Pepperoni, Pizza, and Tofu

Yup- lots of recipes today.  But none of them were very labour-intensive, so it sounds a lot more impressive than it really is. 

The pepperoni came from Vegan Dad, a most excellent website.  This is actually his second seitan recipe that I have made, and they have both turned out to be delicious and very realastic.  I was especially pleased with how the pepperoni looked- it almost cute, coming out of it's foil wrapper in a long cylandrical shape...  and the texture was very meaty.  The spices also resemble what pepperoni tastes like. 

I was originally wanting to make sausage, but then M requested pepperoni, so that's how I ended up making this!  And it went great on the potato pizzas that I made from Fat Free Vegan. 

The potatoes hit just the spot today, too; I can never seem to get enough of a baked potato, even if it is a sweltering hunderd degrees outside, and I am still overheated as I type this.  Summer's here for the next three months... and it's HOT.  Ah well.  Anyway, back to the potatoes.  Loaded with vegetable goodness!

And finally, the Mapo Dofu.  This one I adapted from Vegan Ronin.  It looked nothing like what she had posted, but still tasted great all the same.  I have never actually heard of this "mapo dofu", but the picture was just so tantilizing!  And it turned out to be just the thing, too.  I added some snap peas, even though you don't typically find that, because I seemed to be craving those at the moment I made the recipe...  And it turned out to be quite heavy on the onions, but that's OK, because who doesn't love a whole bunch of onions?

Pepperoni

Adapted from VeganDad

8 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of white or red kidney beans, mashed well

• 1 tsp liquid smoke

• 1 tsp BBQ sauce

• 1 tbsp paprika

• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 1 tsp five spice powder

• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

• 1 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten

1. Mix together everything except the gluten.  Add the gluten, and continue mixing until it becomes a dough-like substance.

2. Divide dough into four equal portions. Roll each portion into a log and wrap tightly in foil, tootsie roll style.

4. Steam for 45 mins. Cool and slice.

Mapo Dofu

Adapted from The Vegan Ronin

4 servings

Ingredients

• 12 oz tofu, pressed and cut into 1 cm cubes

• 1/2 C burger crumbles

• 1 tsp peanut oil

• 2 tbsp broth

• 1 tsp chili garlic sauce, or to taste

• 1 tsp chili powder, or to taste

• 1 onion, sliced thick

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water
• ¾ lb snap peas
• 4 green onions, chopped, for garnish

1. Heat oil on medium heat in a wok and add tofu, cooking until lightly browned on all sides (about 10-15 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, mix together the chili garlic sauce, chili powder, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, and water.  Set aside.

3. Stir fry onions, peas, and garlic in broth until the onions have become slightly tender.

4. Add crumbles and sauce, and heat through..

5. Add tofu, and continue cooking until all veggies are tender and everything is hot, hot, hot!

6. Garnish with green onions.

Potato Pizzas

Adapted from Fat Free Vegan

2 servings

Ingredients

• 1 large baking potato, or two really small ones

• Pizza toppings

Sauce (you will have extra, but it tastes really good)

• 1/2 large onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

• ½  28 oz can crushed tomatoes

• 1/2 tsp. oregano

• 1 tsp. basil

• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Bake the potato(es) in the microwave.

Pizza sauce: Sauté the onion in a non-stick saucepan until it becomes translucent. Add the garlic and sauté one minute more. Mix with remaining ingredients, and keep hot.

When the potato(es) is/are done, cut in half spread each face with sauce, and load with toppings. Put them into the oven and bake for 15-20 more minutes at 350 if you are feeling ambitious, or just eat as is.