Sequestration Meal #389

 

When I asked for your ideas for how to use a lot of bell peppers, VanessaKC suggested I make cheesesteaks. Instantly, I knew I had to do it. I had extra hot dog buns to use, too, which is not the ideal cheesesteak bread but would definitely work. And there was this recipe at Veganosity that looked amazing.

It took some planning to have cheesesteaks on a weekday, even though I was working from home. Normally, I wouldn't attempt it, but it was the kind of week I needed a treat on a Wednesday. (I schedule these in advance, but it happens that both today, and the day I ate this, fall on Wednesdays.) I sliced all my veggies, cooked the sweet potato (for the cheese sauce), and soaked the cashews (also for the cheese sauce) the night before. On the day of, I mixed up the marinade during my morning break and let the soy curls soak in it until I took my lunch hour. I also used that break to measure out the dry ingredients for the cheese sauce. Not a bad use of 10 minutes! I then used two skillets at once rather than the one recommended to be used in succession, and managed, with all that foresight, to go from zero to cheesesteak in about 25 minutes, giving me plenty of time to eat not one but two of them for lunch.

I had to have two. They were as amazing as I thought they'd be, even though I mistakenly left the miso paste out of my cheese. The flavors all went together so well. Peppers, onions, mushrooms, soy curls, and that delightful I-can't-place-why-this-is-so-good cheese sauce (possibly, it is the dry mustard). Plus, a hot dog bun is much smaller than your usual cheesesteak bread would be. I had to have two. Had to.

I put a side of potato salad next to my sandwich, because I'd made it over the weekend to accompany sandwiches or hot dogs at lunch (see, I had plans, just not these plans). All in all, a perfect lunch for a midweek slump--and believe me, I was slumping. I was thinking recently that my job itself is not that difficult or taxing these days, but the conditions under which I have to do it often make me miserable. Not sure what the solution is given that just about everyone feels that way everywhere right now. But cheesesteak definitely helps.

This would not fool an omnivore and it is more reminiscent of cheesesteak or inspired by cheesesteak than it is cheesesteak as I remember it. I think an omnivore with an open mind would enjoy it, mind you. But don't give these to the judgmental kind. Those people get Beyond Burgers. Just a tip.

And probably there would be a way to make cheesesteaks vegan that people would say were like the originals--the sauce is easy enough; Daiya makes a gooey yellow sauce that would do it. If you cut up some Gardein "b'ef" tips (eye roll about the name--I'll always think of them as beefless tips) they could stand in for steak. But these days I don't really need my food to be a direct duplication of a non-vegan version. This was delicious, and that's good enough for me.

I halved the cheesesteak filling recipe so I have enough for two more hot dog bun-sized versions, but I made the full recipe of the cheese because I know I'll figure out something else wonderful to do with it.

Thank you, VanessaKC, for the suggestion. You made my week!