Wow check this out! Raw vegan cheese pizza with zucchini cheese from Amanda Nicole Smith

A raw vegan pizza with crispy crust, garlic basil tomato sauce, zucchini cheese, and “sautéed” mushrooms. The crust is made with sprouted buckwheat, almond flour, flax seed and zucchini.

When I was younger, growing up in upstate NY, if you asked me what my favorite food was I would say “pizza”! There is something delicious about the mixture of dough, tomatoes and cheese; except it’s also a mixture for digestive disaster.

When I started eating raw vegan food, I was obsessed with recreating my favorite meals for better digestion. And so for years I have been experimenting with dough, sauce and cheese recipes from wholesome ingredients and none of it is cooked.

Don’t get me wrong I love a a good gluten filled pizza with daiya cheese and cooked marinara sauce, but there is something refreshing about raw pizza, it’s the perfect summer pizza.
For this crust version I am using zucchinis because they are in season, but I also like to use red bell pepper instead.

The first step is to soak the buckwheat groats for about 6 hours, drain and rinse afterwards and use either right away; or you can drain and rinse twice a day for up to 2 days, until the buckwheat sprouts little tails. I normally keep them in a strainer over a bowl, with a towel over the top. Don’t let the buckwheat sprout too much or the crust will taste like grass.

The thinner the crust, the quicker it will dehydrate. You could also make personal sized pizzas which will also dehydrate quicker. A dehydrator is recommended but an oven on the lowest temperature should work just as well.

While the crust is dehydrating, we make our toppings; which will also be going into the dehydrator at the same time.

Raw Vegan Pizza Sauce

The first topping is tomato sauce. To make a quick and easy raw vegan tomato sauce, I like to slice my tomatoes about a 1/4 inch thick. I then put some fresh basil, garlic and onions on top. Lastly I let them dehydrate until the crust is done and then I process all the sauce ingredients in a food processor. If the sauce is still watery, put it in a glass bowl to dehydrate for a while longer.

The second topping is the mushrooms. All you need is a little soy sauce, olive oil, scallions and a pinch of salt. Mix it all together and throw it into the dehydrator until the mushrooms resemble cooked mushrooms.

Last but not least I think I have created a masterpiece here….Zucchini cheese!! It’s so easy and it tastes out of this world, Just shred some zucchini and add in some nutritional yeast and a little salt. Lay it out flat on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate for 1-2 hours.

I should add, I used golden zucchini, because they had it at the farmers market, and it was a deep yellow, perfect for resembling cheese! However green zucchini will work, I haven’t tried squash but I’m sure it will work as well!

RAW VEGAN PIZZA
Serves 8
A raw vegan pizza with crispy crust, garlic basil tomato sauce, zucchini cheese, and "sautéed" mushrooms.
CRUST
2 cups buckwheat; soaked
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup zucchini
1/4 cup flax seed
1/8 cup scallions
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp coconut sugar
pinch of salt and pepper
SAUCE
3 tomatoes; preferably roma
1/2 cup basil; fresh
2 garlic cloves
1 scallion
ZUCCHINI CHEESE
2 cups shredded zucchini
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp lemon
1/4 tsp salt
MUSHROOMS
2 cups crimini mushrooms
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup scallions
1 tbsp herbs; rosemary, basil, etc.
CRUST
Soak the buckwheat groats for up to 6 hours, rinse and drain.
Optional- Continue to rinse and drain until little tails sprout.
Add all the crust ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth.
On a dehydrator sheet, smooth out the pizza crust about 1/4 inch thick.
Dehydrate at 165 degrees for 30 minutes, turn down heat to 115 degrees until the crust is crispy. Takes about 2-4 hours.
SAUCE
Cut the tomatoes 1/4 inch thick.
Add fresh herbs, garlic, and onion on top of tomatoes.
Dehydrate with crust for about 1-2 hours.
MUSHROOMS
Mix all the mushroom ingredients together and lay out onto a dehydrator sheet.
Dehydrate with tomatoes and crust for about 1 hour.
ZUCCHINI CHEESE
Shred zucchini and add to a small bowl.
Add nutritional yeast, lemon juice and salt and mix together.
Spread out evenly on a dehydrator sheet and dehydrate with all the other toppings for about 1 hour.
NOTES
Store in refrigerator for up to one week.