VEGAN

Homemade Faux Soy-Free Pepperoni Pizza

Ingredients

FOR THE PIZZA

• 1 recipe of your favorite pizza crust–I used this one
• 1 recipe of your favorite “cheese” (or use a premade one like daiya)–I adapted this one.
• 3/4-1 cup (180-240 ml) of your favorite pizza sauce (I made my own from canned tomatoes, basil, oregano and garlic powder)
• toppings of choice: chopped green pepper, chopped red onion, black olives, mushrooms (if you can have ‘em) and PEPPERONI!

FOR THE PEPPERONI

• 3-4 very small fresh beets, peeled and sliced extremely thin (if you have a mandoline, go for it)
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) extra virgin olive oil, preferably organic
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) Bragg’s liquid aminos OR tamari OR soy sauce
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable broth
• 1/4-1/2 tsp (1-2.5 ml) liquid smoke, to your taste*
• 1 tsp (5 ml) apple cider vinegar
• 2-3 drops plain stevia liquid or 1/4 tsp (1 ml) sugar
• 1/4 tsp (1 ml) garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp (1 ml) onion powder
• 1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground mustard
• 1/4 tsp (1 ml) fennel (ground is preferred)
• 1/8 tsp (.5 ml) sage
• 1/4 tsp (1 ml) smoked or regular paprika

Directions

Preheat oven to 325F (170 C).

Place everything except the beets in the bottom of a 9-inch (22.5 cm) square glass pan or a casserole dish and combine well. Add the beet slices and toss to coat them all; spread them out as well as you can (overlapping slices is okay).

Bake the slices, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and flip them over and around to re-coat them with marinade and switch the bottom slices to the top and top to the bottom as much as possible. Continue to bake and stir them up every 10-15 minutes until they have absorbed most of the marinade, are very soft, and begin to curl and crisp at the edges. Remove from oven and set aside until you need them for the pizza.

* If you can’t use liquid smoke because of candida issues, double up the smoked paprika.

FOR THE SAUCE

• 1 cup (240 ml) vegetable broth
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, cut in half
• 1 large or 2 small carrots, cut in chunks
• 1 medium potato, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) raw cashews
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) melted coconut oil, preferably organic
• 1/2-1 tsp (2.5 -5 ml) fine sea salt, to your taste
• 2 more cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) yellow mustard powder
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground black pepper
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp (1 ml) paprika

Directions

In a medium saucepan, combine the broth, onion, cut garlic cloves, carrots and potato and bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer, cover and cook for about 15 mintutes, until the vegetables are soft. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid. Set aside.

In the meantime, place the remaining ingredients in a blender and whir briefly to combine. Add 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the vegetable liquid and the drained vegetables to the blender and blend to create a fairly thick, smooth sauce. You will need to scrape down the sides several times and then blend again to ensure that everything is well incorporated (if you need a teeny touch more liquid, go ahead and add it–but don’t make the sauce too thin, or it will soak your pizza crust!). Use to top your pizza. Makes about 2 cups–too much for one pizza; I used leftovers on pasta the next day.


Assemble the pizza:

Preheat oven to 400F (200C).

Spread tomato sauce on the prepared crust and top with a healthy drizzle of the cheese sauce. Sprinkle with your toppings of choice. Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the pizza is warmed through. Then top with the beet pepperoni slices as desired and bake another 10-15 minutes until piping hot. Makes one large pizza (feeds 2 in our house).

More photos available here.

Submitted by Ricki Heller, PhD, RHN-- Author of Sweet Freedom: Desserts You'll Love without Wheat, Eggs, Dairy or Refined Sugar. Twitter: @RickiHeller Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Diet-Dessert-and-Dogs/124799880868208?ref=ts



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Photo Credit: Ricki Heller