Say CHEEEEZE!

Vegan ‘Cheeze’ Sauce. Hmmm. A recipe worth tackling. Worth Tweaking. Worth Trying. Trust me. Nutritional Yeast and I have become practically besties over the last few weeks so I thought it was about time to break out the big guns. I have tried the faux blocks of cheese and while they taste decent at best, I am not the biggest fan. Maybe I need to try it in different recipes. I just hate the idea of eating something so processed especially when I know there is a recipe out there I can try.

I came home from my golf lesson the other night to find that my boys had taken it upon themselves to order pizza. The smells emanating from the box threw me into a pizza craving fit. Luckily I knew I had a leftover Rudi’s pizza crust in the freezer! I would make my own pizza and I
 would make it better than the saturated saucer in the take out box. I am calling a duel. ON GUARD!

A veggie pizza was an easy choice, and I had some marinara in the fridge I could smear for the base. But there was the question of cheese. I have baked with soy cheese in the past and it honestly didn’t provide the cheesy goodness flavor I desired. “It’s time…” my mind murmured to me while I caramelized my onions. I puttered over to the computer and pulled up a few vegan cheese recipes. I decided on Angela’s from her blog Oh She Glows. I am pretty dedicated to her these days as she has really helped me on my path to wellness through food.

I accidentally misread the amount of mustard to be put in but it tasted delicious. The cashew flavor was pretty prominent however so I think I will play around with it some more. It did taste like cheese though and brought great flavor to the pizza. Ok vegan cheeze, I surrender.


Gluten Free/Dairy Free Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Medley Pizza

Ingredients
• One gluten free pizza crust
• ¾ cup marinara (I used a bell pepper, black olive classico one)
• ½ package organic mushroom medley (cremini, Portobello, shitake)
• 1 sweet onion, cut into half moons
• Pinch kosher salt
• Black pepper to taste
• Angela’s vegan cheeze sauce (see recipe below)
• Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375 F. Place your gluten free pizza crust on a pizza baking sheet. Smooth marinara evenly, leaving a quarter inch of edge for your crust. Lightly brush olive oil on exposed edges.

In a sauté pan on medium high heat add 1 tbs of EVOO and toss your onions in to coat. Add a pinch of kosher salt and constantly sauté and turn your onions until they have begun to turn a dark brown color. It took me about 20 minutes. Add the mushrooms and toss until softened, about another 5 minutes. I added a little Cajun seasoning because quite frankly I am obsessed but that is optional!

Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Begin your cheeze sauce (recipe below). After taste testing…twice over here with absolute delight!...top your pizza with the veggies and finally drizzle the sauce on top. I added a little black pepper on top.

Bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes or until your crust is golden brown.
Serve with a smile and say CHEEZE!


Angela’s “Cheeze” Sauce

Ingredients• 3/4 cup raw cashews
• 1 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened + unflavoured soy milk), or more to thin out
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
• 6-7 tbsp Nutritional yeast (provides the cheesy consistency)
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp or a bit more of dried Italian seasoning
• 1/4-1/2 tsp Tumeric powder, optional (gives the orangey color)
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

InstructionsAssemble your cheeze sauce ingredients (cashews, non-dairy milk, garlic, lemon, salt, nutritional yeast, pepper, mustard, seasonings) and add just the cashews to food processor. Process until a fine crumb forms similar to corn meal. Now add in the rest of the cheese sauce ingredients and process until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste.

**This recipe is vegan except for the pizza crust which contains eggs.