Personal Pizzas with Eggplant Crust

Ever thought, why does pizza have to come on a doughy crust? I did too. Well, I was perusing the internets when I came across a unique take on homemade pizzas. Eggplant pizza? What, even? Intrigued, I scanned the recipe; realizing I had the majority of the ingredients I seriously went to Trader Joe's just to buy an eggplant. Only an eggplant. That's all. This is the aftermath which a few of my friends so luckily got to enjoy.

Photo courtesy of the Instagram: ZeroDecorum

Ingredients:

• 1 eggplant                              ($0.89)
• 1 cup marinara sauce            ($0.53)
• 4  vegan italian sausages      ($1.35)
• ½ cup vegan mozzarella        ($0.96)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil                    -
• enough coarse sea salt to coat both sides of the sliced eggplant but I did not measure so I am not sure how much that is, sorry

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to bake at 400ºF. Slice the eggplant into ½ inch slices. If sliced too thin, the salting and baking will cause the eggplant to get soggy and crumble. If sliced too thick, the baking process will not make the eggplant crispy enough to hold the weight of the ingredients. I have found that ½ inch thick slices yield the most sturdy, crispy pizzas; every eggplant is different so you may have to adjust the thickness for your liking. Coat both sides of the eggplant with the coarse salt and let sit for 15-20 minutes. Salt brings out the bitter taste inherent in the eggplant; after 20 minutes wipe all moisture and residue off of the eggplant slices. Slice the sausages and fry them in oil until crispy. Heat the marinara sauce on the stove until warmed through. Lightly sprinkle the eggplant slices with sea salt and set on an oiled baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes but do not let the eggplant get mushy when baked too long. Remove the slices and top with the sauce, sausage, and cheese. Set the oven to broil and place the pizzas in for about 3 minutes, just to melt the cheese. Remove and devour. 

The smaller end of the eggplant will make mini bite sized pizzas
while the larger end makes personal "pan" pizzas

Place the eggplant slices on a paper towel before salting to ensure
the most moisture is absorbed and the bitterness removed

Sometimes the smaller slices will get crispy quicker than
the larger slices so keep checking while baking and remove if necessary

Tofurky is my go-to faux meat
WATCH OUT: Trader Joe's meatless Italian Sausage contains egg whites! 

Slice the sausage into ½ inch slices for a more meaty texture
Slice thinner for a crispier variation

I usually place the cooked sausage bites on a paper towel
to soak up that extra oil
I KNOW, I am THAT person who dabs their greasy pizza...

Fav sauce right now: Trader Joe's Tomato Basil 

Yurm

Whatta feast!

Vegan Alfredo

Smooth, creamy and savory, this vegan Alfredo sauce will send your tastebuds into a cheesy, buttery frenzy. It is hard to believe it is vegan because it actually tastes better than many non-vegan Alfredo sauces. 

Ingredients:

• 1 c. coconut milk                   ($1.82)
• ½ c. nutritional yeast             ($1.66)
• 1 medium clove of garlic       ($0.26)
• 1 tsp. dried basil                    ($0.05)
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• a dash of black pepper

Asparagus pairs very well with this creamy Alfredo sauce.

Preparation:

Peel and mince the garlic. Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Heat on medium, stirring frequently until almost boiling. Continue to simmer 5 minutes or until the sauce starts to thicken. The longer the sauce boils, the thicker it will become. Pour over your favorite pasta. This quick and easy sauce costs $3.79 and will quickly become a new favorite. 

This recipe came from The Fitchen. They specialize in healthy eating that is "sometimes raw, usually vegan, always organic." 

Experiment with this recipe. Serve with some freshly steamed veggies or use a different herb or spice instead of basil.

Nutritional yeast is the secret ingredient in this recipe. While the coconut milk provides the creamy base, the nutritional yeast adds a fistful of flavor and nutrients like the B-complex vitamins. These vitamins, like Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, and Pyridoxine, are hard to come by with a vegan diet. It is a magical product sent from above. This delicious seasoning can be used in sauces and as a topping for popcorn, potatoes, vegetables, rice, salads, and bread! BRAGG® Nutritional Yeast Seasoning has been around for over 100 years and can be found in most grocery and health food stores. 

Vegan Pizza! Vezza!

Seriously, is there anyone on this earth that does not enjoy a greasy, melty, savory slice of pizza? I doubt it. Satisfy your craving with a vegan take on the classic pizza. 

Ingredients:

• 1 ready-to-bake pizza dough                ($1.14)
• 1 cup of flour                                           ($0.02)
• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil                    ($0.02)
• ½ of a red pepper                                   ($0.55)
• ½ of a yellow pepper                              ($0.43)
• ½ of a can black olives, drained            ($0.54)
• 1 cup of mushrooms, sliced                  ($0.66)
• 1 jar of pizza sauce                                 ($1.67)
• 1 bag of vegan soy cheese                   ($2.89)

Colorful veggie toppings! Get creative with your
favorite toppings for your vezza.

Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven to 450°F. Lay out some flour in a thin layer. Roll the uncooked pizza dough around in the flour to coat all of the outside surface. Flatten and spread the dough out. Coat the bottom of a baking tray with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Place the dough on the tray, spreading it to all the edges. Spread the pizza sauce evenly over the dough. Sprinkle a light layer of cheese over the sauce. Add the veggie toppings evenly. Cover the veggies with the rest of the cheese. Place the vezza in the oven for at least 30 minutes. Soy cheese takes longer to melt than dairy cheese. Remove the vezza when the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted. Let cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving.  Eat up!

Costing $7.92, this pizza will serve 4...or 2 starving, impoverished vegan college students. Eating out is the most costly manner of dining nowadays so enjoy how inexpensive it can be to make vegan alternatives to everyday omnivore food.

Did you know?

What could go better with vezza than an ice cold can of BEER?! Steel Reserve is a good beer for impoverished vegans because it is considered a high gravity beer. At 8.1% ABV, alcohol by volume, Steel Reserve is an inexpensive yet alcoholic beer. 

Beer is old. Traces of pots containing ancient beer have been traced back almost 5,000 years. Theories exist that the manna from the Old Testament of the Bible was actually a bread-based beer called wusa. I hope this is true because 40 years of walking around the desert can be miserable without any manna beer. Beer became an everyday staple for people of all social statuses in northern and eastern Europe during the Middle Ages. Grapes for wine were not easily cultivated there, so beer became the dominant adult beverage. Beer was consumed instead of water for sanitary purposes. The boiling required for the brewing process decontaminated the beer, so why not drink beer instead of contaminated water?

The Kalevala, a Finnish epic poem of collected oral traditions contains more lines about the origin of brewing beer than the origin of mankind itself. The patron goddess of brewing in ancient Sumer was called Ninkasi. In Egyptian mythology, the immense blood-lust of the fierce lioness goddess Sekhmet was only sated after she was tricked into consuming an extremely large amount of red-colored beer. She became so drunk that she gave up her hunt altogether.

If you are over the age of 21, feel free to enjoy (responsibly) a nice glass (or gallon) of beer with your vegan pizza. You will feel at least 80% more American, but 100% better about being cruelty-free! Save Animals, Eat Vezza.

Quick and Easy Vegan Stew

Described as 'ohmygod' good, this hearty stew was thrown together by my good friend Emily Moore. 

Emily's succulent stew

Ingredients:

• 1 can black beans                                   ($0.99)
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes                  ($0.62)
• 1 can mixed tomatoes and okra            ($1.59)
• 3 shakes of garlic powder                      ($0.02)
• a dash of salt                                           ($0.01)

Preparation:

Place the contents of all three cans into a large saucepan. DO NOT drain or rinse the contents of the cans. Heat on medium high until stew begins to bubble, then turn heat to medium. Add a few shakes of garlic powder and a dash of salt. Cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and serve! 

By using the bean, tomato, and okra juices, the result is a thick, hearty stew base with just a hint of okra to round out the flavor. This thick base also satisfies non-vegans in the family because it mimics the thick, beef-based broth of a Brunswick stew. Eww, meat. Can you believe they used to put squirrel, rabbit, chicken, cow, roadkill, and other assorted meat products into food for dinner? Meat is not only expensive but unethically sourced and sometimes fatal. If consumed, consult your physician when side effects include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, bacterial contamination, elevated hormone levels, upset stomach, indigestion, fatigue, or cancer. For only $3.23, this incredibly filling stew contributes positively to your body and all animals everywhere. Lending itself to experimentation, try adding some corn or a different type of bean. If you have some fresh banana peppers, slice those--uncooked--on top for a bowl of crunchy goodness. If you enjoy a bit of spicy heat, sprinkle a bit of crushed red pepper flakes over the finished product. Enjoy with pita slices, bread, crackers, or breadsticks for a super carb-ed meal. As if this stew could get any better, try serving it over a bed of rice for a well-rounded dinner sensation! If you are feeling really crazy, try everything that is suggested and your tastebuds will implode with satisfaction.

My attempt at this delightful stew.
It was super thick and almost chili-like. 

I also added steamed jasmine rice and banana peppers!
This added just the right twang for a good ole southern stew!

About the contributor: 

Emily Moore is an independent freelance editor and writer. She has always supported our veganism, or veganity, as I like to say. I do not know the correct noun but it is super fun to say 'veganity'. Emily has been ever faithful to this blog by editing and organizing my jumble of thoughts into coherent sentences, paragraphs, and blog posts. Many thanks to her and if you are ever in need of editing or writing, she is your gal. Here is her website. 

Feel free to leave comments, suggestions, and pictures! 

Better Bruschetta

It is 2 PM. Your stomach rumbles, head spins, and eyelids droop. Sounds like it is time for a snack! Instead of grabbing a chemical filled energy drink or fully loaded cup of coffee, how about having a nutritious, savory slice of bruschetta. 

Fresh bruschetta with hummus and spinach

Ingredients:

• 1 slice whole-grain bread             ($0.33)
• 2 tbsp. roasted garlic hummus   ($0.35)
• 1 handful of baby spinach            ($0.12)
• 4 tbsp. bruschetta topping          ($0.50)

Preparation: 

Toast the bread until lightly brown. Spread the hummus on the bread. Top with baby spinach leaves and the bruschetta topping and devour like a wild herbivore. The bruschetta mix I used was store bought, containing tomatoes, onions, garlic and basil.

Ready in less than 5 minutes, this $1.30 snack is karmically and nutritiously better than any dollar menu item at any fast food joint. In the afternoons, caffeine is so very seductive. It tempts not only your neurotransmitters, but also your palate. Delicious coffee is delicious!  One cup of coffee in the morning keeps your mind focused, as well as reducing the risk of heart failure and Alzheimer's disease. In the afternoon, your body has worked off the caffeine and tells you that you probably need another boost. Fill this with vitamins and nutrients instead. Your body will thank you later. 

Eating a vegan diet, the human body will need sustenance intermittently throughout the day due to the small amount of calories in such large amounts of food. Take a look at this chart from Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. 

The amount of calories it takes to fill up a human stomach with vegetables is about 400. For chicken, it is about 1,200! We can achieve that same, satisfied, full feeling on vegetables, and eat MORE! Eating small meals and snacks throughout the day is the best way to keep the body well nourished and functioning properly. This also keeps the metabolism on its toes and processing well into the later years of life.

Did you know?

The most commonly accepted pronunciation of bruschetta is not what you think. In Italian, the digraph <ch> is always pronounced /k/. ex.  [bru'sket:ta] 

Brusketta. Brushetta. Bruschketta. Bruschetta. VIVA L'ITALIA! 

Labor Day Dogs

This weekend, how about eating a traditional American hot dog? It's not a problem, even for a vegan, when you have Smart Dogs® by Lightlife™! They are amazingly juicy, plump, and healthy alternatives to the amalgamation of meat-like substances that make up regular hot dogs.

What a delightful looking Smart Dog!

Ingredients:

• 1 whole-grain hot dog bun
• 3 slices of a Roma tomato
• 1 handful of baby spinach
• 2 tbsp. diced onion
• 2 tbsp. yellow mustard
• 1 Smart Dogs® vegan hot dog

Preparation:

If you have a grill, I would suggest grilling the Smart Dogs® for about 5 minutes or until warm. For a lighter and less crispy taste, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the hot dogs and remove from heat. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes, then remove and place on a serving plate or paper towel to let them dry for a minute. Toast the buns on a low temperature for 2 minutes for a crunchy texture. Mustard is absolutely delicious so I smother the bun with mustard, add the veggies and hot dog, then dribble on more mustard. 

Cost:

• 1 whole-grain hot dog bun          ($0.54)
• 3 slices of a Roma tomato          ($0.58)
• 1 handful of baby spinach           ($0.12)
• 2 tbsp. diced onion                      ($0.06)
• 2 tbsp. yellow mustard                ($0.08)
• 1 Smart Dogs® vegan hot dog  ($0.50)

For a meager $1.88 you can create a vegan taste explosion that also requires a very small amount of labor for this not-so-Labor Day weekend!

Both this post and the previous use meat alternative products. For a meat-eater transitioning slowly to a more vegan lifestyle, this is the easiest route. I would recommend any new vegan take it slowly and allow the meat substitutes to fill the desire for meat. My diet consists mostly of unprocessed foods, but occasionally, I like to indulge in fancy faux-meat like Smart Dogs®.

The Lightlife™ website shows many recipes and varieties of "hot dogs" to enjoy. From Mediterranean flair to Sesame Apple cole-slaw, every recipe has a unique flavor. 

I do NOT endorse getting blackout-crazy-crunk-turnt up-fall over plastered on non-vegan booze. I DO, however, present you this wonderful site: Barnivore. It will help you choose which vegan alcohol to enjoy responsibly this Labor Day Weekend. Or irresponsibly. You can go hog-wild without the hog because these vegan dranks do not contribute to animal cruelty! 

Read more about the "meat" you are consuming and watch the video. You will never allow another hot dog to enter your body.

All-American, blue ribbon winning PBR

Eat up, drink up, and enjoy your weekend feeling healthy and morally responsible. And most importantly: stop wearing white after Monday. It is tacky. 

Did you know?

Labor Day was put in place in 1894 to placate union workers after the Pullman Strike, this holiday celebrates workers economic and social contributions to society. Nowadays, most professionals take the day off to relax, eat barbecue, drink a beer, and cherish the last few weeks of summer. The laborers continue to work and provide for their families. Funny how the holiday created for them was taken away and enjoyed by the very people who caused the numerous deaths, strikes, and sufferings for the union workers. Labor Day is also a time to take advantage of huge retail sales. Companies have extended hours and full staff available for the rush of customers; again, the laborers must work harder on their own holiday.

Photo taken by: Jonathan Charles (Instagram: zerodecorum)

(Twitter: zerodecorum)
Edited by: Emily Moore and Jonathan Charles

My Instagram: whatahipster

My Twitter: whatascenester