Plant Powered Pizzas – “Backyard BBQ”

Gorgeous people, left, right, and centre! Welcome to another Plant Powered Pizza Friday.

Who likes BBQ? Wait let me rephrase that: who doesn’t like BBQ? That rich smoky flavour is the bomb dot com.

But- have you ever noticed that the store bought stuff contains way too many sugars and preservatives? I can’t hack it. So for this pizza, I made my own. It’s super easy and I had most of the stuff on hand.

Please also note I did not make this dough from scratch- I used Judy G’s gluten free crust, which I have had before, and it really hits the spot. If any of my dairy free peeps are ever interested in their other full pizzas, they make a cheese-free artichoke one that is amazing.

This recipe is sweet, smoky, slightly tangy. It’s also gluten free && vegan if you also use dairy free ranch. PS – this recipe makes two pizzas.

 Ingredients 

BBQ sauce 

• 11 oz tomato paste (I used 2 x 5.5 oz cans)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp mustard
• Couple dashes of worcestershire sauce

Pizza toppings 

• 1/2 cup corn*
• 1/4 purple onion, sliced
• 1/2 green pepper, sliced
• 1/4 cauliflower
• Ranch – I used Daiya dairy free ranch

* I cooked my corn first in a grill pan to give it that brown barbecued look and bring out some extra flavour 

Directions

Mix all ingredients for the BBQ sauce in a large bowl. I usually set it aside while I prep my other ingredients. Once you are ready to assemble, take the pizza crusts out of the package and add the bbq sauce. Top with pepper, onion, cauliflower, and corn.

Bake in the oven at 350 for about 15-18 minutes, or until the crust sides begin to brown. Remove from the oven and drizzle ranch over top.

This was my first time trying Daiya Ranch, and I will give then kudos because it was even better than I thought it would be! I should be too surprised though, as I have loved all of the other products I have tried by them (seriously guys – their yogurt – OMG.)

The Judy G’s crusts come two in a package, so I made one for myself and one for Matthew. Matthew wanted chicken on his, so I subbed out his cauliflower for chicken. So let it be known, this recipe is adaptable for your meat lovin’ partners!

I am not a vegan but I love plant forward food, and the ranch gave this pizza the “creamy” factor so I didn’t miss the cheese – fake or otherwise!

Cauliflower is back again because despite it’s lack of pigment, it’s got tons of good stuff going on – it’s a good source of B6 which works to stabilize hormones. The corn has some B5, which helps with metabolism and energy production. Purple onion contains sulfur, which is antimicrobial, and green onion has lots of vitamin C – both of which can help combat illnesses.

Thanks for joining us here for another Pizza Friday!

I’m especially excited for next week – I’ve got Mexico on my mind….