Bandito Pizza

We never tire of pizza. We fight over the leftovers, if there are any. But the other night I went for some different flavors in our pie, and it was a success!

Some background. I went to college in Lawrence, KS, and the best pizza in town was Rudy's. Rudy's Pizza makes a Taco Pizza, and I'd get it every now and then. I remember refried beans and lettuce on it...not sure what else, but even with the cooked romaine on top, it was good. Rudy's is still in Lawrence, and now has Daiya cheese, even. Vegans are everywhere. So if you're driving across I-70, you can get a vegan pie in Lawrence. Just so you know.

For this lovely pie, I wanted a creamy cheesy topping, but it couldn't be the classic tofu ricotta style. Instead I used a basic firm tofu (not super firm), cilantro, garlic, jalapenos, lime juice, salt...there was some other stuff too but it's written down at home....it was so creamy good, with a tint of green from all the cilantro. It was thick but melted perfectly in the oven.

Baja crema or Vegan Queso...no matter what it's called, it was good!

 I started with a cornmeal crust, and cooked the pie in my largest cast iron skillet. The bottom gets perfectly crunchy and everything cooks evenly. It's honestly my favorite way to cook pizza indoors. Grilled is the best, but not this time of year!

The sauce is enchilada sauce, which is ridiculously easy to make. I'll share a recipe soon. We had some leftover, so it was a perfect choice. Next I layered some simple canned refried beans, and some onions, garlic and zucchini that I'd sauteed quickly in a pan.

Sprinkling on those vegetables....

 Big bites of tofu cheese and some cherry tomatoes topped it off. There was a good amount of color, whew! Corn would be a natural addition, or any color pepper, fresh jalapenos, mushrooms, or jicama....

I just fold the top of the crust down & spray it with olive oil. It's perfect.

Heading into the 475º preheated oven.

The pie slides right out of the cast iron. I love that.

See how that cheese melts just so?

Full disclosure. Josh ate the last piece the next day, but it was supposed to be mine. I'll get him next time.