A lot of people probably think that you have to give up eating pizza when you become vegan but that is most definitely not the case. In fact vegan pizza is one of the most delicious and tasty things to eat, it’s funny actually because I never really liked pizza before I became vegan but now it’s one of my most favourite meals.
If you have been used to eating dairy pizza then of course you will notice the difference with the cheese, it doesn’t have that same stringy texture that mozzarella has but I absolutely love it. The biggest different I find is that I don’t have that heavy feeling in my tummy after eating it. The one where you feel so full and a bit sick, I find that I feel so much ‘lighter’, and that has been reflected in my weight as I’ve gone down at least a dress size since becoming vegan four months ago.
I was so surprised by how easy it is to make pizza dough, I use spelt flour and other than the time you have to allow for it to rise it’s super quick. I will link to the recipe I use in a minute but I don’t even get the dough out of the bowl to knead it, I literally just mix it all together then knead it in the bowl for a minute or two then leave it for 1.5hrs. I make it in the morning then by teatime all I have to do is roll it out and add the toppings. The kids absolutely love it too, they have been helping me make it and Tiger, who had never touched pizza before is now eating a whole one to himself!
I have really been enjoying cooking again recently, I was so fed up and uninspired before I became vegan but now I just love trying different recipes and food tastes so much better for some reason. It’s really strange, Mr C laughs at me as when I eat I’m always making ‘MMMMM’ noises. My passion for eating and cooking again has definitely rubbed off on the kids too, we’ve been playing games where we lay out different foods and try them all, basically anything to make eating fun again instead of a horrible chore.
So for the pizza dough recipe… I use this one by Nourish Atelier. Her toppings also look amazing but I have to admit there were a few things I hadn’t even heard of on there so I simplified it right down and I don’t even bother heating up the pizza sauce ingredients, I did the first time but I found the end result didn’t taste any different.
So for the tomato sauce you will need…
– Passata
– Tomato puree
– Garlic oil
I literally just squeeze on some tomato puree and passata then use a spoon to even it all out. Then I drizzle some garlic oil on, I am obsessed with this stuff and add it to everything these days!
Then for the vegan pizza toppings….
– Vegan cheese (I use the normal VioLife)
– Vegetables of your choice (I used peppers and olives)
– Homemade pesto: I just put a bunch of basil, a handful of pine nuts and loads of garlic oil in the blender then whizz it up. I’ve just started freezing it in ice cube trays too so I always have a supply in the freezer.
Once the pizza is cooked I add on a few other bits, basically whatever is lying around my kitchen so things like…
– Nutritional yeast
– Pine nuts
– Fresh basil
– More garlic oil
I am pretty sure I could live on this, in fact as I write this at 9am I am already dreaming of eating it!
I’m so pleased that the weather has been nice enough to eat outside lately too, our kitchen is in desperate need of a revamp. I would love to order a new kitchen from Kitchen Warehouse or even just get some new kitchen units. Our work surface especially needs replacing. We have so many jobs that need doing around the house though that it needs to wait a while!
‘Collaborative Post’
