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Stromboli

Adapted from The Sexy Vegan’s Happy Hour at Home

2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 medium yellow onion, sliced
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil
Pinch salt, plus more for seasoning
1/4 lb. button or cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 cups bite-size broccoli florets
Pepper, to taste
Unbleached all-purpose flour, for dusting the work surface
1 lb. store-bought pizza dough or Basic Pizza Dough (recipe follows), at room temperature
8 oz. mozzarella-style vegan cheese, shredded
1/4 cup sliced pitted black or Kalamata olives
2 cups marinara sauce, warmed

• Preheat a pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour at 400°F.
• In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the bell pepper, onion, oregano, basil, and a pinch of salt. Cook for 3 minutes, then add the mushrooms. Cook for 3 to 4 more minutes, until the mushrooms are tender, then add the broccoli. Once the broccoli is tender, about 4 more minutes, season the veggies with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
• On a floured surface, roll the pizza dough into an oval that is approximately 13 to 14 inches long and 9 to 10 inches wide. Transfer to a floured pizza peel (one of those giant spatulas that they use to put the pizzas in the oven at pizzerias). You have one, remember? I told you to buy one in my first book; therefore, you did.
• Fold the vegan mozzarella and olives into the bowl of veggies—this is your filling. Place in an elongated pile in the middle of the dough, making sure that there are 2 to 3 inches between the edges of the dough and the filling on all sides. Fold in the short sides of the dough so that they cover a couple inches of the filling. Then take one long side of the dough and fold it in half so that the long sides meet, completely covering the filling. Pinch the edges of the dough together.
• With a paring knife, make three 1-inch slits in the top of the stromboli to release steam. Brush the top with a generous amount of olive oil. At this point, the dough might be sticking to the peel, so gently run your hands under the stromboli to make sure that it’s not sticking. Just before transferring the stromboli to the pizza stone, give it a little shimmy shake to make sure that it will slide off. Then with one easy motion, thrust the peel forward over the stone, then quickly pull back to let the stromboli slide off.
• Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until the top is browned and crisp. Let cool for 5 minutes, then cut crosswise into 4 pieces. Serve with the warmed marinara.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Basic Pizza Dough

Adapted from The Sexy Vegan’s Happy Hour at Home

1 cup warm water
1 7-g. pkg. or 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to coat the dough and bowl
1 Tbsp. agave nectar
Large pinch salt
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface

• In a bowl, combine the water, yeast, oil, agave nectar, and salt. Gently mix together and let sit for 5 minutes, until the mixture starts to froth. This ensures that the yeast is active and has not expired. Add 2 cups of the flour and mix (I do it by hand, but you can also use a stand mixer with a dough hook). Continue to slowly add the rest of the flour until you have a slightly sticky ball. Knead by hand or in your stand mixer. You can add a little flour if the dough starts to stick to your hands. You’ll need to knead the dough until smooth and elastic; this will take about 10 minutes by hand (or 5 minutes on medium speed if you’re using a stand mixer). After kneading, form into a ball.
• Coat a large bowl with olive oil. (The dough is going to double in size, so make sure that the bowl is big enough.) Also coat the dough in olive oil. Put the dough in the bowl, cover with a damp kitchen towel, and stash someplace warm for 90 minutes. I have found that turning my oven to 200°F for 2 minutes, then turning it off, creates the perfect environment for rising dough. After the first rise, give the dough a couple of light, open-handed slaps to make it collapse and flatten out. Then let rise for 40 more minutes.

Makes 1 lb. of dough

Thank you for entering PETA’s Sexy Vegan’s Happy Hour at Home contest! For more vegan cookbooks, check out PETACatalog.com.

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