I never thought pizza would happen for me again after I gave up dairy last November. As I browsed through my recipe list, I sadly scratched pizza off the meals I could still enjoy. I’d been making pretty darn good gluten-free pizza for a few years now, but pizza with no cheese, I mean, come one, what’s the point? Well, turns out I was wrong. I changed my mind a few months ago when my brother and sister in law (Me Gusta Mentequila!) made this delicious gluten-free, dairy-free pizza while I was visiting them for my birthday. It was amazing, and I haven’t been able to get enough. Since then I’ve made it a few times myself and honed in what works best for me. The secret ingredient for this pizza is pesto. Dairy-free, delicious, creamy pesto. Here’s how:
Pesto
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup of almonds
- 1/4 cup of avocado oil, find it here
- one cup of basil leaves
- 2 tablespoon of lemon juice
- 1 dash of sea salt
Directions
This pesto recipe is a variation of the one my sister in law made for me on that fateful birthday night. There is something you should know about me: I never follow a recipe. I am my mama’s girl. I was too broke to afford the expensive pine nuts the recipe calls for, so I used some almonds we already had in our pantry. I also replaced the sensitive olive oil with less volatile avocado oil.
- Put all your ingredients in the food processor and blend them.
- Then taste.
- If you like it tangier, add lemon juice; nuttier, add a few more almonds; more herbal, ad more basil. Anyways, you get the point.
Pizza Crust
Inredients
- 4 tablespoon of melted lard
- 1 egg
- 1 cup of tapioca flour, find it here
- 1 tablespoon of water
Directions
This is based on the recipe my brother in law guest posted for Grass Fed Girl. It has a very helpful step by step video, so I will send you over there for this part. I simply replaced the butter in this recipe with lard as well as skipped the Parmesan cheese. If you don’t have lard follow Caitlin’s suggestion and try palm oil.
Pizza
Toppings
- 1/2 a Bell pepper , sliced
- 5 Mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 a pound of Salami
- 1/4 of a red onion
- 1/2 cup of chopped black olives
Directions
- After you pre-bake the crust for a few minutes, slather the pesto on.
- Then pile on your veggies and meat in whatever way your heart pleases. If you really wanted a crazy looking pizza you could add another layer pesto and toppings on top of that. I have obviously never done that 😉
- Bake at 375* for about twenty minutes or until the veggies look roasted enough.
- Let cool before cutting.
Trust me you wont be tempted by the cheezy pizza your friends or partner is having. Just close your eyes and enjoy these rich nourishing flavors. Kudos for listening to your body and avoiding foods that are causing you grief.
P.S. This pizza turns out best when you use a pizza stone. My friends tried to make it in a regular pan and it turned out kind of soggy for them. I’ve always made this recipe on a pizza stone and I never had that problem. So if you don’t have a pizza stone you might consider getting one if you want your pizza to be crisp.