I love pizza. Everyone loves pizza. It is difficult to pass up a slice oozing with cheese, speckled with tiny pockets of grease. Vegan pizza, the kind with no cheese is good, but it’s hardly pizza. Its really flatbread with things on top.
I did, however, find my happy pizza-place on our pizza nights at home. Diaya is good cheese, but the kind you make yourself–the kind with ingredients you assemble on your own counter space–is top notch.
The following is a ricotta-like recipe I use for my pizza cheese. Not only is it satisfyingly cheesy, it’s also full of nutrients. Cashews are one of the best sources of copper, an essential mineral needed for, among other things, supplying energy to your cells and preventing anemia. It’s also an excellent source of zinc, with 1/4 cup providing 21% of daily recommended value. Zinc is found most commonly in animal sources so it’s one that vegans should be especially vigilant about–and it supports healthy immune system and skin. Zinc deficiency often shows up as acne, and not only that, zinc promotes healthy libido! Finally cashews give you a boost of magnesium for keeping your mood and memory high and humming.
I put it on a delicious sprouted black bean dough from whole foods, throw on some balsamic-caramelized onions, artichoke hearts, and roasted red peppers. Pizza heaven!
Vegan Ricotta Pizza
Ricotta
1 1/2 c soaked raw cashews
1/2 lemon’s juice
1/2 c water
1 ts apple cider vinegar
2 tb nutritional yeast
4-5 basil leaves
Pizza dough (If you don’t want to buy the dough, here is a great recipe using cornmeal and olive oil)
Other vegetable toppings as desired
Put everything in a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Spoon on to pizza dough with other toppings. Bake as dough directs. Mangia, mangia, mangia!
Also see: Vegan Cauliflower Pizza
Yeast-free Vegan Ratatouille Pizza
By Jessica: Creamy Vegan Mushroom Basil Risotto
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Photo: Jessica Riley-Norton
