Erbert And Gerbert’s: “V” for Vegetarian

Subs, Soup, and More….

  Hibbing Location

4130 9th Ave West

Hibbing, Mn 55746

Located in the Hibbing Marketplace

If you happen to find yourself on the Iron Range and are in need of a quick lunch, might I suggest giving Erbert And Gerbert’s of Hibbing a try? Erbert And Gerbert’s or “Erbs & Gerbs” as I like to call it is a great little sub shop located in the Hibbing Marketplace that boasts a wide array of sub sandwiches, soups, and chips. However, considering this is a vegetarian blog, the meat free items will be the main topic of focus.

The Subs:

Erbert And Gerbert’s offers two Vegetarian Subs on your choice of wheat or white bread; The Pudder, and The Jacob Bluefinger. The green “V” symbol on the menu designates that these items are vegetarian.

• The Jacob Bluefinger is a classic flavor sub. Provolone cheese, tomato, avocado, lettuce, and mayo combine to make up the filling of this delicious sandwich. I usually ask to have a pickle added to my sub when ordering the Jacob Bluefinger.
• The Pudder is your typical peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It comes with creamy peanut butter and your choice of strawberry jam or grape jelly. If cheese is something you exclude from your diet, The Pudder might be a good choice… Plus you can’t go wrong with PB&J!
• FYI ~  Erbert and Gerbert’s is known for scooping out “The Guts” of the bread and placing it directly on top of the sub sandwich. This extra part of the bread can be used for dipping in their delicious soups… or just eating plain – either way it is nice that the remainder of the bread doesn’t go to waste. They even have an online mascot called “Mr. Guts!” You can view his webpage here.

“The Guts” of the bread!

The Soups:

Similar to the sandwiches, the vegetarian soup options, are designated with a “V” on the menu. Unfortunately, none of their soups appears to be vegan. I’m hoping someday they might decided to add a vegan vegetable soup to their lineup, but until then here are the vegetarian options:

•   Cheddar Cheese and Broccoli – Vegetable stock soup with broccoli and cheddar cheese.
• Tomato Basil Parmesan- Tomato, cream cheese, parmesan cheese, and Worcestershire are the main ingredients. I contacted E&G support regarding the Worcestershire sauce on the ingredient list. Traditionally Worcestershire is made with anchovies, and I wanted to be sure that this version was 100% vegetarian. I received a lightning fast response from their menu director stating the sauce is indeed vegetarian. I was very impressed with the fast and friendly reply! 🙂

 

Cheddar Cheese and Broccoli soup along with “The Guts” of the bread

 The Review:

 This Particular visit to Erbert and Gerbert’s I choose the Jacob Bluefinger sub, Broccoli and Cheddar cheese soup, and Salt and Vinegar chips. I stopped in and ordered my food to go, but you can eat-in, or they do deliver as well. However, the atmosphere is quite nice for a fast food establishment. The service, as usual, was fast and friendly, and in no time I had my food and was on my way.

 

The sub was delicious, the bread tasted fresh baked, and the soup was hot and comfortingly satisfying – just the thing on a cold Minnesota evening!

All in all I do suggest trying Erbert and Gerbert’s Hibbing location when visiting “The Range” and looking for a quick vegetarian bite to eat.

 Don’t forget to grab a bag of chips…

…or to try one of their giant pickles!

Please check out Erbert and Gerbert’s website for more information.

Have you eaten at Erbert and Gerbert’s? What did you think? Please leave me a comment! I would love to hear from you! 🙂

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Tino’s Vegetarian Taco Night!

Taco anyone?

Since becoming a Vegetarian, I’ve tried many different varieties of bean burritos, and I have to admit that I have yet to find one that I don’t like! Vegetarian burritos are so satisfyingly filling and packed with protein – you honestly won’t even miss the meat! However, one day I found myself really missing the crunchy texture of a hard shell taco. It had been well over ten years since I last had a “real” taco, so I made it my mission to rediscover the nostalgic “crunch” of the tacos of my youth. I scoured the web for the perfect recipe, but was dismayed to find that there wasn’t a lot of variety out there. I came across a few recipes that called for tempeh, but I needed something with common ingredients readily available in my small town grocery store, and the recipe needed to be easy enough for me to master with my mediocre cooking skills. I finally came across a gem of a recipe for Vegetarian Tacos on food.com. I love that the recipe is easy to make, has ingredients that one can find in any grocery store, and the main source of protein is chickpeas! Chickpeas are my favorite legume, so I had a feeling that this recipe would become a favorite. The recipe can be found here. I modified it for myself. My version is as follows:

Ingredients:

1 (15) ounce can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup of chopped celery

1 cup of salsa                                                                                                                           

2 garlic cloves (pressed with a garlic press)

Coconut oil

½ TBSP chili powder

½ tsp. Smoked paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Taco Shells

Spinach

Sprouts

Tomatoes

Vegenaise

Directions:

Melt coconut oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Add garbanzo beans, celery, and salsa. Cook for a minute while stirring. Next press the garlic into the pan and reduce heat to low. Add chili powder, smoked paprika, and salt and pepper. Stir and cook until thoroughly heated. While you are cooking, heat taco shells according to package. When the shells are done heating generously spoon in the taco mixture. Top with spinach, tomatoes, sprouts, and add a dollop of Vegenaise. Anyway, this is just how I simplified and customized the recipe to suit my palate – the original one is great too!

FYI ~

Now, I know that inquisitive minds may be wondering, just who is this mysterious “Tino” that is randomly referenced in the title? “Tino” happens to be a nickname my cross-country coach gave me back during “the glory days” of high school. We were on the bus preparing to depart for an out of town meet. Our coach was in the process of roll call when he unexpectedly shouted out the name, Tino. Everyone started looking around the bus, wondering if a new student had joined the team – as it turned out, he was referring to me! “Mar – teen” or “Tino.” Tomato – tomato, I guess…. Haha and the nickname stuck with me for quite a few years!

All in all, vegetarianism and tacos seem to be a match made in heaven! If you are looking for a yummy meal idea, why not give these tasty tacos a try!

What do you think about meatless tacos? Do you have a favorite vegetarian or vegan taco recipe? please leave me a comment! I would love to hear your opinion!

Pumpkin Scones and Yerba Mate Tea

It is not always easy being a vegetarian, especially if you live in a small town. Recipes can call for strange, unheard of ingredients that can prove impossible to find if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s in your backyard. Don’t get me wrong- I would love to shop at Trader Joe’s, but with the nearest one over four hours away, I have to work with what I’ve got. And today “I’ve got” Vegan Pumpkin Scones fresh out of the oven. I found the recipe for these easy to make scones in the Student’s Go Vegan Cookbook by Carole Raymond. This is a great recipe because the ingredients are simple and can be found in almost any supermarket. These delicious pumpkin delights go great topped with Earth Balance or fruit preserves. The yummy scones come hot out of the oven and cook in about 15 minutes – making it the perfect snack for a cold, busy day. Just brew up a fresh pot of Yerba Mate tea and enjoy your scones!

Are you a vegetarian or vegan living in a small town? What challenges do you face? Leave me a comment! I would love to hear from you 🙂