Roasted Garlic Chickpea Pizza

Serves 4

www.ZsusVeganPantry.com

Garlic Aioli Sauce:

1/3 cup raw cashew pieces

2/3 cup non-dairy unsweetened, plain milk (plus more as needed)

2 teaspoons nutritional yeast

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon vegan lactic acid (optional)

4 cloves roasted garlic**

Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Chickpea Topping:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups cooked chickpeas

1 (15-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained

8 garlic cloves, sliced

Pizza:

1/2 cup pizza sauce

1 pound Fridge Dough or other pizza dough

Vegan shredded cheese (optional)

Roasted garlic**

4 soft or oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped

12 kalamata olives, chopped

1/2 cup arugula

1. Sauce: Preheat the oven to 475-degrees F. Use a pizza stone if you have one. Remove the dough from the fridge to warm. Combine the cashews, milk and nutritional yeast in a small saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Transfer to a small blender and add the lemon juice, lactic acid (if using), garlic and salt and pepper. Blend until very smooth, adding a few tablespoons of milk as needed. Taste and adjust seasoning and set aside.

2. Chickpea: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chickpeas, artichokes and garlic. Cook until golden brown, about 8 minutes, but do not burn the garlic; stir often. Season with salt and black pepper. Set aside.

3. Pizza: Combine the pizza sauce with 2 tablespoons of the garlic aioli. Divide the dough into 4 (or 2). Roll or spread the dough on a parchment paper, out to about 1/4-inch thick. Spread a thin layer of tomato-aioli sauce. Add cheese, if using. Top with the chickpeas, sun-tomatoes and olives. Bake for 6 minutes on a baking sheet or pizza stone. Remove the paper from under the pizza, using tongs or a spatula if needed. Continue to bake until golden brown, about 7 to 9 more minutes.

4. To serve, cut into slices, top with arugula leaves and more sauce.

** Roasted Garlic. Divide a garlic head into the cloves; do not peel. Air-fry for about 8 to 14 minutes at 330-degrees F. Check the garlic after 8 minutes; if it is soft it is ready. Do not burn. Alternatively, pan-fry the garlic with the paper on. Use a dry cast iron skillet and cook until soft, about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring often to avoid burning. Peel the garlic when cool.