The Vegan Kids Kitchen: Pizza, Pizza!!!

Supplies!

Ready to Spread!

Dough ready to go!

Garlic "Butter" Spread

Making the crust YUMMY!

Sauce Time!!

Decorate Me Please!!

Extra Cheese on this one!!

Kale and Garlic Sprinkles!

Time to Eat!!

I cannot believe that I have had a blog for over a month and have not talked about our semi-homemade pizza!!! This has to be one of our favorite meals hands down, my kids love it and I love making it because it's so simple. I mean who doesn't love pizza it's such a classic pairing of yummy food!! Seriously you can just forget ordering from the pizza shop, this tastes a hundred times better and is sooo much cheaper (music to my ears!!) It all started when I was in Trader Joe's one day and I came across pre-made dough in a bag that was 99 cents and vegan (its now a dollar and some change, but still worth it)!!! I couldn't believe my luck, I remember as a kid my mom always used to do homemade pizza and it always tasted so good and was so much fun to make and then eat:) So, I bought about five bags to test out and the rest is history. I will buy at least 10 bags at a time (they look at me crazy, but I look at it as smart). That way we are always able to have pizza, Stromboli, or garlic bread whenever we want!! Tip: When freezing place on a flat surface otherwise it wraps around stuff, freezes, and gets stuck and takes hours to get undone, no fun!
I once read somewhere that if you wanted to lose weight you could only have pizza once a month, well that woman obviously had no kids and in this house it's more like once a week or so and can be lunch or dinner, we're flexible. I always said that having my kids grow up vegan they were not going to be those kids that were left out and not able to be a "kid" eating the good stuff. So we've adapted and with a little planning ahead, if I know there will be pizza at a party or dinner at my mom's or wherever, I will bring my own pizza and my kids have no problem feeling like all the other kids. When my son was younger I used to let him have pizza with all his cousins, but I just knew I didn't want him to have all that Dairy or "cow's milk cheese" as my son now calls it and I know his tummy is thanking us for ridding him of the nastiness!!!
I used to make pizza using just the dough from TJ's, pasta sauce and veggies, but as I became fond of Daiya, a Vegan cheese, I started using the mozzarella type shreds. Let me tell you the story of this cheese because I first bought a bag of mozzarella and wasn't sure what to expect. Well, let me just say after using the whole bag in some lasagna, I was not ever going to buy this again because it was awful and way too overpowering. Little did I know that with Daiya cheese a little goes a long way, which is good news because at almost 5 dollars a bag its pricey. Slowly I have begun to make pizza with the daiya cheese and topping with Kale and a sprinkling of garlic which gets super crispy on top!! It's delicious and my kids are getting more green veggies, love it!!!
I always start by leaving the dough out to rise and thaw all day long(from frozen), that way it is super easy to spread out the dough. It says only 30 mins(from the fridge), but I suggest at least an hour or two to be able to really spread without too much trouble. I also always use the silpat or parchment paper because it sticks to everything and there is nothing worse than making a delicious pizza and not being able to eat because you can't get the bottom unstuck:( Then I melt some earth balance vegan butter, with basil and garlic, and brush the edges to give some extra flavor, spread the sauce. and top with whatever you are feeling or have in the fridge. Kale is a great addition, we used to do spinach, but it made it a bit to soggy. Bake at 350F for 20 mins and then turn up to 400 for an extra 5 or 10 mins to crisp up the Kale, and eat up!!!
So to sum up, you can put anything on this thing and it will be good, when I made without cheese my kids didn't even notice, but I like to spoil them occasionally (or all the time as my hubby says:) and let them eat their Vegan Cheese to their hearts desire!!! I just want my kids to never feel like they are missing out because they are vegan because this is the most amazing way to live and I want them to LOVE it too!!!

Vegan Pizza
1 bag Trader Joe's pre-made dough (in fridge section, by the meals to go area)
3/4 cup tomato sauce
1/2 - 1 cup Daiya Cheese (or omit depending on your preference, if its your first time using, less is more!!!)
1-2 cups Kale
sprinkle of Garlic Powder
and add any additional veggies you like!!!

Bake at 350F for 20 mins and then 5-10 mins at 400F, Enjoy!!!
Here's some pics of all our varieties!!!