I have many friends in the church group I belong to, who are "Vegan" or, "Vegetarian ", for whatever their reason.
When we gather together for a social event, and Pizza is being served, these friends end up being left out, simply because nobody had the courtesy to either buy or make a Vegan or "Vegetarian Pizza". As a Christian, I do not see this as a proper way to treat them. Why should they be excluded?
These are my friends, and when this happens, I feel sorry for them, so I decided to come up with a totally Vegan or "Vegetarian Pizza" Here’s my solution.
This is a very simple and easy dish to assemble and cook. It can be ready to serve and eat in about 1 hour or less.
Ingredients required
1 – 18 – 24 inch diameter round baking sheet, OR, l rectangular cookie tray
1 – Bag store bought Pizza dough (rising thick crust) or plain, OR, 1 pre-package Pizza Crust, OR, make your own if you want to. My personal preference is a thick crust.
[ If you are using Pizza Dough, you can also find one that is Gluten-free ]
1 – tin of Pizza Sauce, OR, Tomato Paste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Garlic Powder
Vegan Rella OR, Mozzarella Cheese Shredded
( Vegan Rella ) is a vegetarian cheese that can be found in most grocery stores and some health food stores.
Pizza Toppings: Sliced Tomatoes, Sliced Mushrooms, Sliced Olives, Sliced red,green,yellow Peppers, Sliced Zucchini, Sliced Egg Plant, Sliced Onion Rings, Minced Garlic, Anchovies, popcorn-shrimp, pineapple bits, tofu slices.
The Anchovies and the shrimp are seafood but my friends love it.
or any other veggie or fruit your heart desires. Be Imaginative and creative.
Preparation Instructions: Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
If you are using Pizza Dough cut the ball in half or quarters depending upon the size of the package and spread out one portion rolling it on a flour covered surface until it covers the fullness of your round or rectangular baking tray.
Using a pastry brush or a spoon drizzle and spread a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil all over the surface of the dough.
If you are using a ready prepared Pizza Crust make sure it is not frozen, remove it from the packaging, place it on your baking tray and brush on the olive oil.
Here’s a neat little trick to add extra flavor: Sprinkle a little dusting of Garlic Powder onto your Pizza dough/ crust.
Helpful Hint:
Here is a trick you can try if you are using a pre- packaged Pizza Crust, if there is two in the package prepare both at the same time. the second one you can wrap in plastic wrap tuck it back into its carton and refreeze it for another day.
Spread an ample amount of the Pizza Sauce or Tomato Paste covering the top of your pizza except for about 1/4 inch edge.
Scatter your toppings how ever many you choose all over the pizza as evenly as possible. Top off your veggies with a liberal amount of your Vegan Rella, OR, Mozzarella. There’s nothing better than lots of gooey stringy cheese as you break away a slice from the pie.
Drizzle some Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the toppings and sprinkle on your Basil and Oregano and salt to taste.
Place your baking tray into your pre-heated over and bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until your cheese starts to brown up.
After 20 minutes or when the cheese browned remove from oven and serve hot.