Buffalo Chickpea Pizza with Ranch

It's been raining so much around here that we need a canoe to get out of the driveway. After a long day at work, I was more inclined to face up to an empty fridge than run into the grocery store and get wet again.

Delisio is advertising for a Buffalo Chicken Pizza lately, and Boston Pizza's new chicken wing menu is also running heavily. I love wing sauces, and especially hot ones - they're just craving inducers!!

So - rather than give into eating those fowl limbs just for the sauces, I thought I'd throw together a version of a buffalo chicken wing pizza for us...

Before even changing out of my work clothes, I made a quick pizza crust.

3 cups of whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 scant tablespoonfull of quick rise yeast
1 teaspoon each of salt and garlic powder.

Turned the mixer on, and added 1 1/4 cup of warm water. Mixed until a ball formed (about 4 minutes) and then let it rise while I got to the lentils.

I thought the lentils would make a hefty thick "sauce". Vegan pizzas can slide like crazy without the gluey cheese to hold everything together, and one of my cookbooks suggested thickening them with beans. It's a great tip, which adds protein, fibre and flavour.

I took 2 cups of water, a cup and a half of red lentils (which smell like chicken soup!) and a half a cup of hot sauce in a pan, bringing them to a boil. I added a clove or two of garlic, with hefty salt and pepper to taste.

Daiya makes a mozzarella cheese which is now available in mainstream locations like Zehrs and Loblaws. To make it taste like Ranch, I added some more fresh chopped garlic, some chives, some rosemary and some pepper.

Finally, I put some whole chickpeas in a pan (rinse them well!) with more hot sauce and Earth Balance and a tablespoon of dijon - my signature wing sauce.

I baked the pizza crust without any toppings to make sure the crust was cooked through. Added the lentil sauce topping, the herby cheese and topped with the saucy chickpeas.

I told Harrison at the outset that I was attempting a vegan buffalo chicken pizza. At first he hesitated, and then said "I'm sure it'll be good". When I asked why, he replied "Cause you're Mom!"

K