Certain restaurants might as well hang this flashy neon sign in their windows. Not a single vegan option exists on their menus. Although some kitchens are willing to take special orders, others can only serve me a cool glass of ice water. Which places are the top offenders?
Breakfast Diners. Eggs and bacon? No way. Waffles, pancakes, and French toast? Yeah right. The batters always contain eggs and milk. Maybe they’ll have a nice fruit plate, but even then, I couldn’t eat the scrumptious yogurt dipping sauce served alongside it.
Burger Joints. Cheeseburgers and hot dogs dripping in animal grease? Not appetizing in the least. Many veggie burgers are held together with egg whites, and since I’m really allergic to mushrooms, a Portobello burger is out too. All that’s left is French fries, and that’s only if they’re fried in vegetable oil.
Pizzerias. All of that cheese? Enough said.
But the smells wafting from a local pizza place saturated the air as I walked downtown last week, and I quickly developed a humongous craving that was impossible to ignore. Something about gooey cheese, soft warm dough, and well-seasoned tomato sauce gets me every time… So I ran to the grocery store, bought some Daiya cheese, and made my first vegan pizza. One word: Yum!
Sweet Pepper and Seitan Pizza
serves 1
I used pita bread and sliced it in half for twice the pizza goodness, but a tortilla, naan, or any other flatbread would work too. Use regular cheese and sausage for a non-vegan pie, or feel free to substitute your favorite pizza toppings.
1 pita pocket, cut in half
2-3 tbsp tomato paste with garlic, divided
¼ tsp basil, divided
¼ c. Daiya (non-dairy) mozzarella cheese
¼ c. julienned red bell peppers
⅓ c. seitan, diced
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Heat ½ tsp olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat, and cook the seitan, stirring occasionally, until it turns golden brown and slightly crispy. Remove from heat and let it cool until you can handle it without burning your fingers.
- Spread the tomato paste over each pita half, and sprinkle first with basil, then with cheese. Top with the seitan and peppers.
- Cook pizza for 5-10 minutes, or until cheese melts and crust is crispy. Serve hot.
That looks so good. I love the quick comfort meals. I even make mine in my toaster oven.
You didn’t say, but did you make your buy your seitan? Just wondering, because I made some for the first time (http://bit.ly/jknAnD) recently and it was really easy!
Good for you! I bought mine, but it still tasted great.
How long have you been a vegan?
3 weeks now. After I finished cooking my way through the alphabet, I needed a new challenge in the kitchen, and I thought veganism would definitely qualify as one!