I may be a California girl, but my love for a good Philly cheesesteak sandwich is undeniable.

Originally started in Philadelphia in the 1930s, the Philly cheesesteak was created by Pat and Harry Olivieri. They opened up a little restaurant in 1930 called Pat’s King of Steaks. Across the street from Pat’s is another cheesesteak shop called Geno’s Steaks, which opened up in 1966. Both restaurants are still up and running today and have a big rivalry against each other about which restaurant makes the better sandwich.

There are a couple great Philly cheesesteak shops in Sacramento, but none compare to the sandwiches my mom make. Once when I went back home during spring break, I asked her to make gluten-free Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. As someone who never backs down from a cooking challenge, she accepted.

From the cooking experiment, she found a way to make it gluten-free and still taste the same.

For this recipe, I used gluten-free hot dog buns instead of hoagie rolls or a baguette. If you find gluten-free hoagie rolls though, the more power to you.

There are different cuts of beef that can be used in this recipe such as flank steak, beef round steak, top round steak and beef tenderloin. It all depends on what kind of meat you want in the sandwich and how much you want to spend. For this recipe, I used beef sirloin, cut into 2-inch strips.

One of the big questions: What kind of cheese should I put on the sandwich? Some people say provolone cheese and others say American cheese, while some people swear Cheeze-Wiz is the best cheese to use on the sandwich.

Once my mom served me the sandwich, I took the first bite and I couldn’t tell the difference between her sandwich and the ones I’ve tried before. Even though the bread was gluten-free, I couldn’t tell the difference with the taste and texture. The meat was tender, the bread was toasted and warm, the cheese was gooey and the fried onions and peppers made the sandwich spicy and flavorful. I swear to this day, it was one of her best sandwich creations ever.

In the Oscar-nominated movie, “Silver Linings Playbook,” Robert De Niro’s character Pat Sr., dreamed of opening up a Philly cheesesteak shop. Inspired by this fantastic movie, I decided to make a traditional Philly cheesesteak sandwich with a gluten-free twist.

This recipe was adapted from epicurious.com.

Gluten-free Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

½ pound beef sirloin, cut into thin 2-inch strips.

1 sweet onion

1 bell pepper

½ cup vegetable oil

Salt and pepper for taste

4 slices provolone cheese

4 gluten-free hoagie rolls or 2 large hot dog buns, sliced in halves

Peel and halve onion and cut into half moon pieces. Halve the peppers, remove the seeds and cut into thick pieces. Season onions and pepper with salt and pepper.

In a skillet, pour in vegetable oil and warm up on low heat. Add in onions and cook for 6 minutes. Cook the onions until they are soft and caramelized. Toss in the sliced peppers to skillet and cook for 10 minutes, until soft and tender. Transfer onions and peppers to a bowl.

Place steak in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.

In a skillet, drizzle in oil and warm up to medium heat. Add the steak and cook until lightly brown and cooked. Add in the peppers and onions, then place cheese on top and let it melt for two minutes.

Slice rolls or hot dog buns in half and pile on the meat, peppers, onions and cheese. Serve immediately and enjoy with a cold drink or beer.

Brittany Lambert can be reached at [email protected]