make it a mini

cpk’s recipe | original bbq chicken pizza | technique modification | ingredient substitution

i like california pizza kitchen. i frequently dined there ever since i was a teenager. then i started eating a vegan diet.

i thought it would be nice to do a cpk series where we veganize some dishes.

also, i think individual pizzas are cute. the crust to fixings ratio differs in comparison to one large 9-inch pizza shared family style. so, i thought we would give making minis a try too.

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meet the zero cholesterol pizza.

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technique modifications:

• to make the pizza crust foundation minis, 1 lb of pizza dough was cut into four sections. each was rolled out into its own mini pizza dough.

• when pre-cooking the vegan chicken over a skillet, placing the contents in the refrigerator was skipped. tons of bbq sauce was simply dumped into the pan and stirred in.

• the vegan gouda was shredded as it came in sliced format. two slices were stacked and cut into shreds. the process was repeated a second time for plenty of gouda.

• although an oven will do the job, a standalone pizza oven was used. it crisps up the pizza better as it simulates a brick oven for home use. in other words, i happen to have one and did not want to waste it.

ingredient substitutions:

• store-bought pizza dough was used to shave time. have i made cpk’s basic pizza dough before? yes. was it easy? yes. but i still wanted to skip this step to shave time and effort. garlic & herb pizza dough was used to up the flavor of the crust.

• vegan gouda cheese exists. so vegan gouda and mozzarella cheese were substituted for the traditional cow cheeses in the recipe.

• plant-based chicken tenders replaced the chicken called for in the recipe. real chicken alone tastes bland. typically, it only tastes good when deep fried or put into a sauce or breadcrumb mixture. plant-based chicken mimics the texture of animal chicken. add the bbq sauce, and it tastes like the real deal. it chews in your mouth like the real deal too.

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you can still have pizza. did this pizza taste the same? yes.

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bonus tip:

• you can keep your cookbooks if you take the plunge into vegan fare. technique modifications and ingredient substitutions permit you to continue using recipes you have on hand. there is no need to feel guilty and throw out a pile of cookbooks laced with meat, poultry, and cheeses from front to back.