Who doesn’t love pizza? Even if you don’t love one pizza, there are so many others that can cater to your needs. It is a magical food, the ultimate delivery method of deliciousness that can be adapted to any situation and any craving.
This is arguably our favorite pizza. When it comes down to it, we make this pizza far more frequently than any other. It has the richness of a pizza with the cheese and barbecue sauce, the hardiness with the roasted cauliflower, and the protein with the chickpeas. Cheap to shop for, easy to prepare, and exceedingly delicious to eat. Plus the leftovers are just as good!
BBQ Cauliflower Pizza
Makes: dinner for four, or dinner and leftovers for two
Omnivore Index: Everyone will know this is a vegan pizza, and everyone who tries it will not mind at all.
Ingredients
–Quick Rise Pizza Dough (recipe) -1 head of cauliflower -Vegetable oil or equivalent -Spices of choice (salt and pepper, steak seasoning, TraderJoe 21 Seasoning Salute – for a few examples) -1 can of chickpeas, drained (you can save the aquafaba for other recipes) -Babecue sauce of choice (we use Sweet Baby Ray’s) -Cheddar or pepperjack nondairy cheese
Optional ingredient suggestions: this goes great with avocado slices!
Instructions
-Prepare the Quick Rise Pizza Dough and cover bowl to let rise in bowl (follow that recipe and then use these toppings to finish pizza)
-Clean and chop cauliflower into florets -Put cauliflower into large bowl, drizzle with oil, and sprinkle in spices of your choice, then toss gently to distribute oil and seasoning -Bake cauliflower on baking sheet at 425°F for 20 minutes -Roll out dough after at least 20 minutes rising -Remove cauliflower from oven -Top dough with cauliflower first, then chickpeas -Drizzle barbecue sauce across the pizza and top with cheese -Bake in the oven at 525°F for 12 minutes, letting stand 5 minutes to cool before cutting and eating
-Optionally, top with green onions and avocado slices before serving
Closing Argument
This pizza has the satisfying hardiness of a bbq chicken pizza without any need for animal products. Topped with avocado for healthy fat, it really delivers maximum yum.
I spent most of my adult life without mac and cheese. It was something I distantly remembered eating as a kid but the memories were as faint and foggy as everything else from the first decade of my life. I had not found enjoyable substitutes in my early vegan years and then stopped looking for it, stopped thinking about it. Just didn’t seem like a feasible ask, to have creamy, indulgent mac and cheese totally suffering-free.
I was, as I have often been in my life when I found certainty, mistaken.
The first time we made this mac and cheeze recipe was a game changer. It was so perfect and also unthinkably easy. We did it with bbq shreddies then (Morningstar farms pulled pork or shredded jackfruit, if you want to try). Then we were in London, Ontario and tried vegan fast food from Globally Local. They had “Supreme Style Loaded Fries” that were cheeze and taco meat on fries. We decided to adapt it onto loaded mac and cheeze. Now it is my favorite meal to eat. Yumm.
Taco Supreme Mac and Cheeze
Serves: 4, or 2 people for two meals
Omnivore Index: There is nothing vegan about this creamy, taco supreme bundle of joy
Ingredients
-16 oz pasta shape of choice -1/4 cup nondairy butter -1/4 cup flour
Cheeze Sauce -4.5 oz (1 cup) raw cashews, soaked in water overnight then drained -1/4 cup nutritional yeast -3 cups plain nondairy milk -2-3 cloves garlic -1 tbsp white miso -2 tsp apple cider vinegar -2 tsp dry mustard -1/2 tsp turmeric -2 tsp salt
Taco Meat -8-10 oz meatless crumbles -1 tbsp chili powder -1 tsp paprika -1 tsp cumin -1/4 tsp cayenne -1/2 tsp oregano -1/2 tsp salt -1/4 – 1/2 cup water -1 tsp onion powder -1/2 tsp garlic powder -freshly cracked black pepper (like… ten cranks)
Recipe
-Cook and drain pasta according to normal package instructions -Combine all Cheeze Sauce ingredients in high speed blender and blend for at least a full minute or until smooth -Thaw crumbles -Combine crumbles with all Taco seasoning ingredients, microwave until hot 2-3 minutes -In a medium pot, melt butter -Add flour, cook while stirring for 2-3 minutes or until slightly golden -Whisk in Cheeze Sauce, cook and stir over medium heat (5-7 minutes) -Mix Cheeze Sauce into pasta -Top with preferred fixings and enjoy (we go for diced tomato, shredded lettuce, and a dollop of plain nondairy yogurt)
Notes
We use Silk plain protein nut milk We use Earth Balance butter We use Silk plain yogurt We use Simple Truth brand meatless crumbles (found at Kroger in our area) but Gardein would be second choice In these pictures, we had Spinach instead of romaine
Closing Arguments
I swear, this goes on the dinner list every other week because I always want it.
Alternative idea for Loaded Mac n Cheez:
Chicken Parmesan Mac n Cheez
-same mac n cheez recipe, but instead of taco supreme it is served with vegan chicken patty (Simple Truth brand in this case) with vegan cheez broiled on top
Nora: I’ve always loved breakfast food, but I’ve never been much of a fan of eggs. Growing up, the only way I’d eat them would be “dippy eggs” (aka over-easy). I would make my parents crazy because after dipping toast in the yolks, I’d never eat the whites. These fries are topped with a delicious “eggy sauce” that reminds me of rich silky egg yolk… without the egg!
Josh: Everything we eat eventually ends up on a pizza or as loaded fries. One day we were thinking loving thoughts about brunch and decided in a burst of inspiration that we could have breakfast for dinner. All plant-based and shamelessly indulgent. We swapped hashbrowns for waffle fries and viola!
Breakfast sausage, bacon, and pepperjack cheese baked up onto crispy waffle fries, topped with an eggy, pseudo hollandaise sauce that just seals the deal. This dinn is one of those meals that we usually find ourselves in the “clean plate club” afterward.
Foil boats
Loaded Breakfast Fries
Source: His Bite Her Bite
Serves: 2, heartily
Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients: For fries: 1 bag frozen waffle fries or tots 8 oz breakfast sausage 4 strips bacon (or some bac’n bits) 1/2 c pepperjack shredded cheese green onions, for topping
Eggy Sauce: 1c water 4 tsp corn starch 2 tsp nutritional yeast 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp turmeric
Directions: 1. Bake fries according to package directions. 2. While fries are baking, cook sausage according to package directions (we use the microwave). Crumble or roughly chop into small bits. 3. In a small pot, whisk together water and corn starch, then whisk in everything else. 4. Cook over med-high heat, whisking as it cooks. Simmer 3-5 minutes until sauce coats the back of a spoon. 5. During the last 5 minutes of baking the fries, slide a few fries over and add the bacon, cook until crisp. 6. Make two tin foil boats, place on the baking sheets used for the fries. Add cooked fries, crumbled sausage, top with cheese. Broil until cheese is melted. Remove from oven. 7. Move foil boats to individual plates. Using a small, sharp knife, slit the underside of the boats in an x-shape. Pull foil apart, leaving the fry pile on the plate. 8. Top the fries-sausage-cheese with eggy sauce, crumbled bacon and green onion.
For the dinner pictured here, we used the following:
Nora: Normally I don’t finish a full plate of loaded fries, but with these I’m in the Clean Plate Club every time! Josh: You bet your ass I’m munching these fries.
Nora: Dumplings (gnocchi are dumplings, I say), cooked carrots, broth… plus it cooks in 30 minutes. I love a simple soup where you don’t have to pull out the whole spice rack to end up with a delicious meal at the end.
Josh: We had this soup for the first time when my sister and her partner were having us over for dinner. They did it without meat on account of us and served it with bread. It was delicious. We were practically starving at the time though, so we wondered if it would be as good under normal circumstances. I won’t keep you in suspense: it is.
We made a few minor changes before adding it to our repertoire and are very pleased with it. Every time we make it, we verbally remind each other, “Mm, this is good soup.” Good for cold weather, having company over, or just for the love of soup. Cheap to shop for, easy to assemble, and quick to cook. Great, pain-free dinner for when you don’t have much time to cook or don’t want to spend much time to cook.
Kale and Gnocchi Soup
Makes: Dinner for two, lunch leftovers for two (or dinner for four)
Omnivore Index: People will see this soup doesn’t contain meat but when they try it they won’t miss it.
Ingredients
1 onion, diced 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 carrots, peeled and sliced (or about 10 baby carrots) A bunch of kale, de-stemmed (we added about two soup bowls’ worth this time) 5 cups chicken-ish broth 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp basil Pinch red pepper flakes 1 tsp salt 20 cranks cracked black pepper 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained 1 lb gnocchi 1/2 cup milk
Directions
-Saute onion and garlic in oil over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Add carrots and cook another 3-5 minutes. -While those cook, pull kale leaves off the thick stems and slice or shred into smaller leaves. Wash. -Add kale to pot and cook another 3-5 minutes. -Add broth, spices, pepper, and chickpeas. Bring to a boil. -Add gnocchi and cook for 3-5 minutes. -Remove from heat and add milk.
Notes:
-For nondairy milk, we use Silk Protein Nut Milk (plain flavor). -For broth, we use Better than Bouillon No Chicken base. -Chickpeas are one of our all-time favorite protein sources when we cook. Way cheaper than buying faux meats, easy to add to a recipe that is lacking for protein, and hearty enough not to mush when you cook them. -If you really hate kale you could try usimg spinach, just add it in after you finish cooking the gnocchi.
Closing Arguments
Nora: Super good for cold nights but light enough that you don’t have to give it up in the summer. Josh: If you’re like me, you’ll use every opportunity to eat gnocchi. Mmmm.
Nora: Michigan seems poised to finally get some crappy winter weather so here’s a lovely rich stew to warm you up. I have always loved drop dumplings so I was delighted to get to enjoy some tonight. My mom didn’t like to make them for us when she did chicken and dumplings because drop dumplings disappear too quickly when you’re feeding five. Rolled-flat dumplings are still good… but… I digress. If you find these dumplings go too quickly for your family (or your own appetite for dumplings) it would be quite easy to throw another batch of dumplings in the pot while you reheat the leftovers. You might be able to get away with pulling out all the dumplings and cooking a second batch immediately. Either way, you MUST pull the floaters out and store them separately from the rest of the stew unless you want your leftovers to transform into winter vegetable mush.
Don’t be alarmed by the apple juice in this recipe. You’ll add salt to taste and I promise it won’t turn out too sweet. Someday we might try swapping the juice for more broth and cutting up an apple to cook with the veggies. Also, my brain wants to add a little curry powder to this to make it into mulligatawny, but that’s another post.
Josh: This is a fantastic stew recipe that is easy to make and satisfying to eat. There is some initial prep involved, chopping up veggies mostly, but after that you basically let it cook and do your own thing for a while. The flavors of the stew turned out fantastic, and the complementary but somewhat contrasting flavors of the dumplings provided really wonderful spikes of flavor that added so much value to the meal.
This recipe is cat approved by Easley, our hellspawn.
When we make this, it frees us up from the obligation to cook, the panic about not eating, and the obligation to eat for just long enough in the evening to decompress while it cooks. I don’t know about you, but we work full time jobs that aren’t blog related. When we get home from work, there is a lot that needs to get done including some mental relaxation. In my case, I also work freelance, so my evenings often involve the Batman job as well as what home things need doing. This recipe is amazing because I can get other things done while knowing dinner is on the way. And dinner is super yum.
Winter Stew with Dumplings
Makes: Two bowls for dinner and two bowls for lunch
Ingredients: For the stew: – 1 Tbsp oil – 6 cloves garlic, minced – 1 onion, chopped – 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar – 2 large russet potatoes, diced – 12 ounces mushrooms, sliced – 8oz baby carrots, chopped – 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped – 4c (32oz) vegetable (“beef”) broth – 1c good apple cider or juice (we used Simply Apple from the refrigerated section) – 2 Tbsp liquid aminos or soy sauce – 2 bay leaves – 1/2 tsp oregano, dried – 1/4 tsp thyme, dried – pinch red pepper flakes – lots of salt and pepper to taste
For the dumplings: – 1 1/3c all purpose flour – 2 tsp baking powder – 1 tsp baking soda – 1 tsp salt – 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast – 1 tsp spice blend (we used 21 Seasoning Salute from Trader Joe’s) – 2/3c nut milk – 1 Tbsp oil
Directions: 1. In a large pot, heat the oil on medium high. Add the garlic and onion. Saute the for about 5 minutes until the onion is soft and starts to brown. 2. Add the apple cider vinegar, and stir to deglaze. 3. Add the cut potatoes, mushrooms, carrots and parsnips. Liberally season with salt and pepper. Saute the veggies for a couple minutes. 4. Add the broth, apple cider/juice, liquid aminos and spices. 5. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes or until the veggies are cooked through. 6. When the stew is nearly done, mix together dry dumpling ingredients. Test the stew, and when the spuds are soft and the carrots just slightly firm (or however you like your veggies), add the milk and oil. Stir batter briefly to combine. 7. Taste the stew for seasoning and remove the bay leaves. Stir well. Keeping the stew at a simmer, drop golf ball sized dough blobs into the pot. Plop dumplings in different areas of the pot to keep them from sticking together. You should get about a dozen dumplings. 8. Cover, simmer 10 minutes or until dumplings are done. A toothpick inserted into a dumpling should come out clean.
Remove dumplings before storing leftovers.
Closing Arguments
Nora: other than the chopping, this recipe is super simple and hands off. Great for reading on the couch while dinner cooks. The dumplings are sublime, so light and fluffy! Josh: The dumplings are worth killing for. Be prepared to make extra because they are so fucking good with this stew.
