Quick P-i-z-z-a

Who doesn't love pizza?  Just because we're vegan doesn't mean we don't crave a good hearty pizza on a weekly basis.  haha  Here's my tips for awesome vegan pizza with endless variety to keep you satisfied week after week (or day after day, depending on how serious your pizza addiction is).

Quick & Easy Pizza Crust
makes one 12 to 14 in crust
Ingredients:

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast (equivalent to one packet)
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 heaping cups all purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour or mixture

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Dissolve sugar and yeast in the water.  Mix in oil and salt. 
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine liquid mixture with the flour, a bit at a time.
4. Knead the dough 5-10 times.
5. Let dough sit for 10-20 minutes.
6. Roll dough onto pizza stone or baking sheet.  Prebake for about 8 minutes.
7. Take dough out of oven.  Add desired sauce and toppings.
8. Bake for 10-15 more minutes, depending on desired doneness.
9. Take out of the oven, let cool off, enjoy!!

Sauce Ideas

• canned pizza sauce
• homemade pesto sauce (see archives for my recipe)
• jar of "bruschetta" spread (usually various marinated veggies and tomato sauce)

Yummy Pizza Toppings

• tempeh, any variety, be sure to steam first and then brown in a bit of oil
• tofu, firm variety, crumble up with hands and add things like fresh basil, a bit of salt, some nutritional yeast, etc.
• canned olives
• onion
• tomato
• broccoli...  ok, any veggie you want
• fresh herbs
• vegan cheese- I recommend either Daiya or Follow Your Heart mozzarella flavors

What is your favorite homemade pizza?

If you're in a time crunch, Amy's Roasted Veggie No Cheese frozen pizza is delicious.  It is available at HyVee.  You can add toppings or cheese to it if you like.  We ate it as is and it was yummy, although a bit on the light side.

Side note:  If any of you ever make it out to St. Louis, Pi Pizzeria has delicious vegan pizza!!!!!!

The Best Vegan Pizza EVER.

Ok, maybe that's not the fairest title, as this is the only vegan pizza that I've ever tried. But seriously, you are all doing yourself a huge injustice if you do not make Isa's Pizza from Vegan With A Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. It may seem like a daunting task, as this pizza is actually a blending of four recipes from the book: Pizza Dough, Pizza Sauce, Classic Pesto (ohh this is actualy made with walnuts instead of pine nuts), and Basil-Tofu Ricotta. It's the scrumptious combo of the last two recipes that make this totally yummy and unique. I was worried that a pizza without cheese would be sorely lacking. I had not faith in it right up until the point when I took my first bite. It was then that my life changed... THIS PIZZA IS SOOO AMAZING! It's refreshing, unlike heavy, meat-and-dairy laden pizzas from my past. Just make sure that you starting preparing the different recipes about two hours in advance, as the dough needs time to rise, the ricotta time to chill, and the pizza has to bake of course. Do it do it do it.