Raw Pizza
Hear me out. Raw pizza sounds like some 90’s fad that no meat eater would ever want try. Old me would have thought the same thing, until I came across Chicago Raw in downtown Chicago when I would fly into town for work events. It become my go-to spot for almost all my meals when I was in town, because it was a block from my favorite hotel, (The Godfrey) and everything they make is 100% raw and delicious. Nutrient dense and already to-go so you can get a healthy meal on the run, no matter what you are in the mode for. I plan on making Chicago the next city in my Favorite City series, so I will break down all the items I have tried there, but today it is all about the item I sometimes buy twice while I am in town for like three days.
There is something about the mix of all the ingredients with the flatbread that makes this the perfect meal for a hot, summer day. I will say, you will have to order the flatbread from them directly here on their website, but I bought two two-packs and after shipping it was $28. I think they are cheaper in individual price if you have the ability to buy them in one of their locations, but either way I think it is worth the trouble. There are a variety of other brands that make similar flatbread, I think the key is making sure it’s not crispy like a cracker. It should be softer, almost like a thin, dense piece of bread. I froze the second pack, so I have this recipe again later on when I am in the mood.
I made the cashew cheese and tomato base from scratch but used Trader Joe’s Vegan Kale Pesto this time. I did include my pesto recipe in this so you can make it completely from scratch. Both ways are great, but next time I will take the time to make the pesto from scratch. You can really taste the difference if you do.
I noticed that they don’t add the jalapenos or diced tomatoes to the current option on the menu, but I kept with tradition because it’s why I feel in love with it. You can avoid the jalapeno if you can’t do heat, but even a little amount diced up is a nice touch. Have you ever eaten at Chicago Raw before? What are your favorite spots in Chicago? Let me know in the comments below.
Thanks for reading,
Jessica
Raw Pizza
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups basil
- 5 gloves of garlic (the more the better in my opinion)
- 3 TBSP lemon juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- ¼-½ TBSP nutritional yeast (per your preference)
- 1 ½ TBSP vegan parmesan cheese (Kelly’s Croutons, Violife, and Follow Your Heart all make great ones)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups raw cashews (these need to be soaked in advance. See instructions below)
- 3 TBSP lemon juice (to taste)
- 1 TBSP nutritional yeast
- A couple cloves of garlic
- ½ TSP salt
- ¼ TSP pepper
- ¼ cup water (as needed to get the consistency of thick hummus)
- 2-6 ounce cans of tomato paste
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1-2 TBSP lemon juice (to taste)
- To taste I add the following spices:
- Herbes de Provence
- Salt and pepper
- Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute
- TJ’s Onion Salt
- TJ’s Mushroom Umami seasoning
- A pinch of organic cane sugar to even out the acidity
- 2 flatbreads (I love Chicago Raw Onion Flatbread which you can buy online. See notes below about these)
- 2 Roma tomatoes, diced small
- 2-3 TBSP sliced black olives
- 2-3 TBSP sliced green olives
- 1 Jalapenos, deveined and diced
- 2 TBSP red onion, diced
- Herbes de Provence for garnish
Instructions
- The cashew cheese should be made at least 2-3 hours before you make the lasagna, this way the cheese has some time to marry together.
- Start by soaking the cashews in boiling water for 2-3 hours or overnight in room temp water.
- Drain, rinse, and drop into blender or food processor.
- Add remaining ingredients, being careful not to add too much water. I start with a couple of tablespoons and move my way up, while stirring everything together. You want it to be thick enough to resemble hummus, but not too thick so you can spread it out easily.
- Set aside in sealed container in fridge when done.
- To make the pesto, start by combining basil leaves, pine nuts, salt, pepper, and garlic in a food processor and process until very finely minced.
- With the machine running slowly dribble in the oil and process until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the nutritional yeast and vegan parmesan cheese and process very briefly, just long enough to combine. Store in refrigerator until the pizza is ready to be assembled.
- With the tomato “sauce”, mix all the ingredients together and season to taste by adjusting the lemon juice and spices. Set aside in the fridge until ready.
- Dice up the jalapenos, tomatoes, and onions, and slice the olives and set aside.
- Take a flatbread and spread a heaping amount of cashew cheese on and spread it evenly across the entire flatbread. I did 2-3 tablespoons for each flatbread.
- Drop a couple of dollops of tomato sauce around the cashew base, and slowly spread it evenly around the top, covering all the edges. Try not to blend the tomato sauce with the cheese, but more of layers on the flatbread.
- Top with tomatoes, onions, olives, and jalapenos. Drizzle the pesto all over the pizza and garnish with Herbes de Provence.
- Enjoy!
Notes:
Inactive time is dependent on how early you make the pesto, cheese, and tomato sauce before you make the pizzas.
**Notes: You will have to order the flatbread from the Chicago Raw website directly here on their website, but I bought two two-packs and after shipping it was $28. I think they are cheaper in individual price if you have the ability to buy them in one of their locations, but either way I think it is worth the trouble. There are a variety of other brands that make similar flatbread, I think the key is making sure it’s not crispy like a cracker. It should be softer, almost like a thin, dense piece of bread. I froze the second pack, so I have this recipe again later on when I am in the mood.
