vegan pepperoni pizza recipe

This is a great pizza recipe that I adapted from a non-vegan cookbook. I don't feel like giving free publicity to a cookbook that is full of meat and cheese recipes so I won't mention the title. But trust me - this is probably the most adaptable recipe in the whole book because it does not depend on pounds of cheese for the flavor.

I have never been a big fan of vegan pizza that uses a lot of vegan cheese - it has never tasted "really good" to me, more like "almost pizza." I also get tired of the typical tomato sauce and veggies. If you do end up with the tomato sauce and veggie pizza it is a lot better if you put your favorite salad dressing on it. I like that better than melted vegan cheese.

This is one of the pizza recipes I plan to feature on this website. It is unique and very tasty. Here is a bit of trivia to go along with this pizza. You can be the Cliff Claven of your pizza party with this: The Italian word for bell peppers is peperoni.

vegan pepperoni pizza

makes one pizza

> 2 large red bell peppers, cut into strips

> 1 medium sweet onion, chopped

> 3 cloves garlic, chopped

> 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

> 1/2 tsp dried oregano

> 1 cup canned diced tomatoes

> 1/4 tsp salt

> 2 oz. (or more if you like) sliced vegan pepperoni, coated in oil

> 1 Tbsp. vegan parmesan cheese substitute

1. Combine the peppers, onions, garlic, oil, oregano, and 1/4 cup water in a large skilled. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender crisp, about 15 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables are tender. Add salt and let cool.

3. Spoon the vegetable mixture over a prepared pizza dough (recipe follows.)

4. Arrange the pepperoni evenly on top of the vegetable mixture, pushing the pepperoni in a little bit.

5. Bake in a pre-heated 500 degree oven, 6 or 7 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and crisp.

pizza dough

makes one 12-inch crust

> 1 cup + 2 Tbsp warm water
> 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
> 1 Tbsp oil
> 1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
> 3/4 tsp salt
> cornmeal + extra flour

1. Combine the water, yeast, oil, flour, and salt. Knead on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes (or about 4 minutes in a standing mixer.)

2. Put the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel. Let rise until almost doubled in size, about an hour.

3. Roll the dough out to about 12-inches diameter on a pizza peel or other flat surface that has been lightly sprinkled with cornmeal and flour.
_____________________________________
my notes for this recipe:

1. If you have a bread machine it probably has a pizza dough cycle. This will take care of steps 1 and 2 for you.

2. The dough can be refrigerated in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic overnight, or it can be frozen.

3. Coating the pepperoni in oil is important to keep it from burning while the pizza cooks. I add extra oil to most meat substitutes because they tend to be dry otherwise.

4. I have never tried making my own pepperoni but I found out from Vegan Dad that it can be done. I am putting this on my list of things to try. Update July, 2008: I tried the recipe from Vegan Dad and it was just as good as the stuff you can buy. I might add some red food coloring to it next time.

5. I have also never tried making my own vegan parmesan cheese substitute. I will have to give that a try too.