Brook Katz’s Recipes
Many people when trying to change to a more healthy diet or lifestyle are always concerned with the prospect of giving up their favorite foods. Recently I received e-mail from a lady who had done just that, but was really missing her favorite food, which was pizza. She was having terrible cravings and worried about the fact that she might be tempted to slip back into some of her old habits. “Cheese is so hard to give up”, she told me. “I wish there were some other thing I could use to replace it”. She had tried several of the already prepared non-dairy cheeses presently on the market in the refrigerator section of health food stores and supermarkets, but they didn’t melt well unless they contained the dairy protein casein. So I have prepared some recipes which give the feel and taste of melted cheese. You can use these on your favorite pizza recipes, or to prepare dishes such as seitan parmesan, or “cheesy broccoli”, macaroni & cheese, or potatoes au gratin, just to name a few. The “Moats-erella” recipe is in my book “New Favorites” (available thru the American Vegan Society or Amazon.com). I also recommend a book called, “The Uncheese Cookbook” by Joanne Stepanick (also thru those same sources). Between these books and the recipes below, you should be well on your way to a delicious and easy dairy-free cheesy lifestyle.
‘Moats-erella’
Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
4 Tbsp. tahini
2 Tbsp. arrowroot powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. sea salt
3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast (Red Star)
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 cups water
Preparation:
Place ingredients in a blender, and blend till smooth. In a saucepan, over medium heat, pour the blend in and stir constantly for approximately 1-2 minutes or till the mixture becomes thick but is still pourable. You can continue to cook it till it balls up and separates from the sides of the pan if you want a solid cheese. (Stir very fast at the end for the smoothest consistency.) Use it immediately as a topping if in pourable form or place in a lightly oiled mold if you want it as a solid.
Another topping you can use is this “Cheesy nut sauce topping”:
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
1/2 cup cashews
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. tamari
2-3 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Enough water to blend with
Preparation:
In a blender or processor, grind the nuts and seeds to a fine meal. Add enough water to make it creamy. Add the remaining ingredients and blend till smooth, adding a little more water to make it pour easily. Pour over the tomato sauce covered pizza and add your favorite topping ingredients and bake. (Can also be used as an uncooked sauce over fresh veggies.)
Brook’s Quick Crust Pizza
Ingredients:
Crust:
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2cup gluten flour
1 tsp. baking powder (non-aluminum)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup water (more or less as needed)
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
Tomato sauce: (or your favorite jar pasta sauce)
1 small can of tomato paste
Enough water to thin to desired consistency
1/2 tsp. each – garlic powder, basil, oregano, and thyme
Pinch of sea salt
Veggie toppings: Mushrooms, onions, olives, eggplant, zucchini, peppers (red, green & yellow) artichokes, hot peppers of all kinds, broccoli, and any other veggies you can think of.
Preparation:
To prepare the crust, put all the dry ingredients in a bowl, and mix together well. Add water, and work together, then add oil and continue to knead till batter is stiff but smooth. Cover and place in a warm place for 20 minutes. Meanwhile prepare sauce by adding all the ingredients together and whisking till smooth. Set aside. Prepare your veggie toppings, and prepare the cheesy topping per recipe, but don’t cook yet. To assemble, take dough and roll out on a board till only 1/8″ thick. (It will double in size, make it thicker for a thicker crust). Pinch or bunch up the outer edge to hold the sauce in. Spread the tomato sauce all over the crust up to the edge. Place whatever veggies you decide to use all over the sauce and crust. Cook cheesy topping till thick, as in recipe, but still liquid and pourable, then cover with the cheesy topping. Place the pizza in a preheated oven at 450 degrees. Bake approximately 12 minutes or till the crust has turned a deep golden brown. Remove and slice. Serve immediately. (Or stick in the freezer and cool, and eat it cold, one of my favorites. Who can explain?)
Makes 1 medium pizza
