Brussels Sprout Pizza (Vegan)

This is my first vegan pizza and I wanted it to be luxurious. While you have to like Brussels Sprouts to appreciate this recipe, you don't have to compromise on taste eating a vegan pizza.

I've wanted to make a pizza with Brussels Sprouts ever since Eric mentioned the idea to me. So when colleague D. turned me on to a recipe for Brussels Sprouts Chiffonade from a local newspaper before Xmas, my first thought was that would be good on a pizza. I adapted the recipe and added a rich cashew cream based sauce and chanterelles to make my firt vegan pizza a luxury. The great thing about this rich pizza, it's indulgent but you won't feel "weighted down" by it!

It's certainly worth noting that vegan cooking takes quite a bit more effort and planning than vegetarian cooking. My clean kitchen is a complete mess, but I ate well and feel light as a feather!

I made about twice as much Brussels Sprout Chiffonade as was needed for the pizza. Although they are yummy alone, I'd love to hear any of your ideas for combos, salads,etc using this recipe.


Topping:
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 TBS EVOO
pinch salt and pepper
8 oz Brussels Sprouts, stemmed and cut into thin ribbons
1/4 cup white wine

Preheat the oven to 350.
Cook the onions slowly in the EVOO until soft. Turn up the heat to medium and add the Brussels. Saute for 3 minutes then add the wine, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Finish in the oven (about 10 minutes).

3 chanterelle mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 drizzle EVOO
Quickly Saute.

1 order pizza dough (I used Il Fornaio - vegan)
Brush dough with EVOO and cook at 450 on pizza stone for 5 minutes without topping.

Base sauce:
1 large shallot, peeled and finely diced
1 tsp EVOO
S & P
1/8 cup white wine
1/8 tsp fresh sage
1/8 tsp fresh thyme
1/4 cup cashew cream (use 1/2 cup raw cashews blended with 3/4 cup water)
water as needed to reach desired consistency
Cook the shallots in EVOO for a few minutes. Add the fresh herbs, S&P, and 1/2 the wine and cook until shallots are soft. Add the cashew cream and rest of the wine and cook until thickened. Puree whole sauce to a smooth consistency. Add water as needed to get right thickness.

After cooking the pizza crust for 5 minutes, take it out of the oven and top with the cashew cream sauce, Brussels topping, and Chanterelles on top. Drizzle with a little more of the sauce. Cook for 4 minutes. Sprinkle with pine nuts and cook 3 more minutes. Enjoy!