Recently the folks at Chicago Soy Dairy were kind enough to send out some samples of their tasty vegan cheese, Teese, to those of us in the vegan blogosphere to see what we could come up with outside of the usual pizza or lasagna. Here is the first of what I came up with, more is on the way.

Portabella Teese Steak Sandwiches

2 Large Portabella Mushrooms, stems and gills removed and thinly sliced
1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 Anaheim, ancho, or other mild green chili, seeded and thinly sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cub dry white wine
salt and pepper
2 Sandwich rolls or a baguette cut into sandwich size lengths
3-4 oz cheddar flavored Teese. Cut into small chunks

In a saute pan, heat olive oil over med-high heat. Add onions and cook until they begin to soften. Add pepper and chili and cook for a few min until peppers have began to soften. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and add wine. Cook until mushrooms are thoroughly cooked (the onions and peppers should be nearly caramelized by this point).

Split the rolls 3/4 the way through and lightly toast. Briefly heat the Teese in the microwave in a small bowl until melted. Divide the mushroom mixture between the rolls and poor the melted Teese over the top.

Another burger recipe, this time with a Latin twist. The jicama-slaw is inspired by the street food vendors found throughout Mexico that sell slices of jicama and other vegetables with chili, lime and salt. You can serve it as I did, with the slaw on the burger with guacamole, or top the patty with your favorite burger fixins and serve the the slaw as a side. This recipe has not yet been tried on a grill, but I’ll update the recipe if I do.

Black Bean Quinoa Burgers

2 Cups black beans, cooked or canned, rinsed and drained
1.5 Cups cooked quinoa
1 Tbsp Chipotle chili powder (any chili powder will do, but i like the smokiness you get from the chipotle)
1 tsp Mexican oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp vital wheat gluten (gluten flour)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper

Chili-Lime Jicama-slaw

1/2 medium jicama root
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice (key limes are preferable)
1 Tbsp Veganaise or other vegan mayo
1 tsp finly chopped cilantro
chili powder
salt

Hamburger buns
Guacamole
vegan cheese slices

To make the burgers

in a large bowl, mash half of the black beans with a potato masher or fork. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. If mixture seems too dry, add a little olive oil to bring it together. Form into patties and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place patties in the freezer to firm up at least 10 min, or chill in refrigerator over night. Heat and lightly oil a large skillet or griddle. Cook the patties over med-high until browned and cooked through, about 3-4 min each side.

To make the jicama-slaw

Finley slice or shred the jicama, combine with other ingredients, seasoning with salt and chili to taste. Toss well to coat. Note: adjust everything to taste depending on size of your jicama.

To serve

Toast the buns. Place the burgers on buns and top with a slice of cheese, jicama-slaw, and guacamole. Enjoy!