Quinoa Pizza Crust (Gluten Free)

 

Another recipe for my gluten-free vegan friend, vegan pizza. We used a kale basil pesto as our sauce (with olive oil, garlic, and sunflower seeds) with no cheese and this quinoa crust paired with soy Mozarella cheese to create this absolutely vegan pizza. It was quite tasty and the crust was very good, it is definitely a do-able option for any of my vegan friends out there.

Ingredients:
¾ cup quinoa, soaked for at least 8 hours, rinsed and drained
¼-1/2 cup water
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
½ tsp salt
1 clove garlic, sliced
2 tsp Italian seasoning

Instructions:
1. Soak the quinoa in filtered water for at least 8 hours. *This step is crucial as the recipe won’t work with dry quinoa. Rinse and drain the quinoa.
2. Add all of the ingredients except the olive oil to a food processor or a high-speed blender and combine until the dough resembles pancake batter. Adjust the water as needed.
3. There are 2 methods for cooking the dough.

• In the oven: Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and coat either a cast iron skillet or an 8-inch round cake pan with the olive oil. Allow the skillet or cake pan to heat up in the oven for about 10 minutes. Remove skillet/cake pan from the oven and immediately add the quinoa “dough,” using a spatula to even it out as needed. Place the dough in the oven to bake for 20 minutes. Flip the dough and bake for another 10 minutes, or until brown and crispy.

• On the stove: Heat a non-stick pan with the olive oil over medium heat. Pour the dough into the pan and use a spatula to even the dough out as needed. Allow to cook for approx. 5-10 minutes or until the bottom is turning brown and crispy. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes, or until evenly cooked on both sides.

4. Once dough is precooked, add whatever toppings you want. Place the pizza in the oven under the broiler after adding the toppings just to heat everything up a bit, without really cooking the veggies. Serve and enjoy!!

Recipe adapted from AlmondsandAvocados