It takes a village to make Mexican Tater Tot Personal Pizzas...

You maybe be asking yourself why this isn't part of The Betty Crocker Project. It's a fair question since tater tot pizza seems like something right up that red spoon alley. But in truth the inspiration for this over the top awesome dinner came from a Twitter exchange I stumbled into with vegan deity Sarah Kramer and John McDevitt - you know might know him as The Laziest Vegan, cruelty-free cover-girl Melisser Elliot and Julia - The SnarkyVegan*... somewhere towards the end I think The Discerning Brute  Joshua Katcher popped in. It was a tater tot love-fest/brain storm. Which inspired Sarah to create this lovely Poutine Pizza and for us to enjoy these Mexican Tater Tot Personal Pizzas a few days later. 

Now we went Mexican with our tater tot pizzas because we had the avocados, jalapenos and salsas and because it seemed like a good way to work a few vegetables in there but really I hope this concept catches on and that we come to see more of these crispy little buddies on all kinds of pizzas in the future. You owe it the 1st grader inside you to make a tater tot pizza at least once in your life... you never let them color anymore.

 To the tots!

Hazelnut Pesto with Vegan Chicken, Broccoli and Orecchiette Pasta

St.Patrick's Day is almost upon us and so last night I decided I should wrap up this week with something green. Like many willful people, I got a certain idea in my head and then focused on making it happen as soon as possible. I wanted to make something with fresh spinach and fragrant basil and lots of  emerald colored flavor. In my Mediterranean heart that instantly meant pesto. 

See I'm still quite new to this whole Irish thing and the Sicilian half of my DNA has decided it won't give up that easily. 

It wasn't till I sat down to eat that it hit me that besides the color - there really was not much that "Irish" per se about this dinner. It's still a great recipe though that I'm happy to share. Fast and easy and everything you need for a weekday dinner or a quick dinner before a night on the town of green beer and wooo-hoooing* if that's your thing.  

Either way - Start your food processors! Let's pesto! 

The Betty Crocker Project: Vegan Beer & Cheddar Bombs

Right now you might be furiously flipping through your Betty Crocker cookbook looking for this recipe. You'll stop at Beer-Cheese Triangles and wonder if this is what we veganed. You might read through the list of ingredients and notice that we tinkered a bit. You might even find it in your heart to forgive me introducing these addictive bitty noms into your life because not only are these little awesome bombs super easy but they turned out even better than I thought they would. I think sometimes this is why I try to keep my hopes and dreams to myself. I mean things don't always turn out the way you hoped they would and who wants anyone ever saying to them things like:

"I was watching The Olympics the other day and noticed you weren't there. What's up with that?"

or

"I couldn't help but notice you never married Christian Slater." *

Who also wants to admit they actually wasted a daily "wish" and some "hope" on Vegan Beer & Cheese Bombs? I really should be saving those things for more noble pursuits but I'm off topic. Now that I know these little savory buddies are actually incredibly easy and completely delicious - I have to share. It's my job.

Ready to get bombed?

Smokey Vegan Bacon, Spinach & Kale Mac with Butternut Squash Cheese

Yes, I know the internet is full of butternut squash mac and cheeses. It's a lovely phenomenon of golden casseroles that is completely breath taking. A movement if you will that we support 100%. I first had butternut squash "cheese" sauce over chili fries in 1994 at a vegan potluck/sewing circle in Portland, Oregon and although I was thoroughly impressed, I was a busy college kid who found all the steps involved exhausting to even listen to.

It's funny how things change. Honestly, this is a super easy recipe that you can make while you play video games* or catch up on a sea of email. It also has a nice "cheddary" flavor with out a lot of fat. Seriously, this recipe is actually pretty good for you... as cheese sauces go.

Before we dive into this sunny and spicy  wonderdish! Check out this awesome video. It's always great influential people take time to remind the world that animals matter. Gold Star for Martha Stewart!



OK - Let's eat!

Green Tequila Enchiladas

So yesterday I made a huge dent in my emails. Funny thing about emails though -- not unlike that mythical beast The Hydra -- once you slay one email, two more pop up in its place. If you're waiting for an email from me, I want today to be your day. Fingers crossed.

But until then, here are two answers to the two most frequently asked questions we've been getting:

1. Now that the book is done, is The Betty Crocker Project over? After some soul searching and thought: no way. I love it too much. Our friend Anjali gave us a big box of Betty Crocker recipe cards (circa 1970), and we got a calendar full of recipes from Betty Crocker in the mail. So there is a lot more BCP left. We will go on!
2. Was it frustrating/fun writing your book? Well, it was a lot of both. I mean there was the night I freaked out because the spinach we just bought was all slimy when I open the package. I may or may not have slightly sobbed on the kitchen floor and yelled "Fuck you baby spinach and all your cute baby friends like corn and kale!" But then there were really great times like the Banana Split Bundt Cake and making heaps of donuts...

Photo Credit : Natalie Dee (nataliedee.com)

After all that baking, I'm going to listen to the carrot: we're eating more vegetables! Enter these big enchiladas with a ton of leafy greens, potatoes, black beans, and tons of spicy, tangy, and bright flavors. I love them and they were very popular around here. They're one of those dinners that makes a great lunch the next day.

In other only slightly related news, we updated our Nerdery. So please check that out too! 

OK -- back to these dreamboat enchiladas and emails...

The Betty Crocker Project : Marinated Tempeh Ratatouille Heroes

 

Back when I was a little vegan, one of the very first dishes I ever made was Ratatouille. Now if you're not familiar with this traditional French Provençal dish that is usually already vegan -- well that's a shame. See this dish sounds fancy but it's actually very easy and great way to get not-yet-vegans to enjoy a meat-free dinner. Don't believe me that the French could have a dish without obscene amounts of butter and cream in it? Check out Julia Child's recipe. 

But after years and years of roasted veggie platters being the only option at weddings and restaurants with table cloths -- vegans can find it hard to really appreciate even the best Ratatouille. That's why we were originally less than super excited when it came time to tackle Betty's Ratatouille Heroes. I felt I was obligated -- no -- it was my duty -- to make something special with this recipe. The world didn't need another vegan roasted veggie sandwich and we need to complete our mission of making our way through Betty's Big Red. I also couldn't help but notice that the building blocks of Ratatouille have so much potential for something more. 

We really hope you'll give this sandwich a chance... it might not be pretty but sometimes a sandwich comes into your life at just the right time and is full of all kinds of good things that might make you feel a little better about all those cookies you want to eat later. 

This could be that sandwich. Don't worry - cookies are coming up next.

The Betty Crocker Project: BLT Crostinis

Keep an open mind - This is actually a pretty remarkable appetizer.

I've heard that a 'fear of commitment' is one of the most popular self-diagnosed phobias in our society. I understand it but it's not really a phobia I have. I mean I'm not perfect. Needles can send me into a panic attack and sandwiches with wet pasty bread give me the chills. I also might have a mild case of social anxiety issues that I should Google more about. Though I'm pretty sure it's just run-of-the-mill shyness. Don't worry I'm getting to my point.

See recently something pretty awesome happened. I was featured in vegan chef superstar Kathy Patalsky's 2011 Veggie Girl Power series over on Healthy.Happy.Life. I'm beyond flattered to be part of this interview series that includes Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, Leanne Mai-ly Hilgar, Stephanie Morgan, Anya, Kathy Freston, and Portia de Rossi. This is an amazing group of women doing extraordinary things in the world by promoting healthy living and helping animals. My excitement combined with the fact that we are currently writing our book created this perfect storm of chattiness that made my interview a bit long but completely sincere. I hope you'll take a minute today to check it out if you haven't already.

In there I talk about all the different crostinis we've been making lately for the party section of our book and briefly walk through how to make Mexican crotinis. This lead to a few emails last night asking us what crostini recipe so far is the most random/unusual/delicious. See many of the folks who have been following The Betty Crocker Project know that sometimes Betty comes up with some dishes that might seem kinda random but that's how our little project fills it's danger and adventure quota. Going into this project we had to commit to going into each recipe with an open mind. Today's post is one of those recipes where that pays off.

I had intended to save this recipe for the book but there is a little smudge on the plate that ruined the pictures and so many of you seemed really into having crotinis at your holiday dinners and potlucks - I had to share. If you're following along in your own Big Red you probably noticed there are lot of changes but really I think these changes only make these little buddies better. I actually love these crostinis in a way that I've never really loved BLT sandwiches. I hope you'll give them a chance and add some kitschy Betty-Style novelty to your next party.

2011's Thanksgiving Parade begins with #7! Roasted Tomato & Fennel Bisque

OK. I admit we might be pushing it a little bit by adding this to the Month of Baking but you do use your oven to melt the vegan cheese. I've also noticed a lot of Tweets and Facebook Statuses about runny noses and sore throats so I thought it might be a good time to post a recipe that takes your mom's tomato soup a step further.

Original bisques are French soups made with crustaceans that were too beat up to be sold in the market but over the years the term has also been used to also describe cream-based vegetable soups. Sometimes the term means both. So not the most compassionate soups on the block. We used fennel, sea kelp and some vegan sour cream in ours to make it a bit nicer to both sea spiders and our bovine friends. We decided to add the toasted crouton (that you can't see) and melt the Daiya vegan cheddar on top as a little shout out to tomato soup's BFF grilled cheese sandwiches.

I got the idea to serve the soup in espresso cups from Martha Stewart's Wedding page. When I was planning my wedding, I remember seeing it and thinking that it was a really adorable idea for serving soup to a large group of people and I wanted to share it in time for Thanksgiving. Soup isn't generally thought of as being part of Thanksgiving but if you're looking for something different, these little buddies might make a good opening course. We got a lot of emails last year from folks who served our Macaroni & Sheese Cups as starters at their family get together and loved them. So the individual serving soups in espresso cups that you can sip like you're pretend British and eat with those adorably dainty coffee spoons seemed like it could possibly make for the most adorable starter for any dinner party ever.

You can also enjoy it in a bowl. Yawn.

The Betty Crocker Project : Texas Tater Tot Casserole

Little-known fact about me: I didn't know until 9th grade that you could buy tater tots at the grocery store.

I mean, I had eaten them before. I'm not a Martian. But whenever I had seen these modern-day potato wonders, it was always next to corn dogs on a school lunch tray. I assumed they were like those little chocolate milk cartons and tiny ketchup packets. When you're a little eater, you don't always know what's going on. I had no idea what a huge weirdo I apparently was until I was sleeping over at a friend's house and saw their mom pull a bag of these little buddies out of the freezer. For many of us, going vegan meant caring what went into your body, caring about what our food did for the environment, and cutting back on cute vegetable-based foods with sweet little names like 'tater tots'. That's why the second I saw this recipe, I knew that folks were going to love it. It'll give you a chance to make something so incredibly American and campy-fun-awesome-sauce, without being completely and ridiculously bad for you, because we took out the cheese sauce and ground beef.

This recipe is basically a Shepherd's Pie, with a light Tex-Mex Chili and a Tater-Tot top... oh, and there's a layer of Daiya Pepperjack Cheese in there too. When it gets served up, you get a whole bunch of spicy beans and vegetables with a few cheesy crispy tots. So you can enjoy your tater tots again, but in moderation. So ya know, no guilt... especially if you use these organic tots.

Let's get tatered!

The Betty Crocker Project : Vegan Cheese & Spinach Biscuit Bites

So once upon a time there was a man named Nick Cage*. He loved Superman. I mean he loved Superman in an Action Comics No.1 kinda way. He loved Superman so much that in 2005 he named his son Kal-el... Superman's birth name before he was adopted by The Kents in case you're actually cool enough not to know that. Yeah. You could say Nick Cage is a Superman Enthusiast.

Now these little buddies are really freaking good. I mean crazy-inspire-you-to-hum-Edith-Pilaf-love-songs good. Not because they're French, or romantic even, but because sometimes when I'm happy and eating wonderful baked goods it's hard for me to not be a little pretend French... I can only assume from what I have read that this is how Nick Cage feels about Superman. 

These little buddies are easy to make, delicious, and marvelous! They're also very similar to Betty's Garlic Cheesy Biscuits. Remarkably so, but just different enough to post and encourage you to try. The Garlic Cheesy Biscuits recipe we posted before might be a great vegan version of the infamous Red Lobster biscuits, but these "bites" are just as tasty with a bowl of soup or some tea. May I also suggest trying these with some outrageous pretend French accents? I mean why not? French accents are awesome and add a little class to anything "cheesy".

Now, let's start making some biscuit bite thingys or I'll talk about Nick Cage a second time! 

The Betty Crocker Project : Siesta Taco Soup

Oh. Steam on the lens. You are my nemesis today.

Some of you have been wondering where the frak we've been, and it's justified. I mean, seriously, it's been a week and we've been completely and unforgivably MIA. It really is a fair question to ask of bloggers who cook and post every day but who, without warning, disappear like magic. It's kind of nice to know that what you put out into the world would be missed.

Well, nothing scandalous happened. We weren't abducted by aliens or trapped under something heavy. We just went to a wedding. A charming and sublime DIY wedding at a breathtaking ranch in San Luis Obispo, CA. A wedding that I will gush about in another post, because last week I posted this photo of our Taco Soup in progress and there were so many messages and emails... well, I feel like you'd rather welcome September with a yummy soup recipe you can make in your slow cooker so you don't have to worry about heating up your home while fall is still more of an idea than an actual weather situation. I mean, I'd rather be eating this soup right now than pretty much doing anything else. So I get it.

If you take a look at Betty's Taco Soup, you'll see we took a lot of liberties... and since we made ours in the slow cooker it only seemed right to throw the 'Siesta' in there - sleepy little soup that it is*. If you're following along in your own copy of Betty's Big Red, you'll notice a few 'Feistas' thrown about from time to time on the Mexican-themed recipes. Which I actually kinda like. Those 'Feistas' are just the prefect level of campy. They remind me of something Mad Men's Betty Draper would serve to her kids during a break in her chain smoking. I'm not sure why that appeals to me, but in a weird way it totally does.

Taco Soup might not sound that good at first, but much like its friend Pizza Soup, it's surprisingly delicious and awesome. You might have to look over the ingredients to be won over. Here's just a hint of how good this soup is - if you slice your onions thin enough, they'll melt in the broth, making an onion soup flavor and texture that I actually described as "gorgeous" like a tween with a crush. Yeah - that really happened.

 So - Here's your rain check for an 'update' blog post about LA, Fashion Week in NYC, and a bunch of other random thoughts, rants and obsessions. Let's get this Soup Party started.

The Betty Crocker Project : The Impossibly Easy Vegan Macaroni & Cheese Pie

*Read the comment section for updates concerning this recipe*

Not that long ago there was this flood of Mac & Cheese recipes that hit the internet. There was impressive pizzas, ambitious deep fried nuggety things and I seem to remember one that was on a stick. I'm willing to admit that last one might have been a dream I had once. It was marvelous because it seemed like around the world there were all these amateur food scientists working away in kitchen laboratories with boiling posts of pasta and vats of faux cheese*. All striving to recreate the ultimate American classic. Muahahahaa.

Ironically Betty has a bunch of recipes from circa 1970 that did that in a remarkable way. I mean of course she did. What doesn't that lady do? Now you might remember like a year and some change ago we took a stab** at  veganizing Betty's Cheeseburger Pie. It was one of the very first recipes where we really closed our eyes and just fell into Betty's arms like some fraking co-workers on a team building retreat. This recipe is a take on that little gem that is actually pretty amazing. I'm pretty sure that for some of you loyal lurkers, public followers and vegan Betty-heads, this was the kind of recipe you were looking forward to when we decided to take on the challenge of veganizing Betty's Big Red. So I hope you guys give this a recipe a chance. I think next time we make this I might add some Bac-os*** and broccoli florets because this recipe is really good but I think with a little extra is could be super awesomepants. I'm not sure if awesomepants are better than awesomesauce. Sometimes I just type things and make myself laugh.

Are you ready to be awesomepants? (ones you can dance in and make romance in - again sometimes I just type)

The Betty Crocker Project : Diablo Beef-less Lentil Chili Mac

Every food blogger has been there. You make this kick ass casserole-ish dish, a dish that you have a responsibility to share with the world and it's pretty much as photogenic as the monster in Cloverfield. It can be hard to see in photos what makes this casseroley dish special and different than all the other casseroley dishes in the universe of the casseroles and casserole wanna-bes. See if you're the kind of eater that loved our 3 Alarm Vegan Bacon Cheeseburger then you will love this casserole. It's all "beefy" and "cheesy" while sparing those poor cows. It also has that "smokey" and "salty" bacon flavor that makes hipsters and the hipsteresque crave it like Gollum and that evil ring without harming any little piggies. And then on top of all that - it's also spicy. The Chipotle peppers make a nice, deep, rich, smokey, warm spicy that will make you glad you made some Limeade to go with it. You remembered the Limeade right?

 OK - Devil Casseroley Dish, prepare to be made and not in a Goodfellas way...

Pasta con Fiori di Zucca Ripieni Vegetariani (Italian Stuffed Squash Blossoms with Pasta)

I grew up eating these bright yellow blossoms* Italian-style - filled like a ravioli and deep fried with a healthy (as in huge) helping of pasta. Ours is vegan, of course, so we replaced the traditional ricotta with a Lemon & Garlic Pesto-ish Tofu filling. I really think the bright, savory flavors really compliment the fresh blossoms, but you can also use the Kalamata Olive Pesto recipe, or the Vegan Ricotta recipe we used in our Manicotti recipe last December. We ate ours with Whole Wheat Spaghetti tossed in a Summer Sauce, some red wine, and a helping of True Blood - Season 4. (Was that a gasp I heard around the internet from all you True Blood DVD watchers?)

Yeah, my anniversary present this year was HBO & Showtime. Dan knows the way to my heart is paved with vampires, mobsters, vigilante serial killers, the sordid back story behind one of the more corrupt Italian legacies in history, and of course fantasy clan wars. Isn't it kind of marvelous when you meet that person that just gets you?

And what could be more romantic than feeding the one you love this classic Italian delicacy? Besides Vampires - obviously.

The Betty Crocker Project : Lemon Pesto Crescent Rolls

This one could have been rolled better, but you can't see the filling in the prettier ones.

So I keep writing and rewriting this post. I have so much to share! In one I vented about my soul-crushing disappointment in the Democrats; and when I say vent, I mean lost my freaking mind. There was another one about my frustration with my job and about how freaking hot it's been lately. I considered instead taking a more positive route and typing your face off* about how I was flattered by our nomination for a VegNews Veggie Award this year that I got kinda choked up. Especially considering the fact we're up against some really awesome blogs that have been around forever and have huge followings... well, it's pretty amazing! Like a vegan food blog miracle! Thank you Baby Pizza! If you haven't voted for us - please do!

We've also been tweaking things on here a bit here and there. I finally found a reliable email subscription service. So you can get Meet The Shannons sent right to your inbox now! The subscription box is in the right hand column. It's OK to get really excited about that.

But really, that's not why you're here. Let's talk Pesto Crescent Rolls instead. The buttery, flaky, garlicy crescent rolls that I had for breakfast with a cup of coffee and some Nyan Cat to wake me up. Yeah, I know Nyan Cat is so April 2011 but I have to ask... Aren't we all just a little April 2011?**

I will share that I plan to eat these all day with my salad or soup for lunch. I personally love a good lemony pesto. I mean, do you remember when we made those vegan Red Lobster Garlic Cheezy Biscuits? These rolls aren't as easy as those little buddies, but they're just as good. And in the end, that's what really matters. I included one of Betty's "Cheats" in case you want a short cut.

Let's roll!

The Betty Crocker Project : Nacho Knots (AKA Rolls)

OK. Back to the food!

These little buddies are pretty much an example of why Betty Crocker is famous. These are some old school appetizers that will make you get all dreamy eyed like when Captain Kirk met Joan Collins.

Let's make some!

The 3 Alarm Vegan Bacon Cheeseburger

Hot.

There is a monster of a heat wave hitting NYC right now* which I have to admit is cramping our style a bit. There are all these great fruits and berries hanging out in our local farmer's markets and grocery stores that I want to bake into pies and various other treats but all my will to turn on that oven has been... well to be honest... punched in the face.

So it would seem ironic that we would post a burger that is "Hot" but these spicy burgers give you room to get creative and take less than 20 minutes to make. They also gave us a chance to combine a bunch of awesome vegan things we've finally been able to locate in our new home :

• Gardein Beefless Burgers - If you haven't had these yet you need to try them! They have to be the best vegan burgers we've had in forever. Sorry Boca - but no one forced you to change your vegan burgers. We still love you Boca and plan on eating you regularly but really I think we are prepared to go on record that The Shannons love Gardein Beefless Burgers more than sunshine (especially right now).
• Lightlife Smart Bacon - It's no secret we love a great fake bacon. We like to mix it up and use smokey tempeh sometimes but sometimes it's nice to have something really crispy and super smokey. That's when you want smart bacon.
• Daiya Pepperjack Cheese - I don't think I need to tell you how awesome Daiya's vegan cheeses are but I feel like I should let you know as a friend that if you haven't tried the pepperjack yet... you're missing out.
• Rick's Pick Hotties (spicy sriracha-habanero pickles) - We found these last weekend at the farmer's market and have fallen in love with them. I mean pickles made with sriracha. Here's some great news for you folks not in NYC - you can order them online!

About now, your elementary schooling has kicked in and you're saying "Um, that's only 2 alarms."

You are correct my learned friend. We decided to use sliced jalapenos for our 3rd alarm but really that is the beauty of this burger... you can add as many alarms as you want and make them whatever you want! Here are just a few suggestions for other alarms you might want to try :

• Pepperoncinis
• Spicy Kim-Chi
• Any of the millions of Hot Sauces out there including the beloved Sriracha
• Chipotle Peppers
• Hot Salsa (obviously)
• Wasabi
• Smart Deli Pepperoni
• Spicy Mustard
• Jerk Sauce made with Red Scotch Bonnet Pepper

If you have any more suggestions - Please share! We'd love to hear about hour favorites.

So ask yourself... Are you ready see how many alarms you can handle?

* Seriously everyday the cats look at me and ask : "Mommy why did you bring us to this bad place? I'm melting." - with their little gestures of course - not vocally. I haven't been driven insane by the heat yet.

The Betty Crocker Project : Antipasto Pasta Salad

So I made a huge batch of this for our friend Jack's BBQ, but I fell asleep and missed all the fun! It was mixed luck really, because that meant we didn't have to share any of this amazing salad. But this is not where I want to sing my sad songs or brag about my awesome lunch. Instead, let's talk about something random and kinda awesome.

As many of you who follow me on ye ol' social networking pages are painfully aware, I have recently fallen in love with Doctor Who. Don't worry, I won't bore you with nerd rants about Donna* and which Doctor is dreamiest... but instead I'm going to tell you about something else I think is cool.

Doctor Who has a spin off series called Torchwood. I would describe it as the BBC version of the SyFy TV show Sanctuary, but that's also not what I'm going to talk about today. I'm here to talk heroes. The dashing hero of Torchwood is a character named Capt. Jack Harkness and he is openly bisexual. He's probably the biggest flirt in any time or space, but he also talks fondly about past boyfriends, kisses men, and has a complicated relationship with one of his male teammates. In the sci-fi universe there have historically always been issues with a lack of ethnic diversity and women with more realistic body types, but let's be honest here.. there is almost never a hero who is not heterosexual**. Which is kinda strange, considering how many epic love stories are part of the sci-fi genre. So let's be honest: we are way overdo for Capt. Jack Harkness***.

Better late than never I guess. Which brings us back to this salad. I'm posting this too late to bring to a BBQ or picnic last weekend, but the great thing about summer is there's always another get-together coming up. Or you can always make this and keep it all to yourself. Either way... YOU WIN!

Come & Get It! Our Top 15 Favorite Vegan Recipes for Picnic & BBQ Season!

Howdy Partner! (Just kidding; I won't write this whole thing cowboy-style.)

Let's get serious here, because we're about to talk about something I take very seriously... POTLUCKS! See, planning a really amazing group dining event combines art with mathematics, originating in imagination but ultimately rooted in procedure*. There are relationships between the invitees and seating to take into account, and let's not forget making sure you have enough silverware and cups and all those basic resources. And of course, there's the menu. We've collected a few of our favorite Summery BBQ, Picnic, and Potluck favorites in time for this long weekend and compiled them here to make your menu planning easier. OK - maybe more than a few.

These vegan recipes are BBQ and Potluck Tested and Approved.

The Betty Crocker Project : Let them eat Pocket Calzones!

So a funny thing has happened since I began writing this blog: I started writing letters in my head to random things and people. Perhaps you could say I started thinking in letter form.

Exhibit A:

Dear Gentleman in the Red Truck on Colley Ave:

While I am flattered by your offer of marriage and rather boisterous appreciation of my "cans", I will have to refuse. I do hope though that someday you find the love you are looking for.

Good Luck! Annie

Exhibit B:

An Informal Letter to A Vegan Stuffed Crust Mexican Pizza

But I have to say that when it came to these calzones, I only had two words: Yes. Please.
I grew up eating Italian food and have always loved calzones. I didn't really grow up in a home with many microwaved things, so I admit I get an evil thrill out of making "pocket" foods. This recipe is actually a bit more like a Sicilian cuddiruni (stuffed pizza) than a traditional calzone, and doesn't have vegan ricotta in it. But isn't that one of the best things about Italian food: it gives you room to be creative? You really can put whatever you want in your calzones and who's going to judge you? If you need vegan ricotta to enjoy a good calzone, we have two recipes for it in our manicotti post that are calzone-tested and -approved. I would also suggest trying Lightlife's Smart Deli Vegan Pepperoni and some broccoli, if you're looking for some suggestions.

OK, I've kept you long enough. Are you ready to get your Paisano* on?