I made this vegan pizza and almost fell in love! Giving up cheese has been one of the hardest transitions into living a vegan-ish lifestyle. I looked for several vegan pizza recipes online but nothing seemed appealing to me. So I decided to create my own healthy version of a vegan pizza.

We start with the crust…

Prep Time: 2 Hours

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 2 pizzas

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast (1 package)
• 1 3/4 cups of warm water (not too hot or it will kill the yeast)
• 2 tsp olive oil + more for bowl and pizza crusts
• 3 3/4 cups of unbleached, organic flour (your choice)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 cup corn meal

Instructions:

1. To start the dough, mix together the active yeast, warm water and olive oil. Let this mixture sit until the yeast becomes active (creamy). Use a flour sifter and slowly add the flour into the yeast mixture, 1/2 cup at a time. Add the rosemary, basil, oregano and garlic powder into the dough and mix well. The dough should be a little sticky, but not so sticky that is sticks to every surface.  Take another bowl and drizzle olive oil around and move the dough into this bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic film and let rise until it has doubled in size (1-3 hours).
2. Preheat the oven to 350F
3. Once risen, gently punch the dough down and divide into two balls.
4. Roll out both balls of dough separately (oil your hands and rolling pin with some olive oil to prevent sticking). Evenly sprinkle the corn meal between the dough and the baking pan/pizza stone. Use a fork to punch holes into the dough. Pre-bake the pies for 10 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and drizzle some olive oil over the top of the crust.  Add the sauces and toppings (see what I used below).

Sauce #1: Pesto

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 cups of fresh spinach
• 1 cup of fresh kale
• 1/2 fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup green onions
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• dash of sea salt

Instructions:

1. Place all of these ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Makes about 3/4 cup.
2. Spread the pesto directly on the crust.

Sauce #2: Tomato Basil Pizza Sauce

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• Half a fresh tomato, diced
• 2 Tbsp. of tomato paste
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
• 2 handfuls of fresh spinach leaves
• 2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tsp of dried oregano
• 1 tsp of dried basil
• 1 tsp of dried parsley

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add minced garlic; cook for about 30-45 seconds
3. Stir in diced tomatoes, fresh tomato, tomato paste, salt, pepper and other dried spices and cook for 8-10 minutes.
4. Stir in fresh basil and fresh spinach and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and spread on top of the pesto on the pizzas.

Pizza Toppings:

• Almond or cashew cheese (they sell at Whole Foods)
• 1 diced green pepper
• Sliced mushrooms
• Sliced black olives
• Chopped up broccoli
• Sliced giant white beans
• Diced white onion
• Veggies of your choice!

Bake Time:

1. Shred the cheese and top over the tomato sauce. Place the chopped veggies over the cheese. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 350F, or until the edges are lightly brown and crispy.
2. Take out of the oven and let cool for 2-5 minutes. Slice and Serve!

My kitchen was a MESS after this recipe. There is some time involved, but the payoff was worth it.

So, what’s your favorite healthy pizza topping?