Here is the secret to make (imitation-so close you won't even be able to tell the difference) Philly Cheese Steaks DYI-style, at home in your own kitchen with this easy-peasy guide!

Vegans and veggie lovers, rejoice, it is friendly to your diets (but I swear to you, all you steak and cheese lovers out there, you're in good hands, I won't let ya down! You'll have to see it to believe it so scroll on down!) Feel free to eat 2 (I did!)

Since I am judging Steemit Culinary Challenge this week… I was feeling left out since obviously I can't vote for myself! I LOVE participating in SCC and so, I thought- let me make a non-entry to show you guys some encouragement for this week's International Vegan Theme ;)

Are you ready for it? How about Philly-Cheeze-Steaks? Vegan- approved, taste-tested and to die for. (PS: Cheeze with a ‘z’ is the vegan form, not a typo!) Can you handle the deliciousness?

I may be Canadian but I grew up on the border of NY and let me tell ya, I have had my fair share of these bad boys from all over the world. I used to be the biggest steak eater you can imagine. I aimed to eat (rare) beef once a day at least. Pack that into the fact that cheese was my life’s passion (Italian ancestry) and my obsession with bread and it becomes easy to see why this meal was everything my heart desired!

Trust me when I say I know this dish intimately!

The problem for me was that after I ate them, I always felt bloated, over-full and tired resulting in a lack-luster, groggy rest of the day... or a nap! Not this recipe though!

I am proud to say it packs in all the taste, flavour and texture as the real deal but leaves you no food hangover!

Imagine my devastation when I cut all of the above from my diet! That’s right, no more bread, no more cheese and NO MORE STEAK! I had a breakdown and literally cried my eyes out. I even had temper tantrums like a child in the grocery store when I first started this huge life change- that’s why I always say if I can do it, I truly believe it is possible for ANYONE!

Back to this incredible recipe I knocked out (yes, I am tooting my own horn because it's SUPER delicious you guys!)

Are you ready to find out how I recreated this? Let’s take a look!

What you need:

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Steak:

• 1 piece of tempe (fermented soy patty)
• 1 tbs cracked pepper
• Coconut oil (for frying)
• Himalayan sea salt

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Cheeze: (no animal products involved!)

• ½ cup soaked almonds (soak overnight)
• 2 tbs tahini
• 1 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt
• 2 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp nutritional yeast
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Coconut oil as needed

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Cheese Sauce

• 2 cups coconut milk (or almond)
• 2 tbs coconut oil
• 1 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt
• 2 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 tbs flour (your choice, I used purple sweet potato flour to give it a hint of colour) =D

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Mushrooms

• Package of mushrooms of choice (I used 2 packages of oyster mushrooms from my friends at the local organic market)
• 1 tsp crack pepper
• 1 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt
• 2 tbs coconut oil

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Onions/Peppers

• 1 onion
• 3 chilli peppers (I used these red hot ones from my garden but feel free to use bell, habanero, whatever you like!)
• 1 handful of shallots
• 2 tsp coconut sugar
• 1 tsp cracked pepper
• 1 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt

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I didn’t take a picture of this part! Was definitely daydreaming about eating! 💜😘

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Bread of choice!
I am using a gluten free multigrain I got at the market since my body cannot process gluten, but you can replace with whatever kind of sandwich you would like!

• coconut oil

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OK so now that we know what we need and have all that sorted out, let’s get to making it (and better yet, eating it!)

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What to do:

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“Sweet dreams are made of cheese, who am I to dis-a-brie?”

• Take all of your cheeze ingredients and blend them in a food processor. Set aside.

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• Pour your coconut oil from your cheeze sauce into a pan and let heat, then add in your flour and whisk quickly!

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• Add coconut milk to the mixture and keep whisking until it becomes thick. Then add in your “cheese” and continue to whisk for a couple of minutes until you have a thick sauce like this:

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• Once your sauce is thick and cheesey tasting, cover or set aside. Add some extra pepper if you like!

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”Life is like an onion…”

• Next up are the onions and peppers!
• Start by browning your onion that you’ve chopped into thin slices (place in pan no need for oil and let the scent sweep you in!)
• Once it’s partly browned, add in your thinly chopped peppers, S&P and coconut oil to get things going.
• Let them mingle for a couple of minutes then sprinkle them with your coconut sugar, bring the heat down and let them simmer for a few more minutes before covering and setting aside.

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“Vegan is a ‘missed-steak’” I disagree ;)

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• Cut your tempe into pieces you’d like to bite out of! Here’s mine:

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• I cook my mushrooms and tempe together with the salt, pepper and coconut oil. I like the flavors all blending together!
• Give them enough time to get to know each other.
• This is the part where I ask you how you want your steak- cook it to desired ‘done-ness’ ;)

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“Love is like bread, it needs to be made fresh every day!”

• Cut some slices of your bread if you’re using a loaf like me, otherwise get your bread of choice ready to toast!
• You can toast it if you have a toaster, place in the oven with a light layer of coconut oil or if you’re like me and have neither of those conveniences, a pan with some coconut oil and a keen eye will do the trick.

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“Individually we are one drop, but together we are an ocean”

Are you ready for this? Let’s assemble the dream team!

Step 1:

• Put mushrooms/tempe on bread

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Step 2:

• Pour ‘cheeze’ sauce overtop

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Step 3:

• Top with onion/pepper party!

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Step 4:

• Let your senses ignite with the tastes and smells of this popular all-time favorite brought to you in this new exciting way!

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PUT THE FORK DOWN AND LIVE A LITTLE!

(OK, twist my arm...)

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Sending you love today and everyday! I believe we can heal the body, heart and mind through food!

Check out my blog for more posts on healthy living, deliciously-good-for-you recipes and more! It's my passion in life to bring mouth-watering, drool-provoking recipes to your table ;)

My latest recipe is a true show-stopper, not to be missed! This good-for-you-pie will have you asking me how it can possibly taste so good and not be ‘bad’ given it’s loaded with chocolate… not to worry, I will show you the way! It looks like this:

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You can see what it's all about here!😘🍓🍫

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I'm excited to see the entries for this week's challenge! Hope to see you around!
💜
XO,