Last week, I made these mini-deep dish pizzas for a chicago-themed dinner party. In the chicago deep dish tradition, these little guys were stuffed with cheese and filling and topped with a layer of tomato sauce. They were a huge hit, with people trying to take more than their share, getting into epic battles over the last ones… Okay, I exaggerate, but they really were popular! And I can see why. We had stuffed them with a homemade giardiniera, which is a very popular condiment in Chicago.

These were super easy to make, though I guess a little more work than just making one large pizza, but as an added bonus, they are extremely cute! They make perfect appetizers, side dishes, or snacks. The mini pizzas were so tasty that I had to share them (that is to say, they were so good I had to make them again immediately).

For the filling, I definitely recommend making the giardiniera, because it is so easy to make, lasts for a month or so, you can control the ingredients going into it, and you can put  it in your sandwiches, quesadillas, etc. until it’s all gone–at which point you will probably make more. If pickled foods aren’t your thing, or you don’t want to wait 3 days to make the pizzas, go ahead and fill these with whatever you want. I think they’d be delicious with any pizza stuffing including spinach, broccoli, onion, and tomatoes–just chop it up small!

Additionally you can really use any cheese. Mozzarella would be the traditional choice, but I happened to have some of the new daiya pepperjack cheese lying around so I tried that also and it was a great combination! I also suggest these pizzas with chèvre. I don’t know if you can buy vegan chèvre, but I know there are some recipes floating out there for it.

Mini Deep Dish Pizzas
~24 mini pizzas, depending on how thin you roll out your dough

1 1/2 – 2 cups giardinera (recipe below)
~1 1/2 cups vegan cheese
1 recipe tomato sauce (recipe below)
1 recipe pizza crust (recipe below)

Directions:
Pre-heat your oven to 450 °F.
1. On a floured surface, roll out pizza dough as thin as you can manage, and cut out about 6-inch circles. Place the dough in the muffin tins. You will probably have to re-roll the dough several times to get all the circles. You may find it easier to just rip off pieces of dough, about the size of a small fist, and roll those out and cut them down to size. Because the dough expands when it bakes, I found it looks a little better after baking if the dough doesn’t go over the sides of the tin, but is easier to make if you cut the dough a little big and let it rest on the edges of the muffin tin as it has a tendency to shrink as it sits before baking.

2. Fill the dough lined muffin tins half way with the giardiniera, or whatever stuffing you are using, about 1 tbsp. Fill the other half with the vegan cheese of your choice, again about 1 tbsp. I suggest using Daiya brand mozzarella or pepperjack, but any vegan shredded cheese will work. Spoon some sauce over the toppings.

3. Place the prepared mini-pizzas in the preheated oven and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the crust turns golden.

Giardiniera
makes ~3 cups

2 red bell peppers, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
1/2 head cauliflower, in small florets
6 jalapeños, thinly sliced
1/2 cup salt
water
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped green olives (i used ones marinated in garlic)
3 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp celery seeds
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Tip: You can change the vegetables you use, I’ve provided a pretty traditional combination of vegetables, but if you aren’t a fan one of them then don’t include it and add a little extra of something else.

Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the bell peppers, celery, carrot, onion, jalapeños, and 1/2 cup of salt. Cover with cold water, cover and refrigerate for about 12 hours.
2. After soaking, drain and rinse the vegetables and set aside in the large mixing bowl. In a medium mixing bowl or large measuring cup, add the garlic, olives, oregano, red pepper flakes, celery seeds, and black pepper. Whisk in the cup of apple cider vinegar and olive oil.
3. Pour the dressing over the vegetable mixture, toss, cover and set in refrigerator for at least 48 hours. This will last for several weeks in the fridge.

Everybody should make their own pizza dough. It is super simple and tastes way better than store bought pizza dough! That being said, it’s okay if you want to just buy some pre-made dough from the pizza counter at your grocery store or your local pizza joint.

Deep Dish Style Pizza Dough
makes enough for ~24 mini pizzas

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 tsp salt
1 tsp instant yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
1 3/4 cup water

Directions:
1. Mix dry ingredients together. Add the water and olive oil. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Add more flour if the dough is too wet and sticky–it should not stick to your hands. Let the dough rest for about a half hour on the counter.
2. Divide the dough into 2 (for the deep dish pizzas) or 3 sections (if you are going to make full sized pizzas). Spray with some oil, wrap in plastic wrap and place in a bag in the fridge, if you do not need to use it immediately. It is best to make pizza dough about 3 days before you are going to use it (when you make the giardiniera, for example!), and the dough will last about 7 days in the fridge. I’ve even gone up to 10.
3. When it comes time to make your pizza, take your dough out of the fridge as soon as you start pre-heating your oven and prepping your pizza so that it has at least 30 minutes to rest before using it.

Note: I use my bread machine on the pizza dough setting to make my dough, additionally you could also use the dough hook attachment of a stand mixer to knead. If you use either of these, after kneading on the stand mixer or after the dough cycle is complete on the bread machine continue with step 2.

Like pizza dough, homemade pizza sauce is definitely superior to the store-bought canned varieties! It is also very simple to make. Again, I promise I’ll still be nice if you buy some sauce.

Pizza Sauce

16oz. can of whole canned tomatoes, ideally san marzano
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Drain the whole tomatoes, setting the juice aside for a different recipe. Place tomatoes in food processor. Add the herbs and garlic to the food processor. Process until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Adjust herbs if desired. Note: can be made a few days in advance.

Hey there–I’ve missed you all!  Sorry for the long hiatus, and many thanks to Miss Eva for holding down the fort. Where have I been? Criss-crossing the country on a job hunt, and finishing my dissertation. I’m starting to get my feet back on the ground after all of that though, and I have something I’d like to share.

Up today is a semolina dumpling called gnocchi alla romana. I made it for my husband this week, in celebration of our anniversary. It tastes absolutely sinful, and if I hadn’t made it myself, I would never have believed it was vegan. The dish gets its twinkle from the contrast of textures: crisp edges, chewy crust, and ultra-creamy interior. This is the best comfort food you’ve never tasted.

Gnocchi alla romana is the kind of regional Italian cooking that is difficult to find in restaurants around here. I’ve seen the distant cousin, potato gnocchi (gnocchi alla sorrentina), on many menus, but never this semolina variety. It’s a shame, but hopefully it will motivate you to try this dish in your own kitchen! It’s irresistible.

I smothered these bad boys in a doctored up tomato sauce with tender chunks of eggplant, and served with a simple green salad and a side of vegan Italian-style sausage links. In keeping with our anniversary tradition, we finished the meal with generous helpings of vegan chocolate cake with dark chocolate ganache frosting–the perfect send-up to a fabulous meal.

So try it and let yourself be transported most beautiful Rome, where they have evidently been perfecting the art of eating well for millennia.

Gnocchi alla Romana
Serves 4 as a main course

Ingredients
2 cups plain or unsweetened soy milk
2 cups water
1 vegetable bullion cube
1 cup semolina (also called “semolina flour”)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp chickpea flour (or 1 egg replacer egg)
1 tbsp melted nondairy margarine
1 cup shredded vegan mozzarella cheese

1. In a medium sized pot, whisk together milk, water, bullion, semolina, salt and chickpea flour.
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring almost constantly. Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and stir it with a wooden spoon for 8-10 minutes while it steams and simmers. Once it is very thick, remove from heat, and stir in 1/3 cup of the cheese. (Reserve the remaining cheese for later.)
3. Spread the mixture, about 1/2 inch thick, onto a greased baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge for at least one hour, until fully set and very firm.
4. While it chills, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking dish.
5. Remove mixture from the refrigerator. Slice into 2″ squares, or use a cookie cutter to make circular shapes. Arrange the gnocchi in the greased baking dish so that they overlap a bit. Arrange extra gnocchi in a second layer, as needed.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and gnocchi are golden on top. Let sit 5 minutes before serving. Top with eggplant tomato sauce.

NOTE: You can substitute water + bullion with 2 cups of vegetable broth; adjust salt to taste depending on your broth.

Eggplant Tomato Sauce
Adapted from Serious Eats

Ingredients
1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut in 1″ cubes
kosher salt
4 tbsp flour
3 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 onion, diced
1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce
1 small handful of basil, chopped (optional)

1. Salt the eggplant and set in a large bowl lined with paper towels to drain for 10-20 minutes. Remove the paper towels from the bowl, and toss with the flour.
2. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add one of the smashed garlic cloves. Then add half of the eggplant. Fry, stirring occasionally, until golden on the outside and tender on the inside, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from stove and discard the garlic clove. Heat remaining oil, and repeat with the other garlic clove and remaining eggplant.
2. In a medium pot, add the jarred tomato sauce, and bring to a simmer on medium-low. Meanwhile, fry the onion in the skillet for 5 minutes until softened and slightly gold. Add onion and eggplant to pot with the tomato sauce. Stir to combine. Serve hot.

And there’s your favorite sister food blogging team, at the wedding.

I love bagels. It has been said that the road to my heart is paved with bagels. This is quite possibly true. Well, bagels and cupcakes.

Cream cheese always weirded me out, and so I didn’t try it until my freshman year of college. I was headed back to school and my boyfriend at the time was flying with me. He got hungry in the airport and bought himself a jalapeño cheddar bagel with plain cream cheese. I was suspicious of the cream cheese, but after some cajoling, he convinced me to have a bite. There was no turning back. I ate half of his bagel, and would have eaten it all if he had let me. From that point on, I started eating way too many bagels (hah, as if there were such a thing as too many bagels).

We all know that NYC is known for its bagels. And if you’re from NYC (which I’m not), all other bagels are inedible. While I can eat the sub-par bagels that aren’t New York-style, I’ll fully agree that New York-style bagels are the best. Good news is, even if they’re hard to find in shops outside of NYC, it’s pretty easy to make them at home if you have an hour or two to spare.

I’ve been making bagels at home for a few years now. I typically make everything or sesame bagels (my favorites), but I’ll always remember that first bagel with cream cheese fondly and recently wanted to try my hand at making that. Besides, how many bagel shops offer vegan cheese bagels? Well, I’ve never been to one anyway.  I’ve paired the bagels here with a salsa cream cheese which I think is the perfect combination (tip: add some sliced avocado between your bagel). If you’re adverse to too much heat, however, a plain or chive cream cheese could be good too.

The bagels come out with a great crispy crust and a soft, chewy inside, just like a proper bagel should be. I’ve already made 2 batches this week (that I’ve shared!–sort of).

Jalapeño Cheddar Bagels
makes 8 bagels

1 1/2 cups warm water (~110 ºF/45 ºC)
1 tbsp yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp canola or olive oil
2 tsp barley malt syrup
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 + 1/2 cups vegan cheddar cheese, shredded
2 jalapeños, finely diced
4 cups bread flour, plus extra if needed
water for boiling
1 1/2 tbsp barley malt syrup
1 tsp salt

Tip: If you don’t have barley malt syrup, you can use agave nectar in a pinch, but it will lose some of that traditional NYC bagel flavor.
Also note, I used Daiya brand cheddar cheese but I’m guessing other brands would also work well.

Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Let sit for 5 minutes for the yeast to proof.
2. Stir in the oil, barley malt syrup and 1 cup of flour. Add the salt, jalapeños and 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheddar. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour until a stiff dough is formed.
3. Turn out onto a clean floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until a smooth and elastic dough has formed. Add more flour if necessary, or if the dough gets too dry add more water slowly. I often find that just wetting my fingers and kneading that in does the trick. Once the dough is kneaded, cover with a dish towel and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
4. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into ~10-inch long logs. Bring the ends together and pinch to form a sealed ring. Again cover and let rest for 15-20 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil and add the barley malt syrup and salt.
Preheat the oven to 450 ºF and prepare a baking sheet: cover with parchment paper and sprinkle with cornmeal.
6. When the dough has risen and the water is boiling, reduce the water to a simmer, and boil two or three bagels (do not crowd the pot) at a time for 100 seconds, flipping half way through. Remove the bagels from the pot and drain on a towel for a few seconds before moving it to the baking sheet. Repeat this process with the remaining bagels.

7. Once all the bagels are boiled and on the baking sheet, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese on top of the bagels.
8. Place the baking sheet in the oven, and reduce the heat to 425 ºF. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until the crust turns golden and has crisped. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
Enjoy with salsa cream cheese (or your choice cream cheese flavor).
To store the bagels: cut cooled bagels in half and place a piece of parchment paper between the halves. Place in a plastic ziplock bag and store in freezer until you’re ready to eat them. When you want one then they can be easily popped apart and placed the toaster.

Salsa Cream Cheese
Makes 8 oz. cream cheese

1 8 oz. package vegan cream cheese (I used Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese)
2 heaping tbsp hot salsa
1 1/2 tsp tomato paste
1/2 tbsp garlic powder

Directions:
1. Place all ingredients in a medium bowl. With electric beaters, beat on low until smooth. You can add more salsa but I find this makes for a more liquidy spread.
2. Chill until ready for use.

Some of my fondest memories growing up are of my family’s typical lazy, laid-back weekend brunches. These brunches usually consisted of our favorite whole grain pancakes, my dad’s tofu scrambler, and some veggie sausage links.

I’m the type of person who likes to eat relatively soon after waking up most mornings, and this was especially the case as a kid. Saturday and Sunday mornings however, I would find myself holding off on my normal breakfast of cereal in hopes that my dad would offer to make tofu scrambler and pancakes for us. Luckily for me, this happened more weekends than not.

Despite the fact that we ate this almost every week, no one ever got tired of having tofu scrambler. It’s that good. In fact, if there was any left in the pan after the 5 of us had our fill, we’d often just leave it sitting on the stove. After an hour or so it’d be completely finished off as people (well let’s face it, mainly me) walking by would sneak in a bite or two.

This recipe has been perfected by my dad over the past 20 or more years. That being said, it happens to be an extremely flexible recipe. Feel free to play around with the spices, specifically the italian herbs. (Trust me: leave the nutritional yeast, chili powder, paprika and turmeric–for the color–if possible). Try adding some sauteed mushrooms. If you don’t have parsley it’s not the end of the world, though let’s be honest, fresh herbs do make everything better. I’ve made it here with a red bell pepper, because that is what I had on hand, but more often I will use green bell peppers in this recipe.

I know there are a million and one scrambled tofu recipes out there. But I’ve eaten a lot of those, and really, this is one of the best and not just for nostalgia’s sake. (I want to say THE best, but that’s just not fair to the other delicious recipes.)

Tofu Scrambler
Serves 3-4

1 tbsp olive oil
1 bell pepper (any color), diced
1 tomato, diced
1 lb tofu, extra firm
1 tsp egg replacer, potato or corn starch
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp oregano
1/4 thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary
1-2 tbsp water, if necessary
1/2-1 tsp salt, or to taste
pepper, to taste
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the bell pepper until it starts to crisp and turn golden in spots.

2. Add the tomatoes. Sprinkle the egg replacer over the tomatoes and saute for a couple minutes until the tomatoes turn soft.

3. Crumble the tofu over the mixture and saute until the tofu begins to get dry but not chewy (depending on how wet your tofu is this time could vary). Add the nutritional yeast and spices during this time. Add the salt and pepper to taste. If the tofu gets too dry and the spices (particularly the nutritional yeast) aren’t dissolving add a tbsp or so of water.

4. When the tofu is soft but not wet, and just beginning to get a bit chewy in some pieces, remove from heat and mix in the parsley. Serve warm (though it’s amazing at room temperature too) with bread.

A couple of weeks ago I was sitting on my couch petting my cat after dinner dreaming of desserts. I often do this. That is, think about desserts and without actually making any or eating any. It’s just kind of a thing to do.

Anyway, as I was sitting there, I had this sudden desire to eat a blueberry coffee cake with a big topping of limey-fresh crumb. I’m not sure where this desire came from, seeing as I have never been a big coffee cake girl. (This might be related to the fact that I’m not a coffee person in general). I let the idea simmer in the back of my mind over the next couple of weeks, almost forgetting about it, dealing with other life-events.

Then this week, I wanted to bake a thank-you treat for a friend. One of those just because you’ve been such a good friend to me things. So I thought, hey two birds, one stone! I can just double this coffee cake recipe, and give one to my wonderful friend, and take pictures/blog about/eat the second one. Great! Took out pen and paper, and brainstormed this cake recipe into existence.

I then pre-heated my oven, greased my pan and opened my cupboard to pull out the ingredients. It was there that I found I barely had any sugar. In fact, I had so little that it would barely cover one recipe. I had a little mental sigh, but decided it’d be fine, I could just make one cake. So I did. Made only one cake.

And as you can see, here it is, cut up and everything. So I certainly didn’t give it away. A good portion of it might have ended up in my stomach, though I did bring over a few pieces for my friend. I didn’t hear any complaints from him though. This cake was so tasty that a couple pieces was better than none! And hey, it’s the thought that counts, right?

To sum things up, this cake is amazing. A delicate crumb, a deliciously fresh blueberry taste lifted by that sweet key lime goodness. The crumb topping is great. It’s a big layer, just like the coffee shops do it. A bit crunchy, a bit nutty (what, there are nuts in it after all!), buttery, sweet–simply yum. My only criticism is that the inner third of the cake fell a bit as it cooled, making it not as perfect as the outer two-thirds. It’s still delicious, just doesn’t have the perfect texture of the rest of the cake. I’ll definitely be making this cake again.

UPDATE: I just made this again with 4 tbsp key lime juice and the flavor was stronger, and I definitely suggest putting in the 4 tbsp key lime juice. I have updated the recipe appropriately below. Also, the cake middle of the cake didn’t collapse at all, so that might have just been a fluke.

Blueberry Key Lime Crumb Cake
1 8 or 9″ cake

The Cake:
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated margarine, softened
3/4 cups sugar
2 egg replacer eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup frozen blueberries, tossed in 1 tbsp flour

Crumb Topping:
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 to 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 to 4 tbsp key lime juice
1/4 cup melted non-hydrogenated margarine

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 ºF
1. In a large bowl, combine the margarine, sugar, and egg replacer eggs. Mix with a fork. DO NOT BEAT. This might take some effort to mix the butter smoothly into the mixture. A few small pieces are okay, but avoid any large ones.
2. Add the sour cream, oil, and baking soda. Mix in with a fork.
3. Sift the flour and add to the mixture along with the baking powder and the vanilla. Mix until combined, do NOT over-mix.
4. Gently fold in the flour-coated blueberries.
5. Pour into a greased 8 or 9-inch springform pan. A square pan would also work. The batter is relatively thick, so smooth over with a spatula to get a relatively even batter distribution, if necessary.
6. Make the crumb topping: Mix together the two sugars, nuts, and 1 cup flour. Add the key lime juice (1 tbsp for a very subtle flavor – 4 tbsps for a stronger flavor) and melted butter. Mix together and add the additional flour until it forms a dry crumbly mix.
7. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the batter, breaking up any larger chunks in your fingers
8. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.