Put some Pizzaz! on that Pizza!!

Pizza and beer. Music to my ears. Remember in elementary school (or when you're on a road trip or stuck somewhere with someone) the question of "If you were stranded on a dessert island and could only have one thing to eat and drink for the rest of your life....." My answer is and will always be... Pizza and Beer. But I have to say, fake mozzarella doesn't do justice, not a damn thing. No fake cheese does (except for my mom's - georgia's - homemade fake cheese that she makes for me :)... that woman is magical) or ever will compare to the real thing ... especially on pizza. So I ask you this... why? Why even try. Why not make a pizza so damn good and full of flavor you wouldn't even know cheese was a regular topping. That, is exactly what I did. Check it out my friends, on the menu tonight we have...

BBQ Blackened Tofu pizza and Thai Peanut Tofu Pizza. The BBQ one is a bit of an endeavor, but if you have the time, totally worth it. The Thai totally easy and totally fast, if you really wanna cut corners you could buy an already made crust, but I think making crust is the funnest (yes, you read it correctly) the funnest part!!

SOOOO amazing. I can't begin to explain how good these are, so please, just get in the kitchen crack a brew and find out for yourself. You will not regret it. Please, Enjoy!!

BBQ Blackened Tofu Pizza 

Now, this pizza, like any pizza has a couple of different steps so I'm just going to lay them out for you right now. (It helps if you're making this with friends or family and each person can tackle of different job to have a meal truly full of love.)
Ok so there's the crust - now I have an amazing crust recipe that actually makes two 14 in. pizza's - SO that takes care of both pizza's.
Then there's the sauce and the tofu. First things first.

The Crust
I think any pizza crust recipe you find is basically the same: yeast, water, sugar, flour and salt. The key that I found to making a killer crust is the kneading. Like my roomy Riley says, "You need to knead". And it's true, you need to knead.. a lot. In Isa Chandra Moskowitz's book Vegan with a Vengeance, she has a couple of things to say about Pizza dough and I obeyed, and it worked. I will give you a condensed version, but like I said - knead!

Remember this makes 2, 14 in crusts.

-1 cup warm water
-1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
-1 package active dry yeast
-2 tbsp. olive oil , plus a tad
-3 cups all purpose flour
-1 teaspoon salt
-cornmeal (which isn't necessary)

Place the warm water in a small bowl and dissolve the sugar. Add the yeast and mix well. Let sit for a couple of minutes, bubbles are good. Then mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Go back to your yeast mixture and add 2 tbsp. of the olive oil and pour into the dry mix and stir, pretty soon you will have a pile of almost ready dough. If the dough seems dry don't worry about it just yet, start the kneading and then make a decision whether you need to add more water. Sprinkle flour on the counter top and your hands and have at it. You want to knead for a good 10 minutes. If you dough is sticky just keep flouring your hands.... if its really sticky then add just a tad more flour, but remembering to knead first before making any final decisions about what your dough does and does not need. When the dough is nice and stretchy (stretch armstrong style) for it into a nice ball.  Throw a dash of oil into a bowl that's at least double the size of the dough ball and throw your dough bowl in it coating the outside with the oil. Cover it with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let it sit for an hour. It should double in size. Give it a good punch, knead for another minute, let it sit for a minute and you can stretch it! Roll it with a pin, hang it and let gravity do the work, whatever you need to do to fit the pan you're using. Whew... onto part B!

The Sauce
A beautiful BBQ sauce recipe that I initially made for some seitan fingers this past weekend and had leftovers. So this recipe yields much more than you'll need for the pizza, so either cut it in half, or make it all and use for another delicious meal. 

-1 tbsp Earth Balance/veggie oil/ olive oil
-2, 15 oz cans crushed tomatoes
-small yellow onion, chopped
-4 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
-1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
-1/3 cup maple syrup
-dash of basil
-1 tbsp crushed red pepper
-dash of chili powder
- 1-2 tbsp cayenne (depending on your spice desire)

In a sauce pan saute the onion and garlic for a good bit in your chosen oil. Add the rest of the ingredients, cook on low for a while - (make this first, then do all the other fixings, tofu, what-not, you want it cooking for at least 30-40 minutes, the longer the better...)

Blackened Tofu
Is soo easy! I had no idea. The only thing you have to be wary of it pressing the tofu in advance, put it in the sink or a bowl with something heavy on it for a good hour +.

-1/2 lb. pressed extra firm tofu
-1 teaspoon of the following spices...
     -garlic powder
     -onion powder
     -basil (dried))
     -black pepper corn
     - oregano
     -red pepper flakes
     -cayenne
-1/4 cup flour
-1/4 cup Earth Balance - melted

Cut the tofu in half, then into 1/4 inch thick slices. Mix all the spices with the four into a bowl. Dip the tofu into the earth balance get it nice and coated then dip it in the four/spice mix and through it on a fry pan for about 3-5 minutes on each side or until it "blackens". Side aside on a plate.

and finally the Pizza!!

BBq Blackened Tofu Pizza
- 3/4 - 1 cup BBQ sauce
-1/2 lb. blackened tofu
-1/2 cup red onion, chopped
-1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
-1 tbsp garlic, chopped
-juice from half of a lime

Have your crust ready and fit to your pan. Spread the BBQ all over, be generous! Evenly spread the onion and garlic. Break the tofu into little pieces and crumble evenly across za. Sprinkle cilantro and drizzle the lime. Bake at 500 for about 9 minutes (the crust will be golden brown.)

Thai Peanut Pizza

All right so this one is not nearly as complicated. You got your crust already ready to go, so all you're missing is the sauce and goodies. Lets get started. 

Thai Pizza Sauce
-1 cup Peanut Butter
-1/2 cup soy sauce
-1/4 cup water
-juice from 1 lime
-1 tbsp maple syrup
-1 tbsp seasamee oil
-1 tbsp red pepper flakes

Blend everything together in a food processor or blender until its nice and creamy. Then go ahead and spread that on your crust.

Toppings...
-1/2 lb tofu
-1/4 cup earth balance
-1 tbsp garlic, chopped
-1 cup bean sprouts
-1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
-1 cup shredded carrots
-wasabi peanuts (or regular peanuts)
-juice of 1/2 lime

Saute the tofu with the earth balance and garlic for about 5 minutes on med - high heat. Spread over the sauce, covering entire pizza.

Sprinkle the basil, carrots, and half of the bean sprouts evenly. Bake about 9 - 10 minutes at 500 (or until crust is lightly browned). Garnish with the rest of the bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, and lime juice!! (drizzle a little hot sauce for an extra kick!)