Virtual Vegan Potluck: Hummus Pizza

Sidenote: I was supposed to fly out to New York City today to visit a couple of my friends. Unfortunately, I had to reschedule my trip due to unforeseen weather complications. Perhaps you’ve seen the weather reports. Honestly, how should I have known that a hurricane would strike Manhattan shortly before my November trip? I decided to make this pizza long before the hurricane appeared on weather radars but I like to think that a pizza dish is very fitting for New York. Of course, the weather affected many locations and I hope everyone reading today is safe and unharmed. Now, on to the main course…

It’s every vegan’s fear. You are hanging out with your non-vegan friends and someone suggests you all order pizza. Doesn’t everyone know that there is no mainstream pizza that vegans can eat? Your friends try to order cheese pizza for you and you politely pick off the cheese and lick the tomato sauce off the crust. Mmm… dinner of champions.

I’ve found hummus to be the “cheese” of my vegan life. It’s my replacement for cheese on sandwiches, chips, and, yes, now pizza. The concept of vegan pizza seemed like a loss to me until I discovered a delicious hummus pizza dish from a local restaurant named Thr3e Wise Men (ask for it without the feta!). The concept of using hummus on pizza is brilliant. Too often, veganized dishes overuse fake vegan products as substitutes. The dishes end up tasting… fake. I love using something completely different instead of trying to replace cheese. Allow me to profess my love for hummus in the form of one fabulous pizza.

Ingredients:

• 1 package (roughly 14 ounces) of store-bought vegan pizza crust or your own favorite homemade pizza dough
• 1 cup roasted red pepper hummus (homemade or store-bought)
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 large red onion, chopped
• 1 portobello mushroom cap, stem and gills removed
• 1/2 large zucchini
• 1/2 red pepper
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 roma tomatoes, sliced thin
• 4-5 large basil leaves, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and spray a 14-inch round pizza pan with cooking spray.

2. Roll out pizza dough on your pizza pan. When oven has heated up, bake the pizza dough for 8-10 minutes.

3. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet and add minced garlic and red onion. Cook until onion is translucent and fragrant.

4. Cut up mushroom, zucchini and red pepper into thin slices and place into a collander. Toss with salt, pepper and 1/2 Tbsp olive oil.

5. Add mushroom, zucchini and red pepper to the skillet and cook for 5-7 minutes.

6. Remove the pizza from the oven and brush crust with 1/2 Tbsp olive oil. Spread onto the pizza crust an even, thin layer of hummus. Add the toppings: garlic, red onion, mushroom, zucchini, red pepper, tomatoes, and basil.

7. Bake pizza for 10-12 minutes until crust is golden brown.

8. Slice and enjoy!

This meal is part of the fabulous Virtual Vegan Potluck created by Annie and hosted at Vegan Bloggers Unite. Continue your journey or go back to the previous post using the links below. Bon Appétit!