Vegan Roasted Cauliflower Pizza with Caramelized Onions:

Soooo...this pizza is really good.

Ingredients:

1 premade pizza crust (I used Pillsbury)

4 1/2 cups cauliflower, cut into small florets

2 medium to large yellow onions, sliced

5 cloves garlic, smashed and coarsely chopped

1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs

2 tbsp. vegan butter (I used Earth Balance brand)

1 tbsp. olive oil, divided

2-3 tsp. salt (to taste)

Dash of black pepper

Dash of cayenne pepper

Dash of cumin

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Add the cauliflower, vegan butter, 4 cloves of garlic, black pepper, cayenne pepper,  cumin, and a teaspoon of salt to a medium roasting pan. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and roast for about 12 minutes.

2. Remove roasting pan from the oven and stir the cauliflower, adding a dash of salt or two if necessary. Return the pan to the oven and continue roasting for another 5 to 10 minutes, until tender and a little browned.

3. While the cauliflower is roasting, caramelize the onions: add the onions, 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, a few dashes of salt, and one garlic clove to a large pan. Cook on medium heat until tender and sweet, 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Grease a pizza pan and lay the pizza dough out on the pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Follow the baking instructions for the crust. You may have to pre-bake it for a few minutes before adding the toppings.

5. Once the onions and cauliflower are done and once you have pre-baked the pizza dough, add a layer of onions to the pizza dough, followed by a layer of cauliflower, and then a layer of onions.

6. Top with Panko breadcrumbs, drizzle with olive oil, and continue baking for the recommended amount of time. (I baked mine for an additional 10 minutes after pre-baking my dough for 5 minutes).*

*I used Pillsbury Thin Crust Pizza Dough. The instructions said to pre-bake the dough on 400 for 5 minutes, add the toppings, and then continue baking for another 6 to 10 minutes.

Another Vegan Block Cheese Recipe:

I haven't done any vegan cheese making in a while now, and I had a little extra free time on Saturday, so I decided that it was time to improve upon my last recipe for Vegan Block Cheddar Cheese.

I made a special trip to the produce store to buy raw cashews yesterday, but they were out. Still determined to make cheese that night, I decided to move on to plan B and use cauliflower instead. I've used it in cream sauces before, and it always turns out delicious. Cauliflower has a neutral flavor, so it picks up the flavors well. I also used a little sweet potato to add more depth in flavors. Another benefit to using cauliflower is that it's better on the budget than raw cashews, which generally cost an arm and a leg to buy, so it's not as scary to experiment.

This cheese grates and melts. I just used it to make a grilled cheese sandwich on ciabatta bread, and it was super delicious. This doesn't taste exactly like cheddar cheese, but it's definitely a good substitute. I'm waiting for rejuvelac to come in. I ordered it on Amazon yesterday. My next goal is to make something that tastes almost exactly like dairy cheese, and I've heard that because rejuvelac has a sour, fermented flavor, it generally does the trick. Be looking out for that recipe in the near future. I'm excited to try it out!

Ingredients:

2 cups cauliflower, cut into florets

1/4 cup sweet potato, cubed

1 cup water

1/2 cup plain unsweetened almond or soy milk

1/3 cup + 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast

4 cloves garlic, smashed

1 tbsp. sauerkraut 

1 tbsp. tahini

1/2 tbsp. coconut oil

4 tsp. agar powder

2 tsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. salt, divided

2 tsp. garlic powder

Dash of cayenne pepper

Dash of cumin

Dash of turmeric

Makes about 3 cups of vegan cheese.

Instructions: 

1. Bring the cauliflower, garlic, and sweet potato to a boil in a medium saucepan. Boil for 18 to 20 minutes. Drain, and return to pan. 

2. Next, stir in 1 tsp. of salt, the garlic powder, cayenne, cumin, and turmeric. 

3. Add the cauliflower mixture and the sauerkraut to your food processor. Add the almond milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and remaining 1 tsp. salt. Pulse until smooth, scraping the mixture off the sides as necessary. 

4. In a medium saucepan, bring the water and agar powder to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes, whisking almost constantly.

5. Once the agar  mixture is ready, pour it into the food processor and process until a smooth and creamy mixture has formed.

6. Grease a bowl or container, and pour the cheese mixture into it. Let it cool on the counter for at least 15 minutes. Refrigerate overnight. 

*(Do not use So Delicious Brand Almond or Soy Milk - for whatever reason, it doesn't turn out well when cooked).