Mile High Pesto Veggie/Tofu Sandwich on Pizza Bread

A sandwich that fills the average bear!
 

Ingredients
The Hungry Vegan Bear's Pesto
Trader Joe's basil and herb pizza dough
3 slices of Trader Joe's baked tofu
olive oil
2 cloves of fresh garlic
2 slices of tomato
3 Crimean mushrooms
3 slices of red pepper
1 slice of yellow squash
handful of fresh spinach
sea salt
pepper

This recipe makes a half a sandwich, but after a very long day at work I found that this sandwich more than filled me up during dinner time.  And the best part is that it is quick, very quick, to make.

First make the pesto in a blender or food processor.

Pesto Ingredients 9 Trader Joe's basil stems (pluck off leaves)
1/2 c ground raw almonds
1 c olive oil
3 garlic cloves
1/2 c vegan Parmesan cheese

Next, take some of the dough, about a size of a racquetball, and flatten it a little bit.  Make sure your fry pan is heating for a bit at a higher temperature, but don't put it on high unless you want to burn the pizza dough on the outside and have it raw on the inside.  Place the dough in the heated pan and then flip when it becomes golden brown.  I cut the bread once it was out of the pan, but be very careful if you do this as the oil could burn you.  Then spread about a tablespoon of the pesto on each side of the bread. 

Cut and slice all of the veggies.  I heated all of the veggies in the fry pan with a bit of salt, pepper, and the two cloves of garlic.   The veggies cook very fast, so be on your feet!  The three slices of tofu I did not heat on the stove, but since everything else was hot it really didn't matter all that much. 

Serving size: 1 hungry vegan bear

Put A Ring On It-A Beer Battered Onion Ring

The Hungry Vegan Bear has finally crawled out of hibernation.  And the best way to wake up is by cooking for a whole slew of friends, which is exactly what she did for the 4th of July!

Batter Ingredients:
1/2 gallon canola oil
2 c unbleached flour
1 1/2 bottles of Corona
1/2 lg lemon
1/2 tsp baking powder
Lawry's seasoning
black pepper
cayenne pepper
sea salt
3 large yellow or white onions

Cut the onions about a centimeter wide.  I like a relatively thick onion ring, but if you prefer to slice the onion a bit thinner that is fine, too.  Next, begin the batter preparation by adding the flour, beer lemon, and other ingredients.  If you can find a lemon tree I highly suggest using a fresh from the tree lemon.  I was lucky enough to have a bag of California lemons given to me by a friend this past week whose grandmother has a tree, which provided a nice zesty taste to the breading.  I use about five to six shakes of the Lawry's seasoning.  Also, I find that adding spice to the breading is a nice contrast to the onion and shakes things up a bit, which is why I use both the black and cayenne pepper. 

Heat the oil on high until several small bubbles begin to form inside the stock pot (a cast iron pot would be best unless you have a deep fryer). 

Dust the raw onions with a bit of flour prior to dipping them into the batter.  Once the onion is coated drop gently into the heated oil.  The ring will begin to fry and float to the surface.  When the ring begins to turn a nice golden brown flip it over.  Make sure both sides of the ring are nice and gold and then place on a plate covered with a napkin (absorbs excess oil).   

Also, if you're not fond of canola oil there are plenty of other oils to chose from, but I like the light flavor of canola and it does not seem to make the rings too greasy. 

Once the rings have cooled, sprinkle a bit of sea salt over the rings and enjoy! And if you can't get enough lemon...add a bit more over the rings or to make it a bit more spicy sprinkle hot sauce on top.  Personally, I like to break out a bit of my bbq sauce as a nice dipping sauce on the side.