Growing up in the ’70s, many of us sang the Oscar Meyer b-o-l-o-g-n-a song like it was a top 10 hit. And in my house, we ate a lot of bologna sandwiched between toasted slices of white bread and gobs of mayo. So, what’s a vegan to do about their love for bologna? Make vegan bologna, of course!
This recipe was adapted from Jo Stepniak’s “The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook”, but to my delight, it was more like bologna than cheese. This Phony Bologna leaves out the animals and uses an easy combination of roasted red peppers, cashews, flavorings, agar powder, which is the ingredient that binds everything together. Agar (sometimes seen as agar-agar) is a naturally gelatinous powder derived from algae. It’s the perfect tasteless vegan substitute for gelatin. Our recipe calls for agar powder but agar flakes are also readily available. The powdered form is much easier to work with so order we recommend that you order it online if you can't find it in your grocery store. A little goes a long way, so one package will last quite a while.
You'll also need a plastic soup container, like the one pictured here, so that you end up with nice, round slices. 
My last batch of Phony Bologna was paired with fresh bagels, vegan cheese slices, and vegan mayo, but you can get much more creative than that. I’ve even used it on sushi paper with hummus and sprouts to make Phony Bologna Mock Sushi! Yes, you can go home again!
Lightly oil a 1-quart soup container. Set aside. In a small pot, combine water and agar powder and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking frequently, until dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool briefly while doing the next step. Do not let this cool too long as it will set and become too gelatinous to work with.
Add to the bowl of a food processor; roasted red peppers, cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, tahini, miso, onion powder, garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and tamari. Blend for a couple of minutes. Add the agar mixture to the food processor and blend for several minutes until smooth. Pour into prepared soup container and chill in the refrigerator for several hours.
To serve, turn the container upside down and gently squeeze until contents come out in one roll. Slice and serve.
Lightly oil a 1-quart soup container. Set aside. In a small pot, combine water and agar powder and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking frequently, until dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool briefly while doing the next step. Do not let this cool too long as it will set and become too gelatinous to work with.
Add to the bowl of a food processor; roasted red peppers, cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, tahini, miso, onion powder, garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and tamari. Blend for a couple of minutes. Add the agar mixture to the food processor and blend for several minutes until smooth. Pour into prepared soup container and chill in the refrigerator for several hours.
To serve, turn the container upside down and gently squeeze until contents come out in one roll. Slice and serve.
