Tex-Mex Thrive Diet Inspired Pizza

Before we left for Hawaii, Kat introduced me to the Thrive Diet with a few recipes one Vegan/Bachelorette Monday. One of the things she whipped up in my kitchen was pizza.

Or... at least what the book called pizza.

And immediately after calling it pizza, the author wrote "I hesitate to call this pizza", which both cracked me up and filled me with dread before trying the recipe. I worry when vegan recipes pretend to be something they're not, you know

So... it's not really pizza. It does have some similarities though.

It's got a crust (made with quinoa, chickpea flour and beans).
It's got pizza sauce or pesto on it (your choice, we've done a ramp vegan pesto).
It's got toppings (corn, red pepper, onions).
It's got cheese (well... as much as you can call Daiya Vegan Pepperjack Cheese cheese... and for the record, that's our addition).

Uhm... it's baked.

I'm not convincing you at all here, am I?

Ah, but ultimately, what's in a name? What if I just swear to you that it's delicious?

Honestly, after all the meat we ate on vacation, both my husband and I are really craving vegetarian and vegan food. This recipe hit the spot in so many ways, and I'm glad it's in our repertoire now.

If you're not vegan, add real cheese. I promise, it's an interesting recipe with a lot going for it. It's high in fibre and flavour and you can customize your toppings anyway you like.

Tex-Mex Thrive Diet Pizza

(adapted from The Thrive Diet)

Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup cooked red kidney beans
½ cup chickpea flour
2 cloves garlic
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ cup olive oil
¼ tsp ancho chili powder
3/4 tsp red pepper flakes

½-3/4 cup vegan pesto or pizza sauce
1 red pepper, sliced into rings
¼ sweet onion, chopped
kernels from 1 ear corn
Daiya Pepperjack cheese (about 2/3 package)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush with olive oil.

2. In a food processor, mix together quinoa, beans, flour, garlic, salt, oil, ancho chili powder and red pepper flakes until mixture forms a sticky ball. Pour mixture onto prepared baking sheet and pat into a large rectangle, about ¼" thick. It will help to moisten your hands with water before patting the crust into shape. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. 

3. Remove crust from oven. Top with pesto, then pepper slices and onion, then cheese and finally corn. Return to oven for an additional 45 minutes, until vegetables are cooked and crust is crunchy on the outside.