Sweet and Spicy Maple Tempeh Cashew Cheese Pizza

Makes 1 pizza

Cashew Cheese
1 cup of raw cashews (soaked in water for at least an hour-- this is optional, but it will make the cheese creamier)
1/4 cup water
Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cloves of garlic
After soaking the cashews, drain and rinse them well.
Blend the cashews, water, lemon juice, salt, and garlic in a food processor or blender until smooth.
Maple Tempeh
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 8 oz. package of tempeh
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Using your hands, crumble the tempeh into the skillet and sauté for 1 minute.
Add the soy sauce, maple syrup, liquid smoke, and nutritional yeast. Sauté for another minute or so. (not too long because the tempeh will brown some more in the oven)
Assembly
1 store-bought or homemade pizza crust
1-2 tablespoons of sriracha sauce (depending on how much heat you like!)
1 cup store-bought or homemade pizza sauce
Toppings: sliced bell peppers, mushrooms, artichokes, olives, etc. (I only used mini bell peppers)
Fresh basil, for garnish
Preheat oven to 425°F. Place the pizza crust on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Mix the pizza sauce and sriracha sauce together in a small bowl. Spread the sauce evenly on the pizza crust.
Using a spoon, drop dollops of cashew cream over the sauce.
Spread the tempeh crumbles and toppings evenly over the sauce and cheese.
Bake according to the package instructions (about 8-10 minutes, or 10-15 minutes if using a homemade crust)
Garnish the pizza with fresh basil before slicing.

Courtesy of:  http://whollyvegan.blogspot.com/2013/09/veganmofo-11-sweet-and-spicy-maple.html

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