Recipe: Butternut Squash Base Pizza.....

Last weekend I visited VegeFest, the largest Vegan event in the Uk that just so happens to be held in my city, Bristol. Whether you are Vegan or not Vegfest is a great place for any foodie up for trying new and exciting foods . This year my favourite find was a Vegan Butternut squash Pizza from Paradise Unbakery, a London based Raw and Vegan 'bakery' based in London and run by Lithuanian native Egle.

Inspired by her beautiful Pizza i trawled the internet and found a great recipe to try from  Wholehearted Eats, and was so pleased with the results I thought I would share the recipe with you guys. Not only is it a vegan Pizza but it is also Gluten free!

Base Recipe: 
3 Cups Mashed Butternut Squash (1 large squash) 
1 Cup Ground Almonds (Almond Flour) 
3/4 Cup Gram Flour (Garbanzo Flour) 
1/4 tsp Sea Salt 
1/8 tsp Black Pepper 
2 Tbsp. plus 1 Tbsp. Ground Linseeds (flax) 
1 tsp Dried Oregano  

Toppings:  Green Pizza Sauce (recipe below)  
A handful of pitted Kalamata olives 
1 Cup cherry tomatoes (chopped) 
A couple of handfuls salad leaves
Avocado
Yellow or Orange Pepper

Procedure:  Begin by preparing the squash for roasting. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Lay cut side down in a roasting pan and fill halfway with water. Cook in a 200 C (400 F) oven for 40minutes to 1 hour (adding more water as needed to top up), or until a fork can easily pierce the flesh of the squash. Let cool, then scoop out the flesh.  

In a small bowl combine the 2 Tbsp of ground Linseed with 4 Tbsp water. Let sit for 5 minutes.  

In a larger bowl combine 3 cups of squash with the soaked Linseed meal, gram flour, ground almonds, salt, pepper, dried oregano, and extra ground linseed. Stir to combine.  Spread the mixture onto a parchment lined (and greased) tray and create a 30 cm (12 inch) circle, making sure that the edges are a little bit thicker. Bake in a 220 C (425 F) for 30-35 minutes or until the edges are crisp and golden and the centre is set (and can peel away from the paper). Top with pizza sauce, tomatoes, and olives, and bake for another 10 minutes. Let sit a few minutes before garnishing with greens.     

Green Pizza Sauce

Recipe:

1/4 Cup Cashews
1/2 Cup packed basil
1 Cup packed spinach
1/2 Lemon, juiced
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
8 Tbsp. Olive oil
(I also added a Clove of Raw garlic)

Procedure:

In a food processor puree the cashews, basil, and spinach until smooth. Add the salt, pepper, lemon juice, and oil, mix to combine.

Incredible Squash Pizza from Wholehearted Eats

I urge you to give this awesome recipe a try and check out Wholehearted Eats other recipes, and if you are lucky enought to live in London check out Paradise Unbakery and Egles beautiful cakes!!