Quinoa Pizza Crust. Vegan. Gluten Free.

Happy Monday & June!  I love new months… why? Well a fresh new slate.  New goals.  New experiences.  And summer!  Okay so onto food –  a few months ago I received Deliciously Ella by Ella Woodward’s vegan cookbook.  I haven’t had a chance to try out any recipes until last Friday. With my oldest being gluten and dairy free – I knew we had to try this crust out for our traditional Friday pizza night. Although many think that quinoa crust is a new thing – it’s been floating around the internet for several years.  It had crossed my radar on Pinterest in 2012 but got lost in the shuffle of life.  I’m so happy I tried Ella’s. It was quite good paired up with my kale pesto and topped with our vegan favorite cheese.  It is crazy easy to prepare but preparation is necessary the night before. I hope you give this one a try.

Thinking this would also working nicely making a dessert pizza – adjusting the seasonings you add.  Think cinnamon and some vanilla extract.  Top with nut butter and some vegan chocolate chips for a dessert pizza.  Maybe something you see in the future.

This crust works well once par cooked on the outdoor grill for a few minutes to crisp it up.
 Ingredients:

1 heaping cup of quinoa
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg’s)
2 teaspoons of your favorite pizza herbs
Salt
Olive oil

Directions:

Soak your quinoa overnight in fresh, purified water – covering entirely.  I soaked mine overnight for about 14 hours or more.  Minimum 8 hours but maximum of 14-18 hours.  Let it on the counter overnight until you need it.

Once you’re ready to make the pizza, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Drain your quinoa and rinse.  Let that drain in a colander.  Then after a few minutes, add the quinoa, cider vinegar, herbs (I used red pepper flakes/Italian seasonings/garlic/parsley) and salt to your food processor.  Blend for several minutes until a smooth dough forms (think pancake batter).  See photo:

Then you need to cook the dough.  I tested out several avenues here.  I first sprayed a baking sheet with a bit of olive oil and put the dough on that forming one 10 inch circle.  Baked that for about 8 minutes or so.  Removed it and then transferred it to my pizza stone that was preheated. Cooked it for several more minutes until golden around the edges.

Remove and then top with your favorite sauce and cheese.  Our favorite cheese is Field Roast Chao sliced up.  Perfection.

The crust gets a wonderful crunchy texture – because I spread it out pretty thin.  It’s packed with great vegan protein for your body.

Recap for the month of May is as follows:

Yesterday we did our first true brick workout.  That means cycling first then running.  Brick appropriately coins the feeling that your legs experience post ride when you start to run.  I thought I knew what cement legs felt like… yeah, I didn’t until yesterday.  But Bill and I did it before a bit of rain storm arrived.  Done and done!  May is officially closed out.

Post ride/run and a little bit wet from the storm.

Recap for June:
Monday:  6 treadmill miles/strength training

That’s it from here.  Hoping you are setting big goals for June.

~oxo

 

 

— Knead to Cook