Anniversary Deep Dish

If you have been following me for the past few years, you know that back in August of 2021 I released my first cookbook ever, “Cook. Heal. Go Vegan!”! To say this was one of the best moments of my life would be an understatement. It was my “big break” and the amount of support and positive effects have been constant ever since. Today marks the 3rd year anniversary of the release, and to celebrate the amazing success of the cookbook, I wanted to recreate one of my favorite recipes: The Chicago style deep dish pizza. This time for the 3rd year anniversary, I switched it up slightly and added a pistachio pesto for that extra herby flavor, to really up level and already perfect recipe! I also added a gluten free option, because the gf baddies need pizza too. Thank you for every single person who has supported this book and supported us on this journey, and if you haven’t gotten your copy yet, you can purchase it here at Target, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Indie book stores, and everywhere else books are available.

Chicago deep-dish speaks for itself with all that messy cheesiness. This deep-dish pizza comes with no food coma, no BS and no cruelty. Made entirely with plants, this is something we vegans only dreamed about for a long time —but now that it's here in its physical form, there's no going back. And I couldn't just give you a basic pizza!

This is a pizza with a spelt crust (or a gluten free crust), freshly made mozzarella, caramelized onions, mushrooms, peppers, a whole lotta basil and fire-roasted tomatoes. It's the Michael Jordan of vegan pizza, the cream of the crop — you know, the Sears Tower. Your world is about to be changed, and I'm just glad to be here for it.

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The Goods:

For the crust:

• 1 tbsp active dry yeast

• 1 tbsp coconut sugar

• 1 cup water, warmed to about 105°F (41°C)

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp salt

• 2¼ cups spelt flour, plus more as needed (or 2¼ cups gluten free all purpose flour)

For the mozzarella cheese:

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and drained

• 1¼ cups water

• ½ tsp garlic powder

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 tsp nutritional yeast

• 1 tsp miso paste

• 3 tbsp tapioca flour

For the veggies:

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 small onion, thinly sliced

• ½ tsp salt

• ½ tsp black pepper

• ½ tsp coconut sugar

• 3 cups thinly sliced cremini mushrooms

• 1 cup thinly sliced sweet peppers

• 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil, divided

• 2 cups baby spinach

• 1 can diced fire-roasted tomatoes, drained, or 2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped

For the pistachio pesto:

• 3 cups basil, stems removed

• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast

• 1/3 cup pistachios, shelled

• 1 large lemon, juiced

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1/3 cup water + more for desired consistency

• 2 tbsp olive oil

The Method:

1. First, make the crust. In a large bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water, but do not stir the ingredients. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes. The hot water will activate the yeast while the yeast feeds on the sugar. You'll know it's bloomed and ready when there is a layer of foam on the top.

2. Once you see the foamy layer, add the oil and mix everything together. Then add the salt and the flour 1 cup (160 g) at a time while continuing to mix. I mix the dough with a fork at first, but you can use a stand mixer with the dough attachment. Once the dough has formed, I like to switch to kneading with my hands. The dough should not stick to your hands, and it should bounce back when touched. When it reaches this stage, stop kneading it. Cover it with a damp kitchen towel and let it rise for 30 to 45 minutes.

3. While your dough is doing its thing, get your mozzarella cheese ready. In a blender, combine the cashews, water, garlic powder, salt, nutritional yeast, miso and tapioca flour. Blend the ingredients on high speed for 30 to 45 seconds, until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

4. Pour the mozzarella into a cold medium saucepan. Heat the mozzarella over medium-low heat while stirring it constantly with a rubber spatula for 7-8 minutes. Make sure the mozzarella doesn't burn or stick to the bottom of the saucepan. If it starts to burn or stick, reduce the heat or remove the saucepan from the heat completely for a few seconds to let it cool down a little. You'll see the mozzarella start to thicken like magic a few moments before it's done. Once it's thick and gooey, remove it from the heat and set it aside.

5. Prep your veggies by grabbing a 10-inch (25-cm) sauté pan —for best results, use a cast-iron pan —and heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and salt and cook the onion for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring it frequently. Add the black pepper and sugar— the sugar will help the onion caramelize. Cook the onion for 2 minutes, stirring it frequently.

6. Next, add the mushrooms and sweet peppers. Cook the veggies for 5 minutes, stirring them frequently. All the veggies should be softened, and the mushrooms should be starting to turn brown. Add the basil — saving about 1 tablespoon for the top of the pizza -and the spinach. Cook the mixture for 2 minutes, stirring it constantly, until the spinach has softened and wilted. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside.

7. Grab a large clean high powered blender and toss all the ingredients for the pistachio pesto into it, and blend/pulse on high for 30 seconds, or blend longer for a smoother consistency. Taste for salt, and set aside.

8. Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C) and grab a 10-inch (25-cm) cast-iron sauté pan-you can use the same pan you cooked the veggies in; just be sure to clean it and oil it before using it again. Lightly punch down the dough. Clean your work surface and dust it with flour. Remove the dough from the bowl. Knead it five or six times, and then roll it out to a circle with a rolling pin. Once it's a bit bigger than the size of your pan, carefully transfer the dough to the pan. If you rip it, that's okay —because it's a deep-dish crust, it's forgiving. Just patch it up and keep moving forward. Lay the dough evenly in the pan and press it up the pan's sides, so the dough is an even thickness throughout.

9. For gluten free dough: Don’t worry about kneading or letting it rest again, just take it straight from the bowl it was rising in, and place the dough straight into your prepared cast iron. Use your hands to push the dough evenly into the cast iron. Reminder that you may need a tiny bit more gluten flour depending on what kind you use.

10. Add the mozzarella first by spreading it all on the bottom and halfway up the sides of the crust. Next, add the veggies, the fire-roasted tomatoes, and finish with large dollops of pistachio pesto over the top. I like to then slightly roll the crust in on itself about ½ inch (1.3 cm) to seal the deal.

11. Bake the pizza for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the crust is light brown on the top and is hard to the touch. Remove the pizza from the oven, sprinkle the reserved basil on the top of the pizza and let it cool for 10 minutes before cutting it, so that everything inside can set. You can remove the entire thing from the pan and then cut it, or you can cut it inside the pan —it's up to you!

Thanks so much for checking out our recipes! I hope you find something here that satisfies your cravings or encourages you to try something new. Make sure to check back every week to see our new recipes!

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