What's a famished bride-to-be to eat? Erin Gahagan dishes about her newfound (vegan) pizza obsession.
No one told me how hungry I’d be.
Every time the words “my” + “wedding” + “soon” tumbled from my mouth, someone would ask how I was feeling: Stressed? Excited? Nervous? But no one ever suggested I might be hungry.
But oh, how very hungry I was. All I wanted was a pizza. A whole one. Just for me. Apparently hunting down RSVPs, picking out a cake cutter (um, what? I have to bring my own knife to my wedding?), and suffering meltdowns perhaps slightly disproportionate to the issue at hand (“WHY is that ink NAVY when I said BLACK?!” was a standout I’m sure my now-husband remembers fondly) really have a way of working up one’s appetite.
Unfortunately, my pizza dream seemed out of reach. How could I satisfy this craving and still fit in my not-that-roomy dress?
The answer came, as it often does, from The Vegan Cheat Sheet. BBQ Tofu Pizza: a healthy vegan version of the-thing-I-want-most but with none of the dress-busting cheeses and oils that pizza is synonymous with?
Perfect. Done.
The recipe itself is straightforward and easy to follow (if you've read my previous blog posts, you know "easy" needs to be involved when I cook). Requiring only a handful of readily available ingredients (including pre-made whole-wheat pizza dough, in my case), it took under 10 minutes to prepare and about 20 to cook.
Every time the words “my” + “wedding” + “soon” tumbled from my mouth, someone would ask how I was feeling: Stressed? Excited? Nervous? But no one ever suggested I might be hungry.
But oh, how very hungry I was. All I wanted was a pizza. A whole one. Just for me. Apparently hunting down RSVPs, picking out a cake cutter (um, what? I have to bring my own knife to my wedding?), and suffering meltdowns perhaps slightly disproportionate to the issue at hand (“WHY is that ink NAVY when I said BLACK?!” was a standout I’m sure my now-husband remembers fondly) really have a way of working up one’s appetite.
Unfortunately, my pizza dream seemed out of reach. How could I satisfy this craving and still fit in my not-that-roomy dress?
The answer came, as it often does, from The Vegan Cheat Sheet. BBQ Tofu Pizza: a healthy vegan version of the-thing-I-want-most but with none of the dress-busting cheeses and oils that pizza is synonymous with?
Perfect. Done.
The recipe itself is straightforward and easy to follow (if you've read my previous blog posts, you know "easy" needs to be involved when I cook). Requiring only a handful of readily available ingredients (including pre-made whole-wheat pizza dough, in my case), it took under 10 minutes to prepare and about 20 to cook.
Other than a run-in between my hand and the oven rack, making the recipe was painless. I used a pizza stone, which led to a deliciously crispy crust, but a baking pan works as well.
I did initially feel that the 1/3 cup of BBQ sauce the recipe calls for might not be enough, but turns out it’s so potent that any more would have been overkill.
I did initially feel that the 1/3 cup of BBQ sauce the recipe calls for might not be enough, but turns out it’s so potent that any more would have been overkill.
 | And wow, did that pizza taste good! The BBQ sauce was sweet and tangy, and the tofu and veggies balanced it out—100 percent satisfying. You could easily alter the taste slightly by using different BBQ sauce variations, keeping this simple recipe interesting for repeat performances. |  |
 | Voilà! Serves four normal people or one bride-to-be. Recipe for BBQ Tofu Pizza below. |  |
Hungry for more Erin? Connect with her on Twitter, @erin1217.
BBQ Tofu Pizza
Serves 4
1 pound whole-wheat pizza dough
1/3 cup barbecue sauce plus 2 tablespoons, for drizzle
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 (14-ounce) box firm tofu, drained and crumbled or diced into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Cornmeal, for dusting
Whole-wheat flour, for dusting
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
1/3 cup barbecue sauce plus 2 tablespoons, for drizzle
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 (14-ounce) box firm tofu, drained and crumbled or diced into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Cornmeal, for dusting
Whole-wheat flour, for dusting
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Dust a baking pan with cornmeal.
- Roll dough on flour-dusted surface into a large circle of rectangle to fit baking pan and top with sauce, onion, tofu, and tomatoes. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons sauce over toppings.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.
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