Alkaline Pizza for Vegans

If you want to enjoy pizza while staying on an alkaline diet, we have good news!  You don’t have to give up pizza, just make a few easy substitutions and you can enjoy pizza as much as you like.  This delicious version of traditional pizza is loaded with alkaline foods and is easy to make.  Your kitchen will be filled with tantalizing aromas while this gluten-free, vegan, and nutritious pizza bakes in your oven.  

Using garbanzo bean flour for the crust makes it even more appealing because you don’t have to wait for the dough to rise. Just make up a quick batter, spread it on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, and you’ve got a quick crust to use as a base for toppings.  

Garbanzo bean flour is high in protein, minerals, fiber and is gluten-free, so learning how to substitute it for highly processed wheat flour will only enhance your body’s alkaline state.

There are many good vegan mozzarella cheeses currently available but if you have the time, try the vegan “cheese” included in the recipe. It’s great on its own as a bread spread if you have any left over, and it holds well refrigerated for 3-4 days. Also, dairy has no place in an alkaline diet, as it is high in acid and has no fiber to aid with digestion.  

The combination of ingredients in this pizza make it a win-win recipe for anyone looking for a delicious addition to their alkaline diet.  As always, please choose organic foods for the healthiest results.

Ingredients

For the topping:

• 4 oz. small mushrooms, crimini or baby bella are best
• 8 oz. cherry tomatoes
• 1 small red onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• hot pepper flakes
• lemon wedges

For the crust:

• 1 ½ cups garbanzo bean flour
• 1 cup alkaline water
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

For the vegan mozzarella:

• ½ cup raw cashews soaked for at least 2 hours in alkaline water
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2/3 cup alkaline water
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot or tapioca starch

Parchment paper for baking the crust, 2 large baking sheets or 1 large baking sheet and a large lightweight cutting board.

How to Prepare

If you will be making the vegan “cheese” (you can purchase many good quality vegan shredded mozzarella cheeses, but this recipe makes a great pizza topping), drain the soaked cashews.  Add them to a mini food processor or high powered blender along with the water, salt, oil, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast. Blend at high speed until it is completely smooth. This may take a minute or two.  When the mixture is smooth, pour it into a small saucepan and stir in the arrowroot or tapioca starch until no lumps remain. Gently heat the mixture, stirring constantly; it will begin to thicken quickly as it heats. Continue to stir until it is quite thick. Remove it from the heat.  This step can be done ahead of time; it keeps well refrigerated for a few days.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Make the topping by slicing the onion in half and then slice each half into half circles. Separate the rings and add them to a large bowl. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and add them to the same bowl. Clean the slice the mushrooms and garlic and add them to the bowl. Sprinkle the olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano over the topping and mix well.

Spread the topping mixture on a large baking sheet (a Silpat or parchment paper liner works well here) and roast the topping for 30 minutes, mixing it gently at the 15 minute mark. Remove the topping from the oven, and put it into a bowl to cool slightly. Don’t turn off the oven.

Make the crust by adding the garbanzo bean flour, alkaline water, garlic salt and oil to a mixing bowl. Stir until there are no lumps. Prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Carefully pour the batter onto the center of the paper, and use the back of a ladle or large spoon to spread it into a circle. It should be about ¼” to ½” thick. Make sure it is evenly distributed.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Take it out of the oven, and cover it with another piece of parchment paper the same size as the baking sheet.  Place another baking sheet or lightweight cutting board over the first sheet and carefully flip the sheets over so that the crust is now bottom side up. Peel the parchment paper off the bottom of the crust, slide it back onto the baking sheet and bake the crust for another 10 minutes. Take it out of the oven to cool. Use a spatula to gently remove the crust from the parchment paper and put it onto a large cutting board, taking care not to break it. Add a small amount of olive oil to the baking sheet, spreading it to cover an area the size of the crust. Place the crust back on the baking sheet on the oiled surface. Add the topping and spread it gently over the crust. Drop tablespoon fulls of the mozzarella over the surface.