Loaded Veggie Pizza (Vegan & GF!)

Want to live healthy & have your pizza too?? I’m here to tell ya that you don’t have to give up your favorite foods when living a healthy lifestyle!

Is there anything better to be thinking about on a Monday morning than pizza??? I think not. Especially when it is a healthy gluten free, vegan pizza! Truthfully, I have never been a huge fan of normal pizza. When I was growing up, there were few pizza restaurants that I would eat from. All of those chain places like dominos, pizza hut, and papa johns never enticed me. I even would pass on the deep dish, and I’m from Chicago :0. So, what’s a girl to do when restaurant/ store bought pizza just doesn’t live up?? Well, you make your own that it 1000x better of course. This was my first time making a vegan pizza and it turned out delicious! It was very simple to make as well. My family was having a little pizza night, so I decided to experiment with my own vegan pizza. You could add some vegan cheese to this if you choose, but I opted for no cheese to make it even healthier. But if you are one of those people who thinks that a pizza has to have cheese, feel free to load it on!

With the holiday season in full swing, it is nice to make warm, comforting dishes that are healthy, satisfying, and won’t pack on the pounds (I’m looking at you peanut butter ;)). The combination of artichokes and eggplant is a match made in heaven. Adding in some other veggie staples like zucchini, green pepper, onion, and roasted red & yellow peppers really takes it to a whole new level.

Want to know what else is so stinking fabulous about this pizza??? It was so easy to make it dairy free, and it is low in fat & high in fiber! What more can you ask for in a pizza?? One of my goals with this blog is to debunk the myth that healthy eating is tasteless, boring, expensive, and time consuming. All of the recipes that I make are quick, cheap (hello professional student budget), and bursting with flavor. I also hate to spend a super long time making food because by the time my food is finally finished, I am ready to inhale it. Thus, most (if not all) my creations come together in a flash so you don’t get hangry while cooking.

So, what will you need for this delicious pizza???

Dough:

1 bag of Bob’s Red Mill GF Pizza Crust Flour

2 tbsp ground flax + 6 tbsp water (to make flax egg)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 packet of yeast (from inside the Bob’s GF flour bag)

1.5 cups warm water

Sauce:

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp italian seasoning

1/2 tsp black pepper

dash sea salt

1 tsp garlic powder (yes, i love garlic)

Toppings:

1 small/medium red onion

2/3 can artichoke hearts

1 green bell pepper (or colored if you prefer that)

1 small zucchini

1 small eggplant (or about 1/2 a large one)

1/2 cup roasted red/yellow peppers

Arugula (optional)

Directions:

To make the crust, add 1.5 cups of warm water to a bowl and then add in the yeast packet. Mix it a bit to make sure that the yeast dissolves. Next, make a flax egg by combining the 2 tbsp ground flax and water in a bowl/small dish. Allow both of them to sit for about 5-10 minutes and then add them to a large bowl. Then add in the entire bag of GF flour (it is a small bag) and 2 tbsp of olive oil. Mix/whisk everything well and after you have formed a dough consistency, cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise for about 20 minutes.

During the time that you are waiting for the dough to rise, begin preheating the oven and chopping to vegetables. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. After you have finished chopping the veggies, start to make the sauce. Add all of the sauce ingredients to a high powered blender/ food processor (I use a Ninja) and mix well.

After allowing the dough to rise for 20 minutes, portion out the amount that you plan to use and refrigerate the rest. The dough will keep for a few days in the fridge, so you can make pizza another day- or you can eat it all in the same night if you are cooking for more people. I ended up making a smaller personal size pizza for myself the first night, and a larger pizza that second day to share with my mom and sister. This dough will be two medium/large sized pizzas or one ginormous pizza or a small pizza and a large pizza ……you catch my drift.

After you have portioned the dough, you can either roll it out a bit and then add it to a pizza pan, or add it right on and flatten it out with your hands (this is what I did and it worked well for me). Then, cook the crust for 7-9 minutes in the oven. Take the crust out of the oven, add the sauce and all of the toppings, pop it back in the oven, and bake for another 20 minutes. Allow the pizza to cool, add some arugula (optional) to the top, and then cut it & enjoy!

So tell me: What is your favorite pizza topping? Do you prefer to make your own pizza or order in? What is your favorite pizza place? Did the pizza life choose you?? Did you make any fun foods this weekend?? Let me know in the comments!