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.

Summer Flat Bread with Tomatoes and Black Bean Spread:

Sometimes it's entirely appropriate to put black beans on pizza. This is one of those occasions. Pair them up with some diced tomatoes and fresh cilantro, and you are going to be enjoying one delicious meal. I actually used flat bread dough for this, but I didn't write down the recipe when I made it, so either use premade flat breads, vegan naan, or your own dough recipe for this one.

The house hunt/ bar study/ moving out craziness continues....I have honestly been living off of hummus, avocados, a few steamed veggies, and the occasional glass of wine/bottle of craft beer. I did buckle the other day, and I've been trying out some vegan frozen meals, mainly in the interest of convenience, but also because it's fun to find new vegan products. I'll be letting you know how they turn out!

I'm going home again in a few weeks! We always have a huge Fourth of July celebration at the cottage on Lake Erie, so that's something that I'm definitely looking forward to. (The 4th is my favorite holiday). I wish I could be with my dad for Father's Day, but I'm going to make him a delicious and healthy meal when I get home. Other than that, not too much is going on in my neck of the woods.

Ingredients:

1 premade flatbread

1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup arugula or baby spinach

1/2 cup red onion, diced

1/2 tbsp. cilantro, finely chopped

2 tsp. red wine vinegar

2 tsp. olive oil, divided (plus more for the crust)

1/4 tsp. salt (or more, to taste)

Dash of cayenne pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Next, add the black beans, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, salt, and a dash of cayenne pepper to your food processor. Process until smooth.

2. Add the tomatoes, arugula/spinach, red onion, chopped basil, red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, and a dash of salt to a small bowl. Toss to coat.

3. Place the flat bread on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Spread the black bean spread over top, and brush the crust with olive oil. Bake for 7 minutes or until desired crispness is reached.

4. Remove from the oven, and then top the flat bread with the tomato mixture.

St. Patrick's Day Recipe: Vegan Colcannon Pizza with Bacon-Flavored Onions

In coming up with a good St. Patrick's Day recipe, I decided to go with some of the ingredients that I already had. This is a relatively simple recipe. I come mainly from Irish and Eastern European descent, so anything starchy with cabbage is comforting and delicious in my book. Not to mention the fact that the ingredients are inexpensive and easy to find.

I've already put up my recipe for Smashed Redskin Potato Pizza, but if you're looking for an Irish twist, go with this colcannon pizza. Serve with green beer or Guinness, and you're stomach will be nice and full to get you through St. Patrick's Day.

These "bacon-flavored" onions also turned out to be delicious. They have a bacon flavor, but I made them very quickly, so I wasn't aiming for perfection. Maybe next time. For whatever reason, I skimped on the onions when I made this, but don't worry, I added more in the recipe. Feel free to use less if you're not a big onion fan.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces

2 1/2 cups cabbage, shredded

1 cup red onion, sliced

1/3 cup plain unsweetened almond milk

3 cloves garlic, cut in half

1/3 cup + 1 tbsp. vegan buttery spread

1/4 cup water

1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. liquid smoke

1/2 tsp. salt (or more to taste)

A few dashes of paprika

Dash of cayenne

Dash of garlic powder

1 can pizza dough

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to the temperature directed by your pizza dough instructions. In a large saucepan, bring the potatoes, garlic cloves, and salted  water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook for about 7 minutes. Stir in cabbage, and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.

2. While the potatoes are cooking, precook the pizza dough for about  2/3 of the cooking time directed by your pizza dough package.

3. Also while the potatoes are cooking, in a small skillet, combine the onion, a dash of salt, a dash of cayenne, dash of paprika, and garlic powder. Turn the heat to medium-high, stir, and add the liquid smoke and 1/4 cup of water. Continue cooking for another 7 minutes, until the water and liquid smoke have reduced and formed a sauce.

4. Once the potatoes are ready, strain the potato/cabbage mixture, and return to pot. Stir in the almond milk, buttery spread, salt, and paprika. Mash with a potato masher.

5. When the pizza dough is ready, take it out of the oven, and brush it with olive oil. Spoon the potato mixture over the pizza dough and  spread it out evenly. Top it with the onions.

6. Bake the pizza in the oven for another 5 to 7 minutes. Once you take it out of the oven, top it with the remaining tablespoon of buttery spread. Let cool and serve.

VEGAN SOUTHWESTERN BLACK BEAN & CORN PIZZA:

My favorite pizza to date! The hot sauce is optional, but it gives this recipe a little kick...this is most definitely a party in your mouth.

Only a few more days until I go home! I'm still working on my papers, but I should have them both turned in by Monday, so I'll be able to relax a little on my plane ride home.

I've learned, however, that writing on subjects that I'm passionate about will generally be much more time-consuming because I always want to add more. (Hence why my first one is not turned in yet).

Anyways, one semester of law school left...scary. I can't believe that 7 years of higher education has gone by so quickly.

Getting back to the recipe, I know that you'll love it! It's definitely worth a try, and the pizza dough is just delicious. Feel free to top it with fresh greens and avocado as well. ❤❤❤

Ingredients:

1 ball of pizza dough (see below)

1/2 cup corn

2/3 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

1 yellow or red onion, diced

1 medium tomato, diced

2 tbsp. olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. cilantro

1 tsp. corn starch

1/4 tsp. salt 

Dash of black pepper

Dash of cayenne pepper

Dash of parsley

1/2 cup vegan pepper jack, grated (optional)

Hot sauce (optional - to taste)

Instructions:

1. Make the dough. Allow it to rise for a few hours (see recipe below).

2. Once the dough has risen, add corn starch to your pizza stone or baking sheet, and form the dough into a round crust by maneuvering it around on your knuckles. Lay it on your pizza stone.

3. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Let the dough rise for another half an hour. Mixed the garlic and olive oil in a bowl, and then brush it oven the dough.

4. Next, top the dough with the corn, black beans, onion, and tomato. Sprinkle with salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cilantro, and parsley.

5. Bake at 500 for 10 minutes on the bottom rack of the oven. Top with the pepper jack, and continue baking until golden-brown, another 10 minutes or so. Drizzle with hot sauce and serve. ❤

Best Pizza Dough EVER:

Ingredients:

4 cups all purpose flour, plus a little more for dusting
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups water, ice cold
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. corn starch
1 tsp yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt

Makes three 8-ish inch pizzas or  two 12-inch pizzas.
Adapted from The Bread Baker's Apprentice.

Dough Instructions:

1. Add the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and parsley to a large bowl. Mix together.

2. Next, stir in the water and oil. Knead the dough until it's tacky and elastic, 5 to 7 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, coat with oil, cover with a damp towel, and let  the dough rise for at least 2 hours (overnight for a lighter and airier dough).

3. After the dough has risen, divide it into 3 sections. If you're only making one pizza, put the other dough balls in ziplock bags and save them for later. (It should last for 5 days in the fridge. I froze my extra dough).

4.  Sprinkle corn starch over a cast-iron skillet, pizza stone, or baking sheet. Spread the dough out evenly on whatever pan that you decide to use. Preheat the oven to 500, and let the dough rise a little more while the oven is heating.

Other Vegan Pizza Recipes: ❤

SMASHED REDSKIN POTATO PIZZA
Falafel Pizza With Vegan Ranch Dressing
Quick Mushroom and Kale Pita Pizza
Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Pizza
Vegan Bruschetta Flatbread
Mellow Mushroom Build Your Own Pizza
GUACAMOLE PIZZA

Falafel Pizza With Vegan Ranch Dressing:

I was planning on taking a break from posting today, but I changed my mind! I had full intentions of using my pizza stone for this. Unfortunately, however, I don't have a pizza peel for it.

Anyways, I preheated my pizza stone at 500 degrees, but I was busy working on a presentation and left it in the oven for too long. As a result, I set all of the fire alarms off when I took it out of the oven. Then, when I tried to transfer my pizza crust to the stone, it didn't work at all. My nicely laid-out, light and airy dough turned into a blob, and while I was trying to fix the situation, my pizza stone was busy searing my beautiful fluffy pizza dough.

Long story short, I was aiming for a light and airy dough. It turned out really good, but not as light as I had wanted. The trick is to let it rise longer (sometimes 18 hours is best) and not let your pizza stone sear the dough before it's ready to go in the oven. However, with my impatience and clumsiness, who has time for that? This is what I ended up with...it was totally yum: airy and crispy, and filling. I had one small piece and have been full all night.

Also, this recipe may look a little long and convoluted, but don't fret! It's 3 recipes in one post, so while it looks difficult, it's not. Also, don't forget that you can use premade pizza dough to save time!

Oh, one more word of caution: let it cool before eating it! Although my healthy taste buds are rejoicing, the ones on the roof of my mouth are not happy with me right now. (What can I say? I'm impatient). ❤☮

Ingredients:

For the Dough:
4 cups all purpose flour, plus a little more for dusting
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups water, ice cold
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. corn starch
1 tsp yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt

Makes three 8-ish inch pizzas or  two 12-inch pizzas.

Toppings:
1 to 2 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 1/2 cups kale, ripped into small pieces and soaked in water for a few minutes
Any other toppings that your heart desires at the moment
However much Vegan Ranch Dressing that you want ( Recipe below)I used about 1/4 cup + more for dipping)...or use Vegan Tzatziki Sauce (recipe here).

(Toppings for one 8 or 12-inch pizza). 

Falafel:
1 large can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (reserve a tbsp. of liquid)
1/3 to 1/2 cup sweet onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. parsley
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. coarse kosher salt
Dash of cayenne pepper

(I used most of this on one 9-inch pizza, but this amount is enough falafel for one 12-inch pizza or for two 8-inch pizzas). 

Falafel Instructions:
Process the onions, garlic, and olive oil in food processor until very fine. Add the garbanzo beans, cumin, coriander, parsley, salt, and cayenne pepper.  Process the mixture until it's smooth.  Stir in the breadcrumbs (this will help keep the mixture from falling apart).

Dough/Pizza Instructions:

1. Add the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and parsley to a large bowl. Mix together.

2. Next, stir in the water and oil. Knead the dough until it's tacky and elastic, 5 to 7 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, coat with oil, cover with a damp towel, and let  the dough rise for 2 hours.

3. After the dough has risen, divide it into 3 sections. If you're only making one pizza, put the other dough balls in ziplock bags and save them for later. (It should last for 5 days in the fridge. I froze my extra dough).

4.  Sprinkle corn starch over a cast-iron skillet, pizza stone, or baking sheet. Spread the dough out evenly on whatever pan that you decide to use. Preheat the oven to 500, and let the dough rise a little more while the oven is heating.

5. Once the oven has preheated, brush the crust with olive oil, and add a generous scoop (1 to 1/2 cups) of the falafel mixture. Spread it evenly over the dough. Bake for 12 minutes.

6. Remove the pizza from the oven, and add the kale and tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and continue baking for another 12 to 15 minutes, until golden-brown and crispy.

VEGAN RANCH DRESSING:

Ingredients:
3/4 cup silken tofu (soft)
3/4 cup plain unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup fresh chives, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 tsp. dried parsley)
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. fresh dill (optional)
1/4 tsp. salt
Pinch of black pepper

Makes about 1 1/2 cups of Vegan Ranch Dressing. 

Instructions:
Add the unsweetened almond milk, silken tofu, chives, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, dill (if using), salt, and black pepper. Process until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add any other seasonings as desired.