Gluten-Free Vegan Pizza Crust Recipe with Shaved Zucchini and White Bean 'Cheese' Topping

What you see there is a layer of “cheese” thicker than the crust itself. I’ve mastered a gluten-free vegan pizza crust recipe, but what’s a crust without equally-as-satisfying toppings? This pizza crust is topped with tomato sauce, shaved zucchini, white bean “cheese” and spices, making for a deliciously crisp, creamy, and spicy bite!

I’ve been posting very sparingly the past year, mostly because I’ve been consumed by work and haven’t had enough time to experiment in the kitchen. I’ve also been feeling a bit uninspired. It seems like so many food blogs are taking over Instagram and the blogosphere and there isn’t much room to add to the conversation. I started this blog way before the IG influencer phenom and haven’t quite felt the urge to hop on board and exploit the f*#$ out of my kitchen endeavors. I prefer keeping GlowKitchen as small and personal as possible, because for me, it’s fun that way. Anything more on my part would be forcing it. So, I choose to keep my activity as authentic as I can. When I’m excited about a recipe I make, I’ll share it. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it as much as I do 🙂

Glowliciousness in the topping…

Zucchini: has only 36 calories and 10% of the recommended daily allowance of dietary fiber in just one cup, lowers cholesterol by attaching to bile acids and aiding in digesting fat, contributes to â€œregularityâ€, prevents cancer with its high antioxidant content, aids prostate health, is high in manganese (19% of the recommended daily allowance in one cup), lowers blood pressure, is anti-inflammatory with its vitamin A and C content, and prevents heart attack and stroke.

White Beans: are one of the most concentrated food sources of the detoxifying enzyme molybdenum, are low on the glycemic index, keep cravings at bay, lower the risk of heart disease and adult-onset diabetes, slow the absorption of carbohydrates (and thus body fat), prevent premature aging with their high-antioxidant content, and are very high in magnesium and thus helpful for handling stress and preventing celiac disease and gastrointestinal problems.

Gluten-Free Vegan Pizza Crust Recipe

Serves 2

Ingredients

For the crust

2 1/4 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour (I used Bob Red Mill’s)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup warm water

For the pizza toppings

3/4 cup of tomato puree
This white bean hummus or “cheese” (excuse the old pictures used in my ancient post)
1 small zucchini, shaved thinly into lengthwise strips
Smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and dried thyme to taste
Chopped veggies of choice: bell pepper, onion, tomato, etc.

For serving

Halved or quartered fresh cherry tomatoes for garnish
Chopped fresh basil for garnish

Directions

For the crust: In a large bowl, mix together the gluten-free flour, salt, maple syrup, oil and water. Use clean hands to shape the dough into a ball. Wrap it in saran wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator for one hour before shaping.

Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease it with olive oil. Set the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the dough from the fridge and use clean hands to press it onto the baking sheet, forming a pizza crust shape that is about 1/4-1/2-inch thick. It won’t handle like regular dough – it is more pliable and sensitive to shaping.