IHOP make over

Moseying over to casual dining experiences, breakfast style this time, we are heading toward the uniquely named, but acronym-ly referred to IHOP - International House of Pancakes. When you crave pancakes, I suppose this is a great place to head to!  Oh! Except, it is off-limits to vegans, unless they are in the mood for a piece of dry toast.

 Maybe, grits.

Making this one over is such a pleasure because it still baffles me that eggs and dairy are used in making pancakes; I love to show that pancakes and eggs are not a match made in heaven. Not to mention that all of my kids are pancake fiends. 

I decided to remake their self-appointed healthy pancake, Harvest Grain 'N Nut and their special seasonal Pumpkin Pancake. The Harvest Grain has great flavor, although it is not solely made of whole grains, and the pumpkin one was a surprise hit for the family; just enough pumpkin flavor without crossing over into pumpkin pie land.

While maple syrup is a nice addition to pour on the pancakes, IHOP is very worried that syrup alone won't be enough to sweeten your breakfast. To ensure you receive your proper intake of sugar, they add ample amounts to the batter. What I'm saying is, go easy on the syrup. I added flax meal to the pancakes, not because I thought the pancakes needed anything to "bind" them (flour does that), but because it adds nutrition.

Both are easy enough to make, just keep the temperature of the pan on medium to medium-low to allow the inside of the pancake to cook through.

Cost Breakdown

Harvest Grain:

flour, oats, milk, baking powder: $1.25

nuts, flax, vinegar, oil: $1.50

milk, sugar, syrup: $1.50

Total to make 12 pancakes:

$4.25

Their cost per order: $6.00 

(Originally it is $8.30 per order with topping.)

Make Over Cost per Serving: $1.10

Pumpkin:  

flour, milk, baking powder: $1.25

pumpkin, vinegar: $.50

flax, sugar, spices, syrup: $1.50

Total to make 10 pancakes:

 $3.25

Their cost per order: $6.00 

Make Over Cost per Serving: $.82

Harvest Grain and Nut

Pumpkin

Pumpkin Pancake Recipe

GRAIN AND NUT PANCAKES PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

pat's cheese steak make over

To make the sandwich bigger,
click on the top bun.

Let's for a brief moment veer away from the casual dining restaurant and go to Philadelphia.  Pat's King of Steaks boasts of being the originator of the Philly Cheese Steak. The legend goes that Pat was selling hot dogs from his cart when, on a whim, he decided to cook up some steak meat instead. He was probably getting tired of hot dogs and wanted to eat something different for a change. 

A cabbie nearby was exposed to the succulent "aroma" and had the temerity to ask for Pat's lunch instead of a hot dog. Being the smart businessman that he was, Pat didn't have a hang up over this and, in fact, made some more for himself after the cabbie was gone. The cabbie enjoyed this steak sandwich so much that he spread the word to other cabbies who in turn spread the word and the rest is history. 

At this point Pat did not have cheese on his famous cheese steak; he added that later. 

Since I went to the trouble of making the SteaK Seitan, I decided that I needed more recipes for steak. Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives loves to show cheese steaks on the show and Tami and Celine have their own version of cheese steak in their new cookbook, Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day; I didn't want to be left behind.

Let's talk how to order this cheese steak as a local - not that you'll ever have the chance seeing as it isn't vegan, but perhaps you can get the family to play Pat's and "order" the sandwich from you.

Here is the lingo:

(1)

One sandwich with onions: "wit"

One sandwich without onions: "wit-out"

Two sandwiches with onions: "2 wit"

(you get it, right?)

(2)

specify the cheese: American, Cheese Whiz, Provolone

For the vegan version, you can have Follow (Your Heart), Teese, Daiya, or a great vegan cheese sauce. 

(3)

 Have your money ready 

(or chores for the at-home players)

So, review:

One sandwich without onions, with cheese whiz:

"wit-out whiz"

For those who want authentic, and nothing but, you will need the cheese sauce, which I have very conveniently invented for you (although, which at this point had to be removed from the site as it is appearing in my upcoming cookbook!). This is a fantastic cheese sauce, so please give it a go - it requires no Daiya, FYH, etc. I added peppers and onions to our sandwiches, along with the cheese sauce. 

Pat would be proud. 

*sniff*

Cost Breakdown

SteaK: $3

bread: $3

peppers, onions, mushrooms: $3

cheese sauce: $2

oil, garlic, misc: $1

Total to make 4 sandwiches:

$12.00

Their charge per sandwich: $9.00

Make Over cost per sandwich: $3.00

SteaK Seitan

Cheese SteaK Sandwich