This recipe is great for those times when you need to feed folks quickly. Just make sure to have the 6 ingredients on hand and you are good to go. In our house our pizzas go “cheeseless”, but there are plenty of good vegan cheeses out there. Just be sure to READ THE LABEL! Many “soy cheeses” sound vegan, but look at the ingredients and you may find “casein” listed as one of the 1st few ingredients. Casein is the protein that is found in dairy foods, and has been linked to some cancers. True vegan cheeses include brands like Follow Your Heart and Daiya.
The crust used in this picture is a ready made sprouted grain crust made by Alvarado Street Bakery. But any whole grain crust would work. If there is a local pizza joint that makes a good wheat crust, ask if you can buy some of the dough. Then you can refrigerate or freeze it to use at home for your own creations!
Another option for quick pizzas, especially when everyone wants something different, are “pita pizzas”. Just use a whole wheat pita as a crust and load it up! Makes a great personal pizza and everyone gets just what they want!
INGREDIENTS:
1 whole grain pizza crust
1/4 cup all-natural barbecue sauce
1 package white mushrooms (cleaned and sliced)
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
pineapple chunks (cut into small pieces)
Fresh greens of your choice (spinach, cilantro, mizuna, kale)
TIP: Remember, the thinner your crust, the less weight it can hold. Only a very thick crust can handle a heavy dose of toppings, so load it up accordingly.
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. If you are using a pizza stone, put it in the oven (lowest rack position) now to allow it to heat up along with the oven.
- While the oven is heating up, Place a non-stick skillet over medium heat with 2 Tablespoons water. Once heated, add mushrooms and onions. Cook until most of the moisture from the mushrooms has cooked off. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside. If they are still wet, blot the mushrooms with a dry paper towel to remove excess moisture, so it doesn’t make your crust soggy.
- If you are not using a pizza stone and are using a dough, place the rolled out crust onto a foil-lined baking sheet, sprayed with cooking spray.
- Smother your dough/crust with barbecue sauce. Make sure to cover the whole crust with sauce, all the way to the outer edge.
- Add the mushroom and onion mixture and pineapple chunk. Spread ’em out evenly.
- Now bake for 10-12 minutes or until crust is browned and toppings are bubbly.
- While the pizza’s baking, chop up some raw greens to add at the very end. Here I used Mizuna greens, because that’s what I had on hand, but cilantro or spinach would be great!
- Cool the pizza slightly and slice. Enjoy!
Mel's Healthy Kitchen 