Vegan Pizza

I know this blog is called The Drunk Vegetarian but I’ve been vegan for the last month and a half. I get than veganism can be difficult to juggle with the “responsibilities” and “social” aspects of “having a life,” but I encourage you to give it a shot. I feel better than ever since transitioning back into it.

I won’t preach about veganism, though. You have the internet. There are enough people out there who are more than willing to get on a soapbox in my stead.

Last weekend, I flew out to San Diego to visit my best friend Jess and boy are my arms tired!! You know what else is tired? That joke. I’m sorry for who I am as a person.

Anyway, Jess also transitioned into veganism a month ago. We’re still both in the honeymoon stage of the lifestyle, so most of our time together revolved around food. I’ve never eaten so well in my life.

Together, we made a couple of vegan pizzas. Hers was Southwestern-style with corn, beans, onions, garlic, cilantro, and peppers. Mine was closer to a Margherita ‘za, but with a couple alterations. Both were bomb. 

When making a vegan pizza, choosing the right cheese-replacement is crucial. A lot of vegan cheeses are awful. I’m not afraid to admit that. But I never liked cheese that much, so it’s usually not a problem. Of course, pizza is the exception. Don’t mess with my pizza.

Through trial-and-error, I’ve found that rice “cheese” is the best. It doesn’t stick to your teeth, it melts evenly, and you won’t find yourself burping a plastic-y aftertaste for the rest of the day.

By the time we got around to making these pizzas, Jess and I were too tired to bake our own crusts. Instead, we opted for Trader Joe’s pizza dough, which was a nice call. Super crispy, good flavor, the exact right size for personal pizzas. Thanks for never letting me down, T.J.

Vegan ‘za feat. Jess’s Attack on Titan mug

We also sprinkled a healthy dose of nutritional yeast on those suckers. While I always saw nutritional yeast on different vegan blogs and recipes and junk, I never really understood the hype. Well, friends, mine eyes have seen the glory that is the coming of our Lord, and Wikipedia says that he also goes by the name of “hippie dust” or “savoury yeast flakes.”

“Nooch,” as Wikipedia also tells me it’s called, is high in B-vitamins (which you can’t really get with a vegan diet). It’s a lot like parmesan cheese. Definitely get a bottle of it and introduce it to your pizza.

In the future, I’ll post my own pizza dough recipe. I actually titled it “best dough ever” in my recipe book, so that’s a thing. I’m also going to play around with different themed pizzas so STAY TUNED FOR MORE, FOLKS.

(Oh god, I think my fear of abandonment is showing. Sometimes when I feel like a romantic partner is losing interest in me, I bribe them with the promise of good future meals. Fuck.)

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Ingredients:

• Pizza crust
• Tomato sauce
• Shredded rice mozzarella “cheese”
• Hot peppers
• Onion
• Garlic
• Basil
• Nutritional yeast

Vegan, gluten-free option
Prep. time: 25 min

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Follow directions on pizza crusts for specifics.
2. Spread sauce on crust, followed by cilantro and minced garlic.
3. Layer cheese on top of sauce. Spread chopped onions, hot peppers, and basil evenly. Sprinkle nutritional yeast on top. Chant a little over the pizza to balance its chi.
4. Send the pizza on the journey of a lifetime to the center of your oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until done to your taste. Bake directly on the rack for a crunchier bottom. Bake on a pan if you have no balls.
5. Crack open a beer and enjoy.