Oh hi! That’s my friend Jess. Isn’t she cute? I mean, just look at that cupcake-print apron and floral blouse combination – not an easy thing to pull off. Jess recently launched The Antique Appetite, a vegan recipe blog that is based on the recipes of her childhood made by her mom and grandma. But this time around she’s made them all modern and cool by creating the vegan versions of each one.

The news of her new blog intrigued me for many reason. The main ones being: 1. I didn’t even know she was a vegan, or liked to cook (our friendship only goes back to last fall so give me a break here) 2. I love food blogs 3. I never know what to serve my vegan BFF DJ Huggs other than salad and tofu when he comes over.

Luckily, she agreed to having me over to teach all of us how to make her classic cheesy meatball recipe. Everyone down for a vegan pizza party say HAAAAAAY!!! Yes, my honey boo boo childs.

So, here is her wonderfully delicious recipe below. Jess would like you all to know that the recipe is long, and to shorten it you can buy pre-made dough and sauce if you are a lazy pizza maker lover (she didn’t say that part).

Dough:

2 tsp. active dry yeast

3/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. of lukewarm water

2 c. unbleached bread flour

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

In a bowl, combine the yeast, 1/4 cup of lukewarm water and 1/4 cup of the flour in a small bowl.

Let it stand for 30 minutes. Add the remaining 1 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm water, olive oil and salt. Mix thoroughly.

Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead until elastic and tacky, 7 to 8 minutes.

Place in an oiled bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until double in volume, 1 to 1.5 hours. I put mine in the backyard.

Tomato Sauce:

1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz.)

1 can tomato paste

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. basil

1 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. dried chilies

a pinch of cinnamon (my mom says it is the secret ingredient)

Combine all of the above ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.

Meatballs (inspired by the vegan meatballs at Hey Meatball):

1 eggplant, peeled

12 cremini mushrooms

2 portobello mushrooms

2 small yellow onions, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed,

2 sweet potatoes (I bought the peeled and diced type from the grocery store because it is quicker)

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 c. of dried bread crumbs

pinch of salt and pepper

a handful of fresh parsley, chopped finely

+ 2 c. cheddar Daiya shreds

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Now this is the hard part. Well… the part that takes the most work. Finely chop the cremini mushrooms, portobello mushrooms and eggplant in a chopper. It may take a few batches depending on the size of your chopper. I have a mini one. Cook them all together in a frying pan with a splash of olive oil until almost all of the liquid is cooked off, approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the peeled and diced sweet potato onto a baking sheet with olive oil and salt. Roast in the oven until brown and soft, approximately 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Once cool, transfer them to a bowl and beat with an egg beater until very smooth.

Somewhere in here, add the chopped onions and garlic to another oiled frying pan. Cook until soft, browned and most of the liquid is cooked off.

Mix the mushrooms and eggplant, sweet potato, onion and garlic, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, cumin and parsley in a medium sized bowl until well combined.

Roll the mixture into small balls and place into a oiled frying pan at medium heat. Flip when the first side has browned. Once cooked, remove to a plate lined with paper towel.

Finally! We can assemble the pizza. 

Preheat the oven to 400°F if it isn’t already.

Split the dough in two and roll out the first ball on your well floured counter top. Transfer to a pizza pan. Top with the tomato sauce, meatballs and 1 c. Daiya cheese.

Bake until the crust is cooked to your liking, around 20 minutes for golden brown. Repeat for the second ball of pizza dough.

Eat!

There’s the happy chef with her masterpiece! Honestly this pizza was so good I accidentally turned a pizza party for 6 into a pizza party of 1 because I ate most of it before anyone else could.

In other good news, The Antique Appetite (aka Jess) will be taking part in the Mavrik Mrkt, happening tomorrow. This is the first-ever community market that will be featuring local venders offering their homemade treats and snacks.

All info below, be sure to check it (and her) out!