Vegetable Pizza

This was so a spur of the moment meal. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to blog it because I just grabbed vegetables I had lying around my fridge and it isn't some amazing recipe. But the sauce was really yummy and so was the dough, so I wanted to post mainly to share those two recipes. Maybe in a week or so I'll do another pizza recipe and that one will be a little more special.

Speaking of which, do any of you search your neighborhood library for vegan cookbooks? I went into mine for the first time last week and was amazed at how many vegan and vegetarian cookbooks they had.

This was my first time making pizza dough and it was a lot easier than I thought. I always pictured a pizza guy flipping the dough over his head and into the air..so not necessary here..a simple rolling pin will do. The dough was really sticky though, so make sure your hands, the rolling pin and the rolling mat are all sprinkled with flour or it will stick to anything it touches. The best part about making pizza is the amazing aroma that fills your house as it bakes!

Printer Friendly Recipe Here

Ingredients
Pizza Sauce :
* 1 Tb olive oil
* 1/2 cup onion, chopped
* 1/4 cup celery, chopped
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
* 1 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
* 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
* 1 teaspoon dried basil
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 small bay leaf

Pizza Dough
* 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
* 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
* 2 cups whole wheat bread flour
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons white sugar

Toppings
* any vegetables of your choice ( I used minced garlic, mushrooms, yellow squash and tomatoes )
* 1 cup or so of shredded Italian Daiya cheese or any other vegan cheese


Directions
Sauce
1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery and garlic and saute until soft and transparent.

2. Add tomato sauce and tomato paste and stir until smooth.

3. Add remaining ingredients and bring to slow simmer. Simmer for 30-60 minutes.

4. Remove the bay leaf and spread the sauce on your prepared pizza dough.

Dough
1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups bread flour, olive oil, salt, sugar and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine.

3. Beat well until a stiff dough has formed. Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

4. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Form dough into a round and roll out into a pizza crust shape. Cover with your favorite sauce and toppings and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 25 minutes or until your cheese is melted and the crust has hardened.