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.

Banana, Peanut Butter, and Chocolate Crunch:

I haven't been eating breakfast much lately. (Gasp!) I know, I know. It's awful for my brain, my metabolism, and my all-around-life in general. However, this recipe is going to change that. I used cashews and sunflower seeds to give this recipe a bit of crunch, but almonds or walnuts would also work deliciously here. And who says you can't have chocolate for breakfast? Throw it together in less than 5 minutes, and you're out the door and ready to take on the day.

Ingredients:

2 bananas, sliced

1/4 cup raw cashews, coarsely chopped

1 to 2 tbsp. peanut butter

1 tbsp. sunflower seeds

Vegan chocolate syrup

Instructions:

 Add the bananas to a medium bowl. Top with the peanut butter and sunflower seeds. Drizzle with the chocolate syrup and serve. 

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).

Butternut Squash and Chickpea Puree with Brown Sugar Butter:

It's nearing the end of October, and from seeing what the weather's like up north, I'm starting to get the feeling that Fall is finally upon us.

Speaking of the change of seasons, this recipe makes for the perfect Fall treat. The chickpea puree is savory with hints of garlic and other umami flavors, which contrasts the sweetness of the butternut squash and brown sugar deliciously. The brown sugar butter topping adds just the right amount of decadence to the dish. This is definitely going on my Thanksgiving recipe list. Add more almond milk to turn it into a soup, or top it with walnuts to make it a little fancier.

I didn't go through the whole how-to roast a butternut squash thing because I cheated and defrosted frozen squash, but if you're going to roast the squash, here's a good recipe from the Post Punk Kitchen. If you're low on time, buy frozen squash and defrost it by placing it in a saucepan with about 1/4 cup water and heat it on medium heat until the squash is defrosted.

Ingredients:

2 cups butternut squash, roasted

1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained

1/2 cup almond milk

1 medium yellow onion, sliced thinly

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 1/2 tbsp. olive oil, divided

2 tbsp. vegan butter

1 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. salt + more to taste

1 tsp. garlic powder

Dash of chili powder

Dash of cayenne

Instructions:

1. Add the garlic, onion, 1 tbsp. of olive oil, chili powder, cayenne, lemon juice, and a few dashes of salt to a medium saucepan. Saute on medium heat until tender and a little browned, about 8 minutes.
2. Stir in the chickpeas, adding a little more olive oil, salt, and the garlic powder. Saute on medium heat for another 5 minutes or so. Set aside to cool for a few minutes before adding the mixture to your food processor or blender.
3. Add the chickpea mixture, almond milk, and another tablespoon of olive oil to the food processor. Pulse until smooth.
4. Next, add the squash to the food processor. Process the mixture until it's well-blended, adding more almond milk if necessary.
5. Return the mixture to the pan and cook on medium heat for another 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often.
6. While the puree is heating up, melt the vegan butter in a saucepan. Heat for a minute or so, and then stir in the brown sugar. Heat on medium-low heat for 1 to 2 minutes.
7. Stir half of the brown sugar mixture in with the puree, and drizzle the rest over top of it when serving.

Vegan Chocolate Pudding with Avocado and Walnuts:

This chocolate avocado pudding/mousse is definitely one of my favorite desserts. It's rich and decadent without being too sweet. It's also much healthier than your run-of-the-mill chocolate dessert, and you can make it in less than 10 minutes.

For another delicious avocado pudding recipe, check out the one that Kari posted this weekend. (I'm highly entertained that we were craving the same things while on opposite sides of the world). She used blackberries and strawberries in hers, which looks amazing.

Ingredients:

1 large avocado (about 1 1/2 cups), sliced

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

1/4 cup almond milk 

2 tbsp. cocoa powder

2 tbsp. Hershey's Chocolate Syrup*

1 tsp. agave nectar 

A few pinches of nutmeg

Instructions:

1. Blend the avocado, almond milk, cocoa powder, chocolate syrup, and agave in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add in the agave nectar and a few pinches of nutmeg, and continue blending for another 15 to 30 seconds.

2. Garnish with another pinch of nutmeg, a drizzle of chocolate syrup, and walnuts.

*Hershey's original chocolate syrup is vegan. If you are going to use another chocolate syrup, make sure it is vegan. Also, if you would rather not use the chocolate syrup, substitute another half a tablespoon of cocoa powder and another teaspoon or two of agave nectar for the syrup.