Hello World!  Hope you are all doing well today!  Chilly here;  Jacket & Sweater weather.  Good weather to talk about pizza…

Today I’ll talk about Vegan Pizza. I’m not a pizza lover (some think that’s unAmerican), but I know many of you are pizza lovers so I decided to share these recipes I found online. They sound good; & by all means, substitute where you want & let me know how your endeavors turn out!

How to Build the Perfect Vegan Pizza

Let’s have a vegan pizza party! Check out these vegan pizza recipes,

including options for making or buying your pizza dough, plus some decadently dairy free sauces & toppings for your vegan pie.

More & more pizza places are offering vegan crusts, sauces, & toppings. Vegan cheese at a pizza place used to be a rare delight, but it’s becoming the norm. Going out for pizza is fun, but you don’t have to leave your house to have amazing vegan pizza!

Build your own recipes with these plant-based crusts, sauces & toppings. The list below is organized like your favorite pizza menu, so pick & choose!  Be Creative!

Vegan Pizza Crusts

Basic Dough:  A basic pizza crust is naturally vegan. All that you need to make a crust are flour, water, salt & yeast. If you don’t want to make

dough, you can find vegan pizza dough at the store. You can also use tortillas or other vegan flatbreads as your pizza base.

Aquafaba Dough: Some dough recipes use eggs for a fluffier dough, but you can use the liquid from canned beans to get the same light & airy result.

Whole Wheat Dough:  The base for Ginny’s White Pizza is a whole wheat crust with a touch of maple syrup & olive oil.

Grain Free Dough:  Ricki Heller makes a grain-free pizza dough with beans as the base. This is a great option if you’re looking to boost your pizza’s protein!

Garlic Dough:  Add a little bit olive oil & garlic powder to your dough, & you’ve got a flavorful base for any pizza.

Vegan Sauces

Red sauce: This basic marinara is a perfect base for a traditional pizza. If

making sauce from scratch isn’t your thing, buy it in a jar. Just check ingredients for cheese, butter & milk, which are all common non-vegan ingredients in jarred sauces.

 Pesto:  A basic pesto takes only a few minutes in the blender & is a

decadent topping for pizza. To make a pesto, just toss 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, 1/2 cup pine nuts or raw cashews, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 cloves of garlic, & 1/4 cup nutritional yeast into the blender. Puree until smooth, then season with salt & pepper to taste.

BBQ Sauce:  You can make BBQ sauce or buy it in a bottle. Read the ingredients for honey & anchovies when you’re shopping for pre-made sauces.

Cream Sauce: For a white pizza, a homemade vegan cream sauce is a nice base.

Salsa:  Give your pizza a Southwest twist with salsa as the base!

Basic Vegan Pizza Toppings

We’ll start with some delicious basics & include a few recipes for fancier vegan pizza toppings below those.

Veggies & Fruits:  fresh arugula, lightly steamed broccoli or cauliflower,

sauteed green or red pepper & onions, raw

spinach, pickled jalapenos, pineapple, fresh tomato, sauteed zucchini, green or black olives, chopped onion, sliced artichokes, avocado, mushrooms, sliced banana peppers, eggplant bacon (recipe below), caramelized onions (recipe below)

Cheesiness:  store bought vegan shredded cheese or a sprinkle of

nutritional yeast & a drizzle of olive oil, vegan ricotta (recipe below), cashew mozzarella.

Proteins:  black beans, kidney beans, white beans, refried beans, dollops of hummus, lemon herb tofu (recipe below), chipotle tempeh (recipe below), sliced Roast sausage (or your favorite vegan sausage)

Fancy Vegan Pizza Toppings

Eggplant Bacon

Ingredients

• 1 medium eggplant, cut into ¼ inch strips
• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
• pinch of onion powder
• pinch of paprika

Method

1. Mix all ingredients except eggplant together in a bowl or Ziploc bag. Put the eggplant strips in & let them marinate for at least 1 hour.
2. Put a bit of oil on a griddle & heat to high. Carefully place marinated eggplant strips on the griddle & let them cook until they have griddle marks.
3. Flip them & cook the other side. (You can also cook your “bacon” strips on a grill, fry it, or dehydrate it.)

Caramelized Onions  

 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large Vidalia or other sweet yellow onions, thinly sliced
• salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. 1. Combine tomato paste, water, lime juice, seasonings, agave & chipotle.  Place tempeh in marinade in covered dish or pan in refrigerator for 1-2 hours or overnight.
   2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
   3. Sautee onion & fresh garlic in olive oil until tender.
   4. Remove tempeh from marinade & set tempeh aside.
   5. Add marinade to sautéed onions & garlic. Bring to a simmer;  cook 5 minutes.
   6. In your blender or food processor, combine oil, garlic, wine/water
      

      tofu

      /broth, lemon zest, juice & thyme. Puree until smooth, then stir in rosemary leaves. Season with salt & pepper, then pour over your tofu  cubes in a shallow pan.

   7. Let tofu marinate in lemon-herb sauce for 30 minutes.  An hour is even better;  overnight would be best!
   8. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange your tofu cubes on a greased baking sheet or one lined with a Silpat (see below). Bake tofu for 20 minutes, flip & bake for 15 minutes more.
   9. Place tempeh cubes in pan;  cover with onion & marinade mixture. Cover with foil & bake 30 minutes.

Lemon-Herb Tofu Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup white wine OR vegetable broth OR water
• zest from 1 1/2 & juice from 2 large lemons
• 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  

  tofu

• 2 tablespoons rosemary leaves, removed from the stems
• salt & white pepper, to taste
• 1 block extra firm tofu, pressed & cut into 1/2″ cubes

Method:

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions, cover & cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt & pepper to taste, reduce heat to low & continue to cook;  stir a few times, until onions are very soft, golden brown, & caramelized, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the heat & allow to cool.

Homemade Vegan Ricotta Ingredients

• 1 block extra firm tofu, pressed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 6-8 tablespoons nutritional yeast, to taste
• 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
• pinch of sea salt & black pepper

Method

1. In a large bowl, crumble the tofu & use a fork to mix it together with the remaining ingredients.

Chipotle Tempeh 

Ingredients

• 8 oz. Tempeh, cut in 1″ cubes
• 1 tablespoon chipotle paste
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon granulated onion
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 tablespoons agave or sweetener of choice
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 a medium onion, cubed
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced

Method

1. 1. In blender or food processor, combine oil, garlic, wine/water/broth, lemon zest, juice & thyme. Puree until smooth, then stir in rosemary leaves. Season with salt & pepper, then pour over tofu cubes in a shallow pan.
   2. Let tofu marinate in  lemon herb sauce for at least 30 minutes. An hour is better, & overnight is best!

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange tofu cubes on a greased baking sheet or one lined with a Silpat. Bake tofu for 20 minutes, flip & bake for 15 minutes more.                        ———————————-                                            Definition of Tempeh (as I had no idea what it was til I read this):   It is a traditional soy product originating from Indonesia, & is made by a natural culturing & controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form. Tempeh is unique among major traditional soy foods in that it is the only one that did not originate from Chinese cuisine.

It is especially popular on the island of Java, where it’s a staple source of protein. Like tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans, but it is a whole soybean product with different nutritional characteristics & texture.

Tempeh has a higher content of protein, fiber & vitamins.  Because of its nutritional value, tempeh is used worldwide in vegetarian cuisine,  where it is used instead of meat

And, here’s what Silpat is:  Nonstick Silicone Baking Mat. Ditch greasing pans & replace parchment paper with the Silpat Nonstick Silicone Baking Mat. Designed for nonstick cooking, the silicone rubber mat is great for working with sticky materials such as gooey batter, taffy, caramel, dough, etc.

Well, this is a long post; much longer than usual. I am not much of a cook & would sooner look for the store bought ingredients to make any of these recipes. If you make any of them, please let me know how they turn out. Also, feel free to do what you want with ingredient substitutes. I know many of you aren’t Vegans…

Til tomorrow: HAVE A GREAT DAY!

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