Caramelized Onion, Red Pepper, and Mushroom Pizzetti

A couple of these mini pizzas make a great dinner. Or, if you're entertaining, serve individual pizzetti as appetizers. Just prepare all the components ahead of time and bake in the oven just before serving.

First make the dough: combine 3/4 cup warm water (between 100 and 110 degrees), 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon raw sugar and one packet (2 and 1/4 tsps.) yeast in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Let stand five minutes.

My thermometer battery died just as I went to measure the water temp! Luckily, I've made enough bread recipes lately that I could estimate the temperature, and phew it worked. The way to eyeball it is that the yeast mixture should look foamy after five minutes of standing.

While the yeast stands, spoon out 2 cups all-purpose flour into measuring cups, leveling with a knife. Combine with 1 teaspoon salt. Add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture and stir until a dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 10 minutes (punch down, fold over, quarter turn, repeat!) - add up to 1/4 cup more flour as needed so the dough doesn't stick to your hands.

Place in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat the top; cover and let rise 45 minutes.

While the dough rises, make the filling: slice 8 cups of vertically sliced onion (yup, 8 - about 4 large onions). Heat 2 and 1/2 teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, along with 1 tablespoon raw sugar and 1/4 tsp. salt. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, but uncover frequently to stir. The onions should be nice and golden brown by the end.

Transfer the onions to a bowl, but return the skillet to the burner, adding 2 additional teaspoons of olive oil. Add 3 cups sliced mushrooms (buy them pre-sliced to save time!) and saute 5 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons Madeira wine, cooking about 30 seconds to 1 minute until the liquid evaporates. As always, look for an organic or unfiltered wine to ensure that it is vegan.

Add the mushrooms to the onions, along with 1/2 a cup bottled roasted red bell peppers (cut into strips). Stir to combine and set aside.

The recipe said to combine a mixture of 1/2 a cup shredded provolone with 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan. Instead, I used 3/4 cup shredded vegan mozzarella (try the one from Galaxy Foods). Set aside.

Prepare two baking sheets by coating each with cooking spray and sprinkling each with 1 tablespoon of cornmeal. Set aside.

When the dough is doing rising, punch down and let stand 5 minutes. Divide into 12 equal portions and roll each into a 5-inch circle on a lightly floured surface (it helps to lightly flour the rolling pin as well).

Place 6 crusts on each of your 2 baking sheets. Top each with 1/4 cup of the onion mixture and 1 tablespoon of the 'cheese'. Make sure to leave about a 1/4-inch crust around the rim. Bake in the oven at 450 degrees for 12 minutes.

Each individual pizzetti is 190 calories.

Cost:
yeast $2.29
onion $3.22
sliced mushrooms $2.49
bottled red bell pepper $5.99
vegan cheese $3.39