The wonderful thing about this pizza is that it’s good for you. The base is cleverly made from, wait for it…. parsnips, cashew nuts and oats. Who said pizza has to be unhealthy? (I fed this to my four year old daughter who gave it the thumbs up). I didn’t mention the parsnips.
Ingredients for the base:
Serves 2 people – 2 mini pizzas each
- Parsnips, 2 large
- *Oats, 120g
- Raw cashew nuts, 100g
- Himalayan salt, a pinch
- Ground black pepper, a pinch
Ingredients for the sauce:
- Garlic, 2 cloves
- Cherry tomatoes, 14
- Fresh basil, 40g or 2 large handfuls
- Sun-dried tomatoes, 160g
- Balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons
- Himalayan salt, a pinch
- Ground black pepper, a generous pinch
Ingredients for the topping:
- Halloumi, 225g
- Pine nuts, 20g
- Cherry tomatoes, 6
- Fresh basil, a few leaves to garnish
Method:
- Preheat oven to 200C (400F/gas mark 6)
- Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper
- Remove the ends and grate the parsnip
- Place the oats, cashews, salt and pepper into a bullet-style blender, or coffee grinder, and whiz until a “flour” forms. (If you have a small coffee grinder attachment on your blender, you may have to do this in small batches until you’ve powdered all of it)
- Put the “flour” into a mixing bowl, add the grated parsnip and mix with your (clean) hands until the mixture turns into a dough
- Divide the dough into four and flatten with your hands
- Roll each one into a roundish shape with a rolling pin
- Transfer to the baking tray using a flat knife slid under each piece
- Cook the bases for 15 minutes
- Whilst the bases are cooking, peel the garlic
- Take 6 of the cherry tomatoes, cut them in half and set them aside
- Remove the leaves from the basil, discard the stems
- Slice the halloumi into small slices
- Place the garlic, the whole cherry tomatoes, half the basil, the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, salt and pepper into a blender or food processor and blend to form a sauce/topping for the pizza
- After 15 minutes, remove the bases from the oven and spoon the sauce onto them, leaving a small gap around the edges
- Randomly add the halloumi, the cut cherry tomatoes and pine nuts
- Pop back in the oven for 10 minutes
- Remove from oven and scatter with remaining fresh basil to serve
- Enjoy and delight in your healthy pizza!
Variations:
- Go vegan, emit the cheese
- Switch toppings – try parmesan instead of halloumi
- Get creative! use any combo of toppings you fancy
*Technically, oats are gluten-free, however many commercial oats have been cross-contaminated with other gluten grains, so if you are seeking a gluten-free pizza, observe caution.
Recipe shared with thanks from Jason Vale, Juice Master. www.juicemaster.com