Vegan Wlld Mushroom Pizza w/ Garlic Ranch Sauce, Mozzarella 'Cheese,’ ‘Bacon,’ Shaved Brussel Sprouts & Herbs (Gluten free) (Dairy Free)

So many delicious surprises were found while making this vegan Wild Mushroom Pizza inspired by Mary Dumont's "Perfect Plant-Based Pies" featured in Food & Wine Magazine. 

The garlic ranch dressing which became the pizza sauce was made with silken tofu, vinegars and spices; it tasted excellent on this dish and the leftover dressing will go great on salads. I added a package of Hooray Plant Based Hictory Bacon found at Whole Foods which tasted like the real thing; I will be buying that brand again. The wild mushrooms and brussels sprouts sautéed in ‘bacon' drippings, vegan butter and herbs were a perfect topping and brought to mind the infamous mushroom found in the classic book, Alice in Wonderland. 

Somehow I managed to pull together a gluten-free pizza crust from a King Arthur Baking recipe even though I probably half-killed the yeast in the beginning proof and the final dough didn’t rise much. Still, sometimes you just have to Walk Through the Looking Glass* and take some risks to come out on the other side with a winning dish. 

My Paleo Marin Rating: 4 Persimmons**

Image of Alice from Singer
 Burke Website here

How to Make the Wild Mushroom Pizza:

Ingredients for the Wild Mushroom Pizza:

For the Pizza Crust:

1 1 /2 cups (234 g) Cup4Cup Gluten Free Multipurpose Flour, or other gluten free flour w/ xanthan gum

2 tablespoons (18 g) nonfat dry milk or buttermilk powder

The Caterpillar & Alice
Image from Google Images

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup warm water (see label on yeast for temperature)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Extra flour for dusting 

For the Pizza Toppings:

Garlic Ranch Sauce:

1 cup (8 oz) silken tofu from 1 - 16 oz. package 

1/2 cup vegan mayonaisse, such as Follow My Heart Soy Free Vegenaise

1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped

1 - 2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Plant-Based Bacon:

1 package (5 oz) plant-based bacon, such as Hooray Hickory Bacon available here

Wild Mushrooms & Brussels Sprouts:

1 tablespoon vegan butter, such as Miyoko's Creamery European Style Cultured Vegan Butter

Raw Mushrooms

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

1 garlic clove, peeled and minced

1 (8 oz) package mixed fresh wild mushrooms, large ones sliced vertically, smaller ones separated, such as  Mycopia Organic Chefs Sampler Mushrooms

5 medium brussels sprouts, ends removed and sliced horizontally into thin slices (see video here for how to shave brussels sprouts)

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Additonal Toppings:

8 oz. package vegan mozzarella shreds, such as Follow Your Heart Dairy-Free Mozzarella Shredded

Pizza crust resting on
Parchment Paper
before Pre-Bake on
Pizza Stone

Olive oil or truffle oil for finishing

Directions for the Making the Wild Mushroom Pizza:

For the Pizza Crust:

For directions to make the Gluten-Free Pizza crust with the ingredients listed above, please check the recipe link here from the original source, King Arthur Baking. Follow the directions for using a baking sheet or 12" round pizza pan, or a pizza stone.

For the Pizza Toppings:

Garlic Ranch Sauce: 

Note: I made the garlic ranch sauce the night before and stored it in the fridge.

1. Process all the ingredients in a blender for about 30 seconds. Set aside. If making ahead of time, store in the fridge until ready to assemble the pizza, bringing it to room temperature before adding it on the pizza.

Plant-Based Bacon:

1. Cook the 'bacon' in a large frying pan according to package instructions. Move to a bowl and set aside, leaving the drippings in the pan for cooking the mushrooms, shallots, etc. 

Note: My bacon pieces fell apart but worked fine for the pizza topping.

Wild Mushrooms & Brussels Sprouts:

1. Add the vegan butter to the large frying pan along with the 'bacon' drippings; heat to medium. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for about 15 seconds. Add the mushrooms and let cook until softened, about 3 - 4 minutes. Sprinkle the brussels sprout slices around the pan and heat through for a minute. Add the thyme, salt and pepper. Set the cooked mixture aside in a bowl.

Note: The 'bacon' drippings on the bottom of the pan got somewhat crusty; just watch that it doesn't burn.

To Assemble the Wild Mushroom Pizza:

Place a pizza stone in the oven. Preheat the oven to 425º F. Let the pizza stone heat through at this temperature for about 30 minutes.

1. Take the partially-baked pizza crust (from the King Arthur Baking recipe link above) along with its parchment paper lining and put it on a table. Add 1/4 cup of the ranch dressing and spread it around leaving a 1/2" edge clear. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Distribute the mushroom mixture around the pizza top. Add the cooked bacon bits around the pizza evenly. Bake for 10 minutes or so until the crust is browned on the bottom and the toppings are heated up.

2. Add extra oil and herbs on top if you would like. Reheat leftovers and serve with extra sauce.

Recipe adapted from Mary Dumont's recipe in Food and Wine Magazine article here.

Gluten-Free Pizza Crust recipe adapted from King Arthur Baking recipe here.

*For a refresher on Alice in Wonderland, see the Wikipedia link here. 

#paleo #pizza #plantbasedmeat #vegan #glutenfree #dairyfree #garlic #ranchdressing #brusselsprouts #wildmushrooms #mushrooms #vegetarian #healthyeats #aliceinwonderland #foodandwine

**My Paleo Marin Rating between 1-5 Persimmons

I try out these recipes so you don't have to (and modify them for Paleo where possible). The rating will reflect my opinion of the final result in terms of taste, ease of preparation, nutrition, and sometimes, cost.