Pizza Party!

     Last night was Saturday night--time to mix it up! Malissa and I decided we wanted to do something really fun with dinner!  This one was a bit more complicated than the other recipes, but it was super fun for the two of us to make together and comes highly recommended for a great, inexpensive date night or party!  As you can see, our pizza is a rectangle.  We didn't have a pizza stone, so we just used a cookie sheet, and it turned out perfectly!  This pizza was so delicious and very satisfying to know that we made it ourselves (first time I've ever made a pizza! whoot!).

Oven Baked Pizza

For the Pizza Crust:

1 Cup warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sweetener (xylitol, or sugar)
3 Cups flour
1-2 Tablespoons dried basil
1-2 Tablespoons dried oregeno
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons oil (olive oil is healthier, but vegetable oil works too)

Dissolve yeast in water.  Using a mixer, blend in 2 cups of flour and remaining ingredients.  Mix until well-blended.  Stir in remaining flour.  knead on floured surface 3-4 minutes.  Cover and let rest 30 minutes.  Punch dough down and shape into a ball.  Roll out ball or stretch by hand to fit a 12" greased pizza pan (or a cookie sheet if you don't have one)

Pizza Sauce:
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
Dash of sweetener

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.  Simmer 3-5 minutes or until sauce starts to deepen in color.  Spread over pizza crust and layer with desired toppings*.  Sprinkle vegan cheese over everything.  Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes

*A great date activity could be to go to the store together and pick out all the toppings you want for your individual pizza!  If you want cheese, I recommend vegan gourmet mozzarella (our favorite, you can find it in the health food section of most grocery stores)  One of my personal favorite toppings are artichoke hearts! YUM!