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Vegan Mexican Pizzettes
w/Teff Tortilla Crust
Vegan Mexican Pizzettes are simple to make. I love pizza. But sometimes I just don't want that much crust. So I use teff tortillas as a base for crunchy personal pizzas -- or as I like to call them, pizzettes.
You can actually use any type of tortilla you want. I happened to have teff tortillas (actually called "wraps") on hand. But sometimes I use rice tortillas. Sometimes I use spelt tortillas. No matter which tortilla you use, the results are pretty much the same.
I stumbled upon teff tortillas when I was looking for a gluten-free alternative to my regular tortillas. A friend had mentioned teff years before, and when I saw that someone had made them into a tortilla, I thought this would be a good time to give teff a try.
Well, let's just say teff tortillas are sort of strange. They're quite "firm" in their raw state, and not really appropriate (in my humble opinion) to use for a wrap. However, once heated they do soften a little so they could make good burritos.
However, I experimented a bit and found that they get superbly crispy when baked in the oven. And that's where I got the idea for these cute little pizzettes.
If you bake teff tortillas directly on the oven rack (BEFORE you add your toppings), then in 10 minutes or so your tortillas have crisped up and they're ready to decorate. :)
They are really the perfect crunchy base for a pizza. And although these Mexican Pizzettes actually taste nothing like a pizza, but it's the same idea -- crust on the bottom with toppings.
You can use any toppings you like. Mine combined what we had on hand, which included collard greens (my NEW favorite green -- tender when cooked and chock full of vegan calcium!!!), black beans, and the rice medley Jeff made this week which was a mix of brown rice, mung beans, adzuki beans, barley, wild rice, and orange lentils.
(By the by, did you know orange lentils are the most nutritious lentil out there? Just an interesting little factoid.)
You can use store-bought or make your own homemade guacamole and sour cream.
Use what you have on hand to make YOUR favorite masterpiece.
Here is how mine came together -- I'm sure you can do a MUCH better job with the flavorings than I did. But you'll get the idea -- play with your food and have fun!
Vegan Mexican Pizzettes with Teff Tortilla Crust
Serves 2-4
2 tortillas, any kind you like
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped orange pepper (or your fave color)
1 Tablespoon chopped jalapeno
1/2 - 3/4 cup cooked brown rice, or your fave rice mix
1 cup cooked black beans
8 collard green leaves, stems removed, coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)
Bean juice or water, to steam
1/8 - 1/4 cup salsa
ADD TO TASTE:
Organic tamari
Coconut nectar, or maple syrup
Fresh squeeze of lime juice
Chili powder
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
TOP WITH:
Guacamole
Vegan sour cream
Dusting of chipotle chili powder, optional
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, place tortillas directly on oven rack, and heat until crisp, approximately 10 minutes -- but watch so they don't burn. Place on cooling racks.
- Heat a large pan (with a cover) over medium heat. When warm, add 1/4 cup veggie broth. Add onion, orange pepper, and jalapeno. When onion turns translucent, add pre-cooked brown rice (or rice mix), pre-cooked black beans, collard greens, and about 1/4 cup bean water or plain water. Stir. Cover pan and heat until collards are softened, about 7 minutes or so.
- Remove lid, stir, add a little more water if you need to in order to keep mixture moist and yummy. Add salsa, and the next 5 ingredients, to taste.
- Plate tortillas. Cover one tortilla with half of the beans/rice the mixture, and the other tortilla with the other half of the beans/rice mixture. Top with dollops of guacamole and sour cream. Dust with chipotle chili powder (optional). Slice with pizza cutter, or knife. May crumble a bit, but who cares?
xo!
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