Pizza

Hello on the 20th day of the Vegan Month of Food! Today for Nostalgia Week, it's Pizza Friday!

Pizza

Ingredients:

(crust)

--1 Bob's Red Mill 16 oz. package Gluten Free Pizza Crust mix

--2 T flaxseed meal + 6 T water (replaces the 2 eggs)

--1 1/2 cups warm water

--2 T olive oil

--yeast packet (included in the pizza crust package)

(toppings)

--tomato sauce

--shredded Daiya (both mozzarella and cheddar)
--vegan pepperoni slices (I used Lightlife's Smart Deli Pepperoni)*

*If you leave off the pepperoni, this pizza is gluten-free! :)

Directions:

(Preheat oven to 425°F.) Combine yeast and water in a large bowl; let stand a few minutes. Add the flaxseed meal and olive oil, stir. Add the pizza crust mix; stir until combined. Split dough in half (makes two 12-inch crusts), leave in bowl, covered for 20 minutes so it can rise. Place one of the doughs on a greased pizza pan (I used a baking tray). With wet hands, spread out the dough to cover the pan (I made a round 9 1/2 inch crust). Bake for 7 minutes without toppings. (Store second unused dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, in the fridge.) Remove from oven, add sauce, Daiya, and vegan pepperoni slices. Bake for 7 minutes (the package says 15-18 minutes, but 7 minutes seemed sufficient for mine since it was smaller). Remove from oven; allow to cool slightly, slice with pizza cutter, and serve. (Mine made 4 slices.)

Notes: I do enjoy a thicker crust, but I probably will spread out the crust a bit thinner when I use the leftover dough to make another pizza. (Even though the cheese got melty and the bottom of the crust cooked well, the middle was a bit doughy; still delicious, though!) I really enjoyed the vegan pepperoni; I loved pepperoni when I was younger, and this tasted very similar (and was notably less greasy!).

Growing up, "Pizza Friday" was always fun; we alternated between ordering a pizza or making it at home ourselves. Of the two options, homemade pizza was much more delicious and way more exciting since I got to help my dad with preparing the dough and adding the sauce and all the toppings. My favorite combination, which I made here today, was cheddar, mozzarella, and pepperoni. As I helped to layer on the toppings, inevitably, here and there, a slice of pepperoni would end up getting eaten instead of being placed on the pizza (and today, I was sure to try one after I was done adding all the toppings). Also, my dad always used baking trays for the pizza, and he would spread the dough out fully, so our homemade pizzas were always rectangular; it was fun because when he sliced the pizza, the slices ended up as squares.

pacman?

Last night, Mystery joined me on the couch when I was watching TV. She decided to snuggle in against my left leg. Luckily my camera was nearby so I was able to snap a picture.

Peace. :)

Pizza Bagels

Hello on the fifth day of the Vegan Month of Food! Did you know that today is National Cheese Pizza Day? I had no idea until I saw it mentioned by a fellow Vegan MoFo blogger, Melissa of New Orleans in Green (see Happy National Cheese(less) Pizza Day!). Today's post, therefore, features vegan cheese pizza in the form of...

Pizza Bagels

    

Ingredients:

--plain bagel, sliced open

--tomato sauce

--spinach, chopped

--shredded vegan cheese (I used Daiya, both mozzarella and cheddar)

--garlic salt

Place the open bagel halves on a baking sheet. Add tomato sauce, spreading evenly. Layer on some spinach, add the cheese, give a quick shake of some garlic salt, and put in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!

This is a super quick & easy meal to make. I like to have them with potato chips and a pickle on the side. 

Zach likes his pizza bagels without the spinach and with a sprinkle of salt instead of garlic salt.

And to close tonight's post, here's a photo of Mystery snuggling with her little pink bear.

Peace. :)