Homemade Vegan Pepperoni Pizza

Homemade Vegan Pepperoni Pizza is something I do to cook with the kiddo. Grey, my 5 YO, loves to cook with me. This is an incredibly easy and always delicious recipe that we try to make together monthly. I tell him what to do, drink wine, and listen to Louis Prima and Dean Martin. Done. Fun for everyone.

Now, the bllloooooggg. Two months of the most ridiculous dealings with multiple people at Bluehost, and in the end, this unsavvy technologically challenged lady fixed the last leg herself. A frustrating and proud moment. LOL. Since I’m a teacher, I’d been running a Google classroom for months. This gave me loads of time to finally take care of myself and start cooking/photographing again. I was so pissed that I couldn’t post! However, at the end of the day, my divorce was FINALIZED (woo-fucking-hoo!), the ex had temporarily stopped threatening me and others in my life (unfortunately, he’s back on that crazy train for the umpteenth time) and he moved to Peru (!!!!!). This is why I didn’t make my Wednesday post as promised on FB – too many ex fires to put out. Grey and I spend our days outside playing basketball, soccer, and tennis. We ride bikes daily and play games inside almost nightly. Times during COVID have been shiny and pretty for the most part. If the blog was the one downfall, well, that was more than acceptable after this past year of absolute hell and anguish.

CHIIINNNAAAA! “Are you still actually going to China? What about the borders? What about the COVID?!” The answer is “YES!” China is amazing about quarantining and actually understanding the severity of the virus, unlike the insanity and delusions that Americans have been left to deal with on our own. My school in Shenzhen is amazing. We will be doing Google classrooms until we can arrive if they can’t get us there on time. There is always some finagling to be done with visas and the government so we shall see what happens as everything unfolds. I am incredibly excited about G and my new lives there. He’ll get the most bomb education any kiddo could ever hope to receive, the experiences of a lifetime, the opportunity to travel all over the world again, make moolah and save said moolah, and the opportunity to once again love my job.

Okay, back to pizza. Homemade Vegan Pepperoni Pizza requires very few ingredients, little mess (usually), and will make your kiddo/s smile. Mangia! And, it’s great to be back in the blogosphere again.

Homemade Vegan Pepperoni Pizza

Ingredients:

Pizza dough (I love Pirate Pizza Dough)

Flour to roll out the dough

Olive oil for pan

1 15-oz can of GOOD pizza sauce (I use Muir Glen Organic Pizza Sauce)

1 8-oz bag of vegan mozzarella or vegan pizza shreds (I used 3/4 a bag of Follow Your Heart Pizzeria Blend and 1/4 bag of Lisanatti The Original Mozzarella Style Almond Cheese, Shredded)

Vegan parmesan to taste (I used Follow Your Heart Grated Parmesan)

Small package of vegan pepperoni (I used Yves)

Optional: Fresh or dried herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary)

Optional: Cornmeal for bottom of pizza

Directions:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees

Spread a thin layer of flour on a pastry board (or hard and flat surface) and a thin layer of flour on a rolling pin. Roll out dough into a circle or a rectangle, or if you let your kid do it, whatever weird shape you deem large enough

Oil your baking pan. If using cornmeal, place on top of the olive oil now. Transfer the dough onto your pan or your pizza stone

Get a cooking brush and evenly brush on your pizza sauce

Spread a thin layer (to taste) of grated parmesan on top of the sauce. Next evenly spread your shredded cheese over the top of the pizza. Optional – add another layer of grated parmesan on top

Place your pepperoni slices on top of the cheese (we use a lot)

Place pizza on the bottom rack of your oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until desired – move to top rack for one final minute

Let the pizza cool for about 5 minutes

Optional – Top with fresh herbs or dried herbs

For a NY style slice, top each individual slice with grated parm, dried oregano, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes

Wine pairings: Sangiovese or Barbera

Beer pairings: IPA or American Brown Ale (I prefer the latter with pepperoni pizza)