While completing my 30 Day Vegan Challenge, I had to learn how to make some of my family’s favorite meals sans meat and dairy (I still let the kids have milk, cheese, and organic/locally raised meat if they want, but dinners are generally vegan).
There are a couple of things we eat on a weekly basis in our house, and pizza is definitely one of them. Contrary to popular belief, it is really simple and easy to make a pizza without meat and dairy-free.
Last night, we had a dinner/playdate at our house. A group of my mom friends have a dinner/playdate every other week—we rotate houses. It’s a lot of fun because we feed the kids first, and then they play and we can eat! Win-win in my book! I decided to make pizza for the grown-ups.
I made two pizzas: a roasted vegetable pizza with tomato sauce and homemade pesto and one with white bean spread that I topped with roasted garlic and arugula (tossed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil). Yum!
The roasted veggie/pesto pizza is my current favorite. I do a light layer of tomato sauce and then a light layer of homemade pesto. For the pesto, I use equal parts organic basil and baby spinach (you can’t even tell that it’s in there and you get extra iron), olive oil, and three cloves of garlic. In place of cheese, I use about a tablespoon of ground up cashews. You get the texture of the cheese and a little nutty flavor that makes a nice addition to the pesto.
On top of the sauce and pesto, I spread roasted vegetables. This time I used onions, red peppers, green peppers, broccoli, and grape tomatoes. You toss them in a bowl with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and a little salt and pepper. You then roast them at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes or so or until done. As the balsamic vinegar is heated, it gets a nice sweet flavor.
For dessert, Michaela brought wonderful vegan strawberry cupcakes. Aren’t they beautiful? They tasted just as good as they looked! 
MMMM love love pizza – those both sound great. I never think to use pesto on mine.
Your pizza sounds SO good! We love pesto on pizza, too. I love that you mix spinach into your pesto, great idea!
The pizza sounds amazing!!
I’ve actually grown to love cheese-free pizza. One of my favorites is prosciutto and kalamata olives, and when it comes out of the oven, I top with arugula and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Obviously not vegan, but so yummy! Yours sound delicious, too – especially the pesto one. And those cupcakes look amazing!
After going vegan more than a year ago, i still miss pizza. Your pizza suggestions made me realize that we could be making it as well! And on a weekly basis. The cashew topping reminded me of the sweet potato and spinach lasagna from the Engine 2 recipe book. It would be perfect for your big-group nights and a crowd pleaser. I serve it to my non-vegan family often. I love that you dont shy away from inviting friends over for vegan meals. You rock!
Thanks Leah! It’s funny I didn’t even think twice about serving a vegan meal, and you know what, everyone loved it! I think sometimes people are surprised at how tasty vegan meals can be. 🙂
I can’t have cashews, so I’ve been making a ‘cheese’ type sauce with almond butter thinned with soy or almond milk. It works well. So what kind of diet are you following now that your 30 day vegan challenge is done?
That sounds awesome! I have been staying meat and dairy free since the challenge ended 🙂