Tex-Mex Pizza

I whipped up this "Tex-Mex" pizza one night just before the cover photo shoot. It was a week of quick and convenient dinners for the most part - pizza was an obvious choice. But, I wanted some protein on that pie, and refried beans accepted the role.

I started with a whole-wheat pizza shell, layered on some refried beans topped with a little seasoned tomato sauce (though salsa would have been great too), sprinkled those layers with chopped parsley, followed by strips of roasted red peppers, and then topped the lot off with some vegan cheese.

I used Follow Your Heart cheese this time, even though we don't eat a lot of this vegan cheese. It's a bit odd. It claims to melt very well, but I have found that it only melts well if baked at a very high heat or under the broiler. Also, as it cools, it gets a bit waxy again. I like the taste with some things, but not everything, and so we don't eat it a lot (it's also very $$ here). We much prefer Vegan Rella for most things, and our girls love Vegan Rella (and do not like Follow Your Heart brand). I think the reason I like Vegan Rella, is not because it tastes like dairy cheese. Because, believe me, it doesn't!! It doesn't melt like dairy cheese either... it melts in a sticky fashion. But, still, I like it for its own sake. Sort of how I like carob for its own sake, and don't try to pretend it's chocolate. Sure, we use Vegan Rella to make 'grilled cheese' sandwiches or to top burritos, but we like it for the added texture and sometimes the fattiness it gives to a meal - not because we are wanting cheese per se. Make sense? I know people are disappointed with vegan cheeses when they first try them, but that's because they are expecting them to have the taste/texture of dairy cheese, and they don't. I don't encourage new vegans to use a vegan cheese to make up for the dairy cheese they no longer eat. Once they are immersed in the diet for some time and aren't 'missing' cheese any more, I might suggest they try out some brands of vegan cheese, just for some fun with their meals. Their palates will have changed and they (hopefully) can accept the vegan cheese as just another food that can add dimension and variety to their meals.

I'm done with that ramble now.

After baking the pizza (shown here on my pizza stone), I cut an avocado into small cubes and dotted those over the top of the pie. We drizzled our slices with... well, what do you think... yep, a slurry of balsamic and flax oil.

Oh, a note about balsamic vinegar. And vinegars in general. Look at your labels. Try to buy varieties that do not contain sulfites (usually organic, but not always). Sulfites are preservatives, and we don't need to eat them... and some people have allergic reactions to sulfites. Also check other foods like jars of sun-dried tomatoes (in oil) and roasted red peppers, they too can have sulfites.

Back to the Tex-Mex Pizza. I'll do this one again... no recipe needed, quick and yummy, and quite filling. Next time I might do half and half tomato sauce and salsa, and also add some corn. I love mixing things up with pizzas - you can really get creative and play around with ingredients and flavors. Fun stuff!