Allergy-Friendly ‘Cheesy’ Pepperoni Pizza with Roasted Tomato Sauce

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Halve tomatoes if using cherry or Roma, quarter if using a cluster variety. Place cut tomatoes and whole garlic cloves on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and toss to evenly coat. Turn tomatoes cut side up.
2. Roast 40 minutes. If using a larger cluster variety, remove the garlic and roast the tomatoes an additional 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes.
3. Put garlic and tomatoes in a blender, and purée until smooth. Pour sauce in a small saucepan, and place over medium-low heat. Whisk in oregano, seasoning or herbs, black pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste. Let simmer to further thicken while you prepare the pizza crust.
4. Turn oven up to 425° F and line a 12-inch pizza pan or baking sheet with greased parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
5. Place yeast, milk alternative and sugar in a mixer’s bowl to proof for 5 minutes. Blend in rice flour, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, gelatin, Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt, oil and vinegar. Beat on high for 2-3 minutes. It will be very soft and sticky dough.
6. Put the mixture on the pan. Liberally sprinkle brown rice flour on the dough, to prevent sticking as you press it into a 12-inch round or rectangle with slightly thicker edges.
7. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Top with sauce, then pepperoni (overlap the slices as they will shrink). Drizzle or spread with Cheesy Sauce or sprinkle with dairy-free cheese alternative shreds. Bake pizza for another 20 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned. If needed, broil for 2-3 minutes to brown the Cheesy Sauce or melt shreds.

Alisa’s Easy ‘Cheesy’ Sauce

• 2/3 cup unsweetened milk alternative (of choice), plus additional as needed
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp comstarch or arrowroot starch
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika (or additional sweet paprika)
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

1. Place all ingredients, except pepper, in a blender and purée until smooth. Pour into saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes as it bubbles, whisking continuously.
2. Remove from heat immediately and season to taste with pepper. The sauce will be relatively thick. If you prefer a drizzle, thin with additional milk alternative.