I know time does not technically change again until November, but I can tell that it is changing each morning. My biological clock has been sleeping in a bit later due to the morning rays being a little behind what they were only a few weeks ago. I haven’t decided if I like this or not. I really enjoy my mornings. There is something to be said about waking up slowly, watching the world start its day around me while I do the same. Most people in my life think I am nuts for waking up at the crack of dawn, but for me, it is my favorite time of day. When you wake up each morning you have a clean slate. Whatever went on yesterday is now the past, and the future is bright before you. My morning cup of coffee lets me contemplate the goals I want to achieve each day. For example, today I want to do yoga, go to dinner with a friend who is moving from town, and vacuum my house. Then I’m thinking I want a reward of binge watching The Walking Dead….Ken and I are still on season 2 (we have some catching up to do).
It is these little moments in the morning that I can also do my best thinking, morning mediation, if you will. Not just my daily goals, but the bigger picture things. Am I on the right track for what I want to do in my life? Is there anything I can do to get there if I am not? Big picture life thoughts. That’s what is going on in my head in the mornings. Maybe this is too much for some people to start their day off with, but it is just right for me. I get the heavy stuff out of the way first so I can enjoy the random things that life has in store for me. If you’ve never meditated in the morning then I highly recommend it, don’t knock it til you’ve tried it!
Today’s recipe is a great recipe that is extremely versatile. Margherita pizza with Fresh Basil Pesto and Vegan Mozzarella. This recipe is for 2 pizzas. We generally eat one and freeze one for later on in the week. It turns out just as good the second time. Plus, I miss having freezer pizzas ready to throw in the oven on lazy nights. I took it back and now I have them again! One for the win!
Now, I must say that the vegan mozzarella is adapted from Somer McCowen’s fabulous blog Vedged Out . This mozzarella cheese is her recipe with the addition of nutritional yeast. She is a genius, that one! The rest of the recipe is my own. I did not use a home made tomato sauce though, so if you want one check out the link I just placed for the cheese. There is a delicous looking home made sauce on that page as well.
Moving on, so what does this pizza taste like? It tastes like Italian summer in your mouth! Or at least what I imagine Italian summer tastes like. The crunchy yet chewy crust topped with tomato sauce, thinly sliced tomatoes, vegan mozzarella and fresh from the garden basil pesto….mhmmm. It is creamy, chewy, fresh, and most of all….delicious! You won’t get it until you try it. This is like a classic margherita pizza on crack. I’m pretty sure the basil pesto takes it to another level.
Try it out and let me know that you think! Comment below or use my hashtag #peppersandpeaches on instagram or twitter. Tag me too @peppers_peaches! 🙂
- 2 pizza crusts (prebaked or prebought)
- 1 cup pizza sauce (marinara, tomato sauce, or the one in the link above from Vedged Out)
- 1 large tomato, very thinly sliced
- One batch of my Fresh Basil Pesto (link above, but recipe below):
- ½ cup soaked cashews (soaked 8 hrs cold or 15 minutes boiling)
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 2 cups packed basil leaves
- Foxy Moxy vegan mozzarella (link above, but recipe below):
- ¼ cup soaked cashews (soaked 8 rs cold or 15 minutes boiling)
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon tapioca starch
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (optional)
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- *my add-in to cheese:
- 1½ tbs nutritional yeast
- Optional:
- more salt and nutritional yeast
- Start my preheating your oven to 375 degrees.
- Make your basil pesto by combining all pesto ingredients into blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Now, create you cheese. Blend all ingredients together in a high speed blender until completely smooth, about 1 minute.
- Pour into a small saucepan and cook, stirring constantly over medium high heat. After a couple of minutes the mixture will start to look weird, like it’s curdling or separating. This is totally normal, reduce heat to medium and KEEP stirring so you don’t burn the cheese to the bottom of the pot.
- Keep cooking and stirring til really thick (about 2-3 more minutes) and the mixture becomes like a cohesive mass of melted dairy cheese and stretches like in the photo below. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Pour ½ cup tomato sauce on each pizza. Evenly distribute thinly sliced tomatoes on both pizzas.
- using a spoon, place spoonfuls of cheese mixture evenly over both pizzas.
- Finally, drizzle the basil pesto evenly over both pizzas until you run out.
- This part is optional, but recommended: sprinkle a little more salt and nutritional yeast over both pizzas.
- Place one or both pizzas in oven to bake about 20 minutes. Watch the pizzas, you want the mozzarella to brown a little on top. Serve immediately. If you choose to save the other pizza, do not cook it. Wrap tightly with saran wrap and placed in freezer until ready to bake.