Vegan and Gluten-Free Mini Veggie Pizza

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Comfort foods are my best friend. My parents are both great cooks and go out of their way to make everyone's favorite foods at all times. One of my favorite childhood dishes, was the English muffin mini pizzas Joe (my dad) would make for us. Honestly, I can't remember if he made them very often , but this is a dish I always associate with him.

I've been wanting to make these mini pizzas myself, but I have two problems: gluten and dairy. In the past, I've made my own pizza crust with gluten free flour, but I just want to be able to throw together a quick and easy pizza, that reminds me of Joe's pizza.

My solution presented itself in the form of these great gluten and dairy free Amy's sandwich rounds. I haven't had much luck in finding a small roll or English muffin-type of bread in the past. These are amazing. They are nice and soft, but not too chewy and held up well with all of the toppings on them, too.

Veggie Pizza

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
  • 3 to 4 mushrooms, sliced and sautéed in olive oil
  • 3 to 4 asparagus stalks, steamed and cut into small pieces
  • Amy's Gluten-Free Sandwich Round or 1 English muffins or 1 pita cut in half
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme, coarsely chopped
  • 1/8 cup olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

  1. If using pizza dough: prepare as per the package instructions and pre-bake the dough halfway.
  2. If using English muffins or pita bread: place in a toaster oven or a regular oven on broil for 3 minutes.
  3. Take the partially baked pizza dough or the toasted bread and layer on top all of the veggies.
  4. Pour the oil over top, and sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper.
  5. Place back in the oven or broiler and cook until the veggies and crust/bread have browned slightly.

Serves 2. Prep time, 5 minutes; cook time, 5 to 20 minutes.

Cook’s note: You can add 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce, mozzarella or Parmesan cheese as a base, before you place the vegetables on the bread.

 

 

 

Veggies in the Oven: Cauliflower Gratin and Roasted Asparagus

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 These two vegetable dishes are super easy to make and can be used as either a side dish or with some small additions, as a main dish. The roasted asparagus can be served with pasta and a poached egg, as a main dish. If you like, you can add bacon to the cauliflower gratin to make it just that much heartier.

Featured on The Fruit Guys website, here and here.

Cauliflower Gratin

Ingredients

  • 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets, steamed for five minutes
  • ¼ cup breadcrumbs (regular or Glutino gluten-free)
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Put the cauliflower into a casserole dish. Cover with breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
  3. Bake for 20 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are browned and cheese is melted.

Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch asparagus stalks, bottoms trimmed off
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 450.
  2. Place asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet and pour olive oil evenly over the top. Turn the asparagus over a few times to coat all sides in the olive oil.
  3. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, until the stalks become browned and wilted.