Tag Archives: pizza

Nov 08 2013
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Reviews

Review: Trader Joe’s Vegan Mozzarella Style Shreds

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I’ve been obsessed with making little pizzas ever since my visit with Jen. Follow Your Heart shreds are my favorite with Daiya coming in a close second. On a recent run to Trader Joe’s, I decided to pick up some of their branded Vegan Mozzarella Style Shreds.

It gives me no pleasure to say that I thought the Trader Joe’s vegan cheese was, well, yucky.

The shreds have gotten favorable reviews. The positives are that the cheese melts well and is inexpensive compared to Daiya. It also has a lot more calcium in it. More than one review called it the opposite of Daiya, and that’s something that I totally agree with.

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The shreds are dry and thin. Upon opening the bag, I took a good whiff and it smelled like cheese. Unlike Daiya and Follow Your Heart, which retain their shape and color, the TJ shreds seemed to ooze into the rest of the ingredients. It definitely melts like real cheese.

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All my pizzas have these base ingredients: Flatout flatbread for the crust (this stuff is so great AND vegan), roasted red pepper, and pizza sauce (I really like the Safeway brand pizza sauce… and I am extremely sad that we will be losing our Dominick’s/Safeway stores in Chicago next month). I constructed the ‘za and baked it.

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I was definitely weirded out by the discoloration of the cheese and also some of the ooze factor. The first bite tasted had a really sharp taste. There’s definitely something in the cheese to give it this effect. Then, I felt like the cheese was sticking to my teeth and it felt very powdery in my mouth. I sometimes feel like Daiya has this sort of synthetic stickyness to it that I find annoying. This was worse.

I forced myself to eat the rest of the pizza, but I really had to force it down. I don’t think I will give Trader Joe’s Vegan Mozzarella Style Shreds another chance. I’m really glad I tried it, but I would rather have a cheeseless pizza than use it again. Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments! –Melissa

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Jul 29 2013
2 Comments
Cooking, Lazy Vegan

Lavish Lavash Pizza

I’ve always liked the idea of homemade pizza, but I’m intimidated by the dough-making process. I just won’t make dough from scratch, okay? You’re probably thinking, “what about pizza dough from the grocery store?” Call me strange, but there’s something about Boboli that I don’t find appealing.

I visited my friend Jen last weekend. Two things from my trip inspired me to make my own pizza at home using lavash. The first inspiration came from the pizzas Jen made using flatbread from Target. The flatbread made the perfect thin crust. The second was the lavash that was served with our hummus at Crave instead of the usual pita or pita chips. Lavash is light and tastes great when it’s soft and warm as well as when it’s baked to a crisp.

I will be eating homemade pizza all the freaking time now.

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I was excited to find locally made lavash at Fresh Farms in Niles. If you’re in the Chicago area, take the trip up to Fresh Farms. They have a huge selection and you’ll find a lot of vegan products there at a lower price than those other stores. One pack of lavash costs $1.79 and I can make about six pizzas with it.

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Now, I’m not a big fan of grocery shopping so I was about to settle for dairy cheese instead of stopping someplace else to pick up daiya (I know, I know, I’m a terrible vegan). But, Fresh Farms rescued me! I found shredded cheese made by Follow Your Heart. I like Follow Your Heart vegan cheese wedges, but this is the first time I’ve seen their shredded products.

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I love daiya, but I think I might like Follow Your Heart better. Daiya seems to be seasoned. I always know when I’m eating daiya because there’s a certain taste to it that isn’t found in real cheese. I didn’t notice that in the Follow Your Heart. The texture was good and the cheese melted really well.

I got my lavash. I got my cheese. All I needed now was pizza sauce (you can use your favorite pasta sauce or tomato sauce) and toppings. Top your pizza however you would like. Today, I used roasted red peppers, marinated artichokes, crushed red pepper, and italian seasoning. I can’t wait to make others using fresh tomatoes or eggplant or basil or jalapenos from my Dad’s garden. Or… pineapple and vegan bacon! Or seasoned TVP! The possibilities are endless.

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So, pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees, top your pizza, and then bake it for five minutes or until the cheese melts. That’s it! So easy and quick and there’s really no way to screw it up. It’s the perfect Melissa recipe. I am gonna be so fat, you guys. –Melissa

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Jun 18 2013
3 Comments
Dining Out

Dining Out: Duke’s Alehouse & Kitchen

I spent this past weekend with dear friends of mine in Crystal Lake, which is about 45 miles northwest of Chicago. It was a staycation of sorts. It was relaxing, but not “sit on the couch and be lazy” relaxing. It was fun, but not “let’s get wasted and go crazy” fun. It was far away from the noise and the city and my real life, but not “where in the world am I, is that a cow in your backyard” far. The best part was the company.

I really like Crystal Lake. On the drive there from either my home or my work, it gets scenic. It’s becoming more and more rare to drive for awhile and only see trees. It’s also not a short drive. There’s a general feeling that you might drive right into someone’s backyard silo or get lost on a dark road with no surrounding civilization. But then, you get to Crystal Lake, and everything you need is there. Even better, Crystal Lake has a great vegan-friendly restaurant: Duke’s Alehouse & Kitchen.

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Duke’s is located across the street from the Metra station, so I would imagine that those who commute back home from the city stop by here for a pint before heading home. It’s cozy and open and family-friendly. It was a bit rainy when we were there, so they didn’t have any tables outside, but my understanding is that the outdoor seating is popular on a nice day.

The fact that Duke’s is vegan-friendly is great, but what impressed me most about is that everything is locally sourced. They have a large board which I first assumed was a list of beer specials, but it was actually a list of where they got all their meat and vegetables. For carnivores who care about where their meat comes from, this is the place for you.

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Duke’s straightforward vegan options include Grilled Vegetable Flatbread Pizza, Raw Spaghetti Salad (Sun-dried tomato pesto tossed with zucchini “noodles” and served with olive tapenade), Vegan Chili, and Coconut Curried Butternut Squash (Nichols Farm squash braised with onions and golden raisins in a coconut-curry broth, served with roasted antique apples, toasted almonds, brown rice, and fresh cilantro).  I opted for the pizza.

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Look at that arugula!!! The one downfall with flatbread is that it can get soggy pretty quickly, but this crust stayed crisp and held up hours later when I ate the leftovers. The vegetables were grilled and seasoned well. Maybe it’s because I’m turning veganese, but I can tell a fresh vegetable from one that’s been sitting in a cooler somewhere, and these veggies were FRESH. Duke’s doesn’t specify the vegan cheese they use, but this had the taste and texture of Daiya shredded mozzarella.

I would love to go back and try out every other vegan option that Duke’s has. The squash sounded really good, but seemed too heavy for lunch, especially before an activity-filled afternoon. I eavesdropped on a couple of ladies going over the menu, and one commented that the squash was really good.

Duke’s Alehouse and Kitchen has a great vibe, a large beer menu, and is vegan-friendly. The service was friendly and it’s in a great location. Definitely check it out if you find yourself in the area. Or, plan a trip out there!

Visit Duke’s online at http://thedukeabides.com. –Melissa

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Apr 18 2013
1 Comment
Main Dishes

Spicy Peanut Chili Pizza!

This was our first in a line of experiments involving some of our favorite ingredients: PB2, Sriracha and tofu. We wanted pizza but didn’t have any of he traditional ingredients so we decided to wing it and make something Thai-inspired. We used a pre-made gluten-free pizza crust from the ZenCat bakery but you can use a storebought variety or make our home-made crust.
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For the sauce, I combined the following in our blender:
1 block of silken tofu
3 tablespoons of Sriracha or suitable substitute (or to taste)
2 Thai chilis, I used one red and one green (I also buy them in bulk and freeze them)
2 tbsp PB2 or regular peanut butter
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I blended it until it looked smooth while Brent prepared some soy curls.

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We topped it with some sliced tomato and Thai basil (cilantro would work well too) and then baked it until it had started to brown around the edges.

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A sprinkling of chopped peanuts (or cashews) really made this pizza interesting but it won’t suffer if you leave it off. It was creamy, spicy and decadent. It felt a lot naughtier than it was in terms of nutrition. The next time we do this, I’ll probably add some fresh cilantro or Thai basil after baking. I just love the cinnamon flavors it adds.

This is Brent and Christie, signing off!

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Oct 31 2012
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Lazy Vegan, Reviews

Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween from Turning Veganese! Um, now here’s the part where I apologize because this isn’t really a Halloween-themed post, but a Lazy Vegan review of Amy’s Rice Crust Roasted Vegetable Pizza. I liked Amy’s products a lot in my pre-vegan days. Their stuff is just better than other frozen prepared foods in many ways.

This pizza is single serve and topped with shiitake mushrooms, sweet onions, and roasted red peppers. It has no cheese (dairy or otherwise) and is gluten-free. It’s easy to cook in the oven, but what I really loved is that they provided toaster oven directions as well. I love using my toaster oven!! Bonus: no cheese means no potential mess in your oven or oven rack. Sadly, it is not soy-free. It’s not a thousand calories and was the perfect portion for a dinner, though I did make a salad to accompany it.

At the first bite, I was kind of weirded out by the rice crust. I got over it quickly, though. The crust had a nice crunchy texture. The sauce was good and not slimey like on other frozen pizzas. The veggies were good; the sweet onion was the real star among them. I have to admit that the pizza was kind of bland. I sprinkled some garlic salt and red pepper flakes on it and topped with some fresh cilantro that I had in the fridge. It made a HUGE difference!

Here’s a photo of the salad I made. Doesn’t it look delicious? It was!

So, yeah… mine doesn’t exactly look like the version on the box. It might look a little burnt on the edge, but there was no burnt taste and it was just as edible as the rest of the slice. I am likely to buy this again, but I might watch to see when it’s on sale or I have a coupon. Amy’s has a lot of great products, but, unfortunately, you won’t find their vegan products in many (or any) stores outside of your neighborhood Whole Foods.

Now, I have to go back to resisting all the non-vegan Halloween candy I have! –Melissa

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Sep 25 2012
4 Comments
Main Dishes

Fajita Pizza

I’ll have to start in advance by thanking the ZenCat Bakery for the pizza crust but the rest was all about what we had in the refrigerator. There wasn’t any traditional pizza or pasta sauce but we did have some salsa so I knew what we had to do.

I started by sauteing a chopped onion with a diced jalapeño, chopped garlic and some flake red pepper. When the onion began to soften I added some soy curls that Brent prepared with some Brag’s amino acids and cayenne pepper.

I sauteed them until the extra liquid from the soy curls was absorbed. I seasoned it with a little additional onion powder, cumin, coriander, a touch of garlic salt and some garlic powder.

I topped the crust with some salsa and then my fajita mix and then some more salsa. We topped it with Daiya mozzarella (though pepper-jack might have been better) and then I baked it according to Zen Cat bakery’s instructions.

It’s good to have frozen pizza crusts around. It’s a great way for us to have whatever veggies in the fridge that need munching and it’s faster than making pasta. This pizza disappeared quickly and Brent’s face lit up at the possibility of doing it again. We will…

 

This is Brent and Christie, signing off.

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Sep 11 2012
3 Comments
Lazy Vegan

Birthday Pizza!

Brent’s birthday was last month and he wanted pizza. We do periodically make our own crust but I wanted something special so I went to a bakery that knows it’s stuff for a pre-made crust. The Zen Cat Bakery has been a favorite for years with delectable vegan treats that are also reliably gluten-free. I wanted to give them a shout-out for making my early days as a vegan bearable.

I’ve been a big fan of their Super Chunk food bars and Oh Snap! Triple Ginger cookies (above is a picture of what happens to them whenever they arrive) but I digress: this post is about pizza. I ordered 4 pizza crusts from the owner, Angie Kenny via email. I told her when I needed them and they arrived on time and intact.

Before long I also knew they were as delicious and as durable as a wheat crust but without the gastrointestinal distress. We followed Angie’s instructions and created a pizza with vegan gluten-free sausage, mushrooms and pepperoncini peppers.It’s hard to go wrong with all that deliciousness going on.

We covered it with Daiya shreds in cheddar and baked it to toasty perfection.

We found the crusts flavorful but not overpowering and the texture was lightly chewy and airy but substantial. The only thing missing is nutrition data for my daily calorie counting (watching my girlish figure…) but there were no complaints.

Brent was a happy birthday boy and was really psyched to know that we can get awesome pizza crusts! Let me know which companies get your business when you go vegan by mail or if you’ve been by the Zen Cat bakery.

This is Christie, signing off!

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Aug 11 2012
3 Comments
Thoughts

Simply Vegan

I reached another milestone yesterday: I had another birthday! It was my first birthday as a vegan. I don’t know about you, but for birthdays and other holidays, I like to enjoy a decadent meal, guilt-free. This year, I knew exactly what I wanted: a Tofurky cheese pizza and a Chicago Diner cake (which you can find at Chicago-area Whole Foods in addition to the diner itself). Props to my family for getting me exactly what I wanted! My nieces even loved the cake:

She’s a goofy one! That was dinner. Lunch was pretty darn good, too. My sister treated me to falafel from Pita Inn which is the falafel that I measure all other falafel against. In other words, it’s the best.

It was such a breeze to know exactly what I wanted to eat for my birthday. Previous years have been almost annoying… do I want Chinese food? Pizza? If pizza, deep dish or thin crust? Steak? Fried chicken? Gyros? Basically, what awful and unhealthy food should I get? I love that that wasn’t an issue this year.

In other news, I think I have finally settled on the perfect vegan Filipino breakfast:

Super garlicky rice with tempeh strips and tomato salad. I have finally embraced the wondrous tempeh strip. I credit Brent and Christie for that. This breakfast is so easy, super yummy, and hearty! And it MUST be eaten Filipino-style, with a spoon containing a little bit of everything on the plate:

Now please excuse me while I have another slice of that delicious birthday cake! –Melissa

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Mar 28 2012
3 Comments
Recipes, Snacks

The Lazy Vegan: Frozen Pizza and Ranch Dip

Confession: I eat pizza about once a week. Regular, dairy cheese pizza. I know, I know. That’s not very vegan of me. But it’s one of the few non-vegan eats that I will allow myself to enjoy, guilt-free.

I had seen Tofurky brand pizza in the frozen section of WFM. I stared at it during several visits before I finally decided to try it out. What really sold me on it was that they use Daiya ‘cheese’ in their products. When I first tried it, I was floored. I can’t help but associate Tofurky with, well, Tofurky, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Tofurky pizza is delicious! Yes, it’s easy to make your own pizza and we encourage it. But sometimes, you just need something you can take out of a box, pop into the oven, and then devour 15 minutes later. Tofurky pizzas come in three varieties: cheese, pepperoni, and Italian sausage with fire roasted veggies (above). I have tried all but the pepperoni, and that’s next on my list. I don’t know what the secret is to Tofurky pizzas (other than the genius use of Daiya ‘cheese’), but they are tasty and satisfying and need no other spice or sauce to be edible. Unfortunately, they’re not gluten-free. Sadface. In addition, the cost is a little absurd, but still very sensible in the grand scheme of things. Also, ZERO CHOLESTEROL. I love being able to brag about that.

Switching gears, I have recently had a serious craving for ranch dressing/dip. There are a lot of fabulous freshly tossed salads in our work cafe, but I can’t enjoy them because the dressing is ranch or ranch-based. I finally opened up my brain and decided to make my own dip. I have two versions. They’re both really easy to whip into shape, and I have no shame in admitting that I am guessing the proportions in the recipes below — the post is titled The Lazy Vegan, after all. Screwing these up is near impossible.

Vegan Ranch Dip #1, pictured above

1 c Tofutti Sour Supreme
1 tbsp garlic powder or granulated garlic
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tsbp dill

Vegan Ranch Dip #2

1 c vegan mayo – I use Earth Balance
1 tbsp garlic powder or granulated garlic
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tsbp dill
soy or almond milk, as needed for creaminess – I used about a tsp

Enjoy with veggies or chips! Oh, delicious. I’m going to go make myself some dip right now! –Melissa

 

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Mar 11 2012
3 Comments
Cooking, Main Dishes, Recipes

No rise pizza crust… this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!

Pizza crust is one of the easiest things to make. Just know that you’ll make something better (and better for you) than any greasy pizza place can put on your plate. Your family will love it, your kids can help and you’ll serve it with a clean conscience. The picture below is Brent, making his “this tastes sooo good” face.


2 cups flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten Free)
2/3 cup water
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp molasses or whatever sugar you prefer
1 tbsp Italian seasoning

optional (any or all)

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp onion powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

2 tbsp flax meal

Put everything except the baking soda in a bowl and mix thoroughly. This is a great job for kids, but personally I put this task to my favorite set of big strong man hands. The dough should separate from the sides of the bowl and form a ball easily. At this point, mix in the baking soda.

Use your hands to work it into the metal pizza dish or a lightly oiled metal baking pan.

You might need a little more flour to form it into a nice ball and get it into the pan. Cook at 400F/200C for 10 minutes or until the crust begins to brown.

We added peppers, soy sausage, mushrooms and fresh basil over pasta sauce with Daiya mozzarella on top.

Add toppings and cook another 20 minutes until the ‘cheese’ melts. Try not to add too much topping or the crust won’t cook all the way through.

This should make your friends, family and you happy. Use whatever toppings you like and enjoy!

This is Christie and Brent, signing off.

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