Tonight we had a meeting with our talented graphic designer Sabrina Modder to discuss the layout of our website. We told Sabrina that we would make a vegan dinner for her. On the menu – a Mediterranean Pizza on Trader Joe’s vegan whole wheat pizza dough, and a salad with a lemon dijon thyme vinaigrette.
On the way to Sabrina’s we got a bit sidetracked at the Ukranian deli near her apartment. Jessica impulsively bought a jar of pickles, and we picked up dessert – a pure bar of dark chocolate with strawberry and cracked green peppercorn.
The mingling Mediterranean vegetables on the pizza were so flavourful together that we didn’t find ourselves yearning for cheese at all.
Mediterranean Pizza and Salad with Lemon Dijon Thyme Vinaigrette
Pizza
1 package Trader Joe’s Vegan Whole Wheat Pizza Dough or any vegan whole wheat dough
1 roasted red pepper, chopped
2 tbsp banana peppers, chopped
10 kalamata olives, pitted
3 artichoke hearts (non-marinated), chopped
1/2 Cipollini onion, or any sweet onion, chopped
1 small zucchini, sliced thinly
1 roma tomato, seeded and chopped
4 white mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
6 basil leaves, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
sesame seeds for crust garnish
Prepare pizza dough according to directions. Preheat oven. Saute zucchini, onion, and mushrooms, and garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil. Set aside. Begin assembling pizza. Add the remaining tbsp olive oil, basil, and all veggies onto the prepared pizza dough. Sprinkle sesame seeds and one more swig of olive oil and bake in the oven until crust is lightly browned. This pizza is piled high and may require a fork and knife to enjoy.
Salad with Lemon Dijon Thyme Vinaigrette
Dressing
2 tbsp dijon mustard
Juice from one lemon
Leaves of 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 clove garlic, chopped
1.5 tsp brown rice syrup
Salt and pepper to taste
Salad
1 head of romaine, torn
2 small Persian cucumbers, chopped
1 roma tomato, chopped
1 avocado, sliced
Whisk all dressing ingredients together. Let sit for a while in the fridge so the flavours mingle.
Combined salad ingredients, toss with dressing and enjoy!
Suggestion: For additional protein try adding chickpeas, toasted nuts of your choice, or hemp hearts.
THE PIZZA WAS PERFECT!! THE VEGAN LADIES… EVEN BETTER!