Project: Food Budget – Dairy Free / Vegan Pizza

We are not vegans, though sometimes we are by necessity because of our food allergies:  eggs, for my oldest son and I, and milk, for our youngest.

Our Dairy Allergic Child’s Cheese Free Pizza

Milk is the biggest hassle for a food allergy.  All the staples of a childhood diet – pizza, macaroni and cheese, are excluded.  We also miss out on all things peanut butter because of our peanut / tree nut allergies.

Anyway, the pizza situation was a real bummer, especially because a lot of places put cheese in their pizza sauces and milk in their dough, making even a cheese free personal sized pizza a risk to our 4-year-old’s health.

In comes Mom’s Semi-Homemade Pizza / Dairy Free Pizza

How do we do it?

I make different pizzas for everyone.  Either we do a bunch of personal sized pizzas (rare) or I make 2 large pizzas for the whole family and 1-2 personal sized pizzas for our dairy allergic child.

So, usually, I have 3 pizzas made.  Two medium to large sized with cheese on them, and one smaller one without cheese.

Selecting Ingredients:

If you want to go full on vegan with your pizza, make sure you buy a crust that does not contain milk or may contain trace amounts of it, especially if someone you will be serving has a dairy allergy.  Also be sure that the sauce you use does not contain any dairy products, as many sauces have cheese as an ingredient.  If you cannot find a suitable crust or sauce, you should make it yourself from scratch.

Select your toppings wisely.  Pizza doesn’t have to be an unhealthy meal as it is commonly believed.  What makes pizza unhealthy are the toppings that are chosen.  If you use highly processed pepperoni or sausages, dripping with grease, then your pizza will definitely be unhealthy.  But if you use minimally processed meats, like chicken, or just select fresh vegetables such as peppers, tomatoes and onions, your home made pizza will be much healthier.

Our Ingredients ( Total Cost – $14.65) :

• 2 Medium Pizza Crusts – $3.79
• 1 Small Pizza Crust – $2.59
• Mozzarella Cheese – shredded 1 lb bag – $2.50
• Jar of Pizza Sauce – $0.99
• Extra Light Olive Oil (did not purchase this last visit to the store, no price available)
• Toppings of Choice – We usually use fresh, sliced mushrooms – $1.79, and minimally processed pepperoni – $2.99

Directions:

Making home made pizza is actually easier than you think.  If you are making your own crust, then follow the instructions on your recipe.  If you are using a pre-packaged crust, follow the directions on the back of the packaging.  It’s really simple.

One specific tip if you are making different pizzas based on different dietary needs is to avoid cross-contamination.  In our case, we have one dairy allergic family member and three non-dairy allergic family members. In order to avoid cross-contamination of cheese onto our son’s pizza, we prepare and serve his pizza first and make sure we wash our hands after handling cheese during the preparation process.

Our Directions:

1. Preheat conventional oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Oil 2 pizza pans.  Place foil onto rack in the toaster oven.
3. Place larger crusts into pizza pans.  Place smaller crust onto foil in the toaster oven.
4. Brush oil on all of the crusts.
5. Spread sauce on all of the crusts.
6. Take dairy free toppings and place them on top of the sauce of every pizza.
7. Close toaster oven and bake small pizza at 425 degrees F for about 10-20 minutes.
8. Spread mozzarella cheese on remaining pizzas.  Make sure the toppings are underneath the cheese to prevent burning.
9. Reduce heat on the conventional oven to 425 degrees F.   Place pizzas on mid-upper rack.
10. Bake for about 10 minutes or less.  If you bake for too long, you’re likely to overcook the pizza.
11. Remove the dairy free pizza first. Place it on a board or plate.  Use the pizza cutter to cut it into 4-6 slices and serve.
12. After serving the dairy free pizza, slice the pizza with the cheese on it.  Immediately put slicer into sink to be washed to avoid cross-contamination and serve cheesy pizza to non-dairy allergic family members and guests.  Make sure the allergic individual isn’t exposed via cross-contamination during the meal.  If you are feeding a dairy allergic child, have one responsible adult remain at the table until the children are finished eating to avoid accidental consumption of an allergen.

Sometimes we cheat. Yes…sometimes you gotta when you’re desperate.  We always have smaller pizza crusts handy for those “let’s order a pizza” nights.  We’ll make the dairy free pizza ourselves and then order a couple of regular pizzas and have them delivered.  Convenience isn’t totally lost on us.

Other Blogs Participating in Project Food Budget:

• Emily Levenson
• Maria Marz
• Veggie Converter
• Dairy-Free Cooking
• Motor City Girl In the Steel City
• Veggie Burgher
• The Happy Cactus
• The Vegetarian Salmon
• Test Kitchen Tuesday
• Newly Vegan
• Always Sick and Tired
• Veggie on the Cheap
• MeloMeals: Vegan For $3.33 A Day
• A Guy, A Girl, And a Dinner Plate
• The Amateur Low Carb Flexitarian