Vegan Squash Pizza for #FFF {Always Good for Leftovers}

Hey guys! It's been a while since I jumped into the @foodfightfriday fray (does that make it quadruple F?), but I've been saving up this yummy vegan pizza to share with you all that I made a few weeks ago. Better late than never, and like I said in the title--pizza is always good leftover. 😉

Usually I leave the pizza-making to @dksart as he has gotten pretty good at it, but I wanted to play with some of the squash blossoms from the garden myself. Making dough has always intimidated me a little bit, so it was also a good opportunity to just jump in and get my hands sticky! I did mess it up a little bit by mixing in too much water, but it all turned out ok. I just used a random recipe for a basic whole grain pizza dough I found. I opted for spelt flour as I do enjoy the nutty flavor. Check out @gguy773 for some really great bread and dough options as he has become a master of making homemade goods like that!

I also have to give @thekitchenfairy a shout since she encouraged me to finally give Chao a try! I don't often buy the store-bought vegan cheeses, but since everything else on the pizza was homemade I figured I'd splurge for once. Holy cow, is that stuff good! It melted really well and had a great tangy flavor. It's not cheap, but totally worth it once in a while if you want that indulgent cheesy flavor and texture.

With all of the squash we have growing in the garden, we definitely have plenty of blossoms to spare for use in the kitchen. Though we don't have any mature squash yet, so I used some yellow summer squash from the farmers market as a logical pair for the veggie toppers. One of my favorite farmers has also had beautiful fennel lately, so sliced fennel added extra flavor and veggie goodness.

I didn't want to do a red sauce to overpower the vegetables, so instead I made a simple pesto from herbs out of the garden. I think it was a mixture of some of the fennel fronds, parsley, dill and oregano blended up with some tahini and sunflower seeds. After the dough was ready I layered on the pesto, then the sliced squash and fennel. I tried to make sure they were sliced thinly enough to cook without the crust burning. You could also cook them first before garnishing the pizza if you really want them soft.

After that I broke up a few pieces of the cheese, then finished it off with the squash blossoms. Into the hot oven on the pizza stone for about 20 minutes until the crust was nice and crispy on the bottom and the toppings warm and delicious!

We restrained ourselves and ate half the first day, then saved the other half for the next. I was happy to have the leftovers to enjoy after my half marathon for some great recovery fuel. I think I would have been just as happy without the cheese as I don't really miss dairy, but for a treat every now and then it's nice to have some really good options on the market for plant-based alternatives!

Alright, now I'm hungry. Off for more leftovers from a different meal for dinner...have a great weekend my friends! Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. We'll be celebrating ours here with quality time and some more good food!

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