Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life

seeds, legumes, and vegetables, which yields high-density nutrition.
    As with the salad dressings and dips, I list hemp oil as the oil of choice in pizza crusts. Hemp is an excellent oil to use; however, as with other recipes, an oil blend is ideal. While hemp oil alone will produce a positive result, the nutritional value is improved by using the EFA Oil Blend (p. 210). Since the pizzas are not cooked above 300°F degrees, oils rich in essential fatty acids will remain in a healthy state.
    The toppings that I have paired with each crust are among my favorites. However, they can be altered to suit your own taste. Feel free to swap toppings between recipes and even make creations of your own using this simple pizza-making technique. Vegetables are the base of the Thrive Diet, and so again feel free to use any combination and variety for your creations. If you prefer more vegetables than the recipes call for, simply add more.
    As the pizza sauce, I use either the Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce (p. 266), or the Sweet Pepper Hemp Pesto (p. 267). These sauces go well with any of the crusts. To add variety, use any of the salad dressings as a pizza sauce. Just blend in ground sunflower seeds, tahini, or even black beans to thicken them. By blending sprouted or cooked black beans or other legumes into the dressings, they take on the texture of a spread and make an intriguing, nutritious pizza sauce. The thickness of the salad dressing will determine the amount of legumes you need to blend in. For most, blend three parts dressing to one part legumes. For a lighter, more neutral taste, try using black-eyed peas instead of black beans—they more readily take on the flavor of the dressing.
    To add even more flavor and nutrition to these pizzas, top with Creamy Nutritional Yeast Sauce (p. 262) once out of the oven.
     
    Pizza Procedure Follow this procedure for all the pizza recipes:
     
     
    Preheat oven to 300°F.
     
    In a food processor, process all crust ingredients until mixture starts to ball up. Lightly oil the baking tray with coconut oil. Spread mixture on tray to about 1/4 inch thick (it can be thicker or thinner if you prefer).
    Spread Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce (p. 266) or Sweet Pepper Hemp Pesto (p. 267) on crust; add topping.
    Bake for 45 minutes. (This will vary slightly depending on the moisture content of the vegetables and the desired crispness of the pizza.)

Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Quinoa Pizza
     
    The crust of this pizza has a smooth, nutty flavor, and a bit of a bite because of the peppers. Nutritionally balanced, it is also filling—it will “stick to you.”
     
     
    Crust
2 cloves garlic
1 cup cooked or sprouted black-eyed peas
1 cup cooked or sprouted quinoa
cont.
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/4 cup coconut oil, hemp oil, or EFA Oil Blend (p. 210)
1 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Sea salt to taste
     
     
    Topping
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 medium sweet potato, finely sliced or grated
1 cup cauliflower florets
1/2 cup grated beet
1 tsp chili flakes
     

Chickpea Curry Pizza
     
    With its mild curry flavor, this pizza crust is nicely complemented by Sweet Pepper Hemp Pesto (p. 267) and topped with sweet potato slices.
     
     
    Crust
2 cups ground sunflower seeds
1 cup cooked or sprouted chickpeas
1/4 cup coconut oil, hemp oil, or EFA Oil Blend (p. 210)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp Curry Powder (p. 210)
1/2 tsp turmeric
Sea salt to taste
     
     
    Topping
1/2 medium sweet potato, finely sliced or grated
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 cup sunflower seed sprouts
     

Adzuki Bean Quinoa Sesame Pizza
     
    Another heavier crust, this one keeps you full a long time. With its rich assortment of amino acids, it is especially good to eat at the end of a physically demanding day.
     
     
    Crust
1 cup cooked or sprouted adzuki beans
1 cup cooked or sprouted quinoa
1/2 cup ground sesame seeds
1/4 cup coconut oil, hemp oil, or EFA Oil Blend (p. 210)
2 tbsp dulse flakes
     
     
    Topping
1 cucumber, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
4 strips dulse (about 1/2 cup tightly packed)
1 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup chopped green onions
     

Sunflower Seed Beet Pizza
     
    The crust of this pizza is lighter tasting, with a distinct beet flavor. Beets are alkaline-forming, so this is a good one to make when your stress level is high.
     
     
    Crust
2 cups ground sunflower seeds
1 cup grated beet
1/4 cup coconut oil, hemp oil,