Vegan Horseshoe Sandwich
Our hometown, Springfield, IL, is well-known as the land of Abraham Lincoln. We grew up proud to have “walked where Lincoln walked”. Believe it or not, we also grew up proud of the second-most-famous piece of Springfield culture – the horseshoe sandwich.
This concoction has been featured on Man vs. Food, written about in the Wall Street Journal, and even has its own Wikipedia page. Here's the wiki description: “It consists of thick-sliced toasted bread, most often Texas toast, a hamburger patty, French fries, and a “secret” cheese sauce. Common replacements for the hamburger patty include ham, deep fried pork tenderloin, grilled or fried chicken breast, and fried fish fillets.”
Every restaurant has one, and everybody has their own unique spin on it. Want one for breakfast? You got it. Want buffalo chicken? Totally. Want them to wrap it into a burrito and deep fry it for ya? Comin' right up… a heart attack on a plate for only $7.95. Want it DIY? There are horseshoe buffets just for you.
Want it healthy? Umm… no. Try telling them to leave out the meat, butter, cheese, oil and to keep it under your daily allotment of calories and you might get yourself kicked out of Sangamon County.
If we can bounce back from a childhood filled with these babies, you can become a plant eater, too.
- 2 basic bean burgers
- 2 slices of whole grain bread, toasted
- 2 russet potatoes, washed and sliced into fries
- parchment paper
- ½ cup raw cashews
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (canned) or 1 tablespoon salsa
- Juice from ½ a lemon
- Preheat oven to 400F. Arrange fries in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes, flipping once, until browned.
- For the Vegan Cheese Sauce, combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth. Pour sauce into a microwave-safe bowl or saucepan and gently warm on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- Build your horseshoe: place one slice of toast on a plate. Top with one bean burger and half of the baked fries. Drizzle with half of the warm vegan cheese sauce. Repeat for the second horseshoe.