And the Winner is…well, you’ll have to read a little bit more. This past weekend, Sunday, December 13, 2009…a date that shall live on in our minds and taste buds for eternity. Julia, aka the Snarky Vegan, had the most brilliant idea that culminated in the Vegan Pizza Smackdown at Delisi’s Pizzeria and [...]]]>

And the Winner is…well, you’ll have to read a little bit more. This past weekend, Sunday, December 13, 2009…a date that shall live on in our minds and taste buds for eternity. Julia, aka the Snarky Vegan, had the most brilliant idea that culminated in the Vegan Pizza Smackdown at Delisi’s Pizzeria and Bar. The premise of the smackdown was to compare how two vegan cheese’s would compare side by side. The competitors were Chicago Soy Dairy’s Teese and Canada’s own Daiya. These two vegan cheeses have been regarded as the best “melty” vegan cheeses in the country. Well, Chicago has put them to the test.

Delisi’s is basically a dive bar on the north side of Chicago. It’s a no frills, no top shelf kind of joint with super friendly service and enthusiastic local regulars that don’t mind drinking and buying you drinks. The perfect spot to find Vegan Pizza, and deep dish pizza at that. In my experience, joints like this are the jewels of the culinary world. Forget the chandeliers, cloth napkins, Grey Goose, 100 year old scotch and dudes uncomfortably dressed in tuxes. Give me a place that forsakes posh, serves well drinks and puts all of its energy into creating delicious food…in this case, Vegan Deep-dish Pizza! It’s my understanding that Delisi’s just recently started serving vegan pizza and it has caught Chicago by storm. As you know, once a vegan finds a great product, word spreads like wildfire. The most effective form of communication known to man…not the the telegram or the telephone…it’s Tell-a-Vegan. Within days, the whole world will be up to speed.

See, a place packed full of Vegans! Anything to do with pizza, you know I couldn’t leave the children at home. If I did it might have been the last time any of y’all had seen me.

Look how serious Lil’ Z is. Now imagine if I had left him home! He would be posted up at the house ready to use that knife and fork on me.

Baby boy ridding his slice of any vegetable content. Just cheese and crust please. Well, he did add ketchup…does that count as a vegetable?

Our lion cub, pretending to eat with sophistication and patience.

Father, this deep-dish pizza is extraordinary. I am thankful for you allowing me to accompany you on this outing.

Yeah right! Believe me, once the camera went down, so did the fork and the pizza at a record setting pace.

Don’t forget about me. Pizza, in my mouth? Pizza, in my mouth?

Sorry, not this time, baby girl.

Awww . Don’t worry, she got some of Chicago Soy Dairy’s Temptation pineapple ice cream and was very happy.

Alright, stop the yapping, can we eat? Yes, let’s all dig in.

Here’s the scoop from my perspective:

Both Teese and Daiya were similar in how they melted. Both claim to veganly emulate the stretchy, gooey, meltiness of dairy cheese. They both melted, but I didn’t see any close similarity to dairy cheese. Maybe right, right, right out of the oven. Hey, that’s not my hang up though. I’m all about taste.

So the winner, according to my taste buds, is….?

That’s right, Chicago’s finest…Teese from Chicago Soy Dairy! Why Teese? I felt it had a milder flavor that combined much better with the other ingredients on the pizza. Teese did not over power only enhanced every bite. Now Daiya, on the other hand, had an after taste. Maybe its from the tapioca or arrowroot flours, maybe the cultures. I don’t know. All I know, that after taste was more dominant than the flavors of the pizza as a whole. Daiya did seem a little creamier than Teese, but that wasn’t enough to take the crown.

So Teese it is for me. Also, the unsung hero of the day has to be Upton’s Naturals faux meats. Along with the vegan cheese, Delisi’s offers a variety of faux meat products produced by Upton’s. My hands down favorite was the vegan pepperoni. So next time I get back to Delisi’s (next time being every week), I’ll be getting my deep-dish with Teese and Upton’s pepperoni.

Who ever said being a vegan lacked taste, has evidently never been to Chicago. Chicago is producing some of the best new vegan products on the market. I looked forward to when the rest of the world catches up with what we know.

Yes, your father is Insane!!

My wife and baby girl have been gone only 6 days and I have officially lost it.  What do you expect me to do with 3 boys and a house to ourselves…hold my composure?  And anyway, it’s my wife’s fault.  About a year ago, she emails me [...]]]>

Yes, your father is Insane!!

My wife and baby girl have been gone only 6 days and I have officially lost it.  What do you expect me to do with 3 boys and a house to ourselves…hold my composure?  And anyway, it’s my wife’s fault.  About a year ago, she emails me this link – The McPizza.  My first thought, naturally, was – ‘I wonder if I could make a vegan version of this.’  My wife’s thought…’That’s just gross {pretty much} and you’re crazy {yes}; and if you do…{insert whatever wifely threat comes after those opening words}.  But hey, another child later, I think it’s safe that she won’t see this post and decide there is no saving me and run for the hills…which she tried numerous times before we got married.  The blessed thing for me is that she couldn’t run that fast.

But hey, I see tons of recipes on TV, online, in books and get inspired.  That’s what I love to do…the kitchen has become my creative zone.   Whether the recipe is intended for the evil carnivores or not,  I create new vegan meals.  But this one might offend my vegan community, especially the militant vegans…you know who you are…cursing me for eating “meat substitutes” and watching Bobby Flay grill some pork tenderloin without the “that is absolutely disgusting!” look on my face.  Well my palate hasn’t developed to the point that raw ravioli with thin sliced zucchini noodles and cold sun-dried tomato sauce is all that good…and it certainly is not ravioli…sorry.  As for Bobby Flay…the guy can flat out cook and anyone can learn by his spice and flavor combinations.

Well, back to the task at hand…Ladies and Gentlemen, Carnivores and Vegans, I give you…vegan shock and awe…The Vegan McPizza.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

The “meat substitutes”:

Some Trader Joe’s Soy Nuggets, Ore Ida Fries and Boca Vegan Patties.  Cook all according to their instructions on the box.  For the Boca burgers, cook and assemble on a bun with ketchup and Vegenaise (I added some grilled onions to mine as well). Also, you’ll need to make some creamy soy cheese.  See the link for Simple Vegan Pizza and follow the recipe.

Lay out your pre-made crust.  There are several kinds at your local health food store…pick according to your preference.

Rub 1 tablespoon of olive oil evenly over the surface of the crust and sprinkle with granulated garlic.

Pick your tomato sauce…As you see, I am using Trader Joe’s Tomato Basil Marinara, which is actually quite good on it’s own.  I have become a tomato sauce snob over the years and usually prefer to make my own.  However, for this monstrosity of a meal, we will keep the sauce simple.

Slather some sauce around…light or heavy…you decide, this recipe is interactive.

Now, let the adventure begin!!

Add the nuggets, covering 1/3 of the pizza.  Next…

Add your assembled Boca burgers to another third of the pizza.  I am using 3, however smaller sized crusts may only need 2.  Are you drooling or shaking your head in disgust!  I’m partial.

Now the fries to  the last third.  Yes, I’m speechless too.

A tantalizing view from above.

Add your creamy soy cheese liberally to the Vegan McAwesomeness.

All cheesed up and ready to go into your 425 degree preheated oven for 15 minutes.

A little pre-cooked cheesy close up.

McWhaaaaatt!  Fresh out of the oven!

Wow…look at those McMountains of Vegan McFabulousness!!!

Only one thing left to do…

Slice and Eat!!  Your little ‘ole pizza cutter won’t get though this terrain, so use a good sized kitchen knife. The results…8 slices of unique pizza wonderfulness.

The boys each took a different route…

The Middle Man choose a half burger, half fry piece with a tip of nugget.  I had him pegged for a nugget, fry piece…the chef isn’t always right, I guess.

Little Z went for the gut-busting half burger, half nugget piece.  Good luck my son, may the vegan force be with you.

Ah yes, the Prince who thought he was King.  As expected of an almost 3 year old…an all fry piece.

This Vegan McPizza is very filling, so it will only take a piece, maybe two, to fill you up…and I mean fill.  I daringly went for two pieces…a half burger, half fry and a half burger, half nugget.  {Ooh, I just heard my wife cringe}  I was stuffed!!  In fact, I couldn’t move until after Derek Fisher bricked that last second 3-pointer.

The flavors were all actually quite good.  The tomato sauce and cheese go well with all 3 toppings by themselves…chicken parmesan, cheese fries w/ marinara dipping sauce, a pizza burger.  But all combined on a pizza…Vegan McMagic!  This is a great pizza for the family, especially the children.  It was certainly a hit with my boys and I guarantee after reading this, the Vegan McPizza is the first thing my wife will want me to make when she gets back.  Well, maybe not…she’ll probably just slap me upside me head {but, secretly, she wants to try it…I just know it}.

Make your Vegan McPizza this weekend…it results in smiles and happy children…and a full belly.  What else could you want?

Now, that’s good eatin’!

Nahum St. Martin

Vegan pizza w/ creamy soy cheese and 3 pepper tomato sauce

You heard right…PIZZA!  I became Vegan about 16 years ago and I can still remember my last non-vegan meal…delicious, heavenly, there-is-nothing-quite like-it pizza!  At the time I was basically vegetarian and ate a little bit of fish.  I had [...]]]>

Vegan pizza w/ creamy soy cheese and 3 pepper tomato sauce

You heard right…PIZZA!  I became Vegan about 16 years ago and I can still remember my last non-vegan meal…delicious, heavenly, there-is-nothing-quite like-it pizza!  At the time I was basically vegetarian and ate a little bit of fish.  I had spent the better part of the year before waning myself off of meat…first pork and beef, then chicken, then fish.  I came to the conclusion that veganism was the next step for me.  Mind you, I was still in college and like most college students, living off of pocket change.  Pocket change was good when your diet consisted of beer and ’25 cent hamburger thursdays’ at a local McDonald’s.  Yes, 25 cent hamburgers…with $5, I could eat for the week.

It wasn’t a difficult decision for me to quit meat, but I the realization that eating only veggies was more expensive than eating meat was (and still is) shocking.  So, as a financially challenged college student, trying to eat healthier was going to be difficult at best.  However, I have never been scared of a challenge and jumping in creek without a paddle (as many of my friends know) seems to be my forte.

Decision made…time for my last meal.  Beef, pork, chicken, fish…all easy for me to give up.  Cheese, oooh, that gooey, salty, so deliciously diverse wonder dairy product.  Now that is a lot to ask for.  But to be vegan…no dairy products…no cheese…sadness… sweet, sweet sadness.  I planned my last meal.  It was a Thursday night, I ordered a veggie pizza on whole wheat crust from Gumby’s Pizza.  Let me tell you, I can still recall sitting on my couch, pizza on the coffee table, and slowly, lovingly eating a whole pie.  Cheese was the bomb.

OK, back to the present.  Over the years, I have tried several recipes for pizza.  There is no vegan cheese that will replace the meltability of dairy cheese (Did I just say ‘meltability’ – Merriam Webster, you can add that, no charge).  Many have tried…Follow Your Heart, Teese and new kid on the block Daiya…but it will never be the same.  Plus, in order to replicate the high fat content of dairy cheese the vegan knock offs tend to be very oily once heated/melted.  The closest you can get is taste and texture, where I feel our Ste Martaen line has excelled.

With that being said, I’ll get to the point and share this recipe with you.  In this recipe we’ll use a creamy soy cheese and a 3 pepper & vegan sausage tomato sauce. This homemade soy cheese is a blended/whipped cheese that I feel works best for vegan pizza because it stays moist and packs flavor.  So first or second, follow the Creamy Soy Cheese link and get that together (make one recipe).

Now (or first), put your sauce together. You can buy pre-made sauce from the store, I guess but you’ll be much happier if you make our 3 Pepper & Vegan Sausage tomato sauce. Follow the link, you won’t be disappointed (make one recipe). Let’s get started…

Cheese is done & the sauce is simmering: pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees…Let’s assemble this Pizza!

VEGAN PIZZA  w/ Creamy Soy Cheese & 3 Pepper Sausage Tomato Sauce

For the crust, I use the god-send of all pre-made crusts.

I get this 20″ flatbread from Al Khayyam grocery and bakery on the North side of Chicago (They don’t have a website, so I linked their Yelp profile).  I call it flatbread, but it is really like a hybrid between Middle Eastern pita and Greek flatbread.  All I know, they bake it fresh daily and it makes the perfect pizza crust.  I think it is was better than the pre-made crusts you can get anywhere and way easier than trying to make dough yourself (although I am determined to master it one day).  If you are not in the Chicago area, it’s worth the trip to get some.  But, I would suggest researching your local Middle Eastern bakeries to see if they produce something similar…you will not be disappointed.  Now, if push comes to shove and you can’t find something similar, buy some pre-made dough…the pizza will still be dynamic!

To the crust, add a tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with granulated garlic powder.  Rub the entire crust to thoroughly cover with oil and garlic.

Next, add about 3 ladles of sauce (that’s about 12 ounces) to coat generously.  Remember, this is your pizza, you can always add more or less.  I divide the 3 Pepper sauce recipe evenly between two 20″ crusts.

That’s looking good.  Now heavily dollop the Soy Cheese all over the pizza.

A lot of dollop’ll do ya!!  Now, use a rubber spatula or the back of a wooden spoon to spread the cheese evenly around the pizza.

Your show now.  Top with whatever your heart contents.  Today, I’m going simple…some diced plum tomatoes and pickled jalapeno slices.

Now, place on a pizza stone (for you pizza aficionados) or on a large baking sheet (like me).  Bake as follows:

• 5 min – soft crust
• 7 min – soft inner crust, crispy outer crust (my favorite)
• 10 min – crispy crust

Remove from oven and place on your hard stone or ceramic counter top or on a large baking board.

Now slice 4 times into 8 slices and EAT!!!  By now, everyone is hovering around so feed your family and enjoy!

Get started, enjoy!

Vegan dreams do come true!

Your first bite will be a welcome reward for all you work.  And the family will love you that much more…

We love you!! More pizza?

Buon Appetito!!!  Enjoy your Vegan Pizza!!!

Mmmmmm, now that's good pizza!

Nahum St. Martin