Cookbook Review: Vegan Pizza

Pizza: It’s the staple of every college kid’s diet and of every harried parent’s go-to meal plan. But when you make the decision to eat a plant-based diet, your delivery pizza options are greatly reduced. Julie Hasson looks to fill that void by bringing delicious vegan pizza straight to your kitchen with her cookbook, the aptly named Vegan Pizza: 50 Cheesy, Crispy, Healthy Recipes.

Vegan pizza may seem simple enough: homemade crust, tomato sauce, plus some toppings and maybe a little vegan cheese. But getting just the right combination of those ingredients can be the difference between an okay pizza and one that you’ll remember long after you’ve devoured the last bite. Julie’s book is what will get you there. Her easy-to-follow instructions and carefully-thought-out recipes give you all the tools you need to make crave-worthy vegan pizza right in your own kitchen.

The cookbook contains 50 unique recipes for vegan pizza, all of which look amazing. Muffuletta Pizza or Thai Peanut Pizza? What could be any better than that? The beginning of the book provides a list of common pizza staples to have in the pantry as well as five different crust recipes that will satisfy anyone you may be cooking for, including a gluten-free option. She also provides many tips and tricks for getting your vegan pizza to come out better than what you could get from delivery or a store.

The recipes are broken into eight sections, including several recipes dedicated to individual components: Dough and Crust, House-Made Meats, and Cheesy Sauces and Spreads. Once you have all of the pieces together, Julie dives into the good stuff – the pizzas! She starts off with the classics and gets more exotic as the book goes on, with global flavors and unique combos. And, of course, what would a book about pizza be without a few dessert pizza recipes?

My personal favorite recipe is the Valentine’s Pizza. It’s a straightforward recipe, like most in the book. However, Julie adds her own twist on things, which really takes this pizza to the next level. I love the suggestion of shaping your pizza into a heart, and the unique combination of sun-dried tomato, basil, arugula pesto, and red bell peppers gives it truly bold flavors. The bell pepper adds an interesting texture as well, which keeps things exciting as you make your way through the pie with your sweetheart.

While the photos are a bit sparse, I wouldn’t consider that a problem. After all, you can only shoot pizza from so many angles. Overall, the variety of combinations and user-friendly instructions make this cookbook one you’ll want to to have on hand at all times. With Julie’s help, you’ll be whipping up vegan pizza for your friends and family in no time, even if you’re a novice cook!

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