If you hadn’t already seen the title of this post, I have a feeling that I may have worried some of you. Sure looks like meat, doesn’t it? Well, have no fear. I am still following my veggie ways…and still eating some darn good food! I posted about this sandwich in a What I Ate Wednesday post a few weeks ago and I think I had a few of you intrigued. Or at least I hope that I did. I like to keep you all on your toes when it comes to me attempting to transform “meaty” foods into vegetarian meals ;). And hopefully you think I am doing an a-okay job at it!
Back in the day when I was a meat eater, I tried chorizo (basically a spicy Mexican sausage) for the first time and loved it. It tasted a lot better than ground beef or regular sausage, and the spicy kick that it gave off made it an instant hit with me. After I stopped eating meat, I must admit that I was a bit sad that I wouldn’t be eating chorizo anymore. That is until I discovered soyrizo. Soyrizo is a soy-based product that is basically the vegan version of chorizo. It tastes nearly identical to the real thing, which makes my taste buds oh so happy. And what better way to eat soyrizo than with melty, gooey vegan “cheese?” This is a combination that was just meant to be.
Servings: Makes 1 sandwich
Ingredients
1/4 small yellow onion, sliced
olive oil cooking spray
black pepper
fine sea salt
garlic powder
onion powder
1/4 of a 12 ounce package of soyrizo
2 pieces whole wheat or sprouted bread (I used the Ezekiel flax bread)
2 TB coconut oil
2 slices vegan cheddar “cheese” (I used Daiya brand)
Directions
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a small baking sheet with foil and spray it with cooking spray.
2. Place the sliced onions onto the baking sheet, spray them with cooking spray, and sprinkle them with pepper, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.
3. Roast the onions for approximately 15 minutes (flipping halfway through), or until golden brown.
4. While the onions are roasting, heat the soyrizo in a small skillet over medium heat for approximately 3 minutes, or until warm.
5. Once the onions are roasted and the soyrizo is warmed, spread one side of each slice of bread with coconut oil.
6. Over medium heat, place one slice of bread (coconut oil side down) into a small skillet. Top the bread with one slice of “cheese,” the soyrizo, the roasted onions, and the second slice of “cheese.” Top it off with the second slice of bread (coconut oil side up).
7. Cook the sandwich over medium-low heat for approximately 5 to 7 minutes, or until the bottom slice of bread is golden brown. I also place a lid over the pan during this process to help the “cheese” melt better.
8. Carefully flip the sandwich and repeat step #7.
9. And, as always, cut your grilled cheese on a diagonal ;).
I am pretty certain that if I was served this sandwich at a restaurant, I would have to question whether or not I had accidentally been served meat. It is that realistic and that good!
Anyone who says that vegan food can’t be good obviously hasn’t tried a sandwich like this. I challenge all of you who are my meat-eating friends to give this baby a try!
Hungry yet? 😉
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I’ve never had Chorizo before, but you have made me want to run out & get myself some. However, i don’t think Kuwait has this stuff either. Ha Ha! This will just be another fabulous recipe of yours that I have to live vigorously through you. So next time you have one, if you could make one for me and just sit it next to you that’d be fabulous.
Haha, you are too funny! You crack me up ;). I would totally do that…but then I’d end up eating two servings for sure! 😉
I adore chorizo and have never had the vegan kind before. Can’t wait to pick some up and try it – this grilled cheese look delicious!
Thanks so much, Julia! You should definitely try it out. It tastes just as good as the real thing!
I love your grilled diagonal sandwich creations! We don’t have a lot of vegan options here, so I think I just have to drool over this one 🙂
What a bummer!! I wish you could try it! 🙁
Ok so I’m a bit of a chorizo snob because I get the homemade kind from my family (Portuguese-style though). I’ve always been a little skeptical of this replacement but yours actually does look like the real thing. What brand do you use?
It is quite good! I have used the Melissa’s brand in the past but this was from Trader Joe’s and I think I actually preferred this kind.
I love chorizo! I tastes good in so many different dishes. Your Soyrizo certainly looks like the real deal.
Isn’t it great? I love the spicy kick that it has!
oh how i wish that chorizo was GF! it looks amazing!
You should totally try the soy variety..I’m pretty certain it is gluten free at TJ’s!
Oh this looks good! I finally had grilled cheese last night after cravin it for quite awhile. My boyfriend found a recipe and we used spicy mustard, Gouda and fontane cheeses. It was SO good! I will probably always add mustard to grilled cheese now.
Mustard on grilled cheese sounds SO good! I love ketchup on mine but have never tried mustard…next time I definitely will!
Huh, I had no idea soyrizo was even a thing! This grilled cheese sounds fantastic! I do love chorizo – that spicy kick is so good! Happy Monday!
Gotta love the spiciness!! It is SO good!
Yum that looks so so good! I don’t know if we have soyrizo here some of our vegetarian and vegan products are not as advanced as yours in that they haven’t gone much further than just vegetarian burgers and haven’t really innovated yet but fingers crossed they branch out more.
Bummer!! They need to get with it!! 😉
Man, you sure do know how to make vegan food look good! I’m hungry now. 🙂
I’ve never had chorizo so I probably wouldn’t know the difference between that and soyrizo.
You should definitely give soyrizo a try…if you like spicy food then you will surely love it!
I’ve never seen a grilled cheese look so damn good before!!
Haha, thanks so much!! 🙂
I’ve nEver had actual or soy churizo, but dang you make all food look good! Yum!
Aw, thanks! You definitely need to give it a try, especially if you enjoy food with a bit of a spicy kick to it!