When it’s just too much effort to make it into the kitchen to spend time with my food dehydrator, I turn to one of my favourite recipe blogs, The Raw Chef. From there, I daydream about all the goodies I plan to make, as I flick through the delectable delights whipped up by raw food chef Russell James.
If you think pizza is unhealthy, Russell gives you good cause to think again with this masterpiece…
Pesto & Caramelised Onion Pizza
For the base
500g (approx 3c) buckwheat, sprouted for a few days until it has a small ‘tail’
2 avocados or 1/2c almond butter
1/4c olive oil
1/4c fresh basil
3T Italian seasoning
1/2c sun-dried tomatoes
3T lemon juice
1/2t salt
3 medium tomatoes
• Grind all ingredients in a food processor until you have a paste consistency.
• Spread onto a Paraflexx sheet in a circle and dehydrate for a few hours or until you are able to turn it upside down onto another dehydrator tray and peel off the plastic Paraflexx sheet.
• Dehydrate for another 8 to 10 hours or until base is dry enough to hold together.
For the caramelised onions
5 large onions, sliced thinly (use a mandoline if you have one)
1c soft dates
3T tamari
2T olive oil
1/4c water
• Blend all ingredients except the onions in a high-speed blender, until smooth.
• In a bowl, hand-mix the date mixture with the onions until they are thoroughly covered.
• Dehydrate on a Paraflexx sheet for 2 to 3 hours, so they soften and take on a cooked appearance.
For the pesto
2c basil
1/4c pine nuts
1T olive oil
1/4t salt
2t lemon juice
• Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until broken down, but leaving some texture to the finished pesto.
For the tomato sauce
10 basil leaves
1c sun-dried tomatoes
1c tomatoes
2t lemon juice
1/4 of a medium onion
1 soft date
• Blend all ingredients in a high-power blender until smooth.
For the cheese
1c macadamias
1 1/2T lemon juice
1/4t salt
1/4c water
1T nutritional yeast
• Grind all ingredients in a food processor until you have a fluffy consistency.
To serve, spread the tomato sauce onto the base then sprinkle the pesto, macadamia cheese and caramelised onions evenly to produce a beautiful layered and textured pizza.
