Un-Cheese, Un-Steak

Hey guys! Thanks for all your nice comments about our little cooking demo video in the last post. I think it's funny that some of y'all expected me to sound more Southern. I often get asked if I'm from "up North" because I talk fast and don't have much of a twang. I was actually born and raised in Arkansas, but when I was little, I was embarassed to be from the South. So I trained myself to lose the accent. These days, I'm sort of sad that I don't have one. Oh well ...

In other news, we have a winner in the Primal Strips giveaway! Miss V of Miss V's Vegan Cookbook was randomly chosen using Random.org. Congrats Miss V! And thanks to everyone who played!

Now onto the food. After months and months of wishing I had Dynise Balcavage's The Urban Vegan, I FINALLY broke down and ordered the book on Amazon. I'd been on a bit of a spending freeze since Christmas, so it was nice to finally blow money on myself again. The book is packed with delicious wholesome and exotic recipes (adapted from Dynise's world travels). But since Dynise is from Philly, I had to start with her Philly Portobello Cheese Steak:

Simple, yet delicious. Dynise's basic cheesesteak is made from diced portobello mushrooms and garlic, topped with Follow Your Heart vegan cheddar. After toasting the cheesy French bread in the oven, I zapped the whole thing in the microwave for 30 seconds for a little sexy meltiness. That's the only way I get sliced FYH to melt properly.

On the side, I made some Spicy Curried Sweet Potato Fries, another recipe for my cookbook:

I served 'em with some delicious Chef Allen's Mango Ketchup that I purchased in Asheville, North Carolina last summer. The ketchup has a hint of clove taste that was a perfect complement to the spicy-sweet tater fries.