Arugula Basil Red Onion Pesto Cashew Cheese Pizza

I was just off a fast and watching back-to-back episodes of Beat Bobby Flay. Sorry-not-sorry admittance here, I watch cooking shows like soap operas.  So, after watching all of the episodes, I wanted to get in the kitchen and see what I could do.  Also, my sister had introduced me to a cashew cheese pizza when I visited her, and I was simply intrigued at the salty and satisfying mouth fill of the pie.  Lately, I've been trying to find more plant-based dishes to enjoy and to compensate for half of my diet. This was an amazing deviation from the normal cheese pizza I would usually get, and it was Friday night, a great night to have pizza.

The main cheese "star" of this pizza is made of cashews. Choosing cashew as a cheese alternative has the following benefits:

• Lowers LDL or bad cholesterol
• High in magnesium helps to lower stroke and heart disease
• As it is low in carbs it is a great choice for diabetes prevention
• Main vitamins are magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, B6, and vitamin K

Ingredients

• 1 pack of cauliflower crust (or any, I got mine from Trader Joes)
• 1 bag of arugula (I chose wild arugula from Trader Joes)
• 1 pack of fresh basil
• 1/4 of red onion
• 1 jar of basil pesto
• 1 tub of cashew cheese (I found Black Truffle by Misha's and Herb Garlic by Treeline at Whole Foods- you really only need one tub)

Seasonings

• Smoked onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Dry basil
• Dry oregano

Fats/Other

• Salted butter
• Avocado garlic oil (olive oil can work, too)

Price Point (without seasonings)

About $21.00 (you can make two pizzas for this price!)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. First, slice 1/4 of the red onion in long half-moon strips, placing in a bowl. 

3. Take a handful of arugula and pinch off several leaves of basil, placing them in the same bowl.  Pour a little avocado or olive oil to coat the veggies.  Sprinkle the smoked onion and garlic powder on the veggies and mix to coat. Set these aside.

4. Place the cauliflower crust on foil or a pizza pan and spread a little butter on the crust.  Following up with a thin layer of avocado or olive oil on top. Finalize with a generous smear of basil pesto. Place in the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes to heat. 

5. Once heated, take the pizza crust out and place veggies a top- which may be a little wilted, but this is okay!  Place and space dollops of cashew cheese around the pie and put back in the oven for another 5-7 minutes.

6. Top with parmesan cheese, nutritional yeast, or red pepper flakes, or nothing, and enjoy! 

I am now so interested in experimenting with making my own pizzas from now on. I can see many variations of this filling meal.  Power packed with the healthy cheese alternative and fresh peppery arugula and fragrant basil; it is a beautiful meal for the win.  The other thing I found was that it was so filling that I could only eat two slices! For the price of the ingredients, you can get two pizzas and a great salad for later in the week!  Also, all together, it took about 20 minutes to prepare. Make this soon.  You WILL NOT be disappointed.