Perfection in Pizza Form: More Vegan Pizza.

Another pizza recipe...Lately a lot of my friends have been asking me what my "typical meal" is. I never know how to answer that because I don't have a "typical meal," but I'd have to say that I eat pizza more often than any other meal. Still, just about every pizza I make is different in many ways.

This pizza was just about perfect. I wish that I could have bottled the garlicky aroma that filled my house while I was making this. I've been working on perfecting my pizza dough making skills for quite some time now, and I've just about got it down. It can definitely be intimidating though.

Anyways, I didn't include the dough recipe here because I accidentally added 2 tablespoons of yeast instead of 2 teaspoons. It still turned out really good, but I didn't want to leave you with a sub-par pizza dough recipe. For now, use a premade dough or other recipe that you use, and I will give you the recipe for the sauces and toppings that I used on this pizza.

TOPPINGS:

1 red pepper, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
1 portabello mushroom, sliced
1/2 to 3/4 cup cashew cheese (see below)
 Dash of Salt

SAUCE:

3/4 cup parsley, chopped
10 cloves garlic, finely diced
4 tbsp olive oil, plus more for brushing on the crust
(+ 1 slice red pepper)
1/4 tsp. salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to whatever temperature your dough recipe calls for.

2. Add the sauce ingredients to your food processor or blender: parsley, garlic, olive oil, red pepper, and salt. Blend until well-combined.

3. Spread dough out on baking sheet or pizza stone. Spread about one-third to one-half of the cashew cheese (see below) over the dough, and then generously and evenly spread the pesto sauce on the pizza. Add the rest of the toppings: red pepper, zucchini, mushroom, and salt. Add scoops of the remaining cashew cheese. Sprinkle with salt, and brush the crust with olive oil.

4. Bake for the amount of time your pizza dough calls for.

Cashew Cheese:

1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least an hour
1 to 2 tbsp. olive or canola oil
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
Pinch of paprika
Pinch of parsley
Water

Instructions: 

1. Blend all ingredients in a food processor, adding water as necessary to achieve a smooth but thick consistency (think cream cheese or sour cream).

2. If desired, add any other seasonings: black pepper, cayenne pepper, oregano, basil, etc.

And here's a pretty sunset: