I remember the moment: we were at Radio Shack buying a new battery or something and it hit me: the sinfully delicious smell of pizza. Suddenly my mind was filled with images of Pizza Hut commercials. You know, where someone picks up a slice but the stretchy cheese is still stuck to its former slice neighbors? We were determined to have pizza again, but only healthy pizza.
We bought The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook and got to work creating a healthy pizza. But is an oil-free, dairy-free, and meat-free pizza even possible, let alone delicious? Well my friends, I can assure you that this one is. Although it will not have the same cheese stretchy qualities as a Pizza Hut commercial, it will be filling, sinfully delicious, and good for you. You can make this recipe and do what we we're doing this week: eating pizza for dinner every night!
Healthy Homemade Pizza
Dietary Needs: Gluten-free, oil-free, dairy-free, and meat-free
Yields: Two 12-inch pizzas every night for one week
Just to clarify about the quantities, we make the week's worth of sauces and dairy-free cheeses, and then make fresh pizza crust each night so that we end up with two 12-inch pizzas made fresh every night. We also like to make two kinds of pizza: a tomato sauced version and an alfredo version. The pizza crust recipe is shown last below.
Tomato-based Pizza
Tomato Sauce (one week's worth):
- 4 6-oz cans organic tomato paste
- 2 15-oz cans organic tomato sauce
- 2 12-oz pkg. silken firm tofu
- 4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Garlic powder to taste
- Basil (dried) to taste
- Ground oregano to taste
- Pepper to taste
- Sea salt to taste
- Directions: Blend all ingredients in blender or food processor until smooth and creamy.
"Mozzarella Cheese" Ingredients (altered from the Uncheese cookbook):
- 3 cups plain unsweetened almond or soy milk
- 3/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 1/2 cup oats (we use GF oats)
- 6 Tbsp sesame tahini
- 4 Tbsp arrowroot (it's sold in the baking aisle)
- 4.5-6 Tbsp lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
- 1.5 Tbsp onion powder
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
"Mozzarella Cheese" Directions:
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
- Pour into saucepan, cook and stir over medium heat until until slightly thickened.
- Pour into storage container, and cool, uncovered in refrigerator. You can cover it once it's completely cooled. You'll have to use a knife and spoon to spread gently over your pizza.
Toppings:
- Prepared sauce and "cheese" above
- Fresh parsley, oregano, and rosemary as desired
- Chopped yellow onions
- Broccoli florets
- Sliced mushrooms
- Sliced red bell pepper
- Sliced roma tomatoes
Alfredo-based Pizza
Sauce Ingredients (altered from the Uncheese cookbook):
- 4 cups plain unsweetened almond or soy milk
- 2 12-oz pkg. silken extra firm tofu
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 bulb garlic, roasted (cover in foil, bake at 400 for about 30 minutes) and peeled
- 1 large head cauliflower, steamed
- 2 cups from the "Parmesan cheese" batch below
Sauce Directions:
- Combine all ingredients, except "Parmesan cheese", in a blender and process until smooth.
- Pour into large storage container and stir in "Parmesan cheese".
- Cover and store in refrigerator.
"Parmesan Cheese" Ingredients (altered from the Uncheese cookbook) (Makes 6 cups):
- 3 cups almonds
- 3/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 6 tsp mellow white miso (found at health food stores in refrigerated section)
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
"Parmesan Cheese" Directions:
- Put almonds in a saucepan and add enough water to cover almonds completely. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes. Drain completely (in a colander is best) and allow to cool either on its own or by running cold water over it.
- Pinch each almond individually to remove the skin (it should easily pop off, but I admit, it's time consuming to do this to every single almond!) and place de-skinned almonds in a food processor container. Process until almonds are finely ground.
- Add remaining ingredients and process until well incorporated. It should look like the Parmesan that comes from a shaker can. (Also makes a delicious topping for popcorn!)
- You can store in airtight container in refrigerator for several weeks.
- This recipe makes 6 cups, and you'll need 2 cups of that for the Alfredo sauce above.
Toppings:
- Prepared sauce and "cheese" above
- Fresh parsley, oregano, and rosemary as desired
- Fresh chopped basil
- Chopped yellow onions
- Broccoli florets
- Sliced mushrooms
- Spinach, sauteed in water until wilted
Homemade Gluten-free Pizza Crust
Wet Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees – a temperature between 105 and 115 is important for yeast to rise properly)
3 tsp granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp dry active yeast
2 Tbsp ground flax seeds
6 Tbsp warm water (110 degrees)
Dry Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup millet flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1 cup tapioca starch/flour
1/2 cup arrowroot powder (Bob’s Red Mill is one brand that makes this, sold in the baking aisle)
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups warm water, sugar, and yeast and whisk vigorously until dissolved. Cover with a towel and let stand for 10 minutes.
2. In another small bowl, combine 6 Tbsp warm water and ground flax seeds and mix well. Let stand until the yeast mixture is done.
3. Meanwhile, combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add wet to the dry and mix the dough well.
4. In the bowl, divide the dough in half, then let rise in non-drafty area for 20 minutes. (Preheat oven to 425 shortly before the timer is up.)
5. Cover pizza pans with parchment paper. Place one half of the dough on each pan. Use wet hands to evenly spread dough out in circular motion. You’ll have to keep re-wetting your hand to keep from sticking.
6. Bake, without toppings, for 7-9 minutes.
7. Add sauce, "cheese", and toppings. Bake for 15-18 minutes.
Enjoy!
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