Mini Red Pepper-Mushroom Pizza

It was a little hard to make this recipe suitable for vegans - namely because it called for a Boboli 6-inch pizza crust. Boboli's crusts, however, contain cheese. I checked the freezer section for individual-sized pizza shells, but even the organic brands contained eggs. The prepared pizza crust that is vegan, from Whole Foods' 365 brand, available in the bread aisle, is sized for a full-size pie, not an individual one. So what did I do? I measured a six-inch circle from the center, and trimmed it to size! Save the extra scraps of pizza crust in the fridge, and make them into bread sticks with pizza sauce for dipping on another night!

Now that my pizza crust was settled, I could assemble this cute little personal pizza. Cut a medium-sized red bell pepper in half. Place half of the pepper on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, and flatten with your palm. Broil for 15 minutes, then let stand in a zip-top bag for 10 minutes before peeling off the blackened skin. Finely chop the pepper, then combine with 1/2 tsp. lemon juice and 1 minced garlic clove; set aside.

(Note: you can save the other half of the pepper for another use, or if you like, you can broil it now as well, and use it on a sandwich for lunch tomorrow!).

Heat a small skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms caps and 1 tablespoon sliced shallots; saute for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar; set aside.

Place your pizza crust on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Spread the bell pepper mixture over the crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border on the edges. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon thinly sliced basil, and then with 3/4 cup torn fresh spinach. Arrange the mushroom mixture evenly over the spinach, then top that with 6 tablespoons shredded vegan mozzarella (such as Galaxy Foods).

Bake at 450 degrees for 4 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. black pepper and just a dash of salt once out of the oven, then enjoy!

The whole pizza is 470 calories.

Cost:
red bell pepper $2.29
shiitake mushrooms $3.99
pizza crust $4.99
basil $2.99
fresh spinach $2.50
vegan mozzarella $3.39