four mushroom pizza

i always see these delicious pizza ai funghi on the menus at italian restaurants i visit, which is really just a fancy way of saying mega-mushroom pizza. they always look so delicious, but i usually can't have them because their sauces are cream based, or i'm not sure about the crust ingredients, or something other vegan related. i finally decided to combat this unfortunate situation with my own italian culinary skills.

• 1 batch pizza crust
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 1/3 cup walnuts
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
• pinch of salt

for the sauce:

• 1/3 cup blanched almonds
• 1/4 cup nutri yeast
• 1½ tablespoons bragg's aminos
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/8 cup spelt flower
• 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
• 3/4 tablespoon light miso
• pinch black pepper and salt

jessy and dan have a fabulous pizza crust recipe... so whenever i have time, it is definitely the recipe i use. after whatever crust you are using is ready, you will want to pre-bake it for about 5 minutes at 375°f. pull out and let cool for a few minutes. you can prep your sauce during this time - just put all the sauce ingredients in a food processor or magic bullet and blend until creamy.  you can also prep the topping sprinkle - use the walnuts, nutritional yeast, sunflower seeds and dash of salt. you can hand chop, but i just throw everything in the bullet and give it a few pulses.

once your crust has cooled, layer on creamy sauce and then the mushrooms.  in this recipe i used equal parts shiitake, black, straw and button because that's what i had. the shiitakes gave a bit of oriental flair, but use your favourite mushrooms.  i'm thinking one with portabellos, button and creminis would be nice. before you put your sprinkle on top, you'll want to bake about 8-10 minutes on 375°f to make sure the mushrooms are cooked well.  pull out and sprinkle on the topping, and bake for about 5-7 minutes more. pizza is one of those foods that tend to vary on cooking times (depending on the the amount of toppings and crust), so you'll just have to keep an eye on it and make sure the center is heated through. 

grilled pizza

this was a fun foodie experiment that turned out awesome! i had heard of grilled pizza sometime in the past year, and was determined to make it this summer. i was not disappointed. nice crispy pizza with a wonderful grill flavour - you can't beat it! the timing on the grill is the most difficult part, and i've typed up detailed instructions below.

• 1 batch of pizza dough
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• yellow squash
• zucchini
• green bell peppers
• red bell peppers
• marinated artichoke hearts
• mushrooms
• black olives
• banana peppers
• vegan cheese (optional)

for the pizza sauce (makes two):

• 2 small cans tomato paste
• 1/3 cup water
• onion powder
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• pinch of salt

make your sauce and dough first. the sauce is super easy and thick. for the dough... well, i'm not going to lie. i used a package mix, which is usually not my style. however, my kitchen was torn up because i'm getting new counter tops and a new sink, so there wasn't any working room and everything was covered in dust.

while your dough is resting, prep your toppings by chopping them into pizza-sized bits. put them in a vegetable grill tray and cook over medium-high heat for about 4-5 minutes. if you don't have a grill pan, you can create a pouch out of foil and cook them in there, but they won't have as much of the "grilled" flavour.

when your toppings are done cooking, roll out your dough into a circle or square, about 9 inches in diameter and about 1/4 inch thick. if your tough gets too thin, it will tear on the grill. put some flour on a plate and lay your dough on top. coat the top with a thin layer of olive oil - about one tablespoons worth. keep your grill on medium high heat and spray with olive oil or another nonstick spray. in one quick motion, flip your plate over so the crust lands oil-side down. while it's cooking, coat the top side with the other tablespoon of olive oil. check the bottom often for burning and flip as needed. you will likely only need to cook the crust for 1-1½ minutes on either side.


once crust has cooked, remove from grill. spread sauce, toppings and whatever cheese substitute you are using. i opted to forgo the cheese during this test run since i typically have a hard time getting it to melt. once pizzas have been assembled, carefully place them back on the grill on low heat this time. to really accentuate the grill flavor (and melt any cheese you are using), close the lid. continue to cook on low until they start to brown a little on the outside of the crust, approximately 4-5 minutes.

it may seem a little complicated for pizza, but the flavour is so worth it.

veggie and kraut pizza

pizza has long been one of my favourite foods. another one my favourites is sauerkraut, and when i went vegan, i found that kraut made a tasty substitute for cheese on pizza. it's not exactly apples to apples in terms of taste, mind you, but it's really worth giving it a shot (if you like kraut). the best part - it crunches up perfectly on the edges.

• 1 batch of pizza crust
  
• 2 handfuls baby spinach
• 1/2 cup artichoke hearts, quartered
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 tomato, sliced and halved
• 5-6 mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup vegan sausage crumbles
• 10-15 black olives, chopped
• 1 cup of sauerkraut, drained

for the pizza sauce:

• 1 small can tomato paste (6oz)
• 3/4 small can tomato sauce (6oz)
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1-2 teaspoons black pepper
• pinch of salt

jessy of happyveganface recently blogged about her whole wheat pizza dough and i had been dying to give it a shot. the verdict - absolutely perfect! i will definitely use this dough more often.

the pizza sauce recipe listed is my go-to recipe when i haven't really 'planned' on making pizza. i prefer a nice combination of fresh and sun dried tomatoes for my sauce, but sometimes a girl just doesn't have all the fresh ingredients she needs. and it's simple - just whisk up all the ingredients in a bowl. also, i really love black pepper in my sauce. i learned this from my italian grandmother, who i once watched make pizza sauce with a heavy hand of black pepper. her sauce tops mine of course, but i haven't forgotten the special black pepper ingredient. :)

i think everyone knows how to make pizza, so i'll just skip to the best part. after layering your sauce and veggies, drain and hand-squeeze your sauerkraut. spread it thinly over the top of your pizza - much like you would with shredded cheese. if you want the kraut to crunchify, make sure you can still see the veggies below. i've tried it both ways, and i say 'thin to win'...

pop it in the oven at 425°f, and let cook for at least 12 minutes. usually i just eyeball it after this, depending on how thick it is, and how crispy you like it.