Tag Archives: veggie hot dog

Grilling Vegetarian on the 4th of July…

4 Jul

I should have posted this a few days back… but now that we have a few extra days free on our weekend in when I am ready to share some grilling tips with you all.

Judging by the amount of grills and BBQs on the beach, you would believe July 4th is National Grill Day more so than Independence Day.  I am headed myself to a pool party/BBQ party hosted by my good friend Annie Mariel.  She mentioned she will have vegetarian treats for us all…  but particularly me.

This reminds me of a few years back when my good friends Ana and Rafa invited me to a backyard BBQ/pool party and they set up a separate grill just for the vegetarian fare – vegetable kebabs, corn on the cob and asparagus.

Ana y Rafa Pool Party

 

 

Ana's Grill

I am planning ahead this time just in case and I am bringing a few of my favorite grilling foods to make sure there’s plenty of veggie-full celebrations this year:

Portobello Burger

To me, the best veggie burger alternative there is.  Season heavily and no one will miss the meat.

portobello-burger

Veggie Hot Dogs

I serve them open faced and split in half so they get a blistered and charred exterior.

open-faced-hot-dog

Albóndiga Sandwich

These are more fried than grilled, but a soy-albóndiga sandwich will make a great addition to your vegeterian BBQ spread.

Meat Ball Sandwich 2

Veggie Party Dip

Never arrive empty-handed to any BBQ you’re invited to…  bring along this great dip with some crackers or totrilla chips and everyone will ask you for the recipe.

veggie-dip.jpg

 

“Chorizo” Pizza

18 Jun

In Spanish there’s a saying that goes… “Lo prometido es deuda.” which translates to “what you promise, you owe”. And I promised you I was going to gather for you the recipe for the winning pizza from the 1st Devanand pizza festival. After much pleading and almost begging, Yazmín, the creator of the winning delicacy, agreed to share her recipe with me and all of you, KarmaFree Cooking avid fans.

This winning “chorizo” pizza… and please notice the word chorizo is in quotation marks… because when I tried this pizza initially I was immediately transported to those pizzas they served at the movie theaters back in the day when double features were the norm. Do you remember too??? Or maybe even those pizzas they served at Woolworth in Plaza las Americas when I was a little girl. All you Puertorros out there can relate, right???

I believe, the connection of flavors to those memories is what made this pizza the winning pie at the festival. Among the judges were my mom and she certainly had tasted those pizzas of yesteryears I mentioned you from Cine Astor, Cine Martí and Woolworth. And ever since that day I was intrigued how Yazmín could capture that chorizo flavor… because the “chorizo” was as greasy and tasty as I remembered it.

I thought it was made from “soyrizo”… but when I actually bought it and tasted it, the taste as too prominent of cumin and I knew that wasn’t the flavor I had tasted on that delicious winning pizza. I thought then it was some sort of textured soy protein, but no, it wasn’t the same texture. Until one day I asked Yazmín directly and she revealed the “secret” to her “chorizo” – – VEGGIE HOT DOGS!!!! Veggie Hot Dogs cooked and seasoned with annatto oil to give them that greasy red orangey color of those chorizo pizzas I remembered.

I will admit… I have eaten this recipe many times after that pizza festival, but I have never ever made it myself. Hey, if Yazmín is my friend and she volunteers to make this each and every time our Guruji wants to eat some pizza, why in the world would I bother making it myself??? But I can assure you that if you have any questions at all about making this, I will relay all your messages to her and gather you the appropriate answers. We could even do a Twitter party if you all are up to it…

Gayatri, who helped make this “chorizo” pizza with her mom, Yazmin

I hope you all like this pizza… as much as I, my mom and the rest of the Yoga Center do. I think I might just call Yazmín right now to see when she will make another one of these real soon. I am getting a craving!!!!

“CHORIZO” PIZZA

Makes 2 large pizzas or 4 individual pizzas

 2 ¼ cups of All Purpose Baking Flour GF (Bob’s Red Mill) sifted and some more to work the dough
1 ¼ cups oatmeal flour gluten-free, sifted
¼ cup gluten substitute from Orgran
6 ¾ tsp xanthan gum
1 ¾ tsp sea salt
3 ½ tsp olive oil
3 ½ tspsapple cider vinegar
2 ¼ soy milk, warm
3 ½ tbs dry yeast
3 ½ tbs brown sugar
3 ½ tsp garlic poder
1 ¾ dry oregano
3 packets of organic cheese, shredded
 
 
Tomato Sauce
6oz of organic tomato paste
3 cups of water
1 tbs annatto oil
Salt
Garlic powder
Italian Seasonings 
Vegetable bouillon cube (optional)
 
Chorizo”
1 package of veggie hot dogs, finely grated
1 vegetable boullion cube
1 tbs water
Sea Salt
Garlic Powder
2-3 tbs annatto oil
  1.  Mix the flours, gluten substitute, xanthan gum, salt, garlic powder and oregano.
  2. In a glass jar mix gently the cup of warm milk, olive oil, sugar, vinegar and yeast. Allow to rest for about 5 minutes, or until you see the yeast start to bubble.
  3. In a stand mixer with the hook attachment on #2 speed, add the remaining warm milk, the yeast mixture and slowly start adding the flour mixture. Once in a while, scrape the sides of the mixing bowl to make sure it’s all well incorporated.
  4. Mix for a few minutes until you see the dough is getting elastic. Take the dough out of the mixer and transfer to a oiled glass bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Place in a warm place in your kitchen for about 30 minutes to allow the dough to rise evenly.
  5. While we wait for the dough to rise, we make the tomato sauce and the “chorizo”…
  6. For the sauce, mix all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Mix together well and allow the vegetable bouillion cube to dissolve well, if using. Cook it for about 10-15 minutes until the sauce thickens. Set aside.
  7. For the chorizo, in another saucepan add the water and vegetable bouillon cube and dissolve well over medium high heat.
  8. Add the grated veggie hot dog and mix well.
  9. Add the annatto oil and season with the salt and garlic powder. Mix well and cook over the stove for a few minutes until the mixture becomes a homogeneous saucy concoction. Set aside.
  10. Pre-heat oven to 325F and grease two 16” pizza pans.
  11. Divide the dough in half and knead with your hands using some extra flour trying to make a ball. Now, flatten out with your hands and a rolling pin until you can cover the pizza pan with the dough. Place on top of pan and create a border by folding the edges a bit.
  12. Dock the center of the pizza dough with a fork. Brush extra olive oil over the dough.
  13. Place the sauce over the dough. Place some of the chorizo mixture over the sauce and top with a generous amount fo shredded cheese.
  14. Bake in oven for approximately 25 minutes, or until you see the cheese is melted and golden brown and the edges of dough are golden.

BBQ Roasted Potatoes

27 Jan

Who says you need to have BBQ only in the summertime???

Where I live it is summer weather year-round so I really do not discriminate when I should or shouldn’t eat something slathered with BBQ sauce.

When I get a craving to eat BBQ sauce, like I used to when I used to eat ribs at Tony Roma’s…  I go to this recipe.

 

BBQ ROASTED POTATOES

2 large red-skinned potatoes, cut up roughly into 1” pieces
2 veggie hot dogs or tofu dogs, sliced on a bias
1 medium yellow onion, cut up into wedges
3 tbs of your favorite BBQ sauce, organic preferable
A drizzle of Olive Oil
Garlic Salt to taste

 

 

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400F
  2. In a medium bowl toss together all the ingredients.  Make sure all the potatoes, onions and pieces of hot dog are coated with the BBQ and seasonings.  Transfer to a baking sheet and line everything up in one layer.
  3. Roast in oven for about 40-45 minutes.  I move things around about halfway thru cooking to make sure everything gets golden brown on all sides.

 

Serve alongside some garlic toasts…  or next to a refreshing crispy salad to cool off the heat from the BBQ sauce.

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