Vegan Pizza

NO I am not a vegan, but lately I've been thinking... how in the world do vegans eat??? I mean, it seems that everything is made with cheese, eggs, or milk. No fast food... that's for sure... I bet you'd maintain a healthy weight, too... hmmm... maybe I should consider it? Nah... too lazy to cook every single meal hahaa!

So... without further ado.. Vegan Pizza

Topping

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1 or more cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 small onion

3 tbsp. tomato purée

1 tsp. rosemary

1 tsp. Sage

2 oz. hard vegan cheese (e.g. Scheese, Cheezley etc.)

Your choice of toppings. I recommend: sliced mushrooms, peppers, sweetcorn, olives, artichoke hearts, smoky tofu, vegan meat substitutes such as Cheatin' Ham.

Fry onion until soft and garlic. Add tomatoes, herbs and purée and cook for a few minutes. Add a handful of wholemeal flour if you want to make the sauce thicker.

Spread the sauce over the pizza base. Add toppings and cover with cheese.

Leave the pizza to stand in a warm place for 15 minutes whilst pre-heating the oven.

Bake at Gas Mark 9 / 250 °C / 470 °F for 15-20 minu

You can buy ready made pizza bases but that's cheating...It takes a long time to make this pizza, but it's worth it. The measures below are enough for a 12 inch pizza.

Pizza Base

1 lb (450g) plain 85% wholemeal flour
1 sachet dried yeast (wouldn't that not be a vegan ingredient? aren't yeast live creatures? hmm)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
6 fl oz (150 ml) warm water

Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix into a dough. Add more water or oil if necessary. Knead for 5 minutes to get air into the dough. Put into a bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Put into a bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Leave to rise for about half an hour while you make the topping.

Punch down the dough, roll out into a circle on a baking sheet or pizza dish.

Topping

1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 or more cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion
3 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp sage

2 oz hard vegan cheese (eg Scheeze, Cheezley, etc.)
Your choice of toppings. I recommend: sliced mushrooms, peppers, sweetcorn, olives, artichoke hearts, smoky tofu, vegan meat substitutes such as Cheatin' Ham.

Fry onion until soft and garlic. Add tomatoes, herbs, and puree and cook for a few minutes. Add a handful of wholemeal flour if you want to make the sauce thicker.

Spread the sauce over the pizza base. Add toppings and cover with cheese. Leave the pizza to stand in a warm place for 15 minutes whilst pre-heating the oven.

Bake at 475 for 15-20 minutes.
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Mama's thoughts: I'm surprised at how NORMAL this recipe seemed! The only things that are really 'substituted' are the vegan cheese and the vegan meat. I'm honestly not a big meat eater. I hate beef, seafood of any kind, shell fish, crab... all that... I'm also not fond of pork... so it really wouldn't be too abnormal of a meal. The only thing I'd really miss is cheese. I do love cheese. But from what I've heard, some vegan cheeses are quite tasty... What do you think?