The Spicy Spatula

I know plenty of people say they have a problem with social media or they simply bemoan the existence of it, but I love it. It’s not only a great marketing tool for my books but it is a great way to interact with people who like the things you like. And best of all? There’s an endless supply of quick recipe videos so I don’t have to expend too much creativity in the kitchen coming up with recipes.

Why bother when the interwebs have already done that part for me?

So one day I was scrolling, as I do sometimes when I’m stumped and I saw this recipe for a honey and feta sausage pizza. At first I was just gonna scroll past it but the thumbnail image was too enticing to ignore. So I clicked on it and watched the video and the idea of feta and honey together sold me.

Immediately my mind went to Violife brand vegan Greek block because that stuff is mighty delicious, and agave syrup. I knew those would be the perfect substitutes so it was only a matter of what to use for the vegan sausage. My first thought was Naturli vegan sausage because…well, vegan sausage. But the recipe used that ground sausage and I really wanted to give the actual recipe a veganized shot so I kept thinking.

There’s always vegan mince but that didn’t feel right either. And those nut-blend mince recipes are great but holy smokes are they caloric. So I decided I had to make the ground vegan sausage myself. And by make it myself I meant grab a brick of firm tofu and season & marinate it myself, just so we’re clear.

And that’s the short story long version of how today’s vegan recipe came to be.

What You’ll Need:

*Kitchen knife
*Cutting board
*Mixing bowl
*Baking sheet or parchment paper

Ingredients:

*Pizza dough
*Vegan Feta cheese
*Vegan Emmentaler
*Onion
*Firm tofu
*Agave Syrup
*Pizza dough
*Vegan Feta cheese
*Vegan Emmentaler
*Onion
*Firm tofu
*Agave Syrup
*Vegan pesto (I used some I made. Recipe here)

Instructions:

*Start with the firm tofu. Crumble it into a mixing bowl until you get a mince-like consistency.

*Add seasoning because all vegans know that all the flavor from any meat comes from the herbs and spices you use. Fresh or whole spices will work here, but stick with dried herbs. Use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of the following: cumin, garlic, smoked paprika, fennel (seeds work perfect here!), oregano, basil, red chili flakes, thyme & sage.
If you don’t have them all, don’t worry, use what you have and it’ll come pretty close.

*The tofu seems kind of dry now, right? Add a teaspoon or two of soy & mushroom sauce or dark soy sauce.

*Chop the onion and cook it over medium heat in a skillet. Add water or broth if it starts to stick, or oil if you don’t need an oil free vegan recipe. Cook the onion 3 to 5 minutes and then add the tofu. Stir regularly and add liquid as needed to avoid sticking or just turn down the heat.

*Cook 5 to 7 minutes until the tofu starts to crisp. Give it a taste and when you like what you taste, turn off the heat.

*Meanwhile preheat the oven to 185C/365F.

*Roll out your pizza dough on the baking sheet or parchment paper. I like to add a mix of cornmeal and dry herbs on the baking sheet before adding the pizza dough, but that’s the Chicago girl in me so you can skip that step if you want.

*Here’s where the pesto comes in, I simply added a few dollops of oil free vegan pesto all around the pizza dough rather than spreading it all over. This vegan pizza contains a lot of incredibly flavorful ingredients so no need to go crazy with the pesto (red or green) or tomato sauce.

*Layer the pizza starting with the tofu & onion mixture. Top with crumbled vegan feta cheese and then about a handful of Emmentaler. Drizzle agave syrup all over, using as much or as little as you want, and optional red chili flakes.

*Bake 5 to 8 minutes until pizza dough is golden brown. Let cool and the cut it up and serve. Feel free to add more agave syrup on top as a sweet garnish.

And that’s the fairly easy way to get a delicious, gourmet quality vegan pizza right at home. What’s your go-to vegan pizza when you need a pizza fix?

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