese. Serves two.

Per serving provides approximately: Cal.: 365; Cal. fr. Fat: 220; Tot. Fat: 24.5g; Tot. Carb.: 18.9g; Chol.: 0mg; Sod.: 484mg; Dietary Fiber: 4.8g; Prot.: 24.2g; Vit. A 19%; Vit. C: 100%; Calcium: 39%; Iron: 33%

Found: About.com

Not Your Traditional Waldorf Salad

Not Your Traditional Waldorf Salad
Vegan; Serves 6; 30 minutes or fewer

When my sister had asked me to find recipes for jicama, I knew the perfect recipe to try out. Using what Bruce and I like instead of what is called for in the true Waldorf Salad, this is a tasty light meal. Serve with some garlic bread, but better yet, use it in a sandwich and it's good eating.....

Salad:
1/4 cup broken pecan nuts
1/2 jicama, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
2 bosc pears, cored and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup red grapes
1/2 a pound of spinach

Dressing:
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 Tablespoon parsley

1. To Make Salad: Preheat oven to 350. Spread pecans on baking sheet and toast 8 to 10 minutes, or until fragrant. Set aside to cool.

2. Combine jicama, pears, grapes and toasted pecans in a large bowl.

3 To Make Dressing: Stir mayonnaise, lemon juice, maple syrup and parsley in a small bowl. Season with black pepper, if desired.

4. To Serve: Arrange a handful of spinach on each plate or bread and top with 1 cup of salad and other slice of bread, if making a sandwich.

Adapted from The Classic Waldorf Salad

Apple Yellow Squash Sandwiches

Apple Yellow Squash Sandwiches
Vegan; Serves 2

So humor me here, I promise this is really good. Bruce came home for lunch to my surprise, and was famished. Currently I'm between temp assignments, so even if he does make it home, I'm at work. Well, since I was getting myself cleaned up from unpacking and cleaning-just getting back from San Antonio there is a lot to do. Having this on hand, and making some fresh hummus (the last batch was eaten on the way to San Antonio), this turns into a quick gourmet sandwich.

1/2 yellow squash, sliced
1 Fuji apple, sliced thin
Vegan pepper jack cheese slices
spinach or any green
hummus
4 slices rosemary sourdough bread, lightly toasted

1. Heat apple slices and squash slices in a skillet, just until heated through and fragrant. Spread hummus on the slices of bread, add spinach (if using), pepper jack cheese, apples and squash. Slice in half and serve with fruit or chips.

Garbanzo Salad Sandwich or "Mock Chickn" Salad Sandwich

Garbanzo Salad Sandwich or "Mock Chickn" Salad Sandwich
Makes 4 sandwiches

Garbanzo beans make a delicious and very nutritious sandwich filling. Bruce likes this with sliced beets (since I added them one day-the beets needed to be eaten). We make ours with sliced tomatoes, sliced beets (the yellow/orange ones) and spinch or lettuce....

1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained
1 stalk celery, finely sliced (I omitted)
1 green onion, finely chopped (I used red onion, about 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons Tofu Mayo or other vegan mayonnaise (I make this with the chipotle mayo-see recipe)
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
8 slices whole wheat bread
4 lettuce leaves
4 tomato slices

1. Mash garbanzo beans with a fork or potato masher, leaving some chunks. Add sliced celery, chopped onion, Tofu Mayo, and pickle relish.

2. Spread on whole wheat bread and top with lettuce and sliced tomatoes.

Per sandwich: 268 calories; 12 g protein; 48 g carbohydrate; 4 g fat; 7 g fiber; 348 mg sodium; calories from protein: 17%; calories from carbohydrates: 69%; calories from fats: 14%<

Recipe from Healthy Eating for Life to Prevent and Treat Diabetes by Patricia Bertron, R.D.

Found: PCRM.com

Fried Green Tomato Clubs

Fried Green Tomato Clubs
Serves 4; 30 minutes or less

This is a great recipe to enjoy summer and to use green tomatoes that you can pick up from the Farmer's Market. I adapted this recipe from Martha Stewart Living Cookbook-The New Classics. I added some fresh spinach for added color. Add hot sauce for an added kick or use Chipotle Vegan Mayo (see recipe).

4 slices of veggie bacon
3/4 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of sugar
2 green tomatoes, thinly sliced
4 biscuits or English muffins, split and toasted (I used German Dark Wheat bread)
Vegan Mayonnaise for serving
4 slices of Daiya Cheddar cheese (optional)
1 1/2 cups of spinach
1/4 cup vegetable oil

1. Cook the veggie bacon in a skillet until crisp. Set aside.

2. In a shallow dish, mix together the cornmeal, salt, cayenne pepper, and sugar. Add the tomatoes, and toss to coat.

3. Heat the vegetable oil in the skillet over medium heat; add the tomatoes, and fry until golden, about 2 minutes per side.

4. Spread the vegan mayonnaise over the cut sides of biscuits; fill each side with 1 to 2 slices fried tomatoes, 1 slice of veggie bacon and cheese, and add spinach. Sprinkle with hot sauce, if desired. Enjoy.

Avocado and Tomato Sandwiches

Avocado and Tomato Sandwiches

These simple sandwiches are perfect when you only have a few minutes to whip up lunch. The creamy avocado and sweet tomatoes are satisfying and easy to pack.

Hummus
2 slices thick-crusted sourdough bread
4-6 slices of avocado
1-2 leaves of lettuce
2 thick slices of tomatoes

1. Spread desired amount of hummus on both slices of bread.

2. Place avocado slices, lettuce and tomato in between.

Makes 1 sandwich

Found: PETA VegCooking.com

Portobello Swiss-Chard Sandwiches

Portobello–Swiss Chard Sandwiches
Serves 4; Vegan

Pete Solomita of Brooklyn , NY , teaches public and private cooking classes. He developed this recipe to showcase how tasty veg food can be. Swiss chard is a good source of vitamins and minerals, including iron and calcium, and is delicious in this sandwich. These are great to slice up into a salad or tacos!

Ingredient List
**4 large portobello mushroom caps, stemmed (1 lb.) (I had better luck with the baby bellas)
4 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. olive oil
**2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tsp.) (I used green garlic, it was a more subtle taste)
1 large bunch Swiss chard, coarsely chopped (4 cups)
1 small Vidalia onion, thinly sliced (about 3/4 cup)
**1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar (I used a pomegranate balsamic vinegar and it came out SO yummy!)
1 medium-size yellow tomato, thinly sliced (1 cup)
4 crusty French sandwich rolls, split Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Place mushrooms, stem side up, on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with 1 Tbs. oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until tender. Cool to room temperature, then cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp. oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, and cook 30 seconds. Add chard and 2 Tbs. water, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until leaves begin to wilt, turning frequently with tongs. Cover; remove from heat. 3. Whisk remaining 3 Tbs. oil with balsamic vinegar in small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Divide mushroom slices and chard among bottoms of rolls. Top with onion and tomato slices, and drizzle each with 1 Tbs. oil-vinegar mixture. Cover with roll tops, and serve. Nutritional Information Per SERVING: Calories: 353, Protein: 8g, Total fat: 19g, Saturated fat: 2g, Carbs: 38g, Cholesterol: mg, Sodium: 525mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugars: 6g

Found Vegetarian Times 2006