Chocho Pizza

Who doesn’t love a big slice of gooey, cheesy pizza? The only thing is normal pizza can leave you feeling greasy and weighed down. That is why we put a fresh twist on the comforting classic by making a vegan and gluten free pizza with some autumn flare. Feel free to share what you make with a friend, but it’s so delicious that you might just eat the whole thing yourself. 

INGREDIENTS//

Crust

1. 1 cup chickpea flour
2. 3 tablespoon Mikuna Chocho Superfood Protein Original 
3. 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
4. 1 cup water

Sauce

1. 1 cup organic tomatoes (any variety because they will be cut up)
2. 1 head of roasted garlic
3. ½ tsp dried basil
4. ½ tsp dried oregano 
5. ½ tsp dried parsley
6. ½ tsp salt 
7. ½ tsp pepper

Toppings

1. 1 delicata squash
2. 1 tsp salt 
3. 1 tsp pepper
4. 2 tsp dried thyme 
5. 2 tsp herbes de provence
6. ½ tablespoon dried cranberries
7. ½ tablespoon chopped pecans 
8. ¼ cup balsamic vinegar 
9. ½ cup vegan mozzarella 

Other

1. You will be using olive oil throughout this recipe, so make sure you have some on hand.

DIRECTIONS//

Crust

Start by preheating the oven to 450°F, and place your cast iron skillet in the oven as it preheats (this works best in a cast iron skillet, but you can use a circular metal baking tin). As the oven preheats, mix all the crust ingredients into a bowl and whisk well until there aren’t any lumps. When the oven has preheated, take the cast iron out of the oven (careful it’s hot) and drizzle enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Then, pour your batter into the skillet and put back into the oven for 12-15 minutes. 

Sauce

Start by chopping your tomatoes up finely and adding them to a pan with a drizzle of olive oil (they will break down as you cook them so the size doesn’t really matter). Next, add your salt, pepper, and spices and stir thoroughly while mashing everything with your spoon or spatula. Finally, squeeze your roasted garlic into the mixture and mix again thoroughly. 

How to Make Roasted Garlic

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Cut off the top of the head of garlic enough to see the exposed tops of the cloves. Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil onto those exposed cloves and wrap in aluminum foil. Bake for 50-60 minutes and voila! (We recommend roasting garlic ahead of time while baking something else (i.e. the delicata squash) to save energy. 

Toppings

Let’s start with the delicata squash. Wash your squash really well since the skin is edible and will be consumed. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place each half face down on the cutting board and cut about ½ inch sections (when you’re done they will look like half moons). Slather a baking sheet with olive oil and spread the half moons evenly. Sprinkle your salt, pepper, thyme, and herbes de provence onto the squash. Bake for 20 minutes on one side and then flip them and bake for another 20 minutes. For the balsamic reduction, just pour your balsamic vinegar into a pot or pan and constantly stir for 5-10 minutes until it thickens to your liking. 

Putting Your Pizza Together

Once the crust is baked, spread the sauce evenly, top with the vegan cheese, and place about 7-10 slices of the squash on top. Bake for another 10 minutes at 450°F. Let the pizza cool for 10 minutes, top with cranberries and pecans and drizzle that balsamic reduction on top. 

This pizza is so decadent, but won’t leave you feeling stuffed or lethargic! Enjoy!