Thin Crust Sriracha BBQ Tofu and Moxarella Pizza

National Pizza DayBringing this baby out of the archives in honor of Vegan Pizza Day Tomorrow. Enjoy Peeps!

Thin Crust Sriracha BBQ Tofu and Moxarella Pizza

Recipes follow:

1/2 recipe of the Solid Moxarella Cashew Cheese, grated

1 recipe No Rise Whole Wheat Thin Crispy Crust

1 recipe Sriracha BBQ Sauce

1 recipe Sriracha BBQ Tofu

1 recipe Caramelized Onions

2 T. Chopped Cilantro 

First do these things the day before: 1- Make the cheese 2- Drain and press a block of extra firm tofu, stick it in a ziploc bag and chuck it in the freezer. Freeze tofu overnight, then defrost on the counter-top the next morning.

It’s Business Time

Solid Moxarella Cashew Cheese

(grate-able, plus it melts and browns baby)

This cheese comes together quickly, but you need to work SUPER fast while making it as it starts to set almost instantly. So try to work without interruptions while putting it together if possible.

  • 1/2 Package Pomona’s Pectin, about 4.5 teaspoons (you can find it at Whole Foods and other Health Food Stores or purchase it online here)
  • 1 C. Ground Raw Cashews (soak for 4-6 hours if you don’t have a power blender or food processor)
  • 1 C. Water, plus an additional 1/2 cup for the calcium packet in the Pomona’s Pectin
  • 1 T. Lemon Juice
  • 2 T. Nutritional Yeast
  • 2 T. Melted Coconut Oil
  • 1 t. sea salt
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes

Method: Lightly oil small glass dish (square or round glass tupperware). Next, in a small lidded jar, mix 1/2 C. of water with the small calcium packet from the pectin package, set aside. Add cashews, nutritional yeast, sea salt, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes to your power blender or food processor. Pulse until the cashews are finely ground, but don’t make nut butter! Add lemon juice and the melted coconut oil, pulse again til just combined.  Heat the cup of water til boiling in a small saucepan on the stove-top or in a heat safe container in your microwave. Immediately Pour water into power blender. Add half of the large pectin packet (about 4.5 teaspoons). Blend or process until smooth (power blenders give the smoothest, creamiest results). QUICKLY add 1/4 cup (HALF) of the calcium water and pulse til incorporated. Immediately pour cheese into the prepared dish and put in the refrigerator. Let set uncovered for a minimum of an hour. Remove cheese from the mold and place upside down on a plate. Return to fridge uncovered for a minimum of 4 more hours until firm enough to grate.

Next, make Sriracha BBQ Sauce

Sriracha BBQ Sauce

  • 1/2 C. organic ketchup
  • 2 T. agave nectar
  • 2 T. Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
  • 1 T. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 t. molasses
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 1 t. liquid smoke
  • 2 t. Sriracha Hot Sauce (or to taste)
  • few grinds of black pepper

Method: combine all ingredients in a small bowl or glass measuring cup

Next make Sriracha BBQ Tofu

Sriracha BBQ Tofu

Half of this recipe never made it to the pizza. It is so good!

Method: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Press any additional water from defrosted block of tofu as possible with a clean kitchen towel. Slice into pieces and then  press again with the clean kitchen towel. Put tofu in a bowl and drizzle with 1/4 C. above sauce. Put some parchment paper on a baking sheet and arrange tofu on it. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until it starts to get lovely little crispy bits.

Next make Caramelized Onions

Caramelized Onions

  • 1 jumbo sweet or red onion thinly sliced (or 2-3 regular sized onions)
  • 2 t. molasses
  • 1 t. salt and a few grinds of pepper

Method: Heat a skillet over high heat,add a cup of water and all of the above ingredients, occasionally stir and replenish water if skillet gets dry before the onions are completely translucent. Total cooking time can take 15-20 minutes. This recipe makes about 2.5 to 3 C. caramelized onions.

Next make the No Rise Whole Wheat Thin Crispy Crust while the onions are caramelizing.

No Rise Whole Wheat Thin Crispy Crust

  • 1.5 C. white whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 C. warm water
  • 1 t. active dry yeast
  • 1 T. vital wheat gluten
  • 1 t. sea salt

Method: in your favorite kneading apparatus (perhaps a bowl, and then your hands) combine all the above ingredients. Knead until elastic. Let rest 10 minutes. Roll with a rolling pin into the shape of a baking sheet, crust should be VERY thin. You can Press the whole crust recipe onto one large lightly oiled baking sheet, or make multiple thin crust pizzas. Set aside.

Assemble: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brush remaining sriracha BBQ sauce over the thin crispy crust, layer caramelized onions over the sauce, next arrange pieces of the BBQ tofu over the onions,  sprinkle the moxerella cashew cheese over the whole pizza, sprinkle with the chopped cilantro. Bake on middle rack for 15 minutes or until cheese starts to brown.

Still following me? Phew, I thought I was getting a little long winded.

Oh, you’re still here and you want that salad dressing recipe too?

Chia Miso Cashew Ranch Dressing

  • 1/2 C. Raw Cashews (soaked for 4-6 hours if you don’t have a power blender)
  • 1 1/4 C. unsweetened soy milk
  • 1 t. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 heaped T. white or yellow miso
  • 1 T. chia seeds
  • 1/2 t. sea salt
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 1/2 t. onion powder
  • 1 T. dried chives or 2 T. fresh
  • 1 T.  dried parsley or 2 T. fresh
  • 1/2 t. ground black pepper
  • dash cayenne

Method: Blend all ingredients except chives and parsley until completely smooth. Add chives and parsley and pulse until just mixed in.

58 comments

  2. that is one fantastic looking pizza! with all that melty cheese.. Srirach+bbq = awesome! and that salad dressing. i think i will have to gather things and try out my oven today. i am dying to bake!

    Reply

    1. I saw on facebook that you broke the new kitchen in! Nicely done! Yeah, I had forgotten about this one. Good thing I found it. I haven’t been inspired in the kitchen lately so I’ve got nothing in backup!

      Reply

  6. Yum, I must try your cheese recipe, sounds amazing and I hate the commercial stuff! Hope you are feeling better by the way? Poppy 🙂

    Reply

    1. Getting there slowly 🙂 Thanks for thinking of me. Please let me know if you make the cheese. I would love to know what you think of it!

      Reply

      1. Slowly is better than not at all, hang in there girl!
        I will when I next have guests for dinner, otherwise I will eat it all myself haha! 🙂

        Reply

    1. Thanks Lucy! Sorry I haven’t visited you lately, with my kids out of school for the summer I hardly have any time for reading or blogging. Sigh.

      Reply

      1. Enjoy the summer – it’s such a delight not to have school ruling the days (even if you don’t have any time to post your wonderful recipes, which I have been missing!) I look forward to a fresh burst of Somer when school’s back 🙂 xxx

        Reply

    1. Good luck with that. I haven’t made a GF crust yet, but I know recipes are out there, plus you could easily buy a crust to save time 🙂

      Reply

  14. I’m so jealous of that. . . And I missed Vegan Pizza Day because we just came off of a 3-day juice fast. Don’t worry, we’re making a deep dish tomorrow to make up for it 😉

    Reply

  15. What a truly Amazing pizza with all of the extra’s too! This is a whole lot of work though but I can see that it is worth the effort! I hope you are healing well, Somer! Xxx Another must make of yours!!!!!! MMMMMMMMM!

    Reply

    1. Hey, I just removed a bunch of your comments from spam. What’s the deal wordpress? Anyway, sorry! I swear it wasn’t me! xx

      Oh, yes, and you REALLY do need to make that moxarella. It’s the shiz. 🙂 Or the one on the other pizza, foxy moxy is faster and equally divine.

      Reply
  17. Pingback: | June 29th – Vegan Pizza Day!!

  18. Wishes to you for a fabulous summer, Somer. That Foxie Moxie is something else. Too bad we are in triple-digit temps at the moment. The apartment oven raises the inside temp from 80 degrees to 85 in no time flat — so it stays OFF. We’re scratching a pizza itch dining out these days, if both expensive and no “cheesiness” to enjoy. That last photo will keep me in dream mode for my dream kitchen — come September. You can bet the pizza and brownies will be the first to break that new convection oven in.

    Cheers! I’ll wave to you as I drive by SLC on our way to Coeur d’Alene. 70’s and 80’s temps, here we come. 🙂

    Reply

  23. Somer – I LOVE your cheese recipes. They have changed my life 🙂 Your other recipes have the oil as being optional so I always leave it out since I follow the Eat to Live program. Can the coconut oil be left out of this one or is too essential for the solid version? Thanks!!

    Reply

      1. Thanks so much! I will give it a try. It is funny that you reposted this because I had recently made the Sriracha BBQ Sauce and Fresh Moxarella and planned to make this pizza. It was such a delicious combo. Thanks for sharing your talents with us! 🙂

        Reply

  24. random q but why do you freeze the tofu the night before hand? does it make it more absorbant for marinating the next day?

    Reply
  25. Pingback: Slowcooker Vegan ChiliMy Vegan Heaven | My Vegan Heaven

  26. I LOVE LOVE this cheese recipe! So much so, that I’ve make it enough times that I’ve been able to greatly simplify the blending instructions. I also double the recipe as it’s perfect not only for pizza, but also mac ‘n’ cheese, grilled cheese, quesadillas, just eating a slice straight, etc. Also doubling uses the whole packets of Pamona’s pectin and calcium. If you’ve got a Vitamix / Blendtec, here’s what you do:

    INGREDIENTS
    2 3/4 cups boiling water
    2 cups raw cashews (whole or pieces) (no need to soak with high powered blender)
    1 pouch Pomona’s calcium packet
    1/4 cup nutritional yeast (large flakes, not powdered)
    2 teaspoon Real Salt or sea salt
    1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more if you like it spicy, but this amount I find gives the cheese the perfect amount of aged “sharpness”)
    2 cloves garlic
    2 Tbsp lemon juice, fresh squeezed
    1/4 cup raw extra virgin coconut oil (no need to melt)
    1 pouch Pomona’s Universal Pectin packet

    PROCEDURE

    Put water in pot on stove to boil.

    Lightly oil a small glass dish with about 4 cup capacity.

    Put cashews, calcium packet, nooch, salt, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic, lemon juice, coconut oil, and boiling water in Vitamix / Blendtec, cover, and blend on high for 2-3 minutes until VERY smooth.

    Turn the Vitamix / Blendtec down to a middle speed and add the entire pectin packet. Blend USING PLUNGER THE ENTIRE TIME (if using Vitamix) for about 30-60 seconds until completely smooth and combined. Mixture will be very thick at this point.

    Immediately pour cheese into the lightly oiled glass dish and put in the refrigerator. Let set uncovered in the refrigerator for a minimum of an hour.

    Remove cheese from the mold and place upside down on a plate.

    Return to fridge uncovered for a minimum of 4 more hours until firm enough to grate.

    Use immediately, or cover with plastic wrap.

    Reply

  27. This looks great! Just to be clear, is the 1 c. ground cashews actually 1 c. of the grounds or 1 c. of cashews that you then ground? Thanks!

    Reply

  28. Hello! Im new to vegan eating. So I take it that there is ALOT of cashew eating on this diet? Is there any other nut you can sub for the cashews? And where is the best place to buy raw nuts? Thanks 🙂

    Reply

    1. Not necessarily! I happen to love cashews so I use them a lot in my cooking, but there are many who are either allergic or who don’t like them.

      Good subs are pinenuts, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds. They will all taste differently and possibly be more grainy in the final product though.

      Reply
  29. Pingback: Sriracha BBQ Tofu Pizza with Pepper Jack on Spelt Crust. Vegan Recipe - Vegan Richa

  30. This was amazing, thank you so much. I didn’t like it much on my lasagna, (my omnivore hubby did), b/c it was so flavorful, so I just ate the double batch on its own over two days… 😛 So healthy and so yum, it compelled me to order a pound of Pomona’s pectin in bulk, to try all your cheese recipes. Thank you thank you thank you so much, what a gift! Cheese is the hardest thing to replace… 🙂

    Reply

  31. Tried this today in my gluten free calzone, instead of the tofu and a little Vegan Gourmet cheese I usually do (which I try to limit as I’m sensitive to some ingredients) – BIG SUCCESS! thank you so much! I’m allergic to garlic so I subbed a few shakes of onion powder, followed exactly other than that.

    Score here to date – holiday cheese ball was a HUGE hit, smoked gouda failed to set and I didnt like the flavor, and then this is a definite success!

    thanks!

    Reply

  33. WOW. I tried making two of your cheeses this weekend (moxarella & pepper jack), and they are incredible! I am new to dairy-free cheeses, and I admit that these recipes are so spot-on for taste and texture that I can honestly say I enjoyed them more than the dairy versions! Looking forward to a medium-cheddar recipe, if you take requests 😉

    Reply

  34. I’m new to making vegan cheeses. I really want to try the mozzarella cheeze recipe.

    I had a question about the importance of using coconut oil versus other oils, such as olive oil or canola oil.

    Should I use coconut oil when making your cheeses? or is any oil acceptable?

    Reply

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