This was part of the main course at a
recent dinner we catered for. We opted for a simple but very tasty combination of ingredients. We spread a thick layer of fermented cashew cheeze on a sunflower buckwheat crust, followed by cherry tomatoes,
black olives, thinly sliced red onion and nut parmesan.
Man, was it ever good!
Tuscan Pizza
For this recipe you will need:
- Herb Pizza Crusts
- Basil & Garlic Cheeze
- Cherry tomatoes, sliced
- Kalamata olives, slivered
- Red onion, finely sliced
- Nut Parmesan*
*I used a parmesan recipe from
Cafe Gratitude's book made with Brazil nuts, garlic and salt, but I bet my
Pine Nut Parmesan would have also worked nicely.
Herb Pizza Crusts
This delicious new crust recipe is a sort of a cross between the Pizza Crust featured in Cafe Gratitude's
I Am Grateful and my usual favorite
Veggie Herb Crust. A winner and definite new favorite!
Yields about 33 square crusts
4 cups soaked buckwheat
2 2/3 cups sunflower seeds, soaked
4 cups zucchini, peeled and roughly chopped
3/4 - 1 cup ground flax
1 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup + 1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs + 2 tsp Italian herbs
1 tbs + 1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tbs sea salt
Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
Spread batter about 1/4 " thick on 3 3/4 dehydrator trays covered with teflex sheets. Score into 9 squares per tray.
Dehydrate at 125 for 2-3 hours, then flip onto mesh and turn the temperature down to 110.
Dehydrate until dry.
Carmella's Note: Alternatively, you could also form the batter into small or large round crusts.
I was considering topping the pizzas with thinly sliced fresh basil, but opted for a basil flavored cheeze instead. Have I told you how I'm in love with fermented cheeze? It all started
here!
Basil & Garlic Cheeze
1 cup basic Cashew Cheeze (See recipe below)
1 generous teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced chives
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon packed fresh basil, chopped
Combine Cashew Cheeze, garlic, chives, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and salt in a bowl. Stir until well mixed. Add basil and stir until well distributed. Taste and adjust salt, if desired.
Press firmly into a small container or bowl lined with plastic film. Sprinkle mixture of dried basil and garlic powder on top. Allow to chill for at least 12 hours or until it firms up.
When firm, de-mold, turn over and transfer onto a plate. Sprinkle more dried herbs on top and sides.
Variation: If you prefer, you can enjoy this Cheeze 'cream cheese style' by simply transferring the mixture into a container and using it as a spread. This is the texture I aimed for in the above cheeze.
Store in fridge in airtight container for up to 3 or 4 days.
Basic Cashew Cheeze
3 cups cashews, soaked 12-14 hours
3 capsules probiotics
2/3 cup fresh rejuvelac (see instructions in
this post)
In high speed blender, blend the soaked cashews with probiotics and rejuvelac until smooth.
Line a sieve with a double thickness of cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Transfer the mixture to the sieve, drape the cheesecloth over the top, cover with a towel and leave in a warm place to ripen for anywhere from 14 to 24 hours, depending on how warm your house is.
Season according to one of the following recipes (or come up with your own variation!)
Alternatively, shape the mixture into a round, place in a covered container, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, or until it firms up.
Store in fridge in airtight container for up to 3 or 4 days.
Carmella's Notes:
~ I've been using rejuvelac made with quinoa and it works beautifully. I soak 1/4 cup quinoa in about 1 1/2 cups water overnight, drain and rinse well the next morning. Then I add 1 cup fresh water to the mason jar, cover it with cheese cloth, followed by a clean towel, and let it sit in a warm place for 2 days. Then I decant the liquid; this is your rejuvelac!
~ I once forgot to soak the cashews ahead of time and did a little experiment; I ground them up finely in the Vitamix first and added a little more water. The mixture didn't blend as easily as with soaked cashews so I ended up using more liquid than in the original recipe. The texture of the resulting Cheeze was a touch softer and had more the consistency of
Boursin. Out of this world!
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