Pesto Pizza With a Sweet Potato Crust and Cashew Cheese (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegan)

Sweet Potato Pizza Crust (adapted from Blissful Basil)

1. Preheat oven to 400-degrees and line an oiled pizza stone with parchment.
2. Pierce sweet potatoes with a fork and microwave until tender, turning them over every 2-4 minutes (I cook 4 minutes on each side and then in 2-minute increments until cooked through). Once cooked, slice with a sharp knife lengthwise to let cool.
3. Combine all non-sweet potato ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, mash and mix into the bowl with the other ingredients, stirring(or kneading) until well combined.
4. Gently spoon mixture onto parchment-covered pizza stone and gently press the mixture into a circle (I went my hands to do this manually), until all edges are roughly the same height.
5. Bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes or until crust is just starting to brown
6. Remove crust from the oven until ready to cover with toppings.

Pesto Sauce (adapted from Vegan Richa)

1. Mix dry ingredients (basil through nutritional yeast) in a food processor until well-combined.
2. Add a little lemon juice/zest, 1 TB oil and a tablespoon of water and re-process. Mixture should come together as a paste. Add more juice, oil, or water until this happens,noting that the lemon juice will brighten up the flavor and make tangier, oil will make it heavier, and water will simply thin it out.
3. Once it is a spreadable paste, taste to see if more salt, water, yeast, pepper, lemon juice is needed. Set aside until ready to use.

Cashew Cheese (adapted from Vegan Richa)

1. Combined drained cashews and all other ingredients in a blender. Blend until super-duper smooth.
2. Transfer mixture to a saucepan and cook over medium heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring continuously. Mixture will get lumpy and then thicken, like pudding.
3. Lay parchment sheets over a cookie sheet or baking tray and pour mixture onto them, spreading until they are the thickness or cheese slices.
4. Top with another layer of parchment and refrigerate until they can be cut and keep their shape (about 30 minutes).

Veggie Toppings

1. Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add zucchini and cook until zucchini are just starting to become soft and translucent.
2. Add in spices the last 1-2 minutes of cooking.
3. Remove from heat and mix in remaining toppings

Assembly

1. Spread pesto on top of pizza and add toppings.
2. Lay cheese slices over toppings.
3. Place pizza under the broiler until cheese starts to get melty, 2-5 minutes.
4. Remove from oven, cut into slices and enjoy!