Falafel Pizza With Vegan Ranch Dressing:

I was planning on taking a break from posting today, but I changed my mind! I had full intentions of using my pizza stone for this. Unfortunately, however, I don't have a pizza peel for it.

Anyways, I preheated my pizza stone at 500 degrees, but I was busy working on a presentation and left it in the oven for too long. As a result, I set all of the fire alarms off when I took it out of the oven. Then, when I tried to transfer my pizza crust to the stone, it didn't work at all. My nicely laid-out, light and airy dough turned into a blob, and while I was trying to fix the situation, my pizza stone was busy searing my beautiful fluffy pizza dough.

Long story short, I was aiming for a light and airy dough. It turned out really good, but not as light as I had wanted. The trick is to let it rise longer (sometimes 18 hours is best) and not let your pizza stone sear the dough before it's ready to go in the oven. However, with my impatience and clumsiness, who has time for that? This is what I ended up with...it was totally yum: airy and crispy, and filling. I had one small piece and have been full all night.

Also, this recipe may look a little long and convoluted, but don't fret! It's 3 recipes in one post, so while it looks difficult, it's not. Also, don't forget that you can use premade pizza dough to save time!

Oh, one more word of caution: let it cool before eating it! Although my healthy taste buds are rejoicing, the ones on the roof of my mouth are not happy with me right now. (What can I say? I'm impatient). ❤☮

Ingredients:

For the Dough:
4 cups all purpose flour, plus a little more for dusting
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups water, ice cold
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. corn starch
1 tsp yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt

Makes three 8-ish inch pizzas or  two 12-inch pizzas.

Toppings:
1 to 2 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 1/2 cups kale, ripped into small pieces and soaked in water for a few minutes
Any other toppings that your heart desires at the moment
However much Vegan Ranch Dressing that you want ( Recipe below)I used about 1/4 cup + more for dipping)...or use Vegan Tzatziki Sauce (recipe here).

(Toppings for one 8 or 12-inch pizza). 

Falafel:
1 large can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (reserve a tbsp. of liquid)
1/3 to 1/2 cup sweet onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. parsley
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. coarse kosher salt
Dash of cayenne pepper

(I used most of this on one 9-inch pizza, but this amount is enough falafel for one 12-inch pizza or for two 8-inch pizzas). 

Falafel Instructions:
Process the onions, garlic, and olive oil in food processor until very fine. Add the garbanzo beans, cumin, coriander, parsley, salt, and cayenne pepper.  Process the mixture until it's smooth.  Stir in the breadcrumbs (this will help keep the mixture from falling apart).

Dough/Pizza Instructions:

1. Add the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and parsley to a large bowl. Mix together.

2. Next, stir in the water and oil. Knead the dough until it's tacky and elastic, 5 to 7 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, coat with oil, cover with a damp towel, and let  the dough rise for 2 hours.

3. After the dough has risen, divide it into 3 sections. If you're only making one pizza, put the other dough balls in ziplock bags and save them for later. (It should last for 5 days in the fridge. I froze my extra dough).

4.  Sprinkle corn starch over a cast-iron skillet, pizza stone, or baking sheet. Spread the dough out evenly on whatever pan that you decide to use. Preheat the oven to 500, and let the dough rise a little more while the oven is heating.

5. Once the oven has preheated, brush the crust with olive oil, and add a generous scoop (1 to 1/2 cups) of the falafel mixture. Spread it evenly over the dough. Bake for 12 minutes.

6. Remove the pizza from the oven, and add the kale and tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and continue baking for another 12 to 15 minutes, until golden-brown and crispy.

VEGAN RANCH DRESSING:

Ingredients:
3/4 cup silken tofu (soft)
3/4 cup plain unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup fresh chives, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 tsp. dried parsley)
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. fresh dill (optional)
1/4 tsp. salt
Pinch of black pepper

Makes about 1 1/2 cups of Vegan Ranch Dressing. 

Instructions:
Add the unsweetened almond milk, silken tofu, chives, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, dill (if using), salt, and black pepper. Process until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add any other seasonings as desired.