Vegan Cheese Sticks
1 (15 ounce) can Italian bread crumbs (I used Edward & Sons Organic Italian Herb Breadcrumbs)
Italian seasoning, to taste
vegan parmesan cheese, to taste (I used Galaxy Vegan Topping)
sea salt, to taste
1 (10 ounce) package vegan mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4" wide sticks (I used Teese)
1 cup prepared egg replacer (I used Bob's Red)
olive oil, for frying
1. Combine breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, parmesan cheese, and salt salt on a plate. One by one, dip each cheese stick in egg replacer, then dredge in seasoned breadcrumbs, and gently press any loose crumbs. Place aside.
2. Once all of the sticks have been dredged, repeat the process by placing the first dredged stick in the egg replacer and dredge a second time.
3. Place on a cookie sheet or other container so the cheese sticks are not touching each other, and place in the freezer until frozen, at least 1 1/ 2 to 2 hours.
4. In a skillet, place enough olive oil to cover 1/2 the cheese stick while laying down. Fry until golden brown, gently flipping to fry the top side.
5. Gently remove from oil and place on a wire rack to allow oil to drain and cool. If the cheese sticks are too hot, they will just fall apart when you bite into them. Wait a bit for them to cool.
One may try baking them too, but I did not.
Source of recipe: I wrote the recipe. http://veganmiss.blogspot.com/2010/08/vegan-teese-brand-cheese-sticks.html
SO HOW'D IT GO?
These were incredible, and tasted almost exactly like the dearly departed Teese-brand frozen cheeze sticks they used to serve at the Chicago Diner. I would have made these as soon as you posted the recipe, but at the time I wasn't used to deep frying and I was apprehensive about burning my house down. Good thing I got over that and made these the other day.
I love cooking through your blog for vegan diner-style food - health-conscious individuals obviously shouldn't eat your fried recipes everyday, but I have made some amazing special occasion treats from your blog. I'll definitely make these cheese sticks again. Maybe once a year on my birthday or something.
I recommend pairing these with spicy marinara dipping sauce or, for an authentic drunk-at-3AM experience, vegan ranch dressing.