Sterling Shephard and Vegan Grilled Cheese

Now I know what you’re thinking, how can THAT be healthy? I mean, it’s vegan, right? If anything it soothes the soul and that’s all the health I need from it. 


Funny story: in college when I first tried going vegetarian I thought I could live off grilled cheese. I’m telling you I ordered a Sonic grilled cheese to eat on the way to my 4:25 class almost every damn day. One day, it even caught the attention of the one-and-only Sterling Shephard (yes THAT one) who spied me eating it from the car next to me and promptly yelled: “YOU EAT THAT GRILLED CHEESE.” I wasn’t offended. I kept eating the grilled cheese. He got nominated for the Heisman, I got a grilled cheese. I think we all know who the winner was there.

In my conversations with people who want a more plant-based lifestyle, there is one thing they are never willing to give up: cheese. And I get it. That melty goodness is straight addicting. There are plenty of bad vegan cheeses out there (not naming any names) that just don’t do the trick for me. But HERE is how I make a yummy plant-based grilled cheese to snack on when you’re driving to your 4:25 class OR just as a regular meal.

The ingredients 

The ingredients and insanely simple: butter, bread, cheese. Now, I love to have some oats or nuts on my bread because it gives it a little something extra. For this meal, I used Earth Balance Butter, Chao sliced cheese, and oatnut bread.

Directions

Start by grabbing a saucepan and turning the heat up to medium. Put a little bit of butter on the saucepan and let it heat up. Once it has melted, place one of your slices of bread into the heated-butter goodness and let it toast for 1-2 minutes. Take it off, set it to the side, and replace it with the second piece of bread, doing the exact same thing. On this second piece, you’ll put two slices of the Chao vegan cheese, and let it cook for a bit. I am not a recipe expert so I always eyeball it. Try 3 minutes, check the bread using a spatula, and if it needs more time place it back down. When it is ready, time for you pre-toasted bread! Grab it and place it toasted side up on top of the cheese. Once steady, grab your spatula and FLIP. Follow the same eye-ball-it-and-guess method as before. Once ready, place it on a plate and voila!

Something to be aware of, vegan cheese melts differently than cow’s cheese. You can tell from the pictures that the cheese down not look melted from the outside but when I cut it you can see the gooey yumminess.

And in less than 15 minutes, your meal is served! Tag me on Instagram if you make your own plant-based grilled cheese here. You never know when you'll need a grilled cheese for the next time you see Sterling Shepard.