Jerk Pizza

Makes 2 (9-inch) pizzas

www.ZsusVeganPantry.com

CA Pizza Dough recipe

Sauce:

¼ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons brown rice syrup

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 tablespoons minced onion

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 pinches of thyme, allspice, ground black pepper

Jerk Seasoning:

2 teaspoons brown sugar

½ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon each: ground black pepper, paprika, allspice, garlic powder, onion powder

pinch of cayenne (plus more, to taste)

pinch of cinnamon

Tofu:

8 ounces firm tofu, pressed for 6 hours at least, cut into 1 x ½ -inch pieces

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon chicken-style seasoning mix

1 tablespoon oil

Toppings:

2 cups shredded vegan mozzarella-style cheese (preferably a mixture of different brands of vegan cheeses)

½ roasted red pepper, diced

¼ small onion, thinly sliced

6 slices vegan bacon, minced

2 tablespoons minced green onion

For the Sauce:

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, syrup, water, ketchup, onion, vinegar, garlic, lemon, salt, red pepper, black pepper, thyme and allspice. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Using a small blender or immersion blender, blend the sauce.

For the Seasoning:

Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well using a fork.

For the Tofu:

Mix the water and the broth mix in a shallow pan just big enough to fit the tofu pieces. Add the tofu pieces and toss. After 10 minutes, pour off the liquid into a small bowl and then pour it back on top of the tofu. After 10 minutes mix the tofu pieces. Allow to sit for another 10 minutes. This allows as much liquid to permeate the tofu as possible. You should only have a bit of liquid left, if any. Drain the tofu.

Sprinkle the tofu with the jerk seasoning - use about 1 teaspoon of the mixture, or more, to taste.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the tofu until golden brown on all sides, about 6 to 8 minutes.

For the Pizza:

Preheat the oven with a pizza stone to 500 degrees an hour before baking the pizza.

Per pizza:

Follow the instructions for preparing the dough. Make sure that the dough moves easily on the peel or board by sliding the dough around a bit. Dust the board, if needed, before continuing.

Using the back of a large spoon, spread 3 tablespoons of the sauce on the prepared dough to within an inch of the edge of the pizza. Add ⅔ cups of the cheeses to the pizza. Top with half of the tofu, half of the pepper, half of the onion, half of the tofu bacon and another ⅓ cup of cheese.

Slide the pizza onto the stone in the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are golden. Remove the pizza, add the half the green onions, slice and serve.

Repeat with the other pizza dough and toppings.