I am a big fan of shortcuts when cooking, as a pizza like this would have taken me all afternoon to make, if I made everything from scratch. This would have left no time to work in the yard, go to the Y for the daily workout routine, and pick up a few things at Trader Joe's. So, the first shortcut is the crust - we love Rustic Crusts line of pizza crusts, the Tuscan Six Grain being our favorite. I bake the crust for about five minutes on a pizza stone, then haul it out of the oven and let it sit and wait for the toppings to get ready. For the topping I use a mix of fresh and frozen veggies. Tonight's fresh veg were zucchini, mushrooms and garlic, the frozen were the SW blend from Whole Foods (red and green peppers and onions), roasted corn kernels (from TJ's). I added some green chile to the mix, sauteed it all until it began to soften. I used TJ's no-salt-added fire-roasted salsa on the crust instead of tomato sauce, as this pizza has a Southwestern bent, then piled on the veggies. I sprinkled it all with Daiya shredded cheddar cheese alternative (a great find, it melts and tastes truly almost like cheese), put it back on the pizza stone and baked it for ten minutes in a 450 degree oven.
The first time I tried to make a veggie pizza I didn't prebake the crust, didn't precook the veggies, and it ended up a total catastrophe. I kept on trying to figure it out, and tonight's was the best ever yet. I use different vegetables, sometimes use the Daiya mozzarella fake-o cheese, and just have fun with it. With a big green salad it is a supper that makes us feel happy and blessed to have such a delicious and healthy treat!!
P.S. - Ho! No sooner do I mention Daiya cheese sub in a post, but Ellen Kanner writes about it in her Miami Herald column, The Edgy Veggie. She includes a recipe for cheese grits, a dish I learned to love as a high school boarding student in North Carolina. Feels good to be in such exalted company. At last, a vegan cheese that tastes like the real thing.
