Vegan Tomato Basil Pizza

Basil forms an intrinsic part of various dishes. There are significant botanical differences in various types of basil plants. The many varied species of basil include: sweet basil, lemon basil, Italian or curly basil, holy basil, Thai basil and lettuce-leaf basil. The smell and flavour of basil vary upon the concentration of essential volatile oils present in the herb. Cinnamate, citronellol, geraniol, linalool, pinene and terpineol are some of the oils that one can find across all species of basil. And it is the presence of these oils that chiefly affect the medicinal benefits of basil leaves.

BENEFITS

Increases mental alertness when inhaled as aromatherapy.
Helps inhibit the growth of bacteria that causes dental decay.
Improves fasting blood sugar, cholesterol and triglycerides.
Reduces blood pressure in people with hypertension.
Relaxes blood vessels and thins your blood, similar to aspirin.
Protects against aspirin’s damage to your gut, helping preventing ulcers.
Aids in healing properties for certain cancers, such as breast, colon and pancreas.

RECIPE

Ingredients

Crust

1 tsp active yeast
1/2 cup (125 ml) warm water
1 tbsp flour
1 1/4 cup (156.25 g) flour unbleached white or a combination of white and whole wheat
1/3 tsp (0.33 tsp) salt
1 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) dried oregano or other herbs
1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) garlic powder optional

Pizza toppings

Tomato sauce
Sliced bell pepper
Sliced red onion
thinly sliced white mushrooms
sliced whole tomatos
sliced zucchini or other sliced veggies of choice
sliced kalamata olives
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
fresh basil
vegan parmesan
pepper flakes

You may like this recipe as well:

Hasselback Baked Potatoes

Tomato sauce

1 onion
3 garlic cloves
olive oil
3-4 TBSP tomato paste
1 16 oz tin of tomatos
Basil
Pepper

Instructions

Pre-make pizza sauce. (see below)
In a bowl, mix warm water, yeast and 1 tbsp flour. Let it sit for a few minutes to activate.
Add 1 cup flour, salt, herbs and garlic and olive oil and mix in. Add another 3 tbsp flour and mix in. Get your hands in there to mix and knead for a few seconds into a soft slightly sticky dough.. Add another tbsp flour if needed. Gather the dough into a ball and let it sit for 15 minutes in a warm place.
Add a 1/2 tsp oil over the dough and spread with your hands. Gather the dough into a ball and place on parchment lined sheet.
Use a bit of flour to spread the dough into a 13 to 14 inch size oval. Spread it depending on on how thick or thin you want the crust to be. Keep the edges thicker than the center (see video). Let it sit for a few minutes. Preheat the oven to 435 degrees F / 220ºc.
Spread the pizza sauce on the crust. Distribute the sliced veggies, mushrooms and olives evenly.
Mix chopped garlic with a tsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt and oregano. Sprinkle over the pizza.
Sprinkle salt over the veggies. Sprinkle meltable vegan cheese on the veggies if using at this point.
Bake the pizza for 17 to 18 minutes or until golden on the edges. Sprinkle vegan parm of choice, chopped fresh basil, and pepper flakes. Slice and serve!