(No One Misses The) Cheese Vegan Pizza with Whole Wheat Crust

Time (from prep to cleanup): Just over an hour
Servings: This pizza would feed myself and my husband
Overall Score: 7.5

This recipe is actually my own (minus the whole wheat crust recipe, which you can find on About.com). I love the combination of sweet caramelized onions juxtaposed with slightly sour artichokes and spicy red pepper flakes.
I was all set to have some delicious pizza leftover from the Pat's game at my parents' house last night (boo to the Jets), but I opened the refrigerator to an empty shelf. Ryan had taken the leftovers to work.

After I got over my momentary burst of anger, I decided to make a new and better pizza for myself while he was stuck with cold day-old muck (okay, it wasn't muck...but making it sound bad makes me feel better).

What you'll need for the toppings:

• 1 medium yellow onion
• Olive oil
• Splash of white wine
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 4 oz. sliced mushrooms of choice (about 1/2 the average size package of mushrooms)
• 1 can quartered artichoke hearts (you won't use them all, so get the smallest can you find)
• 1 small can of tomato sauce (8 oz. is more than enough)
• Dried basil, oregano, thyme and crushed red pepper flakes

Make the dough according to recipe first. It needs time to rise.

To caramelize the onion, slice it into thin rings. Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a frying pan on medium. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar. The key is to allow them to sit long enough to brown between stirring--if you stir too much, they won't brown. Watch them carefully to make sure they do not burn. Stir as necessary until the rings are soft and dark brown. Add a splash of white wine and cook long enough for it to evaporate. The onions are done. Note: there are various ways to caramelize onions; if you have a preferred alternative, feel free to use it.

Remove the onions from the pan and return it to the stove. Add more oil, if necessary, and saute the sliced peppers. Add the sliced mushrooms about half way through.

Now grab your dough (I let mine "rise" for about 30 minutes...but it didn't really change much). Stretch it into a circle on a pizza stone or a slightly oiled cookie sheet. Spread a layer of sauce over the dough. Sprinkle the sauce with the spices so that they are evenly distributed across the pizza. Add the caramelized onions, peppers, mushrooms and quartered artichokes. Bake on 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes (mine took the full 20 minutes).

Now, I am known to talk to myself sometimes, and the first words out of my mouth when I tried a bite of this pizza were literally "Wow, this is good!".  The only thing I would change is the crust thickness; I prefer my crust crispy, so I would stretch the dough a bit thinner next time. This is up to your personal tastes.

Apparently January 29 is Vegan Pizza Day, so I guess my recipe is surprisingly timely.

Stay tuned for my next review of Peta's Macadamia-Encrusted Seitan with Mango Broccoli Slaw.


P.S. I ate half of the pizza while writing this post.