I love pizza. I admit it. It’s my go-to meal of choice when we’re out for date night. And yes, that means it’s usually slathered with cheese. Restaurants just don’t offer a vegan version of this go-to classic. Vegetarian sure, but vegan, no. I guess it’s an Italian thing.
So I thought it was high time I created a plant-powered version at home. Now the conundrum – what to do if no cheese? What creamy gooey deliciousness was going to hold all the flavours together? Herby Hemp Pesto is what! The creamy nuttiness of this pesto totally does away with the need for cheese. Phew. Save that beautiful dairy milk for the baby calves. Add in the hempy goodness too. Why? You can read here all it.
In terms of the base, you can do this any which way you like, but I’ve decided to rock out a cauliflower, buckwheat and quinoa base for this one seen as I’m in my home kitchen (there’s no way in heck we’re going to get vegan AND cauli/buckwheat/quinoa-based up at the local Italian joint). This makes the whole meal gluten-free, and also suitable for people following a Paleo-style fitness diet. It does however taste different from a regular wheat-based pizza, so keep your mind broad and your thoughts embracing. It’s also more fragile and sticky than a wheat base, but still totally doable.
Right, let’s get to it.
Please note – if you are wanting to meet any of the specific dietary requirements below, please read my recipe notes.
Ingredients
Hemp Pesto
- 1/3 c walnuts
- 1 large handful basil
- 1 large handful parsley
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 lemon
- 1/3 c hemp seed oil
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- Pepper, to taste
Cauliflower Pizza Base
- 1 small cauliflower (stems and florets)
- 1/2 c buckwheat flour
- 1/2 c quinoa flour
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tbsp ground linseed
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tsp coconut nectar
Pizza Toppings
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 yellow capsicum
- 1/4 c kalamata olives
- 5 slow roasted tomatoes
Instructions
Hemp Pesto
- Blend in a food processor the walnuts, basil, parsley, and garlic. Add juice of 1/2 lemon (and a little grated rind if you like), 1/3c hemp seed oil, 1/4tsp sea salt & pepper to taste. I also added 1 Tbsp of almond butter which really smoothed it out.
- Store leftover pesto in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Cauliflower Pizza Base
- Cut cauliflower and stem into small pieces, and pop in food processor. Process for a few minutes until they become like a fine moist flour. Add all other base ingredients to food processor, and blend another minute or two til combined.
- Grease a tray with olive or coconut oil (be generous here, you’ll thank me for it), then spread liberally with extra flour. This is very important or your base WILL stick. Spread out the dough onto the pizza stone or tray til it forms a round, then pop in the over at 175C for 20 mins, it will be light brown and slightly crispy on the top.
- Take it out of the oven and now it’s time to flip. Turn it over onto a plate carefully, and scrape down the top if any has stuck to the pizza stone/tray. Don’t worry if it looks a little ugly at this stage, we’re going to cover that all up with toppings shortly. Pop back in the oven for another 10 mins to crisp up the top.
Topping the Pizza
- Take it out of the oven and now it’s time to flip. Turn it over onto a plate carefully, and scrape down the top if any has stuck to the pizza stone/tray. Don’t worry if it looks a little ugly at this stage, we’re going to cover that all up with toppings shortly. Pop back in the oven for another 10 mins to crisp up the top.
Equipment
- Food processor
Recipe Notes
- Make it nut free: use sunflower or watermelon seeds instead of cashews.
If you want to read more about the amazing vitamin-E-filled Omega-EFA-pumping benefits of hemp seed oil, check out my post here. Gracie and enjoy!