Australian Avocado Pizza

I HAVE BEEN SO BUSY! I’ve been feeling bad about not posting, but yesterday I looked in my book database and realized it took me two weeks to read the last book I finished. That’s crazy! Usually I finish a book in two days. So believe me, I’m not being negligent because I don’t care about you. It’s just been an insanely busy summer.

In exciting news, Smuckalert is here! I told him I would make pizza Saturday night, so while the oven was pre-heating I asked him what he wanted on his pizza, and he asked me a strange question: “is it tomato- [read: to-mAH-to] based or avocado-based?” Whaaaat? In what country is the default pizza not assumed to be made with tomato sauce? Actually, I’m pretty sure the default in Australia IS tomato sauce, but Smucks assures me that “chicken avocado” is a normal pizza over there. I’ve ordered pizza in Australia and I don’t remember any such thing, but there is the fact that I would likely completely ignore a “chicken” anything pizza on a menu. My response Saturday night was, “I don’t have any avocados and I don’t know what the hell an avocado-based pizza is, so what do you want on your tomato pizza?” But I like to please Smucky and I was intrigued by this avocado pizza, so I decided it was perfectly okay to make pizza twice in three days and dragged Smucky to Wegmans this afternoon to stock up on avocados. Usually avocado-anything is “California-style” (and believe me, it’s appropriate), but I’m calling this Australian pizza because I really do think it’s mostly an Australian thing. The ingredients for this were mostly dictated by Smucks, so it’s also Smucky’s pizza.

Avocado Pizza

pizza dough – the ingredient amounts listed below are about enough for 2-3 large individual pizzas
2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, and chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
juice of 1 lime
4 frozen teaspoon-sized cubes of cilantro (Trader Joe’s sells this), or about a handful fresh, chopped
1/2 – 1 tsp salt
your favorite vegan “chicken” – I highly recommend Gardein – chopped into bite-sized pieces
thinly sliced onion
thinly sliced tomatoes
thinly sliced jalapenos
vegan mozzarella

If using frozen dough, remove from the freezer 1-3 days in advance, and from the refrigerator 1-2 hours before baking. Preheat the oven as high as it will go an hour before bake time.

Slice the avocados in half, peel and pit them, and roughly chop them, then place it in a food processor or blender.

Place the cilantro, garlic, and lime juice in the food processor or blender as well and blend until smooth. Add some water to thin so it’s a bit more spreadable than guacamole, then add salt to taste. Blend very well. Place in a bowl just big enough to contain it and cover it to keep it from oxidizing and turning brown.

Defrost the “chicken” enough to chop (if necessary) and chop into bite-sized pieces. Thinly slice the onions. Slice and chop the tomatoes.

Thinly slice the jalapenos.

Sprinkle some flour on your workspace and shape or roll out your dough, then transfer to a semolina- or cornmeal-dusted pizza peel. Spread a nice layer of avocado puree on the crust.

Top with the jalapenos, tomatoes, and onions.

Add the “chicken”.

Sprinkle with the “cheese”. I also like to dust it with Dragonfly’s Bulk, Dry Uncheese Mix, which I keep in a shaker.

Bake until crust is browned and “cheese” is melty.

Serve hot.

Cut with scissors because it’s the awesome thing to do.

Smucky has come a long way. When I met him nearly 10 years ago, he never would have been this happy about eating vegan food. I let him keep deli turkey and mozzarella slices in the fridge when he stays here, but when I asked him if he was going to put real cheese and chicken on his pizza, he said no, vegan was fine! He said he was a bit nervous about the “chicken”, but after trying it thought it was pretty good. That’s why I recommended Gardein. Every non-vegan I’ve given it to has really liked it, and I’m typically extremely wary of giving fake meat to non-vegetarians.

Smucks devoured his pizza and then helped me with mine…although he was rather displeased about the jalapenos on mine (I left them off of his).

Sometimes I worry I’m going to have to have Smucky’s laptops surgically removed from his face, but I insist on technology-free dinners. I try to extend the conversation after the meal for as long as I can before the boys return to their computers. Here is Smucky after dinner looking very deceptively cute…he’s actually being very evil. BUT I CAN’T TELL YOU WHY.

I worked from home today so I could keep Smucky company. I’m extremely busy at work these days and was quite wrapped up in it, but I did end up having to take a few pictures of the cats, busy as I was.

Thinking about submitting this one to Cat Fancy for their cover.

12 Comments »

  1. Sue Dowd Said,

    August 16, 2011 @ 6:54 am

    Well, for starters, Renae, I’ve never heard of avocado as a pizza base. I think we should check with Kylie (in Mark-speak, smae). I think Mark has been “pulling the wool” to get what he wants! I know that you cook up gourmet delights but Mark might also think that vegan food beats no food. Congrats anyway on getting him to expand his horizons. At least, we aren’t revisiting the blueberry scenario!!

    I love your comment about having to surgically remove the laptop from his face. Sad but so,so true!

    I think I should also point out that this last photo of him stroking a cat is poor form. While Max pines away here, meowing pitifully at Mark’s door in the faint hope that he will suddenly appear, there is Mark on the other side of the world being untrue to him. Shame, Mark, shame!! I will make sure that Max doesn’t get a whiff of this treachery.

    Come back and visit us again soon.

    Sue ( in Mark-speak, Little Mum)

  2. renae Said,

    August 16, 2011 @ 12:56 pm

    Sue, I got him to eat carrots despite an hour-long diatribe on his hatred of carrots! They were in the lentil soup I made for lunch and I guess it was too hard to eat around them. He also ate some much-maligned corn in the same soup. In fact, he had a second helping.

    If it makes Max feel any better, Mark talks about him constantly.

  3. Jes Said,

    August 16, 2011 @ 12:56 pm

    Ok, wait, what, guacamole pizza?! I mean, pesto is good on pizza…and I like avocados, but…hmm…did you tell Smucks that he’s a little off his rocker? That said, I’m jonesing for a tomato-based pizza with avocado slices on it. That sounds super good 🙂

  4. Lily Said,

    August 16, 2011 @ 1:53 pm

    I’ve never heard of guacamole-based pizza either, but whatever! That pizza looks amazing!

    That last photo would totally make for a great Cat Fancy cover. Too bad they have such strict rules about non-cats as cover models.

  5. Josiane Said,

    August 16, 2011 @ 9:05 pm

    I don’t care whether avocado-based pizza is authentically Australian or just something that Smuck came up with on a whim: it sounds fabulous! I’m totally keeping this in mind for our next pizza night. Thanks, Smuck, for the idea! And thank you, Renae, for sharing it. 🙂

  6. Suburban Snow White Said,

    August 18, 2011 @ 11:01 am

    THIS I have to try.Topped with all my favorite things! Have you tried it without the “cheese”? Just curious how it tastes without it.

  7. renae Said,

    August 19, 2011 @ 4:51 pm

    Suburban Snow White, nope, I haven’t tried with without the “cheese” – this was the only time I’ve made it. But I’m sure it would be good. Avocado is so flavorful you don’t need cheese. I used it because Smucky insisted!

  8. virginia Said,

    August 19, 2011 @ 4:47 pm

    this sounds delicious. also, i love that zebra print in the background.

  9. renae Said,

    August 19, 2011 @ 4:50 pm

    Virginia, you would!

  10. The Mistress of Spices Said,

    August 30, 2011 @ 7:00 pm

    This pizza sounds so intriguing and delicious, thanks so much for sharing! I wish we had Gardein and other good meat subs in France…

  11. Isobelle Said,

    September 4, 2011 @ 11:31 pm

    ahhh! avocado pizza!

    This looks delicious 🙂

  12. Maria Said,

    September 5, 2011 @ 1:28 pm

    This pizza sounds great! My friend suggested a hummus base with avocado slices on top and mozzarella, but the idea of hot hummus and avocado was a but weird to me. I also really like the gardein, and have also found that it usually works well for the meat eaters.

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