Southwestern Pizza

After I made the decision to change to a vegan diet there were certain things I missed a lot and certain things I was glad to have out of my diet. 

One of the things I craved from time to time was pizza! Mainly because I have an obsession with dipping each bite in a heap of ranch dressing. It wasn't the pepperoni, sausage, bacon pizza that I liked, but instead it was the gooey cheese/sauce combination that lured me in to it's tasty trap!

Luckily, with a few vegan swaps I was able to create a delicious pizza that my sister-in-law requests when she comes over. This recipe is for a basic pizza that you can add or omit toppings.  The thing that makes this pizza "Southwestern" is the black beans and jalepenos.

Ingredients
Vegan pre-made pizza dough (I buy the whole wheat dough at my local Fresh & Easy Market)
Pizza sauce (I buy a pre-made sauce from Fresh and Easy also, but you can use a sauce of your choice.)
Daiya cheddar cheese shreds
Daiya mozzarella cheese shreds
1/4  cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup canned black beans (rinsed, drained, towel dried)
1/4 cup jalepeno slices (I use jarred jalepeno slices)
1 Tbs garlic powder
Yellow corn meal
Flour
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  **Please read the cooking instructions for your pre-made pizza dough.  Some products may require a higher or lower cooking temperature and more or less cooking time.**

Start by prepping your area for rolling out your dough with a mixture of the corn meal and flour.  Depending on your dough you may use more or less.  Roll out your dough to your desired thickness.  We prefer a rather thin crust--but not a cracker crust.  Our family has a firm opinion about how thin is TOO thin!

Transfer your dough to an ungreased pizza pan.

Spread sauce on the dough but leave a 1-1.5 inch border for a good crust. Next...your toppings!  My systematic way of layering goes sauce, cheese, onion, jalepenons, black beans.  Gently press toppings into cheese.

Finally, lightly spritz the cooking spray around the outside crust of the pizza and sprinkle with garlic powder.  After the pizza bakes you will have a garlic crust!  I was pretty excited when I added this little step.  Delicious.

Pop the pizza into the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the bottom crust is lightly brown and the cheese is nicely melted and slightly golden. **Again, check your package for cooking time.** 

Slice and enjoy!