“Halloween” Chapter from Celebrations by CG: Holidays
makes 12 zombie pizzas
total time: 2 hours active time: 1 hour
I make these every year. Everyone loves pizza, everyone. These are easy to grab-and-go before trick-or-treating. They’re yummy, fun, AND clean! Pepperoni made of pinto beans, “cheese” made of cashews, and marinara sauce on whole wheat English muffins with vegetable toppings.
PEPPERONIS
½ cup cooked or canned pinto beans
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1 ¼ cups vital wheat gluten
¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 ½ teaspoons anise seeds, crushed
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
Freshly ground black pepper
“CHEESE” SAUCE
1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 2 hours and drained
¾ cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
FACES
6 English muffins
3 cups Marinara Sauce
12 fresh basil leaves
Sliced black olives
Sweet mini peppers
Capers
Make the Pepperonis: Before mixing the ingredients, get your steamer ready, bringing the water to a full boil.
Prepare four square sheets of aluminum foil. In a large bowl, mash the beans until no whole ones are left. Add the remaining pepperoni ingredients in the order listed and mix with a fork. Divide the dough into four even parts (an easy way to do this: split the dough in half and then in half again).
Place one part of the dough on a sheet of foil and mold it into a 6-inch log. Wrap the dough in the foil, like a Tootsie Roll. Don’t worry about shaping, it forms on it’s own while steaming. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Place the wrapped sausages in the steamer and steam until firm, about 40 minutes. Remove from the steamer and let cool completely before slicing. You’ll only need two of the pepperonis for this recipe.
Make the Cheese Sauce: Put all the cheese ingredients in a blender and purée until completely smooth; this can take up to 5 minutes depending on the strength of your machine. Periodically stop the blender to keep it from overheating, scrape down the sides of the blender with a spatula to make sure you get everything. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the Faces: Preheat oven to 350°F
Cut the English muffins in half and lay them out in front of you. Spread a few tablespoons of marinara sauce on each muffin. Tear a basil leaf into small pieces and scatter it over the marinara for a rotting flesh effect. Drizzle the cheese sauce in a swirl.
Place two sliced pepperoni rounds where the eyes go, and place two sliced olives on them in a wacky kind of way.
Place a sliced pepper ring, for the mouth, and put rotten caper teeth inside.
Arrange the loaded English muffins on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes.
Your zombies are ready to rock!