The last time I made pizza I was a kid. I think it came in a box with separate packets for dough and sauce. I guess the reason I haven’t made it since is because it’s so easy to pick up a slice almost anywhere. But as I’m trying to cut gluten out of my diet as well as drop a few pounds, traditional pizza isn’t going to help. There are tons of recipes for gluten free pizza dough that are also vegan and I didn’t know where to begin. I decided to take stock of what was in my cupboard and let that be my guide, and this is what I came up with.
If you’ve been following my Down the Rabbit Hole/Food for Thought posts, you’ll know I’ve been following Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat To Live plan since January. This recipe complies with the Life Plan portion of his program. It contains roughly the daily maximum servings for nuts/seed, starchy vegetable/whole grains, and the “90/10 rule” allowance (or as I call it, the “daily cheat”). Under that rule on the Life Plan, no more than 10 percent of your daily calories should come from animal products or processed food, and the other 90 percent should come from plant-based foods. The vegan cheese is my daily cheat. (Vegetarians can use animal-based cheese if preferred.) A bonus about this recipe is that between the vegan cheese and the buckwheat and almond flours, one serving of this pizza contains 13 grams of protein. This pizza is also loaded with vegetables, fiber, and it really fills you up without the guilt of traditional pizza.
And if you’re like my husband, no dish is complete without a few good shakes of Cholula sauce!
Ingredients (serves 4)
Pizza Dough:
1 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup almond meal
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. ground chia seeds + 6 tbsp. water
4 tbsp. water
Toppings:
½ red bell pepper – diced
½ yellow bell pepper – diced
½ green bell pepper – diced
¼ sweet onion – thinly sliced
baby spinach leaves (as many as you like)
1 cup mushrooms – thinly sliced
1 cup tomato sauce (or your favorite brand)
1 cup shredded cheese (I used Daiya brand vegan cheddar style shreds)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine ground chia seeds with 6 tablespoon of water and mix well. This will become thick and replaces the need for eggs.
3. Combine all of the dry dough ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 tablespoons of water and mix with your hands, squeezing and massaging it until all of the liquid is absorbed and you have a ball of dough.
4. Place dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet and use your fingers to press and spread it as evenly as possible over the sheet. Then lay another piece of parchment over the dough and use a rolling pin to get the crust about ¼ inch thick evenly across the sheet. Bake for 12 minutes at 375 degrees.
5. While crust is baking, cut up vegetables. The smaller they are cut, the faster they will cook.
6. Remove crust from oven and spread a layer of tomato sauce evenly over the crust. Then cover with a layer of mushrooms, spinach, peppers, onion and top with shredded cheese.
7. Return to oven and bake another 20 minutes until cheese is melted and veggies are cooked. (Cook less if you want the veggies more crunchy.)
8. Cut using a sharp knife. The smaller the pieces are cut, the easier they are to pick up with your fingers.
9. Serve hot. Feel free to throw a little Cholula or Sriracha sauce on top for an extra kick!
Annie says
Loaded indeed! That is absolutely gorgeous – and I’m so happy you shared it at the first Potluck link party!
Annie recently posted…The First Virtual Vegan LINKY Potluck!
Amy says
Thanks, Annie (and Angela and Poppy), for having this weekly potluck. Awesome idea! I plan to be a regular contributor. It’s going to be a good time!
cheri says
Hi Amy, what a beautiful looking pizza, love that you used spelt flour. Looks like it holds up real in this recipe. Today I made cookies using spelt, can’t get enough of that flavor.
cheri recently posted…A Soup For Summer, Green Minestrone
Amy says
Hi Cheri – Thanks so much for stopping by. Actually, there is a difference between the buckwheat I used in this recipe and spelt. Buckwheat, despite the name, is not part of the wheat family. It’s a grain that is related to sorrel and rhubarb, strangely enough, and it doesn’t contain gluten. Spelt is a wheat hybrid and contains a moderate amount of gluten, which is why it’s good for baking. My pizza crust is more like a thin flat bread. If you use spelt to make this, you’ll probably end up with a crust that is more like what you find in traditional pizza. Let me know how it turns out if you make it!
Victoria says
Every time I come to your blog I just stop and stare at this pizza. It looks amazing! So full of color I just want to dive right in!
Amy says
Thanks, Victoria!
Caitlin says
I love pizzas loaded with veggies…it makes me feel much less guilty! I also like the 90/10 rule, and then switch to 80/20 on the weekends. I can’t wait to try this!
Amy says
I agree – a pizza that comes with less guilt is a good thing!