Dave's Pizza Sauce

If you are looking for a great plant-based pizza sauce recipe, my brother-in-law has a great recipe for pizza sauce that he consented to share and publish on this blog:

Dave's Pizza Sauce

Ingredients:
2 - 6 ounce cans tomato paste
12 oz water
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 teaspoon granulated onion (unless of course like me you are allergic)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

In a mixing bowl add tomato paste.  Fill tomato pase can with water, then add to bowl.  Measure the basil and oregano into the palm of your hand, rub together into bowl.  Add remaining ingredients.  Whisk together until the tomato paste is smooth.  Put a lid on the bowl or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use, at least four hours (up to 24 hours--the longer the better.)
Keep any left-overs covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.  If the sauce seems too thick, just add a little more water.
Makes enough sauce for two 16" pizzas.  Also great as a dipping sauce for breadsticks.

Rollin, rollin, rollin, keep them pizzas rollin.....rawhide

Vegan black bean and kale pizza ready to go into the hot oven

Friday night is such a great occasion to make pizza that I couldn't help myself. There are gobbs of toppings to choose from on a plant based diet so I almost always make it loaded with everything--The Works! So here's the funny part, after I took the photo I couldn't get the pizza off the cutting block and we almost ended up with Friday calzone instead of Friday pizza. (Explain that in the second photo wise guy, I told myself.)


I need to remember to make the pizzas one at a time on a pizza paddle with plenty of cornmeal to keep them doggies rollin--the theme music to Rawhide keeps running through my head, can you tell? Note to self, when a pizza gets stuck to the work surface, use the biggest flipper/turner/spatula that you have with handfuls of cornmeal to work it loose. Lift up an edge, toss cornmeal under the metal spatula. Back the spatula up to get some of the cornmeal in front of the edge and shove it further. Keep doing this all the way around the pizza until you reach the center. By now the whole pizza should be moving freely and you should be sighing with relief. Wipe the panic sweat from your brow and slide the paddle under the perfect pizza you just made. Take it to the preheated oven and quickly slide the pizza from the paddle to the stone. Close the door, stand back and wait for the heavenly aroma of near precision.


Recipe for two perfect vegan pizzas (thin crust style):

• One recipe for whole wheat pizza dough (see end of post), divide in two and roll each to 14" or so--or use to make one regular crust
• Half recipe for tofu garlic sauce (see end of post)
• Toppings, in order after crust and sauce (see, I do all the thinking for the both of us)

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
6 large leaves fresh basil, chopped
4 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano, half on each pizza (reminder for all ingredients)
2 teaspoons chia seeds
2 cups of fresh spinach leaves
1/4 cup Textured soy, vegan sausage flavor rehydrated (optional as it is processed)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups mushroom slices that have been browned in a hot nonstick skillet, or grilled
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can artichoke hearts packed in water, drained and sliced
1 small zucchini sliced thin
1 small can pineapple tidbits
8 black olives sliced thin
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, julienned
2 teaspoons flaxseed meal
2 large kale leaves, rinsed with thick stem removed, torn into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup non-dairy cheese shreds (optional as it adds fat--I do it for looks)
2 tbsp vegan Parmesan Cheese


Slip from pizza paddle onto a hot pizza stone in your preheated oven.  Say, "Thank you oven for this great adventure and for not breaking down today."
Set the timer for 12 minutes, and check to make sure things aren't turning black.  It may take up to 20 minutes, let your nose be your guide in addition to how it looks.

Vegan pizza right out of the oven.

Tofu Garlic Sauce, or Vegan Alfredo Sauce Recipe

Ingredients to be placed in blender:

1 package soft silken tofu

1/2 cup low-fat almond milk or non-fat soy milk

1/4 cup Tofutti Sour Supreme, vegan sour cream

2 Tbsp Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, vegan cream cheese

1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes

2 tsp non-dairy parmesan cheese, such as Galaxy Nutritional Foods Soy Grated Topping Parmesan Flavor

1 tsp miso paste

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp hot sauce, or to taste

1/4 tsp dry mustard powder

1/4 tsp pepper, or to taste


Pizza Crust, makes two thin 14" rounds or one regular
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp date sugar
2 tsp yeast


Place everything into large bowl and mix, then knead for a few minutes.  Let rest for 30-60 minutes before dividing into two parts for your masterpieces.

Airport pizza

If you really want to puzzle the workers at a California Pizza Kitchen Restaurant in the Salt Lake City Airport, ask for a pizza with no cheese, no meat, no bell peppers or onions but please add extra mushrooms and pineapple.  For some reason, traveling just makes me ravenous and this really hit the spot.  I am ashamed to say I ate the whole thing and loved every minute of it.  Sure, the crust probably had a little olive oil, but really compared to anything else I could find at the airport this was heaven.  A bit expensive but hey, I am worth it.  So are you.

Acceptable alternative to trail mix or pre-made sandwiches at the airport!

Isn't it funny how as soon as you choose to not eat meat or cheese and end up in a situation without a lot of choices, every option seems to have meat or cheese?  Every pre-made sandwich I walked by had some type of meat on it.  Yikes, don't these people keep up with the latest research about cancer prevention?

Easy Peasy Whole Grain Pizza Crust Recipe, Plant-based, no added fat

Now that I made a Whole Grain Combo Flour out of all the different types of flours I had on hand (see the list in the previous bread post) I used it to also make a pizza crust dough.
It was really crispy and delicious so I don't want to forget how I made it!

Music sets the mood with the "Godfather Waltz".

Plant based Pizza Dough Recipe

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit with your pizza stone already inside the oven.
Ingredients for one crust:

1 cup blended whole grain flour mix (or whole wheat and oat flour)
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon yeast
1/2 cup water +/- to make the dough the proper consistency.

Mix everything together and knead for a minute to make the dough smooth and elastic. Let rest under plastic wrap for 10 minutes, then roll into a 14" circle or the same size as your pizza paddle.  (Tell me you have a pizza paddle.)  Let rest 10 minutes on the paddle.  Keep it moving around with a smidgen of cornmeal between the dough and wood.

Top with all your favorite toppings and pop it into the oven and slide it onto that hot pizza stone.  It will be ready in 12-15 minutes.  Fast, right?  Faster than delivery pretty much is what I am thinking.  And so much healthier.  Smile, you deserve to relax.

Jim's Fantastic Vegan Pizza Recipe, PBNAF

Happiness is arriving home from a business day trip to find a fresh homemade pizza waiting to be devoured!
Jim's Fantastic Vegan Pizza Recipe

To your favorite low-fat or nonfat pizza crust, pre-made or from-scratch, add the following:

1 small can Organic tomato sauce mixed with 1 tablespoon dried oregon and 1 teaspoon each powdered garlic, dried basil, thyme and rosemary.  Spread on pizza dough.

Toppings:

Kale

Spinach

Roasted tomatoes

Roasted garlic

Artichoke hearts (which were packed in water, not oil!)

Black beans

4 deli olives, sliced thin

Fresh basil leaves

Low-fat non-dairy cheese shreds, just a few....

Bake at 400 degrees for about 18 minutes.

Share with your best friend.

Vegan Pizza, PBNAF

The music from the movie, "Under the Tuscan Sun" by Christopher Beck is cheerful and perfect for this occasion.  Don't you just love cooking to great music?

If you don't already have a pizza stone, get one! Another option is clay tile from your nearest home improvement store. I was able to get a pizza stone from our local kitchen shop, Ariel's for under $20.00.

For the crust:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees with the baking stone on the bottom rack.  Someday I will build a pizza oven off the patio in the backyard, but until then, this works.  I just thought you would want to know about my future plans.   Another blog, another time.

Ingredients:
5/8 cup warm water, not over 110 degrees F, it should feel like really warm bath water. If it is too hot to stick your finger in, then it will kill the yeast.
1 tsp. Yeast
1 tsp. Balsamic vinegar
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup better for bread flour, OR another 7/8 cup of whole wheat flour with the addition of 1/8 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 tsp salt
Optional herbs:
1/2 tsp. Each Rosemary, thyme, oregano and garlic powder

Combine ingredients in medium sized bowl in order, stir until it forms a mass and knead 10 turns in the same bowl, and set aside for 20 minutes while covered with a warm, damp clean towel.
While that is resting on your nice warm stove top, make a tofu garlic sauce for the pizza.

Ingredients for tofu garlic sauce to be placed in blender:

1 package soft silken tofu
1/2 cup low-fat almond milk or non-fat soy milk
1/4 cup Tofutti Sour Supreme, vegan sour cream
2 Tbsp Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, vegan cream cheese
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2 tsp non-dairy parmesan cheese, such as Galaxy Nutritional Foods Soy Grated Topping Parmesan Flavor
1 tsp miso paste
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp hot sauce, or to taste
1/4 tsp dry mustard powder
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper, or to taste


After the dough has rested, place it on a floured work surface.  I am old-school and prefer to work on a pastry cloth but a cutting board or even waxed paper will work.  Roll out to match the size of your pizza stone or about 14" round.  Poke all over with a fork and say what my niece Jenny used to say when she was about 4 years old while pointing a fork at me and giving me the evil eye to her mom's embarrassment, "FORK YOU!"
Slide your pizza crust onto a paddle or cookie sheet.  If you toss a layer of cornmeal onto the surface first it will make it easier to slide it onto the pizza stone in the hot oven while your face is getting blasted with hot air.  Really, you don't want to be standing there trying to get this to slide off gracefully while the cameras are rolling.  Your foundation will melt.
So now the dough is rolled, forked and put onto a portable sliding surface.  Be sure to not forget the toppings.  I start with a nice thick puddle of Tofu Sauce (about 1/3 cup), then add vegetables.


For the pizza toppings, I use handfuls of spinach, sliced mushrooms, sliced zucchini, fresh chopped herbs like basil and oregano and fresh thinly sliced tomatoes.  You should use your favorites.
You could of course use marinara sauce instead of tofu garlic sauce.
But it won't be as good.
If you are a really strict PBNAF person, don't put non-dairy cheese over the top.  For the rest of us, I like to use just enough to look at, not enough to smother.  About 1/4 cup or so.  Also, a sprinkle of Soy Grated Parmesan is a nice finish.
Slide this beautiful creation into the oven and onto your now-hot pizza stone.  It will cook amazingly fast, in about 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven when it smells heavenly and looks golden brown but before it turns black.  Black is beautiful but you know, not for the bottom of my pizza.


Eat away, guilt free!

Vegan Alfredo Sauce Recipe, PBNAF

Sometimes comfort food is in order.

Vegan Alfredo Sauce with vegetables, mushrooms and pasta on a bed of baby spinach 

I found this incredible recipe for Vegan Fettucine Alfredo that was published courtesy of Tofutti, unfortunately it included soy margarine in the recipe so I had a little work to do.
Here is my version which is very much like the original recipe but with a few modifications and less fat! I used what I have learned from other great recipes for Alfredo Sauce, like adding a little hot sauce and mustard.  Tricky, this game of making totally plant based recipes better than ever....
Honestly, this is soooo good!
You just have to try it.  Listen to Dean Martin's, "That's Amore" while you work, or your favorite spaghetti sounding music.  Perhaps something from the movie, "Under the Tuscan Sun".

First get a big pot of cold tap water on the stove to boil for the pasta, then start the sauce.

Ingredients to be placed in blender:

1 package soft silken tofu
1/2 cup low-fat almond milk or non-fat soy milk
1/4 cup Tofutti Sour Supreme, vegan sour cream
2 Tbsp Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, vegan cream cheese
1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2 tsp non-dairy parmesan cheese, such as Galaxy Nutritional Foods Soy Grated Topping Parmesan Flavor
1 tsp miso paste
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp hot sauce, or to taste
1/4 tsp dry mustard powder
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper, or to taste
Fettucini Whole Grain Pasta or your favorite other kind, cooked according to package directions.

Blend everything but the pasta together until smooth and pour over hot cooked and drained (but not rinsed) whole grain pasta.

I also use this for the white sauce on gourmet pizza like Papa Murphy's.